“He helped save you, get you to safety.”
“You realize you’re sitting on me, in my arms, crying on my chest, and just called another guy a hero, right?”
I giggle and nod. “You’re a hero, too.”
He grins and rubs his lips against mine. “I like you calling me a hero.”
The timer on the oven goes off, and he stands with me. I try to scramble out of his hold, but he tightens his grip, asking, “What’re you doing?”
“I’m capable of walking.”
“But it’s much more fun to carry you.” He kisses the tip of my nose and sets me down on a barstool.
He serves our plates and smiles widely, the intensity and darkness of the past thirty minutes gone.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he says as he cuts through his chicken.
“What did Raven do, when you were injured?”
He sets his fork and knife down and looks at me seriously. “She lost her shit, absolutely fucking lost it. Mom stayed with me long enough to know I was okay and then went straight to Atlanta to be with RJ. She was inconsolable for days. Charlie, Kendall, and Harper called my mom on the hour with updates. They had to hide her passport to keep her from coming to the hospital. When I was strong enough to talk to her without being sedated, she wept and wailed so loud, I thought she’d bust my eardrum. Finn was in much better shape than I was, so he’d already spoken to her several times. Each time, she cried with him, but when it was me, she bawled. Her howls physically hurt me more than the mangled leg.
“She finished her senior year and then came home to get her MBA to be closer to us. That’s how she got hooked up with Abbi and Ella Collins, then eventually, Declan.”
“You know, Robbie, if I was in that situation and
something as awful happened to Cruz, I’d do the same thing. I’d be sick with worry, shattered beyond belief, and move closer to him.”
“I guess that’s what siblings do.” He goes back to eating, and it’s my turn to put down my silverware.
“No, not all,” I say quietly.
His face gets tight, waiting for me to speak.
“I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, that’s not what all siblings do. Natalie would rather see me hurt than ever step up and help me. I suffered for years because of her. Still to this day, I wake up in a cold sweat thinking of the shit she put me through. I wanted her to love me, but it never happened. Finally, I realized it never would and moved here with Cruz and Aunt Chloe. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
His hand covers mine and squeezes. “You can talk to me, Ember, tell me what happened.”
“I know, Robbie. Give me time. Even after all these years, when I talk about them, it hurts. For so long, I’ve pushed the memories away, hoping to forget.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
God I hope not, I say to myself and resume eating.
The rest of the dinner, we talk about easy subjects, easing the weight of earlier. I help clean the kitchen and then follow him back to the sofa, where we decide on a movie.
“Ember, no pressure at all because this isn’t what I had planned, but will you stay with me tonight? I didn’t get much sleep last night, and after talking about the shit that went down, I want to hold you in my arms.”
I cup his chin and run my thumb over his bottom lip. He touches it with the tip of his tongue and grins. “Of course I’ll stay.”
His eyes flash with relief, and he squeezes my hip.
“I’ll text Cruz, so he doesn’t worry.” I go to my purse and grab my phone to shoot off a quick message. The chocolate flower that I threw in taunts me. Gaining a shred of courage, I take the wrapper off, nibble on it a bit, and then walk back to the couch.
Robbie’s face breaks into a huge grin as he watches me closely.
“It’s dessert,” I say innocently.