Page 14 of Free to Breathe
Caleb is a fantastic brother-in-law. Maybe I should tell him that Cass is making a fuss about him forgetting Ali’s birthday because she figures their make-up sex will be phenomenal tonight? Nah.
As I reach for the pad I keep by the phone, a wave of nausea and dizziness flows through my body. I fling my arms out, desperate to reach for anything. The sturdy counter, the immovable stainless-steel work table, Caleb—anything is better than nailing my head on the floor.
“Jesus, Corinna. What the hell?” Caleb drops the rest of his cupcake on the floor as he reaches me. I clutch onto the counter for dear life.
“You’ll be picking that up,” I manage to get out, pointing to the cupcake on the floor.
Caleb mutters, “Shut up, Corinna. What’s going on?”
I open my mouth to tell him that this could be something more. I really do. And then I see the masses of cupcakes that haven’t been decorated for Ali’s birthday dinner tonight at the farm. My courage ebbs away, along with my dizziness. Shrugging out of Caleb’s arms, I say, “I didn’t eat breakfast, Caleb. That’s all. I got a bit light-headed.” I’m not lying. I honestly didn’t eat because I wasn’t hungry. I had a few other things on my mind.
I always do.
Scowling at me, he stomps over to the massive walk-in refrigerator and comes out holding a bottle of orange juice. Slamming it down onto the counter near where I’m standing, he orders,
“Drink.” He emphasizes his demand by pointing at the bottle.
I turn away without acknowledging him. Caleb snags my shoulder and pulls me around. “Don’t make me force you, Corinna. I have kids.” His growling at me comes from a place of fear. Concern is etched all over his handsome face.
I reach up and cup his cheek. “Two things. One, I’d like to use a glass. And two, could you get me the bottle without the rum infused in it?” I face the label toward him so he can read where I wroteFor tropical rum cake. Do not drink!
The edges of Caleb’s cheeks turn ruddy. “Oh. Well, shit.”
I can’t help my smile, even as I’m fighting off my internal terror. Of all the men in the world my hyperorganized sister Cassidy could trip over her prized Louboutins for, I may never have chosen this dark, tough man in front of me. That is, until I saw his heart pouring out of his eyes every time he looked at her. More than two years together, and two beautiful children, you can see Cass is still the sun Caleb’s world revolves around.
Keene and Ali are more magnetic. From the moment they met, you couldn’t be near them and not feel their pull. Once they stopped pushing away from each other, they’d been inseparable. Their history is so long, it’s hard to imagine they’ve only been together officially a little over a year, with a little girl who Ali swears acts just like me.
Since Phil is still madly in love with Jason and has been since the day they met, I just want to live long enough to see my other two sisters blissfully in love before I leave this world and find my place on the other side.
Pulled from my thoughts, I see the glass of orange juice slide in front of me. “I opened a new bottle. Now, drink it all,” Caleb demands.
I laugh out loud at the mason jar Caleb managed to unearth from my cabinet. “Caleb, that’s about a thousand calories of juice. There’s no way I’m finishing this.” Picking up the glass, I take a refreshing sip of the tart sweetness.
“Corinna…”
“Caleb, I’m fine. Really. I promise I’ll drink some.” I pull the jar back and assess its size. “About a third of this. Then I’ll have a salad for lunch. I’ll be good to go.” I give him a smile I hope will convince him. “Besides, you have to call in the Genoa order soon, or it’s the doghouse for you with Cass.”
He narrows his dark brown eyes at me. “If I ran upstairs and told her the reason I didn’t get Italian was that her sister almost passed out, I’d be out of that doghouse in the half a heartbeat it would take for her to get to this kitchen. And you know it.”
Unfortunately, I do. I bite my lower lip and drop my head. A sure sign of my anxiousness to those who know me well.
Caleb lets out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Cori.” He brushes his lips against my head where my secrets hide. I gnash my teeth harder to fight back the tears, desperate to burst out at his care and concern. “Even with the interns you’ve been hiring, I know you’ve been under a tremendous amount of stress. I’m just worried about you.”
And there. Right there is the reason I can’t tell them. It’s why I have to carry this burden alone. The way I’ve lived my life since the night my life changed. Again.
Wrapping my arms around my brother-in-law, I hug him fiercely. “Okay. What you’re telling me is, you have absolutely no problem getting my Genoa order?” I drawl, trying to lighten the mood.
Caleb pulls away and searches my face before shaking his head at me and smiling.
Joining him, I tuck the memory of his care and concern for me inside my heart where it will live forever.
Even if my brain won’t.
8
Colby
I’ve been working with Keene on a case out of the new Hudson Investigations office in Norwalk, Connecticut. The corporate espionage case I’ve been working on has been challenging without my having to get shot for the adrenaline high. Earlier during a meeting in the boardroom, I said as much to Keene. He replied dryly, “Not yet, at least. It’s still in the early days.”
