This time, I looked at Emma and she shrugged. "Sure, why not? It might be a bit too cold to swim though." It wasn't freezing out there. It was Texas, and winter only got so cold, but I wasn't sure it was warm enough to go jump in a stream.
"I don't care!" Holly insisted, and I laughed at her youthful enthusiasm.
"Then go upstairs and get dressed for riding. You can wear a swimsuit under your clothes if you really want to try swimming." I glanced at my smart watch. It was in mid-seventies already this morning, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if she went swimming. Though I was certain she wouldn't last long since the water had to be at least fifteen degrees lower.
Holly had barely gotten up the stairs before the sound of the front door opening reached us. Emma and I looked at each other, each reflecting the others worry. She'd said Jack was out of town for work, so unless he'd changed his plans without telling her, it shouldn't have been him coming home.
Hands balled into fists, I lead the way down the hall toward the front door, Emma right on my heels. But it wasn't Jack standing in the entryway, nor was it some burglar or other nefarious person. Well, it was a nefarious person, but not the kind we had to worry about. "What're you doing here?" I asked Aspen, hands on hips and eyebrow cocked. The brothers had never been much for knocking on each other's doors. They were best friends in addition to brothers, and were always welcomed in each other's homes.
"Looking for you," he said honestly. He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he looked me up and down, giving me a sad smile. "I figured this was where you'd be hiding out. Nick called me."
If the floor below suddenly opened up and swallowed me whole, it would've still been too slow of a death. I should've known I wouldn't have been able to run from everything for long. And I should've known Nick would immediately call his brothers and fill them in on at least some details. I'd just hoped I wouldn't have to face them for a while longer.
8
Nick
The bright light filling the sitting room told me it was well after dawn as I rubbed sleep from my eyes. I hadn't planned on staying so late and had wanted to get up before the sun rose so I could head back to the house and surprise Gabbie with breakfast.
"About time you got off your ass. I was thinking I'd have to toss your ass into the pool to bring you back to the land of the living," Christian quipped from the doorway. He stood there leaning against it, smirking at me. "You ready to go home and talk to your woman now? Or were you planning on drowning yourself in more bourbon?"
My cheeks heated at the accusation. I couldn't deny it either. I shouldn't have had that many drinks. And I shouldn't have needed any drinks to realize Christian was right, that I needed to grow the fuck up and have an actual conversation with my wife. "No, no more drinks. And I'll go talk to Gabbie as soon as my head stops pounding and my body doesn't feel like it was just hit by a freight train."
Christian laughed, his smirk broadening. Then, he nodded toward the little table next to the chair I'd slept in. A glass of ice water and a couple pills were already sitting there waiting for me. "Figured you were gonna feel like shit, so I brought you some water and Ibuprofen. Should help you feel somewhat normal again."
I scooped up the two pills and downed them with the water. The icy sensation rippled through my body. By the time I'd finished the entire glass, I no longer felt like I was coated in cobwebs.
"You're not the first person to get stupid drunk over a woman," Christian said, his voice softening. "But I suggest you get your ass home and man up before you lose that woman. Gabbie loves you man, but even she can only put up with your bullshit for so long before she decides you're not worth it."
I winced at Christian's words, but he wasn't wrong. I'd had my head up my ass for so long, I hadn't even realized it. Gabbie had been going everything she could to bridge the gap between us, and I'd done nothing but push her away. It was time for me to stop acting like a royal ass and treat her like an actual person, an adult woman, not something made out of glass.
I reached in my pocket to pull out my phone and check the time, but it wasn't there. It must've still been sitting in its little holder in my car. I'd been so out of it last night, I hadn't even thought to grab it. Gabbie was probably worried sick about me, since I hadn't come home last night. And if it was as late in the morning as I thought it was, then I needed to get home before she had a full-on panic attack worrying about me.
"Thanks, man," I said, walking over to give Christian a quick hug. "I'm glad you're back in town, at least part of the time. It just wasn't the same with you on the other side of the country all the time."
Christian grinned as he hugged me, patting me on the back. "Yeah, I missed you jackasses, too. And it'll be good for us to be here once Jade has the babies. I want them growing up surrounded by family, and like it or not, you guys are my family."
By the time I made it to my car, the Ibuprofen had kicked in, and I no longer felt like walking death.
