Olivia’s mouth dropped open. “I am not a brat!”
Mikey smirked again, but continued on, “The poor guy looked like he’d just lost his entire world. Almost made me feel bad for clocking him like I did.”
Her mouth opened even wider. “You hit him?”
“I’m your big brother, and I’d just found out he was boinking you. What was I supposed to do?”
She slapped his upper arm. “Boinking? Really? And you didn’t have to hit him. I’m a grown ass woman and can sleep with whomever I want. You don’t see me going around and bitch slapping all of the women you’ve—” She cut herself off.
With an understanding smile, Mike simply waited.
“Right. Never mind.”
Olivia couldn’t believe how easily it was for them to fall back into the playful sibling rivalry they’d always had, even after all these years. It was...weird. And wonderful.
Her heart was so conflicted. Happy, yet broken, all at the same time.
“Look, Liv. All I’m saying, is you need to forgive him. Try to understand that Jake did what he did, because he loves you more than anything in the world. He’d die to protect you.”
Not ready to even consider hopping on the forgiveness train, yet, Olivia abruptly changed the subject.
“When do you have to go back?”
Mike checked his watch and sighed. “Soon.”
“Well, then. I guess we should make the most of our time. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Mike put his arm around Olivia’s shoulders and pulled her to him. He kissed the top of her head. “That we do.”
Olivia turned and wrapped her arms around her brother’s wide chest, pulling him in for a hug.
“I’ve missed you so much. God, I love you. You big jerk.”
Her bottom lip quivered as she cherished the feel of her brother’s embrace. She didn’t even try not to cry.
“Ah, I love you, too, Junebug,” Mike said, squeezing her back. “Not a single day has gone by that I haven’t thought about you.”
“Me, neither,” Olivia choked out, her tears soaking the front of his shirt.
They eventually pulled away from each other, Olivia and Mike both wiping tears from their eyes. They sat on Jake’s bed and talked, using the next hour to try to catch up on ten years’ worth of lost time.
Olivia filled him in on the cliff-notes version of her adult life, highlighting the most important parts, and Mike shared what he could, which wasn’t a lot.
When he talked, he mainly used vague, non-specifics, but she got the gist. While she’d gone to college and become a nurse, her brother had been out saving the world.
Unable to put it off any longer, Mike stood and held out his hand.
“I hate to do this, but I really have to get back. If I’m gone too long, I’ll compromise my cover.”
Olivia tried, and failed, to squelch the sudden fear she had for her brother’s safety. What he was doing was dangerous, and damn it, she’d just gotten him back. To lose him again...
No. She wouldn’t go there. Life was too short, and she was going to enjoy the fact that, though she was still hurt from his deception, her brother was alive and well.
“When will I see you again?”
“Soon,” he promised. “This is my last job. When it’s over, I’m done. There are a lot of things I’ll have to iron out, but I’ll be back in your life, one way or another.”
Olivia didn’t ask how he’d pull that off because it didn’t matter. “Promise?”
He smiled. “I promise, Junebug.”
She pulled him in for one more hug. “Be careful, Mikey. I just got you back, so don’t go doing anything stupid like getting yourself killed for real.”
He chuckled against her. “I won’t.” Mikey pulled back and gave her a look that reminded her of their dad. “And don’t you forget what I said about Jake. I trust him with your life. You need to do the same.”
“I do.”
And she did. It was trusting him with her heart that worried her.
“I love you, Sis. I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you, too, Mikey.”
With that, her brother turned and walked out of Jake’s bedroom. Before she could close the door, Olivia caught a glimpse of Jake walking toward Mikey.
He looked at her, his face wrenched with pain. She quickly looked away before shutting the door.
Leaning back against it, Olivia sighed. She needed to clear her head and think about everything.
A ball of emotions, she realized the only way she could do that would be to have some time alone. Away from everyone else, especially Jake.
If she stayed here, Olivia knew he’d eventually break down her defenses. She’d end up forgiving him before she even knew whether or not she really wanted to.
Olivia went to her purse and pulled out her phone. She hated to bother her new friend, especially after totally botching their shopping trip, but somehow Olivia knew Mac would help her with what she needed.
After a long, cleansing breath, she tapped on Mac’s name in her contact list and waited for the other woman to answer.
An hour later, Olivia was still hiding out in the bedroom when she heard the doorbell ring, followed by the door opening and Jake’s muffled voice.
She grabbed her suitcase, shopping bags, and purse and lifted her chin before exiting the room. She didn’t look back, not wanting to remember the wonderful nights, and mornings, she’d shared with Jake in his bed.
As expected, she found Jake and Mac standing by the front door. He was scowling at Mac, who looked completely unaffected by it. The other woman smiled at her, but Olivia didn’t miss the pity in Mac’s eyes.
She hadn’t told her the details of what had happened. She’d never compromise her brother’s safety like that—something both Jake and Mikey should have known.
It was one of the reasons she was so pissed off about being kept out of the loop. Olivia would have never said a word to anyone about Mikey still being alive. Too bad he and Jake hadn’t
