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“No, he was sober. But I kicked him out of the bar because he was being a shitty friend. He shouldn’t have gotten Alec this wasted.”
“I am not that drunk. I’m just … heartbroken,” Alec slurred, the last word barely above a whisper.
My chest constricted at his words. “Alec …” I whispered. “You’ll be okay.” I used my calm and cool motherly voice to ease him, but I knew that the liquor and his drunk state of mind were not working in my favor.
He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes and let out a jagged sigh. “Why is this happening?”
I sat next to him, my heart constricting.
“Everything’s gonna be okay,” I repeated even though I knew nothing was sinking in.
Sitting here by him, watching him in agony, I was brought back to many years ago when our mother had died, and I had uttered the same words I had said moments ago.“It will be okay.”
And eventually, we were okay. We’d gotten through it. Heartbreak was different though, wasn’t it? I’d learned from experience that heartbreak was inevitable, and the only thing that could heal a broken heart was time.
“I gotta go. I can’t see him like this,” Justin said, his voice heavy with pain.
But I knew it wasn’t Alec he couldn’t see. It was Lyria.
I stood. “Thanks for bringing him home.”
“No problem.” He tipped his chin toward Lyria. “Can you walk me out?”
I blinked, shocked that he’d asked. She stood there for a second, hesitant, but I knew she wasn’t about to say no.
“It sucks. That he’ll never know why she did what she did. That he’ll never get the answers to why he wasn’t good enough for her to stay,” Justin said, giving Lyria a brief glance, and I knew his last words were about himself, not Alec.
He headed out, and she followed him in silence. As a sister, my heart wanted to worry about her, too, but Alec was my focus. Alec needed me more. Lyria could always take care of herself.
“I gave her everything,” he said, his voice shaking with emotion. “I loved her. She knew me. She knew our family. She knew how much I missed Mom.” He lifted his head, staring at me with bloodshot eyes.
This time, I couldn’t stop myself. I placed my hand on his chest. “I know you did. I know you loved her. Know that this isn’t your fault, Alec. None of this is your fault.”
There was no point in repeating that Brandy was the villain in this situation, that she’d wronged him in more ways than one. That would not ease the pain.
“I wanted to spend forever with her.”
My heart broke for him, for the life he had planned and could no longer have.
“Everyone is telling me that everything will be okay,” he said bitterly. “But I can’t see past the now. I can’t see how it can ever be okay when it hurts so fucking much.” He swiped at his eyes, not hiding his tears. With me, he wasn’t ashamed to show vulnerability.
I pulled him into my arms like I used to when he was a little boy, rocking him just a tad and rubbing his back like I did whenever I consoled him. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d held him this close. His shoulders seemed broader, his chest wider. He was a grown man, but in my eyes, I would always see him as a kid, the one I used to take care of—still take care of—the one I would always protect.
“It’s just going to take some time,” I said, rubbing his back. “You’ll have to take it a day at a time. A month at a time. A year at a time until, eventually, you heal.”
His body shook against mine.
“And I know you can’t see that now, but you will get over this. Years from now, you’ll know that you and Brandy weren’t meant to be and that there is someone out there for you, someone better. Someone who is going to love you unconditionally and never even think twice of hurting you.” I held him through his sobs, even as they soaked my shirt.
I knew as long as we had each other, as long as our family was intact, we could get through anything. And we would get Alec through this.
CHAPTER20
SYDNEY
The next day after work,I was back at Austin’s, doing the same thing—cooking and assisting. I had helped him wrap up his dressing with plastic wrap, so he could finally take a shower.
His bathroom had been made for a king. It was the kind of bathroom I pictured would be in the penthouse suite of the Ritz-Carlton. Marble floor. Double sink with a Jacuzzi. The shower was a walk-in, complete with one of those benches, as though people sat in the shower to read.
