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That tug is gone when I walk into the house a few minutes later and run right into Brandon. He steadies me with his hands on my shoulders. “Hey, slow down.”
“Sorry,” I mumble as I try to sidestep him.
I’ve managed to avoid him since the other night. Not an easy thing to do when you’re the only two people in the house. But if you can’t make it work, you’re not trying hard enough.
“Mads, come on... You can’t keep ignoring me.” Brandon’s voice holds an air of irritation in it.
“Pretty sure I can.” I keep moving toward the stairs until he dashes in front of me, blocking the bottom step.
“Madison, stop. I’m sorry I upset you.” Screw him for being so good at choosing his words.
“Brandon... you’re not sorry for your actions. You’re just sorry that I’m mad. That’s not enough.” I shove past him, steam practically raging out of my ears. “You’re not my father. We didn’t have them. You don’t get to tell me what to do. I don’t care how much older than me you are.”
He follows me into my room. The rage building between us is a living, breathing thing. “You’re kidding me, right? I’ve taken care of you your entire life. I’m not your father. I was better than him because I’m still here. I’ve never let anyone hurt you.”
I spin around, the fury simmering just beneath my skin. “And I’d trust you with my life. But I’m an adult, Brandon. You can’t treat me like a child.”
“But it’s my job,” he yells. “It’s always been my job, Maddie. And I don’t know how to stop.”
“You’ve got to take a step back, big brother. I love you. I appreciate you and everything you’ve done for me. But you’ve got to let me make my own decisions and live my own life. You can’t go talk to my boss.” I feel the tips of my nails digging into my palms from fisting them too tightly. “You don’t get to unilaterally make decisions for me. You’ve got to figure out your own life and stop getting stuck in mine.” The words are out of my mouth before I can think them through, and I immediately wish I could pull them back.
The pain shining in his eyes hurts my heart.
“Brandon... I didn’t—”
“No.” He steps back, his eyes blazing. “I need to get my own life straight before I can tell you how to live yours.” He walks out of my room and slams the door so hard, it bounces off the hinges.
Great.
HUDSON
Igo home to my empty house, eat a light dinner, ice my damn knee, and watch ESPN. All that takes about an hour—maybe less—before I realize this isn’t where I want to be. This house I spent close to a year fixing up. The one I painstakingly refinished so every inch would be exactly what I wanted... This house feels empty. It feels cold.
How the hell can things change so quickly?
So completely?
I don’t want to be here. I want to bethere. With her.
I’m balancing on a tightrope strung together by rules.
Rules I know I can’t break.Won’t break.
But the beauty of rope is you can bend it to your will and shape it to your needs.
And I need to be next to her.
That’s how I find myself sitting in Maddie’s driveway, staring at her darkened window and thinking about how I want to feel her body wrapped in my arms, when a fist bangs against my hood.
Fuck.
I open the door and come face-to-face with a pissed-off Brandon Dixon on the other side. “Sorry, man. I was just...”
Yeah. I’m not sure what I wasjustdoing, but I’m pretty sure I’m not telling him.
“Jesus Christ, Kingston.” He cups his hands around his mouth and blows on them. “I’m freezing my fucking balls off out here. Come inside or go home. Cause right now, you look like a desperate stalker. And I don’t let stalkers near my sister.”
Without overthinking it, I grab my bag from the passenger seat and follow him into his house.
