Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
He let out a watery chuckle.
“It wasn’t the same,” I said with a sigh. “I wasn’t grieving when you met Zeke. I was on an adventure with my big brother.”
“We had a good time, huh?”
“The best time.” I squeezed his hand. “Do you remember when that bird shit on Zeke in the park?”
Charlie let out a bark of laughter.
“That was the highlight of the trip,” I continued, lifting my hand to sweep it down the back of my head, and then putting it in front of my face with an exaggerated expression of disgust. I deepened my voice. “What in the absolute fuck?”
I cackled.
“Oh god,” Charlie wheezed, crying and laughing at the same time. “He was so upset.”
“He was pissed at that bird,” I corrected, raising my eyebrows. “It was lucky it had wings and could fly away.”
Charlie’s entire body shook.
“He wasn’t even embarrassed!” I exclaimed. “He was offended.”
“How…how dare that bird shit on him,” Charlie added, hiccuping. The half laughter gradually turned into gut-wrenching sobs.
I crawled closer and pressed my cheek to the top of his head, my arms pulling him as close as I could get him with the quilt between us. My breath came out in choked gasps as I cried, trying to comfort him.
There was no soothing it. There was nothing I could do or say. My shy, sweet brother had never felt like he belonged anywhere until he’d met Zeke. He’d been drifting through life with me as his only anchor until he’d met his mate. I’d seen the way he lit up in Zeke’s presence, like he’d finally found his place, and now that was gone. He wasn’t even drifting anymore. He was slowly breaking apart while I watched.
I wasn’t sure how long I could keep him anchored.
When I raised my head, Ambrose was standing in the doorway, his gaze soft. He gave me a shallow nod and swung the door mostly closed between us. The light in the main room shut off.
Eventually, Charlie cried himself to sleep, his face pressed against Zeke’s quilt. I carefully disengaged from him and pulled the comforter over him before shuffling out of the bedroom. I wasn’t sure when I’d ever felt so weary.
The weight of it all was suffocating.
“Hey, baby,” Ambrose said, sitting up as I walked toward the couch.
“Have you been here the whole time?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
“I didn’t want to go far in case you needed me,” he replied, pulling me down to lie beside him. “Did he finally fall asleep?”
“Yeah,” I breathed as my body molded into his.
“Good.”
“I’m not sure what to do,” I confessed.
“You’re doing it,” he assured me, running his fingers through my hair.
“I don’t think it’s enough,” I whispered tiredly.
“It’s enough for tonight.” His lips found my forehead in the dark. “You can do it again tomorrow.”
It didn’t take long before the steady rhythm of his breathing lulled me to sleep.
When I woke up the next morning, I was sprawled out on top of Ambrose, and there was a large wet spot on his shirt where I’d drooled.
“Shit.”
“You slept hard,” he said in amusement.
Of course he’d woken up before me. Wiping the leftover drool from my cheek, I pushed myself up until I could see over the back of the couch.
“He hasn’t come out yet,” Ambrose informed me. “But he took a shower a little while ago.”
“Great,” I mumbled as I stood up and stretched. I really needed to put on a frigging bra. I’d been flitting around without one since the night we’d left the hotel, and it was starting to get annoying. Usually, I preferred to go without a bra, but it wasn’t exactly practical. My boobs weren’t huge, but they weren’t tiny either. The difference when I wasn’t wearing one was noticeable. “I need to shower too.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Ambrose teased, still laying back on the couch as he watched me.
I glared and turned my head to the side to smell my armpit. “Still fresh as a daisy,” I countered, making his eyes light up as he laughed.
“What would you have done if you weren’t?” he asked curiously, sitting up.
“I don’t know,” I replied, glancing at the closed bedroom door. “Passed out from the stench?”
Ambrose chuckled. “Well, you still smell fine,” he said, running his hand over my ass.
“Charlie?” I called.
My brother opened the door fully dressed.
“I’m going to go shower,” I said, pointing at the door with my thumb. “Cool?”
“Have at it,” he replied with a shooing motion.
Like he hadn’t terrified me the night before when he sobbed himself to sleep.
I rolled my eyes and headed for the door, pausing in the hallway.
“Lead the way,” I ordered Ambrose. “I don’t remember where your room is.”
“The wings all look really similar,” he replied, taking my hand as he went downstairs. “These stairs are directly across from ours. You just have to go through the living area.”