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“Baby—”
“Please,” I pleaded desperately. “I just want to be alone right now.”
For a moment I worried that he was going to argue, but thankfully, he relented a beat later, his shoulders falling on a sigh. “All right, I’ll go. For now.”
“Thank you. But—” The words fell past my lips before I could stop it. “You’ll be here tomorrow? When Charlotte and her fiancé come? You’ll be here?” I didn’t want to need him for that, but I couldn’t help it. I was excited about the idea offinallyseeing my sister, my twin, the other half of me that I’d felt was missing nearly my whole life, but I was also scared, and for some reason, knowing Trent would be there helped temper that fear.
I remained frozen in place as he closed the distance between us and reached up to cup my jaw. “If you want me here, I’ll be here. I promise.”
My breath left me on a wheeze at the intensity in his smoky eyes. I almost thought he was going to kiss me, but instead, he turned and, in two long strides, exited my workshop and disappeared.
* * *
Trent
I wason my back deck with my forearms braced on the wooden railing. I’d lost track of how long I’d been standing there, staring out at the turbulent water, but it was long enough that the sun had set, turning the swirling blue and white to an inky black that better matched my mood.
I’d been lost in thought for hours, only being pulled from my melancholy when the doorbell rang. Pushing myself up, I brought the beer bottle that had been dangling from my fingers to my lips and took a hearty pull, only realizing then that I’d apparently been out of it for so long that it had gone warm.
I choked on the sip, sputtering it up as the doorbell went off again. Placing the wasted beer on the railing, I moved through the back door and toward the front of the house as I coughed and wiped at my mouth with the back of my hand.
For the second time in two days, I opened my front door and was greeted by a fist plowing into my face. Only this one was a much bigger fist and hurt a fuck of a lot more than the first.
“Jesus,” I grunted, my eyes tearing up and my vision blurring. “Good to see you too, Dalton.” I should have expected it, but I was clearly off my game, because I didn’t even have a chance to duck when he punched me again. Leaned out the door, I turned to the side and spit the blood that had pooled in my mouth into the front flowerbed. “Feel better?”
“A little,” Dalton answered.
“Hit him again, cowboy,” Charlotte said, her head popping out from behind his mountain frame and glaring at me like she wanted to set my skin on fire with her eyes just so she could watch me burn.
Dalton turned his attention to his woman, his granite expression going soft as he looked down at her. “His nose is already swelling up, Thumbelina. I think he got the message.”
“Loud and clear, brother.” Christ, my face fucking hurt. “I thought you guys weren’t supposed to be here till tomorrow.”
“We were able to get standby on an earlier flight.”
“Great. Well, you want to come in?” I asked, stepping to the side.
They shoved through, both of them shouldering me back farther as they barreled in, luggage and all.
“You guys want a beer?” I asked, moving to the fridge and pulling it open, grabbing three beers before either of them had a chance to answer.
They followed me into the kitchen, propping themselves across from me on the barstools on the opposite side of the island.
“Nice place you got here,” Dalton said dryly as he lifted the bottle his lips and drank. “No wonder you’ve been here a month and a half.”
I took a swig of my own and sighed. “I’m sorry.” It was all I could think to say. “I know I fucked up. I’m not going to make any excuses for what I did.”
“Fine.” Charlotte gripped her bottle in both hands and leaned into her forearms that were resting on the granite. “No excuses, but how about an explanation?” she demanded.
It was the very least I could give them. I told them about the call I’d had with Lincoln shortly after I got to town and realized, not only had I found her, but that I’d discovered she had a kid as well.
The only time Charlotte spoke through all of that was to murmur, “I have a niece,” in a voice full of wonder.
I tried my best to explain how I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure I didn’t blow up the life she’d built for herself and scare her into running again.
“I get all of that,” Charlotte said in a much softer tone once I’d finished. “But a month and a half? It couldn’t have taken that long to get to know her well enough to give her the truth. Why did it take so long?”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat, unable to speak past it. Throughout my whole explanation, Dalton had stayed eerily silent, scrutinizing me in a way that made me feel like I was under a microscope, his expression knowing. When he finally chimed in, I understood why.
