“Hey.” He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling. “I didn’t expect you to wait at the bottom of the stairs.” He inclined his head toward the living room. “Shall we go sit down?”
She nodded. “Yeah, that’d be good.”
Truth was she was exhausted. After her fractured sleep last night, and the sheer rush of emotions she’d been feeling since leaving Charleston yesterday evening, she felt like she could sleep for a hundred years.
She sat on his black leather sofa, and he dropped down next to her, taking her hand into his as though he couldn’t bear to not be touching her. He circled her palm with the calloused pad of his thumb, sending shivers down her spine, as he opened his mouth to talk.
And then somebody knocked at the door.
“Oh my god,” Becca said, shaking her head. “If that’s another member of my family I’m going to kill them.”
Daniel’s lips twitched. “They just love you. And I can’t blame them.”
“I’ll get rid of them and then we can start again.” She stood and pointed at him. “Don’t go anywhere.”
He grinned. “I wouldn’t dare.”
She stomped over to the hallway, gritting her teeth as she yanked open the front door. To her surprise, it wasn’t her brothers, but Nina standing on the doorstep.
All the fight sank out of Becca. “Hi.” She smiled. “Is everything okay?”
Nina nodded. “I’m sorry for arriving unannounced. I just wanted to see if Daniel’s okay. And if you are, too.”
“Come in.” At least Daniel was dressed this time. “Daniel’s in the living room.”
He looked up with surprise as his older sister walked in. Her face crumpled when she saw him, and she rushed over to throw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.
He winced, and Becca grimaced in sympathy. Those bruises looked painful. “Hey,” he said, stroking Nina’s hair. “What’s all this?”
“I’m just so glad you’re okay,” Nina said, her voice muffled. “You had us all worried.”
“I know.” His voice was gritty. “I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Nina said softly. “What happened last night should never have happened. All of it. Lawrence and Melissa, you and Becca… I can’t help but feel it’s my fault.”
Daniel frowned. “How did you figure that out?”
“Can I get you some sweet tea?” Becca asked her. It felt like a brother-sister moment. She should know, she’d had enough of them.
“Tea would be lovely.” Nina gave her a half smile. “Thank you.”
As she walked to the kitchen, Becca could hear the low hum of their conversation. The way Daniel spoke to his sister, the way he held her, made her chest contract. He could be the gentlest of men when he wanted to be.
Even if it scared him to be vulnerable.
She took her time in the kitchen, not wanting to disturb them. She emptied the glass Aunt Gina hadn’t finished and slid it into the dishwasher, along with Mia’s used glass. Then she washed the counters down, drying them until they sparkled. When she finally poured Nina’s sweet tea, five minutes had passed.
Daniel and Nina were still talking quietly when she padded down the hallway.
“Lawrence knows how badly he behaved,” Nina was saying. “I left him in no doubt that this is all his fault. I think I hit a nerve because he actually asked to come with me to see you.”
“Why didn’t he?”
“Because I told him to shut up and stay home. He’s done enough damage.” Nina sighed. “I blame myself. Even when you two were children you were at each other’s throats. I was the eldest, I should have stepped in.”
“You were a kid, too. We all were,” Daniel told her. “It wasn’t our faults. Not then.”
“Yeah, well Lawrence is a grown up now. He should know better. I have no idea why he thinks everything’s a competition. Dad isn’t even with us any more.”