Page 129 of Mine to Take

A puff of air escapes from me. It would be impossible to shake off the disappointment that has taken hold.

“Just in case you were wondering, he’s the one who brought you here,” my brother murmurs, drawing my attention back to him.

Our gazes lock and hold.

My mouth turns cottony as every cell in my body goes on high alert. My voice comes out sounding raspier than intended. “Who?”

“McKinnon.”

“He did?” My eyes widen as my heart picks up tempo. “He was here?”

River’s expression remains inscrutable as he dips his head in a nod.

If Maverick wasn’t already frightened away by me passing out, I’m sure a run-in with River hammered the final nail into the coffin.

Sorry, bad joke.

As soon as my parents arrived, he probably got the hell out of Dodge as fast as humanly possible. It’s doubtful I’ll hear from the guy again.

“Yup.” My twin’s expression turns cagey. “He told the staff that you were his fiancée so he could stay with you. He didn’t want you waking up alone and not knowing where you were.”

Warmth blooms in my chest before slowly spreading outward until it reaches the very tips of my fingers and toes.

I can’t believe he did that.

River clears his throat. “As much as it pains me to say this—he seems to genuinely care about you.”

I blink, thrown off by the admittance.

I can only imagine how difficult that was for River.

A kernel of hope tentatively rises within. “Do you really think so?”

My brother jerks his shoulders as he shifts from one foot to the other. “Yeah, I do.”

Some of the heaviness pinning me to the earth lifts, making it easier to breathe.

My lips twitch as I tease, “You don’t have to sound so happy about it.”

“Trust me, I’m not.”

I raise a brow, hoping that’s not his final word on the matter. “But?”

He rolls his eyes before grumbling, “I guess there are worse guys you could get involved with than Maverick McKinnon.”

“That’s progress, and I’ll take it.” I tilt my head and study him. “Would you believe that you two actually have a lot in common? If you weren’t always at each other’s throats, you’d probably be friends.”

It’s almost comical the way his face scrunches. “Sorry to disappoint, sis, but that’s never going to happen.”

A small smile simmers around the corners of my lips. “Anything’s possible.”

He shakes his head. “Nope. Not a snowball’s chance in hell.”

Our mother sighs. “River…language.”

Before my brother can shoot back a response, there’s a knock on the hospital room door. A second or two passes before it opens and Maverick pokes his head inside.

Our gazes fasten.

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