Chapter 13
Brendon
I tried to hide my smile as I strode toward Aurora’s office, but it was hard not to show my elation. I reminded myself that nobody else knew there was anything between us beyond professional courtesy and I tampered the expression down to a small quirk of my lips.
She was sitting at her desk with a pencil in hand, keyboard shoved up against her monitor as she worked on her drawing. She looked up questioningly as I entered, with the same nervous smile she’d been exhibiting for the past few days. There’d been something off about her lately, but I couldn’t tell what. I was hoping that my news would brighten her out of her funk, whatever it was.
I closed the door and began closing the blinds.
“What are you doing?” Aurora asked.
I glanced over my shoulder at her as the last set of blinds closed, effectively blocking out the rest of the office. “Closing the blinds.”
She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Why are you closing the blinds?”
I grinned and stalked toward her, pulling her up out of the chair and planting my mouth on hers. “So I can do this,” I murmured against her lips, pulling a sigh deep from her throat. Even if there was something clearly bothering Aurora, she always melted the moment I pulled her into my arms. It was one of my favorite things about her.
I wrapped my arms around her tight and pulled her closer as I deepened the kiss, unable to resist this piece of mid-morning solace. We’d been trying to stay away from each other while we were at work, but sometimes that was about as easy as stopping time.
“What’s all this about?” she asked breathlessly when we pulled a part a moment later. “You seem to be in a very good mood.” She raised an eyebrow. “A dangerous mood.”
I pecked the end of her nose and slackened my arms a little, though not enough to let her go. “I’ve got exciting news,” I replied. “We’re leaving early next week to tour some of the bigger Lock Knocks stores, starting with the west coast.”
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “What? Really?”
“Yes, really.”
She grinned. “That is exciting! I can’t wait! How long are we going for? I can’t wait to see the stores in person. I’m super visual so it’ll help if I have a picture of them in my head.”
I could already see the gears whirring in her head. She’d thrown herself into this redesign project with gusto, and I loved her enthusiasm. Hell, was there anything this woman didn’t do with gusto? Since the day I met her she’d been full steam ahead, though from what she told me about her life back in Bridgefield, that hadn’t always been the case. I wondered if it was something to do with her family that was bothering her.
I reached out and lay a gentle hand on her cheek. Her skin was warm and soft, and I brushed my thumb over the faint blush of her cheekbone.
“I’ve noticed you’ve seemed a little off lately,” I said softly. “Is there something you want to talk about?”
Her expression flitted briefly into horror before she reined herself back in.
“I’m fine,” she said, though I didn’t find it very convincing.
I was about to press further when my cell rang. I pulled it out, intending to silence it and continue our conversation, when I noticed it was my brother’s wife calling. Her and I weren’t what I would consider friends, though we liked each other well enough. If she was calling, it was probably important.
I looked up at Aurora. She read my expression and nodded. “Take it.”
I pulled her in to kiss her forehead as I answered the call. “Hello?”
There were sniffles from the other end of the line. “Oh, Brendon. Thank god. Avery’s been in an accident.”
My grip on Aurora stiffened and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. “What do you mean? Is he okay?”
“He’s stable for now,” she said hoarsely. “He was in France for work and there was a car accident. They can’t move him yet and he’s all alone over there.” Her voice broke and she took a long, ragged breath. “I need to get to him but I can’t leave Jude all alone…”
“Say no more, Morgana. I’ll look after him while you’re gone.”
“Really? I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Aurora was looking up at me with wide, questioning eyes. I held her close, drawing comfort from her warm figure in my arms.
“Of course,” I said. “Take as long as you need. I’ll come over to pick him up right now.”
She sighed. “You’re the best, Brendon, thank you. I’ll call you as soon as I have more news about Avery.”
“Anytime. That’s what family does.”
I ended the call and tossed my phone onto Aurora’s desk so I could pull her in to a giant hug. She nestled her head against my chest but didn’t speak at first. I appreciated the silence. My heart was hammering as panicked adrenaline rushed my system, and I needed a moment to calm down enough to explain that my brother was badly injured in a French hospital somewhere.
This, this was what I loved about her the most. She always seemed to know exactly what I needed, whether in bed or out of it. Right now, I needed her silent comfort, and she gave it freely. Her hand stroked up and down my back, slowly bringing down my heart rate until I felt like I could breathe again.
“Avery’s been in an accident in France,” I told her quietly. “I’m going to look after Julian while Morgana goes over there to look after him.”
She pulled back and looked up at me, forehead creased with concern. “Are you okay?” Then, quieter, “Is he going to be okay?”
I nodded. “I’ll be fine. As for Avery, he’s just as persistent as he is pretentious. He’ll make it through.”
She seemed to accept that and pressed her cheek back into my chest as I held her, swaying.
Even as I said it, I wasn’t so sure. I’d never heard Morgana so distraught before. She was normally a composed and dignified woman who favored minor displays of emotion when possible and evened out Avery’s sometimes morbid enthusiasm. Hearing her so upset shoved a knife of worry deep into my chest. What would I do without my brother? We had our differences, but I loved him and couldn’t picture my life without him in it? Oh god, had somebody told Mom yet?
Slowly but surely, the life I knew began to crack under my feet. If Avery didn’t pull through soon, I worried I’d crash through it altogether.