Page 32 of Pick Yourself Up
Which was why she liked Dr. Kate. She helped Amber see the pros and cons. “True. I was in my all-or-nothing space again.”
Kate grinned. “Any time. Have you shared with your family yet?”
Amber’s face flushed. She knew she should, but she wasn’t looking forward to the conversation. “They’ll be upset.”
“Sure. Because they love you and want to support you. Telling them doesn’t make you weak. It helps you and shows that you love them as well.”
Which added to her guilt for not having done it yet.
Kate smiled softly. “And I can feel the guilty vibes emanating from here. You made choices that were best for you at the time. That’s not something you need to feel guilty about. Now that you’re in a safe place, it might be easier to talk to them.”
She nodded and then she heard the door to the mudroom slam. She ruffled Boomer’s head and scrambled to her feet. “Hungry people alert. I have to go, but thanks for picking up.”
“I’ll pick up whenever I can. If I can’t, I’ll call you back. Take care of yourself, Amber. You’re doing great.”
Kate understood Amber was hanging up because she didn’t want to talk about the reason she was chatting with a therapist. She was a coward.
Boomer leaned into her leg, making her smile. “Thanks, Boomer. I’m trying.”
Knox walked into the kitchen and smiled at her. “Smells delicious, Amber.”
His smile dimmed as he studied her and moved to the sink to wash up. “You okay?”
She nodded. “I’m not burning the pork chops.”
He grinned. “You know that’s not what I meant. You ready to talk about it yet?”
She flinched and stared at her brother. “Talk about what?”
He dried his hands and leaned his hip against the counter. “About whatever had all the color leaching from your face. About the thing that drove you away from Chicago. About whatever it is that’s scaring you.”
Her heart thumped. How did he know all that? She’d always been good at keeping her thoughts under control.
Knox sighed and dropped the towel, then stepped close enough to wrap her in his strong, big-brother arms. “No pressure, Amber, but I’m here. Jolie’s here. We know something or someone hurt you. And while I want to go kick the ass of whoever’s responsible, I’ll get your permission first.”
She choked out a laugh and hugged him back. “You don’t need to kick anyone’s ass.”
He leaned back and ran his hands up and down her arms. “That remains undecided. I can see you’re not ready to talk about it. I get it. It took me a long time to deal with some of the shit in the military. Took me longer to admit it was a problem. Just don’t let it eat away at your insides. Talking about it helps, which surprised the hell out of me. But it does. We’re here when you’re ready.”
Then he hugged her again, and Amber battled to keep the tears inside.
She wasn’t ready yet. But she thought one day she would be. And maybe they wouldn’t think she was a coward after all.
Gray stayed where he was at the threshold of the kitchen as Knox hugged his sister. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but from their body language, he knew his buddy had guessed something was up with Amber.
Both Boomer and Knox had acknowledged his presence with a quiet nod, but he didn’t intrude yet. Instead, he studied Amber’s manner, guessing she still hadn’t told her family what had happened. Keeping it locked inside had to be hurting her, and he wished she’d open up to her family. Not that it was his place to decide, but he thought it would help her.
When Annie’s eyebrows shot up, Gray wondered exactly what emotion showed on his face, and how much Knox was reading into that expression.
It didn’t matter. Gray wasn’t skulking around in the shadows. He was interested in getting to know Amber better and knew she felt the same. He had no plans to hide his attraction.
Knox would have to get over any big brother feelings and adjust.
When Amber straightened, Annie’s grip on her eased, and Gray straightened, waiting another few seconds to announce his presence.
Amber turned at his movement and her smile grew, something he was sure Knox noticed. He knew his own smile was wider than usual as well.
As he approached, he realized Amber’s eyes were red. She’d either been crying or close to it.
