Page 79 of The Price of Forever

I drew a deep breath, checking my phone. No word from Seven yet, which meant he likely didn’t know I’d broken my promise to him. I stared at the bright screen, fingers swiping across the apps before I had a chance to think better of it.

Suddenly I had a text to Damian open.

JORDAN: Are you guys home?

He wrote back immediately. Like he’d been waiting.

DAMIAN: I can be if you need me to be. What’s up sis?

My chin trembled and I contemplated what to say. I didn’t even know what I needed right now. Nothing felt quite right, but somehow, finding my brothers made the most sense.

JORDAN: Just wondering if I could swing by and we could talk.

DAMIAN: Of course. I’ll be there in about ten minutes, is that quick enough? Are you near, or do you want me to send a car?

I was about to wave off his offer as usual. I don’t need help from you, or anyone. I can get there myself. But something stopped me. A ride would be nice. A little softness, a little comfort…would be nice.

JORDAN: I’d love a ride. Thanks.

I sent him the address of the park. When I looked around, things felt a little calmer inside. I smiled at the group of older ladies practicing tai chi nearby. I even smiled at passers-by, which I knew was an implicit no-no in New York City, but I had the excuse of being a deranged out-of-towner who occasionally smiled at people.

When the sleek black sedan pulled to a stop near one of the main entrances of Columbus Park about ten minutes later, its flashers blinking, I knew it had to be the Fairchild vehicle. As I approached, the passenger window slid down and Legs grinned out at me.

“Your chariot awaits, Ms. Haynes.”

“Legs!” I climbed into the front seat. His brows lifted.

“You comin’ up front with me today?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” I buckled in as he eased away from the park. “You’re not in the SUV today.”

“The ladies are using it, off with Harry somewhere.” He side-eyed me, smiling to himself. “We’re goin’ to the Fairchilds, right?”

I nodded, surprised to find something like excitement prickling to life. My brothers were part of a special, elite world, and I knew the access code. This was the type of VIP feeling I’d longed for as a child.

“Yeah. I just wanna hang out with my brothers.”

The words hung awkwardly in the air for me, though I’m sure Legs didn’t notice. Kaylee didn’t strike me dead from the great beyond for saying them either.

It’s time for you to do what feels right. And reconnecting with your brothers is what’s right.

I didn’t doubt it anymore. And part of me suspected that Kaylee wasn’t criticizing my choices from the Great Beyond. Hell, she was probably cheering this on. The Kaylee that would have been mad was the drug-addicted, traumatized teenager who’d led me to believe our brothers somehow chose to leave us behind. And while I still had questions I needed answered, there was no way Kaylee’s version could be completely correct.

Legs and I chatted while he drove through slow midday traffic. I tinkered with the radio, until landing on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which we both sang quietly to ourselves until it got to the end, which we belted out together. By the time we’d traveled a mile in about fifteen minutes, Legs felt like my best friend.

When he pulled up to the skyscraper known as my brothers’ building, he said, “I’ll be seeing you around, right?”

I shrugged. “Probably. I might be needing more rides soon.”

“Good.” He squeezed the wheel, smiling out ahead. “I’ll be seein’ ya, Jordy.”

I’d gone from Ms. Haynes to Jordy in the distance of two neighborhoods. Somehow, it didn’t bother me. I waved at Legs before entering the sleek, pleasantly warm lobby, heading to the center set of elevators as Damian instructed me via text. Since I wasn’t with Seven, I didn’t have his secret penthouse elevator key that went straight to the side entrance. Instead, I rode up a mirrored elevator by myself, staring at my slightly unrecognizable reflection. A messy ponytail, my most basic leggings and black tee, and my leather jacket, not an ounce of makeup or lip gloss. I nearly jumped when the doors slid open and my reflection split in two.

A gleaming, tiled hallway led to wooden double doors. Before I’d taken two steps, the doors opened, and my brother Damian filled the doorway.

“Hey, little sis.” His warm smile softened whatever hard edges I had left.

I walked up to him, leaning against him in an awkward half-hug, before breezing past. “Hey.”

---