Page 31 of Dare to Love

He walked into the living room and looked over the city, seeing the view of Miami that usually brought him peace. Not today.

“Hey.”

He turned to see Avery coming up beside him. She pulled him in for a hug.

“Hey, yourself.” He kissed her forehead.

“I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” she said.

She’d always been the most naïve of them all, and he loved her for her innate goodness.

“I don’t know. Maybe they wanted to make a point, and they did. They want nothing to do with me.” How better to be obvious than to stand him up in front of his siblings?

She shook her head. “It’s not like Sienna to just not show.”

“Did you talk to her?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I was so excited she’d said yes when Olivia invited her, I called to talk. But she didn’t get back to me. Which isn’t like her.”

“Alex,” he muttered.

“What about him?” Avery asked.

Ian let out a rough exhale, thinking about his half brother and his feelings about Ian being with Riley. “He’s not too happy with me right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were behind everyone’s no-show.”

“Give it time. Alex isn’t a bad person, Ian. He just—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” he bit out, cutting her off. Whatever justification she was going to make about how Alex hadn’t had it easy either, Ian didn’t want to know.

Avery nodded, looking up at him with sad eyes.

“I don’t mean to take it out on you,” he said. “Go hang with everyone. I’ll be in soon.”

“Just remember, you always have us.” She hugged him again.

Because she was the youngest, he often forgot to take her seriously, but she was his sweet sister, and she had a big heart.

“Thanks.” He squeezed her hand, and as she headed back to the family room to join their sister and brothers, he turned to the windows once more.

As more time passed, it became clear they weren’t coming. The more Ian thought about it, the more he was sure Alex was responsible for his half siblings’ rejections. The son of a bitch was pissed about Ian’s relationship with Riley, and he was making his feelings known in the most conspicuous way possible. Although what Alex had to resent Ian for was beyond him.

He remembered clearly the days after he’d found out about his father’sotherfamily. Ian had taken a friend’s car his father wouldn’t recognize and driven the two hours out of his hometown, wanting to see for himself. And sure enough, there was the father who had no time for Ian and his siblings, playing football on the front lawn with his other son.

With the memory vivid in Ian’s mind, his embarrassment and frustration rose. Embarrassment that he’d gone to such extremes, ordering in an expensive menu and opening his home, as well as himself, to Sienna, Alex, and Jason, only to be humiliated in front of the people he loved the most.

And if it wasn’t enough that they all weren’t here, where the hell was Riley? He’d made it clear he wanted her here. Thank God he hadn’t outright told her he needed her to hold his hand through this damned thing or he’d feel even worse.

Once again, when a choice had to be made, Ian had lost out to his half brother.

***

Once home from dinner, Riley couldn’t stop wondering how things had gone with Ian and Alex. She decided to check in with Alex, hoping he’d give her some good news.

She dialed his cell, and Alex answered on the first ring. “Hey, Ri!”

She heard his teammates in the background and frowned. “Where are you?”

“Had some of the guys over.”

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