Page 2 of Unbreak Me
I pull up to our blue two-story beach house and park in the garage before going inside. I live here with two of my brothers, Jake and Miles. Our parents gifted us this property when they sold our childhood home and wanted to travel with their AIRBNB business, keeping this property in the family as a place for all of us to use for vacations and get-togethers. Right now, the three of us see no reason to move out and get our own place. Savi, our only sister, is away at college in Georgia, and we aren’t married like our older brother, Travis, so this arrangement works out best for us.
Walking across the light bamboo floor, I bypass the pool table and big leather sectional in the living room, heading straight for the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I grab a cold beer.
Jake walks in from the master bedroom and grins when he sees I’ve been out. At twenty-seven, he’s the second oldest and four years older than me. Even though we are technically cousins, no one would know. Our moms looked so much alike, and I guess they passed it on to their kids. His dark hair and grey eyes are identical to mine. Crossing his arms over his bare chest covered in tattoos, he leans against the counter and eyes me.
“Finally came out from under your cars to live a little tonight?”
I don’t go out much, so when I do, my brothers always make a big deal about it. Normally, I stick to my routine of workingout in our home gym when I wake up and then working on cars until I’m too tired to do anything but crash, repeating it all over the next day. I could easily hire more people to give me some free time, but I learned early that the harder I work, the easier it is to fall asleep, so the loneliness can’t take over.
“I finished a restore today that I’ve been working on for six months, so I thought a drink to celebrate was in order.”
“Hopefully, you got a little more than a drink to celebrate.” He grins at me.
“I might have.” I take a sip of my beer, wanting to change the subject. “Why are you home so early? It’s only midnight on a Friday night.”
“I have a client coming in early tomorrow morning. It’s a large piece he wants finished, so I need to be on top of my game. Nice diversion, by the way,” he laughs before getting serious again. “It’s good to see you getting back out there again,” he says softly.
Jake and our older brother Travis are tattoo artists. They ownInkedin town, and Travis moved an hour south of here last year to open another one. They are both damn good at what they do and have made quite the name for themself in the art community. It’s no wonder why all of our chests and arms are covered in tats. When you have two of the best tattoo artists in the family, it’s easy to become addicted.
I absently rub the tattoo over my heart before I realize what I’m doing and stop myself. It was my first one at seventeen. I talked Travis into doing it behind our parents’ backs, but I knew the moment I saw her that I wanted her next to my heart. I’ve thought about getting it covered with something else, but I can’t seem to erase her off of my body.
“I told you there was nothing to worry about.” He studies me, and I avoid his eye contact. I’ve felt like I’ve been under a damn microscope for the past three years. I know they mean well andare just worried about me, but every time I get their pity look, it’s like a constant reminder of what I lost.
I down the rest of my beer and walk it over to the recycle bin. “I’m going to turn in. I have a vette coming in that I want to start on in the morning. I’ll see you tomorrow evening after work.” I walk past him and hear him sigh as I open the cottage doors to the backyard.
No one really understands what I’m feeling. Three years may be a long time to some people, but to me, it still feels like yesterday when I came home to an empty apartment with all of her things gone.
I hear the waves crashing against the shoreline as I walk across the back deck to the pool house. My brothers and I added to it, creating a one-bedroom apartment. When Travis was here, we shared the main house because we were the only ones not bringing girls back. He became a dad at twenty-two and was very protective of who got to hang around his son, Max. Once he moved out, Jake took the master bedroom, and I gladly came out here. I like having my own space and being able to have a place to go when Jake and Miles have company over. They tried more times than I can count to hook me up with some girl they bring back. After several attempts and turning them down, they finally accepted it and leave me alone now when they have girls over.
I walk across the light wood tile planks and head straight to my bathroom to take a shower. I still have Brittney’s perfume smell all over my clothes, and I don’t want the reminder of where I’ve been. Even though I know I’m not with Eve, the guilt of being with another girl always seems to weave its way in. The promises I made to her as we lay in each other’s arms always resurface and find a way to make me feel like I’ve broken them. She broke hers first, though, the minute she left me. Everything she had told me was a lie. You don’t leave someone you love.There was no note, no explanation, and no way to find her…just gone like she never existed.
CHAPTER TWO
RYDER - AGE SEVENTEEN
“Go long!” Travis’s voice yells out as I run down the beach to await the throw. He reaches his arm back and spirals the ball to me. It’s coming straight at me, and I grin, knowing it’s going to be the perfect catch. Right before the football lands in my hands, Miles comes out of nowhere and tries to intercept. He fumbles, and the ball goes flying toward a couple of girls sunbathing on a towel.
“Head’s up!” I yell seconds before the football bounces between them. I jog over to apologize and retrieve the football.
“I’m sorry about that. My stupid ass brother knocked it out of my hand.” I grin at the pretty blonde who stands up to hand it back to me. I glance at her friend, who already has her nose back in a book, before returning my attention back to the blonde.
“It’s no problem. We luckily dodged it.” I feel her eyes on me as she roams my body, and I grin wider.
“I’m Ryder, by the way.”
“I’m Brooklyn, and this is my friend, Eve.”
I glance back at her friend, and blue eyes, the color of the ocean, stare back at me. Time seems to stand still. I take the time to really look at her and notice how the sun makes her long hair shine with different shades of gold and auburn. It’s like the perfect sunset woven together. I get so lost in her eyes as I stand there, unable to form a single thought.
“Hi,” she says. Her voice is soft and sweet as honey, and for a second, I wonder what my name would sound like coming from those full pink lips.
“I think my brother means to say hi back.” Miles comes up behind me and puts his arm around my shoulder, bringing me out of my daze. I shake my head to clear it and find my voice.
“Hi, Eve.” She bites back a smile, and a dimple appears on her cheek, causing butterflies to form in my stomach.
“I’m Miles, Ryder’s brother and obviously the more talkative and attractive one.” I tear my gaze away from Eve and grin at my brother before shoving him away, causing him to laugh.
“You wish. We both know who got the better genes.”
