Chapter Forty
Trent
I couldn’t believe that Declan and I were closing on our house this week. It was so surreal and so fucking amazing. Declan was such a sweet and caring man, and I was overjoyed that he finally seemed to accept that I was going to be there for him. I knew that his vulnerability and insecurities hadn’t completely faded away, but I also knew that he was more willing to accept my reassurances when those insecurities popped up.
I was sitting at the front desk at work, waiting for the clock to tick to seven so I could head home. Or more accurately, to Declan’s apartment since we hadn’t moved into our house yet. But I was ready to be done with work today and so ready to be home, be with Declan. I needed some Declan time more than I needed dinner… and that was saying something since I was starving as fuck.
When the front door opened, I looked up and sucked in a deep breath at the person standing in the doorway. “Evan?”
“Hey, Trent.”
I felt my eyes fill with tears as I ran around the counter and pulled my little brother into a hug. He hugged me back, and it took me a few minutes to convince myself that I was really awake and this wasn’t just some dream that would break my heart when I woke up.
“Are you really here?” I whispered, trying but failing at keeping the tears at bay.
“Yeah, I’m here, big brother.”
A little sob broke out of me at that. He called me his brother. I squeezed him tighter.
He felt skinny. I leaned back and put him at arm’s length to look at him for a moment, then couldn’t help but pull him back in for another hug, even though he really needed a shower. He looked way too thin and pale and it seemed like he hadn’t been taking care of himself or eating right, if at all. He looked rough as shit, but I’d never been so happy to see the little brat. We hugged for a long time because I was afraid he’d disappear again if I let him go.
When we finally pulled back, Evan said, “I’m so sorry, Trent. I… I didn’t mean any of that shit I said that day. I’m so sorry.”
I pushed his shoulder and wiped my cheeks. “I’m sorry too.” I took a few calming breaths before asking, “Where have you been?”
“I went back to New York for a few months, but I kind of hated it. I… I was afraid to come back after the way I treated you. I didn’t think you’d ever want to see me again.”
“You’re my brother. Of course, I want to see you, even when you act like a little jerk.”
He half-smiled at me. “I got all of your messages.”
I took a deep breath. “Good.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know you are.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the seats in the lounge area and we both sat down. “How are you doing?” What I really wanted to know was whether or not he was working and if he had a place to live.
He nodded and looked away from me, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’m… I’m not great.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, not really sure what to say to that. He never liked to admit when he needed help, so even saying that much was a big step. I didn’t want to mess this up because I wanted to be able to help him. I hesitantly put my hand on his back. “I’m here if you need help with anything, ER.”
He looked over his shoulder with a small smile. “Did you mean it? That I could stay with you again? I know you said it on a bunch of messages, but… did you mean it?”
“Of course, I did. You’re always welcome to stay with me.” I rubbed his back. “But just so you know, you’ll be staying with me, Declan, and Kade.”
“Huh?”
“Dec and I bought a house together. Or I guess we’re technically buying it this week, since we haven’t closed on it yet.”
His eyebrows shot into his hairline. “You and Declan bought a house? Together? You guys are a thing now?”
“Yeah… we are.” I smiled. “But we already planned on setting up a room for you, in case you came back.”
“Are you…” He trailed off and took a deep breath. “Are you serious? Declan and Kade will be okay with this?”
“It was Declan’s idea.”
Evan looked at me with a shocked expression before closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I guess that explains all the messages and shit from him.”
My brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Declan’s been leaving me messages, too. And he… sent a private investigator to find me. That guy convinced me to come back.”
My eyes got teary again. “Are you serious?”
Evan nodded.
I swallowed thickly and pulled out my phone to call Declan. He answered on the third ring and I immediately asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why didn’t I tell you what?” he asked, not even thrown off a little by my rude greeting.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you hired a private investigator to find my brother?”
I heard him sigh and I could picture him rubbing a hand over his face. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up or for you to tell me not to look for him.”
“Declan…”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should’ve told you.”
“You should have. You’re not supposed to keep secrets from me. We’re a team, Cupcake.”
“I know. I was going to tell you after the guy talked to Evan. He’s actually supposed to call me today, I think. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I promise I won’t keep anymore secrets.”
I easily believed him, and honestly, he didn’t do it maliciously or anything. And how could I be mad at him when he was helping not only me, but my brother as well? “Okay, I believe you.”
He blew out a breath, then said, “Thank you. Did the investigator contact you or something? Did you hear anything about Evan?”
I looked over at my brother and gave him a little smile, then said into the phone, “Evan’s here.”
There was a short pause before he said, “He’s home? Is he with you right now?”
“Yes, he came to the studio. He… needs a place to stay.”
“Good, maybe we can keep an eye on him that way. Did you tell him we have a room for him once we’re in the house?” God, I hadn’t thought I could love him anymore than I already did, but damn if that statement didn’t make my heart grow. He hadn’t even hesitated to ask to bring my brother to fucking live with us. He was such a good man.
“Yeah, I told him.”
“Good. Can I talk to him for a minute?”
“Uh… I guess.” I pulled the phone away and looked at Evan. “He wants to talk to you.”
Evan sighed but took the phone and held it to his ear. “Hey.” There was a long pause before Ev said, “Yeah, I know.” Then another pause. “I won’t.” Another pause. “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you later.” Ev handed the phone back to me.
I held it to my ear and asked, “Did you tell him not to call me names again?” I smirked, knowing how pissed Declan had been at my brother after our fight.
“Yep,” he said with no shame. “And I promised him that I’d kick his ass if he hurt you like that again.” Declan sounded so serious that it took my breath away. The amount of emotion in his voice, the lengths I could tell he’d go for me, it was amazing.
I whispered, “I love you.”
His voice softened. “I love you too.”
After a few seconds, I said, “I’ll bring the hammock over for Ev to sleep on until we can move into the house.”
“Okay. I’ll text Kade and ask him to start moving the furniture out of the way.”
“You gonna be okay with the house being so messy?”
“Maybe. It’s already a disaster because of the boxes, anyway.”
I snorted at that. “All of the boxes are neatly stacked in the corner of the dining room and out of the way. That’s hardly a disaster.”
“Well, I guess when you compare it to your bedroom, it’s nowhere near as disastrous, but compared to my normal living conditions, it’s horrid.”
I laughed. “You’re so dramatic.”
“If you say so.”
“My bedroom is not a disaster.”
“It’s always a disaster.”
“You’re a butt, you know that?”
“Uh huh.”
I sighed. “I’m gonna drive you crazy. What are you gonna do when I leave clothes on the floor of our bedroom?”
He groaned. “Probably burn them.”
I laughed. “Such an ass. If you burn my clothes, there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You don’t scare me.”
“You’re going to be sleeping in the same bed as me… you sure about that statement?”
After a pause, he said, “Okay, maybe you scare me a little bit.”
“That’s much better.”
He finally laughed. “You’re a dork. I’ll see you after work.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you too, Jalapeno.”
I hung up the phone and looked at Evan, who was smiling at me. “What?”
“You’re happy.”
I sighed. “I really am.”
Evan knocked my knee. “It looks good on you.”
“Thanks, ER.”
“What was that about a hammock?”
I chuckled. “Oh, that’s what you’ll be sleeping on until we move into the house. We’re supposed to settle in two days, so we’ll be moving our shit in over the weekend.”
“Okay… but you seriously have a hammock for the living room?”
“Yep. I’d let you sleep in my bed, but we already broke it apart and everything. My apartment is nothing but boxes and storage right now. I’ve been sleeping at Dec’s place.”
He nodded. “Okay. I can help with whatever you want.” He ran a hand through his hair. “And, Trent, if you know of any job openings, let me know.”
I smiled at that and smacked his shoulder. “I think I can get you a job at that coffee shop. Harley’s always hiring.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
I smiled. “Okay.”