Page 75 of Love, Always and Forever
Chapter 22
The trip back home hurt—every mile, every curve in the road, every second of dreadful silence that hung between them as they rode caged together inside the pickup truck. Then there was the ongoing argument inside of her own mind, which was causing a massive headache. At least that gave her an excuse to close her eyes and shut out the rest of the world for a while.
Meanwhile, her logical mind insisted she’d done nothing wrong, that no one had a legitimate reason to be mad at her. Not her brothers and especially not the grim-faced man sitting next to her. But if that were true, why did her heart fear that she’d hurt Mikhail in some profound way that she hadn’t foreseen? In turn, that worry had dragged her conscience into the discussion, telling her that she owed someone an apology, and most likely several someones.
Despite her best rationalizations, she’d obviously handled the whole I’m-leaving-home-because-I’m-an-adult-now thing badly. Grown-ups didn’t run away in a fit of anger. They didn’t let their families worry unnecessarily just to prove they could make their own doctor appointments. No, they faced their demons, set some boundaries, and worked out compromises.
Her failure to do those things had hurt the people she loved, including the man who had come after her just to make sure she was all right even if he wasn’t particularly happy with her right now. She definitely had fences to mend, but right now she didn’t have the strength, even if she could have found the words.
The truck came to an abrupt stop, and the deep rumble of the engine went silent.
“We’re home, so you can quit pretending you’re asleep.”
She winced at the snap of anger in Mikhail’s voice. Before she could say anything, he was already out of the truck and heading around the front end to her door. He jerked it open and held out his hand to help her down. It would’ve been churlish to refuse, although it was tempting. It was almost insulting how quickly he released his hold on her as soon as her feet touched ground in his driveway.
“Jack will be here shortly to return my SUV and help me unload your bike. I’ll leave it in your driveway.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded and turned away, leaving her no choice but to go, even if each step away from Mikhail left her feeling more alone than at any other time in her life. Well, right up until she opened the front door to be confronted by not just one frantic bulldog, but two. She sank down on the floor and gathered them both in close. Neither one seemed to mind the drip of tears on their furry heads as she drew comfort from their undemanding company.
Although Sarge let her hug him, he kept staring at the door and woofing softly. He was clearly missing his owner and wondering when he would get to go home. As tempting as it was to keep him, to have that much of Mikhail in her arms, that wasn’t fair to either the man or his dog.
“Come on, boy, I’ll walk you home.”
She pushed herself back up off the floor and wiped her face dry on the sleeve of Mikhail’s flannel shirt. Something else she’d have to return eventually, but not until she washed it. She wasn’t about to do that tonight, not when it carried his scent. Surely he wouldn’t begrudge her sleeping in his shirt for one night. Even if he would, there was no reason to tell him. First thing tomorrow, though, she’d toss it in the laundry along with the sheets where they’d slept in each other’s arms. If only her memories could be as easily washed away.
No, she didn’t mean that. There was no way she wanted to forget Misha and all those amazing firsts that they’d shared. His friendship had been an amazing gift, one that she would cherish as long as she lived. She patted Sarge one last time. “Come on, big guy. We should get you home.”
Both dogs bolted out the door the second she opened it. As soon as she stepped out on the porch, she wished she’d peeked out the window first. Not only was Mikhail in his driveway, but Jack was with him. They’d already unloaded her motorcycle, but right now the two of them were up in each other’s faces, arms waving and fists clenched.
Testosterone and bullheadedness rolled off them in waves, making it clear neither of them was going to back down on his own. There was no telling what they were arguing about, but she suspected that it had something to do with her. It looked like the day’s events had left Mikhail looking for a handy target for his anger. No way she was going to let him pound on his brother when she was the one he was mad at.
She cut across the grass straight for them. Mikhail had his back toward her, but Sarge charged ahead of her, barking his fool head off. He positioned himself on one side of his owner while Panda took the other and added his own vocal displeasure to the ongoing argument. For her part, she took a deep breath and shoved her way between the two men, doing her best to channel her mother; the woman had years of experience in dealing with hardheaded idiots.
“What on earth is going on with you two? Standing out here and putting on a show for all of the neighbors like this? How stupid is that?”
Jack backed up half a step but not on the attitude. “I was just telling my baby brother here that he’s a fu—”
Mikhail reached around her to give his brother a quick shove. “Watch your language in front of her.”
Oh, brother. Like she hadn’t heard the word before or even used it herself when the situation warranted it. Before she could point that out, Jack shot her an apologetic look. “Sorry, Amy. What I meant to say was that I was pointing out my baby brother’s wrongheaded thinking.”
“And I was telling him—” Mikhail paused to glare down at the dogs. “Will you two please shut the fuck up.”
The bulldogs ignored his request while Jack smirked at him. “Tsk, tsk, little brother. Language, remember?”
Clearly, both brothers knew exactly which buttons to push to bring out the worst in each other. Mikhail kept his gaze pinned on Jack. “Amy, take the dogs back inside. I’m pretty sure this discussion is about to intensify.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, determined to remain right where she was. “That is so not happening. I’m staying right here until you both calm down.”
Mikhail ended Amy’s participation in the discussion when he took it upon himself to remove her from the equation completely. Sweeping Amy up in his arms, he carried her back over to her porch. “Go back inside and stay there until I can send my jerk of a brother on his way.”
It was tempting to argue, but she knew she’d lose. “Fine, but promise you won’t start throwing punches.”
That comment stopped him in his tracks. “Why? You worried that I’ll mess up his pretty face?”
With her on the porch and him down on the sidewalk, they were at about the same height. She stared into those heartbreaking blue eyes of his, wishing she still had the right to hold him close. “No, I just think you’ve been hurt enough for one day.”
