Page 24 of A Convenient Ring to Claim Her

He sipped his coffee, finding it had gone bitter and cold.

“When she wakes up, tell her to call me. I can come if she needs me to, but you could get her to an airport if Remy arranges a flight, couldn’t you? She can stay with us while she recovers.”

Micah’s heart flared with something like possessiveness. Remy already had his sister. He wasn’t getting Quinn, too.

“She’ll need follow-ups. I’ll keep her with me and bring her when I come for Mom’s birthday. Did you know Quinn’s had her shoulder dislocated twice before?”

She nodded, quiet and grave. “I did. Yes.”

For some reason, that made his chest feel scooped out. He knew that the two had their secrets, but he had always thought they were girlish ones. Crushes and padded bras and which pain reliever worked best on menstrual cramps.

It struck him that Eden knew deeply personal and painful things about Quinn that he had never been privy to. He felt cheated. Or rather, he was bothered that Eden knew how bad Quinn’s childhood had been, but he was even more perturbed by the fact that it had been bad. That Quinn had never shared that with him, beyond telling him once that she trusted he would never hurt her. Not that she trusted him, but that she had trusted him not to hurt her. Physically, he realized.

It was a test and you failed.

“Today might have brought up some stuff for her. She doesn’t like people making decisions for her. How is she doing? Emotionally?” she asked with concern.

She’d been so fragile, he couldn’t stand to think of it.

He swore as he recollected, “Do you know what she said?” He threw himself into an armchair, able to see the humor now. “The doctor said she needed the surgery or this would keep happening and she said, ‘I’ll keep getting hit by bicycles?’”

Eden released a burst of surprised laughter. “That’s on-brand, isn’t it?”

He shook his head, exasperated all over again, but his heavy veil of concern lifted marginally. There was something heartening in this—sharing his amusement with his sister over Quinn’s cheeky remark. How many times over the years had she been the one to repeat some witty crack Quinn had thrown out? He’d always liked those snippets, unconsciously waiting for them when he talked to Eden because they always gave him a kick.

The way you’re treating Eden tells me I was right to never envision a future with you. If you can cut your own sister out of your life so heartlessly, what chance would I have had?

He mentally swore at himself that it had come to Quinn being in hospital for him to reach out to Eden. What if he hadn’t left the house right after and seen the aftermath of the accident? What if he hadn’t known she was here? He would still be giving Eden the silent treatment and Quinn would be wearing a sling in some dumpy hostel, shoulder causing nerve damage while she tried to book a flight home.

“Listen, I know I’ve been dodging your calls—” He was ready to own up to his intransigence.

“Hmm?” Eden wasn’t listening. She was looking off-screen. “Now? Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Remy’s deep voice was distant enough from the screen it was hard to hear. “I told her the other day that he still wasn’t taking your calls. She said to tell him if it would help.”

Tell who what?

“And you want me...? No, I think it will be better from me, but okay...um...” Eden gathered herself with a deep breath. Her body shifted as Remy sat next to her on the bed, but he stayed off camera.

Micah instinctively braced himself, already knowing he didn’t want to hear whatever she was about to say.

“I know you’re still upset with me for getting married without telling you—” Eden began.

“Live your life,” he cut in. “Marry who you want. Do what you want with BH&G. I’m here if you need anything. We don’t need a postmortem.” That’s all he’d wanted to say a minute ago. He would always be her brother, no matter what.

“Wedoneed a forensic audit,” she said pointedly. “Because I hate that you’re angry with me for falling in love, but that’s not what I need to tell you. Has Quinn said anything about why she revealed your affair that day in Gibraltar?”

“No,” he said flatly, and shot the dregs of his coffee. “We don’t need a postgame on that, either. It’s late here. I want to get some sleep.” He looked to the door, hoping an orderly would arrive with Quinn.

“Don’t hang up. This is important,” Eden insisted.

Micah bit back a sigh. “Look, Quinn said she was protecting you. I believe her. Okay? She knew I was on the verge of saying something unforgivable. It was your wedding day so she put me in check. I’m not thrilled with the choices you’ve made, but you and I are fine, Eden. We’ll work it out over time. It doesn’t have to happen right now.” With her asshat of a husband listening nearby.

“We absolutely have to circle back to everything that has been going on between you and Quinn, but... She really said she was trying to protectme?” She looked to her husband, who remained beside her off-screen. “Or did she say ‘your sister’?”

“I honestly can’t remember, Eden. Today was the first time we’ve spoken since Gibraltar. A lot has happened.”

“You haven’t talked to Quinn atallsince then? You were having an affair with her foryears, Micah. In all the time you’ve known her, have you come to understand her atall?”

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