Page 112 of The Bridges I've Burned

“Elena.”

“Is everything okay? Is Dad?—”

“He’s fine,” she acknowledged, but didn’t provide any further information.

A second went by and then another as I waited for her to say something.

Zander watched me as I started to pace the kitchen, one bare foot in front of the other as I tried to ignore how clammy my hands felt or how erratic my heartbeat was.

“Did you need something or…” I huffed out a breath, hating that I still cared.

“I wanted to remind you that next month is the anniversary of Daniel’s?—”

“I know what day it is,” I clipped, my body coming to a halt. “I don’t need a calendar reminder for the day my brother died.” My tone was harsh, but I didn’t care. She hadn’t chosen to call me in years, and this was the topic she’d picked.

I felt Zander’s soothing presence step up behind me, and I leaned into it, seeking his warmth as he wrapped an arm around my waist.

“I just wanted to be sure since you’ve likely been preoccupied with Marin and her wedding.” The word wedding rolled off her tongue like she was saying something uncouth or slanderous.

“Just because Marin is getting married doesn’t any of us have forgotten him.”

Her silence seemed to suggest she didn’t agree.

“Anyway,” she went on, “I’ve asked Father Thomas to come say a few words at Daniel’s graveside this year, and I’d like the whole family to be in attendance.” She didn’t want to look bad in front of the priest. “Since I doubt Marin will come, it will be imperative that you do.”

“You’re making a lot of unfair assumptions about Marin,” I said.

“It’s not like she’s been to his grave much to begin with.”

“She lives thirteen hundred miles away. You know how much she wanted him buried close to her, but she chose not to fight you and buried him in the family plot. Do you know how hard that was for her?”

Another beat of silence.

Zander began to make slow circles with his thumb on my stomach. It felt like an anchor, and I focused on it.

I chose not to mention Marin’s pregnancy. It would only anger her more, and besides, it wasn’t my news to share.

“I’ll check my work calendar and?—”

“This is not negotiable, Elena,” she said, her voice rising. “If you can take three weeks off for a ridiculous wedding, you can spare a day for your brother.”

I bit down hard on my bottom lip, tears threatening to spill down my cheeks, and I took a deep breath. “Funny how I only seem to be part of the family when it suits you,” I said, and before she could get another word in, I ended the call, slamming my phone down on the counter for good measure.

As I tried to breathe through my anger, Zander stood there and didn’t say a word. He just held me, making those slow circles over my skin.

It was like, somehow, he could sense what I needed.

I wasn’t a woman who needed a white knight. I didn’t want a man to fight my battles or take control when life got overwhelming.

I just wanted someone to be there.

I turned in his arms. “As you can see, my mother is thrilled about Marin’s upcoming nuptials.”

“Has she always been like that?” he asked.

“I’d love to say no—that it’s just a byproduct of grief—but unfortunately, parenting has never really been her strong suit.”

A sad smile tugged at his lips as he took me in. “And what about your dad?”

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