Page 87 of The Only Time

Oldest brother. Makes sense. Then he points to the man on his left. “This is Lucas and that’s Marcus.”

I respond with a nod of my head. They all look at me with blank stares now. It’s hard to tell if they are mad or just have great poker faces.

“So, what things do we need to get straight?” I ask as I lean forward and fold my arms over the table.

“We came here to talk to you about our sister,” Gabe starts. “She’s been pretty upset ever since she came back fromSavannah, even before the incident that landed her in the hospital.”

My eyes close as shame washes over me. I hate to think that I’m the reason for that incident even occurring.

“I’m sorry,” I reply, no other words come to me.

Should I explain? How much do they know?

“Well, since it’s your fault that she’s miserable, I imagine you should be sorry,” Gabe replies, jaw set tight. “The question we came here for is what are you going to do about it?”

My eyebrows raise, mouth falls slightly. “What am I going to do about it?” I repeat.

“Yes,” Lucas, her other brother, replies. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Well, I don’t think she wants me to do anything. Did she tell you that I came to see her in the hospital?”

“Yes,” Marcus answers me. “She told us that. You told her you loved her.”

“Yes, but she told me to leave. She doesn’t trust me, doesn’t believe that I love her.”

“So, that’s it?” Gabe answers loudly. “You’re just going to give up? If she’s that easy to give up, then I don’t think you actually love her.”

That pisses me off. I slam my hand down on the table. “That’s bullshit. I gave her upbecauseI love her. I’ve spent every miserable minute in this place since she left trying to keep myself away. Once I finally realized my feelings, I got on the plane, quit my job so I could leave, and got to her as soon as I could. But I couldn’t fight her on it. She was lying in a hospital bed because of a man who didn’t know when to stop fighting for her. I couldn’t do that to her again,” I say, as my throat constricts from emotion.

Everyone at the table sits in silence as my words hang in the air. I don’t fucking care who knows how much I love her or ifthey judge me for the reasons I left her alone, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to put her through anything else that she doesn’t want.

“Look, I respect that decision. I appreciate you looking out for our sister, but that’s our job,” Lucas declares. “But through all of this, did you ever think about the difference between what you mean to her versus what Don meant to her?”

My forehead turns down as I try to figure out what he means.

“I take it by your reaction that you haven’t considered it,” Lucas replies.

“I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” I reply.

Liam rolls his head back and moans. “Dude, open your eyes! Do you need them to spell it out for you?”

Gabe lets a small smirk break free at Liam’s attitude towards me. Apparently, I’m missing a little detail that they all seem to know.

“The difference is that my sister is in love with you,” Gabe says. “She didn’t love Don. Didn’t even like him. The difference is that she’s been crying daily since you left.”

The words hit me like a jolt. I’m momentarily stunned as time stands still. Could that mean I haven’t lost her yet? A smile threatens to break free at the idea that this thing between us might not be over.

“Are you…are you saying that she still loves me? That she stillwantsme?” I whisper.

“Of course,” Marcus replies. “She’s just scared. She wants to be sure that you really mean it when you say you love her. You need to fight for her. You need toshowher that you love her.”

I sit up straighter as ideas start to bounce around my head. I nod. “I can do that.”

“Now…before you get all kinds of ideas,” Gabe states. “I need to know that you are one hundred percent ready to do whatever it takes to be with her. I mean anything. Would you move toCleveland to be with her? Because if you’re not willing to work with her on how you two can be together, I don’t want you getting her hopes up for nothing.”

That’s the easiest decision I’ve ever made in my life. “Of course, I’m willing to do absolutely anything to be with her.”

“Can I ask you a question?” I say as I look at her brothers. They all nod their heads. “Why don’t you hate me more? I’ve been such a dumbass throughout all of this.”

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