Page 23 of The Finding Series: Vol. 2

“Yeah, I think he is. And if this is anything to go by,” – Roman gently brushed his thumb beneath the wound on Hunter’s cheek – “I think Rhys really cares about him.”

Hunter nodded and then closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Roman.”

“Sorry for what?” Roman asked.

“That I wasn’t more…” Hunter murmured as sleep began to claim him.

“More what?” Roman whispered.

“Just more.”

ChapterSix

“Where is he?” Roman nearly yelled as he hurried past Gray who was clearing dishes off the kitchen table.

“Relax,” Gray said. “He’s out in the shed with Luke,” Gray explained as he came up behind Roman in the living room and handed him a full cup of coffee. Relieved, Roman took the mug and set it down on the table next to the couch so he could finish buttoning up his shirt which he’d barely remembered to yank on shortly after waking up in the guest room by himself.

“What are they doing out there?” he asked as he tried to settle his nerves enough to work the buttons through holes that suddenly seemed too small. His first thought was that Hunter had taken off on foot down the mountain and images of his broken body laying bloodied and battered after being mauled by some wild animal or falling down a ravine had tormented him in the few long seconds it had taken him to climb out of bed and drag on his pants. Then he’d seen the closed bathroom door and he’d panicked at the thought of opening it to find Hunter lying in a pool of bloody water.

“Hunter was asking about the bookshelf,” Gray said as he motioned to the custom bookshelf Luke had made for Gray. It was a truly beautiful piece of furniture with several white birch trees making up the back and sides of the bookcase. “Luke’s been playing around with the idea of trying to make more furniture so he took Hunter out there to show him some of his tools and stuff.”

“Did he seem okay this morning?” Roman asked as he grabbed his coffee and followed Gray back to the kitchen.

“Little tired…nervous at first but he opened up once he and Luke started talking about the bookshelf. He’s a nice kid. Sit, I’ll make you some breakfast.”

“Um, just the coffee, thanks,” Roman said as he dropped down in one of the kitchen chairs.

Gray settled in the chair across from him. “Rough night?”

Roman nodded. Throughout the night, Hunter had had several nightmares. The first one had just had him bolting upright in bed, his breath coming in heavy drags. Roman had asked him about the dream but Hunter had merely shaken his head and lain back down. He hadn’t been fully awake during the second and third and both had started with him begging his unknown attacker to stop. Roman had managed to pin his arms to keep him from lashing out at him and after a few soft words, Hunter had settled and then drifted back off to sleep. He’d had the same nightmare once the previous night when they’d spent the night at the lake but Roman had figured it was a normal, one-time thing. Now he wasn’t so sure. Although Hunter refused to call what the bikers had done to him rape, it was unlikely he’d walked away from the encounter with only a battered body.

“I’m sorry, Gray,” Roman said softly as his eyes met his brother’s across the table.

“For what?” Gray asked gently.

“For not telling you I was in town. For not having any intention of telling you,” Roman admitted.

“I kind of figured that was the way of things,” Gray said.

“Yet you kept calling, texting. Why?”

“Same reason you came out here to check on me three months ago, I suppose,” Gray answered. “You actually had me with that story about Mom – Victoria – being worried about me. I called her right after you left. Apparently I interrupted one of her sessions with clients because she only had enough time to ask me what I wanted and to scold me for my behavior embarrassing her.”

“Sorry,” Roman muttered. He hadn’t given much thought to the validity of his lie or that Victoria would be so dismissive of Gray even after weeks of him seemingly dropping off the face of the earth.

“Don’t be. That was one of the best days of my life.”

That got Roman’s attention and he whipped his head up. “What?”

“It was the day I realized I might actually have another chance with you…to be the big brother I should have been all along.”

A strange mix of excitement and anger went through Roman. He wanted to yell that it was too fucking late – that he didn’t need Gray. But it was complete and utter bullshit. Maybe he didn’t want to need Gray but he’d been exactly the first person Roman had thought of when he’d understood the truth about what Hunter was doing himself.

“Don’t worry Roman, I’m not looking for miracles,” Gray said gently. “I already got more than my fair share of those.”

Roman had no doubt who Gray was talking about, at least for the first miracle. He suspected beating cancer was a very close second to finding the love of his life.

“I saw those burns on his arm and I just…I just went right back to that night…”

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