Page 9 of Falling for Them

Libby

There was nothing worse than feeling like you were about to burst into tears and have all eyes on you. While the groundbreaking ceremony had been short and sweet, it was hard to be back in a place that held no good memories for me.

When my mom had told us she’d found a new home for us, I’d still been an optimistic eight-year-old and thought that my mom had finally gotten her shit together. As soon as we’d stepped foot in the abandoned building that was anything but clean and safe, my hope had dwindled that I’d ever have a normal childhood. We hadn’t lived here for very long, but it was probably one of the worst places we’d stayed.

In a way, each place we had lived reflected my mother’s own deterioration. Barely standing and surviving from day to day. Until she wasn’t.

Once my brother was financially able, he had purchased the property, and now we stood in the exact spot where the buildinghad once stood, sharing a shovel to start something new in its place.

I glanced up as onlookers burst into applause as we broke ground. My cheeks trembled with the effort it took to force a smile. It felt strange to be standing alongside millionaires and billionaires when my life could have turned out so different.

I would have liked to think that if Ryker and I hadn’t been orphaned, we’d have still made something of ourselves, but I wasn’t so sure. The statistics for making it out of poverty weren’t good, and that was why this project was so important. Too many lives got stuck in a never-ending cycle, and even if we could help one person, it would be worth it.

After a few pictures with the major donors, Carter arranged Ryker, Leo, and me for more photos. I’d tried and failed to put myself on the other side of Ryker, but Carter moved me between the two men.

Leo chuckled and lowered his voice so only I could hear. “Scared to be next to me, princess? I don’t bite.”

I glared daggers at him before plastering on another fake smile and looking forward. Why did Leo have to smell so good? I didn’t typically like the smell of cologne, but his was so light and tantalizing that it made me want to bury my face against him to get a better whiff of it.

“Leo, move a little closer to her.” Carter snapped away on his camera, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

Leo tried to put his hand on my lower back, and I scooted forward the tiniest bit so he wouldn’t touch me. The last thing I needed was to feel his warm hand against me.

“Perfect! Okay, I think we’re done here.” Carter lowered his camera and looked at me. “I’m going to be around taking pictures. Give me about fifteen minutes?”

My cheeks heated because both my brother and Leo were staring at me. “Sounds good. My friend Ethan will probably want to come. Is that okay?”

“Of course.” He smiled, gave Leo a withering glance, and then turned his back to us, raising his camera again.

I was a bit surprised at how comfortable I already felt talking to Carter. Usually, if someone new invited me out, I’d politely decline. People referred to me as shy, but it wasn’t quite that. I just needed to get a lay of the land first before sharing pieces of myself.

Leo made a sound of annoyance and brushed past me, heading for a group of businessmen. I didn’t know what his deal was, and I didn’t really care.

Ryker cleared his throat, and I turned to him. “What was that all about?”

“Carter asked me to lunch so we can talk about the community center and social media.” I shrugged, knowing exactly what my brother was thinking from the look on his face. “I’m twenty-six, Ry. No need to go all protective brother on me.”

“I’ll still be protective even when we’re in our eighties. I would tell you not to pursue anything with someone you work with, but...” He smiled wistfully as he looked past me, more than likely at his girlfriend, Paige.

I shoved his shoulder playfully. “When did you become so love-sick?”

He laughed and shook his head. “You’ll understand one of these days.” He pulled me into a hug. “Love you, sis.”

“Love you too.” I was looking forward to being around my brother more, even if he worried about me too much and sometimes acted more like a father.

“Ethan is headed this way.” He pulled away from me and cocked an eyebrow. “He appears to be on a mission. Good luck with that.”

Ryker clapped Ethan on the shoulder as he walked into the crowd of people, leaving me with my best friend. Ethan pulled me into a hug, and I rested my head on his chest.

“Are you taller?” I squeezed him tight. It had been a month since I’d seen him in person, and even though we talked every single day, it wasn’t the same.

“Nope, just my new boots.” Ethan pulled back and kicked out a foot, showing me his brown boots that had a two-inch heel. He was already six-foot-three; he didn’t need to be any taller. “They had three and a half inches too, but it was a little too much, even for me.”

Ethan was always trying to find ways to stand out in the crowd, even though he would even if he wore a potato sack. Whether it was with his clothes or his humor, he wanted people to notice him. We were complete opposites of each other in that regard, but he was my person, and I was his. Since the day we met in our freshman year of college, we had been inseparable.

Ethan hooked his arm through mine and led me away from the crowd to stand next to the brick building on the property that hadn’t been demolished. It was still structurally sound, so the plan was to gut it and turn it into the administrative offices and a learning center to use while the rest of the community center was being built. Until then, we’d work from an office building in Manhattan.

An office building that had Leo’s family name on it.

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