Page 54 of Don't Leave Me

“Sophia loves you, Peck. I can see it in the way she looks at you. Don’t let something like this ruin what you have.” Wes keeps his gaze on me, refusing to look away.

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Eh, you were starting to. It’s written all over your face. You’re regretting coming here and are thinking about bolting,” Blake adds.

“Do you two always do this?” I motion between the two of them. When they don’t answer, I continue. “Wes throws the truth in the person’s face and Blake cracks jokes and calls you out?”

“Huh.” Blake stops spinning and slaps his hands down on the desk, making me jump. “I guess we do that.” He scratches his cheek. “Is that our brand? Is this what the kids always expect when they see us coming?”

“Probably.” Wes shrugs, not really caring either way. “Don’t run. Don’t regret anything. Don’t do anything except wrap Sophia in a hug and let it all out. She’ll be your rock and help you through this. That’s what the women in this family do. Between Charlie and her, Wyatt and you will be talking and laughing like real brothers before you go home.”

“Thank you for trusting her with me,” I whisper, knowing if Wes didn’t like me, he’d keep her away. He’d be encouraging me to leave and never contact her again. Instead, he’s talking me off of the ledge and helping me see things more clearly. “And thank you for this. I haven’t had a dad to talk to in a long time. It’s nice to get some perspective.”

“Damn, he might make me cry,” Wes mutters.

“Wes will be the papa you’ve always wanted,” Blake teases.

“Go find your girl. I have a feeling Wyatt wants to talk to you without an audience and that’s why Charlie called you out there.” Wes pats me on the back, then pushes me towards the door.

I quickly move through the house, more to avoid the stares of the family than anything else, and push through the backdoor.

Wyatt is sitting with Charlie on his lap at a table and Sophia’s sitting in the chair to the left of them. She smiles when she sees me and rushes over. She throws herself into my arms and hugs me tightly.

“I know this is shocking for you too. If you want to talk without anyone around, we can sneak off and no one will find us. You just let me know what you need.”

“I just need you,” I murmur against the crook of her neck.

She doesn’t let go until I create some space between us, then she takes my hand and interlaces our fingers. She marches us right over to the table and motions for me to take a seat. Without hesitating for a second, she plops down on my lap and massages the back of my neck.

“Wyatt, meet your little brother, Brad. But we like to call him Peck. Isn't he the cutest little brother ever!” She coos, grinning the entire time.

I chuckle, unsure of what else to do. She knows exactly what she’s doing and she’s great at it. I'm going to have to thank her later on.

“I'm not mad, Peck,” Wyatt says in a raw voice. “None of this is your fault. Not me being put up for adoption. Not how I found out. None of this. I did the DNA test because I wanted to know if I had family out there somewhere. I did it before I went pro, but after Charlie and I broke up. I lost so much and I was just hoping to gain something good in my life.”

He swallows hard and takes a moment to compose himself. I can only imagine the emotions coursing through him. He was abandoned by the woman who raised me. He was rejected, yet I was loved by the same person. How does that even happen?

“I always dreamed of finding a cousin or some long lost aunt…” He shakes his head like he still can't believe this. “I never thought I’d get a brother.”

“And a sister. She’s kind of annoying though. You might not want her. She also chews like a cow.” I grimace.

“Oh my gosh! She does not! Sydney’s amazing. I absolutely love her!” Sophia gushes about my sister and I fall a little harder for the woman.

I snake my arm around her waist and hug her. I’ve only had this amazing woman in my life for two weeks, yet I can't imagine living without her ever again.

“I told you they looked like they could be relatives when we were stalking him on social media.” Charlie leans down and gives Wyatt a quick kiss.

“Wait… I'm sorry, you two stalked me on social media?” I stare up at my girlfriend with amusement.

“First off, we didn’t stalk you.”

“Bro, they were totally gushing over shirtless pictures of you. I had to leave the room.” Wyatt rolls his eyes.

I swallow around the lump in my throat when he calls me bro. I know he could just be saying it because that’s what he calls other guys, but it still hits me straight in the heart and has tears pricking the back of my eyes.

“You know, I never really liked you,” Sophia huffs, folding her arms across her chest.

“Oh, c’mon, tiny Robinson. You love me and you know it.” He throws his head back and chuckles. “Actually… I distinctly remember you saying you wanted to marry a man just like me when you were little.”

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