Page 210 of Finding Hope

He looks down his nose to my hand. “You’re gonna wanna take your damn hands off me, boy.”

“I need to know where she is, Alex. Ineedto know. Ineedto see her.”

“I’m thinking that’s a really shitty idea. Seems to me, you just make her sad.”

“I wanna marry her, X. Here, look.” I fish around in my pocket desperately. Reaching across my body to awkwardly search my left pocket with my right arm, I pull the jewelry out. “I have her bracelet.”

With narrowed eyes, his hand snaps out to snatch the bracelet away. “She’s been looking for that.”

I pull my hand back and bask in the way my heart swells.

Finally,finallyit feels good.

“She’s been looking for it? Does she love me, too, Alex?”

“Well, if she does, I sure as shit ain’t gonna tell you.”

“But I have her braceletandI love her.” I open my palm wider and grin when his snatching hand stops at the sight of the diamond ring. Our eyes meet; his shocked, mine desperately hopeful. “Ineedto find her.”

“You’re scaring me. This is my baby sister’s life you’re messing with.”

“I’m not trying to mess with her life, Alex. I just wanna spend mine with her. I love her.”

“No. You just think you love her because she’s a toy you can’t have anymore.”

“No! That’s not true. Ask my sister. I bought this ringbeforethe fight. I bought this ring while we were still together and happy, but then the shit splattered and I couldn’t give it to her while she hated me.”

“Jack–”

“You know where she is, I know you do.”

“Of course I do. Because–”

“Because you’re her big brother. Her protector. You’re the deputy.”

“Chief.”

“Tell me where she is, Alex, please. And while you’re at it, give me your blessing. I know she’ll need that. She fucking idolizes you.”

“Idolizes me?She attacked me in my own home to stand up for you!”

“Which means she loves me, too.”

Pressing his thumbs to his eyes as stress relief, he mutters under his breath.

“I fucking hate you, Reilly. I hate what I saw you doing with her. I hate that you’re trying to steal my baby sister away.” His eyes – the same as hers – meet mine. “I changed her diapers. I held her bottles while she lay in my arms.”

“I’m not stealing her, Alex. Just asking to live my life right next to her. I can be your brother. We’ll name our firstborn after you.”

“Like fuck you will! There will be no firstborns! There’ll be no babies.”

“Okay.” Laughing, I absorb the unfamiliar giddiness that washesthrough me. “No babies. But let me find her. If nothing else, she should know I love her.”

“What if I don’t tell you?”

I take a step back, then a second. I look down at the top step leading into the front yard. “Then I’ll sit my ass down and wait for her. She’s bound to come home eventually.”

He shrugs. “Solid plan, genius. Catch ya later.” He walks back inside and slams the door.

---