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And there was Cal. Still leaning against the desk. He hadn’t intruded on our discussion. He’d simply been there for support.
Who was I gonna move on to? There is no one better than you.
I needed him. Needed the safety and comfort of his strong arms.
If I was going to get through the next few days, I had to have all the strength I could muster. And even if my emotional state was in tatters when it came to him, I had to take it moment by moment.
I shimmied between the two chairs.
His eyes flashed with heat as I moved to him with more confidence than I felt. I slid my arms around his waist and rested my head against his chest.
Those arms I wanted so desperately banded around me like a cocoon.
“You made the hard part look easy, baby sister.” He spoke against my hair with a reverence that weakened my knees.
I didn’t say anything, simply clung to him like he was the only thing anchoring me to sanity. He rubbed his big hands up and down my spine.
Like a support.
A partner.
A husband.
“You rescued Eric.” Lincoln’s stern voice was right behind us and I stiffened. “You’ve helped Beau in some capacity when she wouldn’t come to us. But you clearly hurt her at some point.”
I turned in Cal’s arms and faced my brother. In typical Lincoln fashion, he was hard to read, but it was impossible to mistake how much he cared for me.
“All I’ve ever wanted is what’s best for Beau.”
There was no uncertainty in Cal’s words. No apology or hesitation. I would have previously thought that that statement totally contradicted how he’d ended things all those years ago. But this was a lot easier to accept knowing what I did now.He’s shown you over and over since you’ve been back.
“As long as you give that to her, we’ll have no problems.” Lincoln extended a hand to Cal.
I gaped.
This was the equivalent of a blessing. One I hadn’t realized I’d want from my brothers because I never thought I’d be in a serious relationship again.
You’re not in one now.
Maybe it was pretend, but it didn’t feel that way.
Lincoln turned his gaze to me. “You don’t have to hide what makes you happy.” He reached for my hand. “You don’t have to hide anything at all.”
“We’re married,” I blurted.
Cal jolted behind me but kept a steady hold on my hip.
Lincoln’s brows shot up.
“Just since this morning,” I rambled. “I couldn’t see any other way out of marrying Alex. And obviously, I can’t marry him if I’m already married.”
Understanding dawned in my brother’s eyes, but as he scanned the way Cal held me, I wondered what he saw.
Did we look like we’d been forced into holy matrimony?
“He’s threatened Cal’s family too,” I whispered.
Cal went rigid behind me.
