Page 129 of As the World Falls

“Does she know?”

I can’t help but smile now. “Even better. She loves me too.”

“Fuck me,” he groans, swiping a hand over his mouth. “I don’t understand how this happened.”

“Trust me,” I stare behind him, wracking my brain. “I don’t know how it happened either. She just showed up one day, and it did.”

“Well damn. So, this thing is for real?”

“Yes, Tobias. It’s for real.”

“Well… for being her older brother and all, I feel I need to say this.” He squares his shoulder back and thins his eyes at me in what I assume is supposed to be threatening. “If you ever hurt her or mistreat her?—”

“Stop talking before I fire you.”

He quickly shuts up and nods. “Right. Cool. I’m sure you get it.” I shake my head, down the rest of my water, and toss it in the recycling. When I turn around, he’s smirking at me.

“What is it?”

“Well, I mean… this would kind of make us brothers now.”

I walk over to him, stopping just an inch in front of him, grabbing hold of his tie and straightening it. “I suppose it would,” I agree. He chuckles happily before barreling over, gasping for air as my fist lands in his gut.

I bend down to whisper in his ear. “That was for hitting my bad shoulder earlier.”

“You damn bastard,” he groans, holding his stomach.

“Uhm…what is going on here?” We both immediately straighten at the sound of Cecilia’s voice.

“Your boyfriend is a bastard,” Tobias groans.

“Boyfriend?” Cecilia gleams, walking over to me and wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “I like the sound of that.”

“Boy? Hardly not. I think I’ve proven enough that I am all man,” I respond, pulling her to me. I see one of the roses from the bed pinned to her hair bun. “I like this,” I murmur, tugging at it.

“You mother—” Tobias charges me, but Cecilia turns in my arms, flicking him straight in the forehead.

“Can you exude your testosterone somewhere else, please? I’d like to have breakfast in peace,” she snaps.

“Damn it, that hurt,” Tobias growls, rubbing his forehead.

I laughed, my chest filling with something bittersweet I’d never felt before. It was a reminder of what it should have been like to have a family—being surrounded by people you loved who loved and respected you back. It felt as mournful as it did right, and I never wanted to let this feeling go.

But for now, Tobias had to go. Today, I had plans for only his sister and me, and as much as I enjoyed him, I liked my time with his sister, all to myself.

“Hurry and eat. We have plans in an hour,” I tell Cecilia.

“Where are you guys going?” Tobias asks over a mouthful of muffins.

“Yeah, where are we going?” she asks more delicately. She picks a small piece of her muffin off with her fingers and drops it into her mouth. I watch them both. So different yet completely the same.

“I have a date planned for us today.”

“Aww, look at you boss. Going all soft.”

Cecilia giggles, and my attention snaps solely to her. “What’s funny?”

She clears her throat and focuses on her muffin. “Nothing. That just made me think of how you’re never…” She glances at her brother before finishing her thought. “Never mind.”

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