Page 99 of Give My Everything
Wyatt’s jab comes from across the room.
I lift my eyes to connect with his and see him glaring at me, the anger and irritation brimming out of him enough to sense from where I sit fifteen feet away.
“You have something to say, Wyatt? Say it.”
His eyes stay focused on me as he stands and takes a step in my direction.
“I havelotsto fucking say. That’s your sister in there and you’ve been nowhere near her fucking appointments and meetings with the doctors.”
I grit my teeth.
“Instead, you’ve been too busy playing fucking house and pretending you could ever be a father to even care that your sister’s health has been deteriorating while we wait for a fucking donor.”
Any other conversation in the waiting room has come to a standstill, all eyes and ears focused directly on us.
My eyes narrow but I don’t react.
I wait. I wait because that’s my strength.
My brother is the hothead, the one with strong emotions. Sometimes, it serves him well. Other times—like now—it makes him look like a fucking asshole.
So. I wait.
And I watch for the moment when I see he realizes what he’s just done and said, wait for him to deal with his emotions and realize he’s using this anger to deflect his fear.
He pants out a few breaths and brings his hands up, clasping the back of his head.
Wyatt bends at the waist, and I can see him visibly struggle to take in deep breaths. So I take a step closer. Then another. And another, until I’m right next to him as he crouches, trying to catch his breath.
I drop down next to him and wait for him to meet my eyes. It takes him a minute, but eventually, he does.
“Feel better?” I ask, being careful not to let my irritation show in my tone of voice.
Wyatt shakes his head.
“That’s because you’re not mad at me. You’re scared, and that’s okay. We’re all scared, but getting angry at me isn’t going to change anything.”
His eyes well up and he wraps his arms around me, leaning his body into mine. I drop a knee, bracing myself, and then wrap my arms around him, too.
We’ve always had a strained relationship. Not because we don’t love each other, but because we didn’t have the right boundaries.
As much as neither of us want to admit it, I was more of a parent to Wyatt than either of our parents ever were. So it makes sense to me that when he’s scared or upset or angry, he takes it out on me. He knows I’m the one who loves him the most. Knows I’m the one who will make sure things are okay for him. Knows he won’t ever have to handle the bullshit life hands him on his own.
It’s why he avoids me when he doesn’t want me to know what’s going on in his life. Why he hides things from me.
He knows I’ll get involved and try to help.
And sometimes, he thinks he doesn’t deserve it.
But right now, with Ivy in the hospital going through god knows what, we don’t have the option to be stubborn.
Wehaveto lean on each other to make sure we stay strong.
CHAPTER17
REMMY
I watch the two grown men embrace on the floor of the hospital waiting room, and my heart clenches.
