CHAPTER TWELVE

Chris followed behind his brothers, thinking about all the doctor had said. Travis had been lucky this time. This time. The idea that this had happened before and would happen again was not sitting well with him. How had he failed his brother? He knew things were bad and that Travis had been in and out of trouble and still he hadn’t done everything he could to help.

Sure, he had called and texted. He’d used the good-cop-bad-cop routine. He had even offered to step in and settle Travis’ debts and get him back on his feet.

Tori’s words replayed in his head. “Just be there for him.” Chris wasn’t sure how to do that. He was a man of action. He took care of things and people. Hanging around and waiting for his brother to reach out to him was going to be torture.

Charlie helped Travis into the truck and shut the back door. “I’ve got a meeting downtown. Can you drop me off?” he asked. His face mirrored the concern that Chris felt. The carefree, fun-loving Charlie was gone and instead stood the protective big brother that hadn’t made an appearance in a while.

Chris walked around to the driver’s side and lifted himself into the seat. When they were all settled in the truck, Chris responded so that Travis could hear the plan, too.

“I’ll drop you off, and then I need to swing by a work site. Travis and I will pick you up when we’re done.”

Travis was quiet from the back seat, but Chris caught his sulking grimace in the rearview mirror. He was prepared to wait him out and “just be there,” but that was going to have to include bringing Travis along to job sites. The apartment complex fixes were underway and other sites needed to be checked on as well.

Travis finally spoke up as they pulled into the apartments. “This ol’ dump is still standing?” he asked peering out the window.

“Barely. There was an electrical fire in one of the units last week.”

They exited the truck, Travis hopping down to the ground with only a small groan. He motioned toward the crowd of men bustling around the lot. “You have all these guys working on one unit?”

Chris headed for the office with Travis on his heels. “We uncovered a lot more damage throughout the apartments when the inspector did a walk-through.”

“Seems like it would be easier to just tear this dump down and start from scratch.” Travis eyed the place over.

Chris scoffed at the remark. He wasn’t wrong, but Travis seemed to forget how things were done in Sweetbriar. Change didn’t come easily to the majority of its residents. This place had been around as long as most of them could remember. It was in need of some repairs, but to tear it down would be putting fifty people out of a home — some of them families with small children. His brother had been gone for over ten years, but it seemed ironic that a man without a place to call his own was dismissing this place so easily.

“Easier for whom?” Chris asked as he opened the door to the trailer.

“There he is!” Dax said, meeting them at the door and giving Chris a warning look.

Chris spotted Benny rising from a chair across the trailer. He furrowed his brow as he wondered what Benny was doing in Sweetbriar. And, furthermore, how had he tracked him down to the worksite?

“Benny, what a surprise,” Chris said, crossing the room to the old man.

Benny raised both arms at his side. “In the flesh.”

Chris extended his hand and then motioned for Benny to take his seat again.

“Please sit. To what do I owe this honor?” Chris asked.

He noticed Travis still hung in the doorway and realized Benny hadn’t met his middle brother.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think you’ve met my brother Travis,” he said and gestured toward the doorway. “Travis, this is Benny.”

“Ah, another White brother. Does this one box too?” Benny asked, circling Travis and looking him over. “A bit small, but you look tough. I’d guess you’ve been in a street scrap or two. You let me know if you ever want to try your luck in a real fight.”

Travis glanced from Benny to Chris with a surprised look on his face.

“As for you…” Benny said, approaching Chris. “…you’ve been avoiding my calls.”

“I’m sorry. I meant to call you back. Work has been busy. Besides, I think I might be done with all that,” Chris said. His emotions were split. He loved fighting. It would always be a part of him. Fighting and the hours he spent training for it made up such a huge piece of his past. It wasn’t easy to imagine a life without it.

“Nonsense. You just need a good challenge,” Benny argued.

Travis stepped forward. “Wait, you’re still fighting?”

Chris kept quiet, unsure how to explain the fights he’d been a part of. He had kept it secret from everyone in his life, but he felt an odd comfort that if anyone would understand, it would be Travis.

“Some unsanctioned events in Carroll,” he said as he met Travis’ confused stare.

“I have the event you’ve been waiting for,” Benny said, handing Chris a flyer from his pocket.

Chris unfolded the paper and read it, speaking the name of the title fighter out loud in shock. “Louis Kay!” He looked up to see Benny grinning back at him. “You got Louis?”

“That’s right. This Saturday. It’s your fight if you want it, but I need an answer today.”

Chris stared back down at the paper. He’d been waiting years for a chance to fight Louis again.

“Why does that name sound familiar?” Travis asked, snatching the flyer from Chris.

“He won the Junior World Boxing Championship in 1999,” Benny said, not taking his eyes off Chris.

Travis nodded, giving Chris an understanding look.

Chris grabbed a hardhat from his desk and took off out the door, not looking back as he spoke. “I’ve got to get to work. Thank you for coming down, Benny, but I’m not interested in fighting anymore.”

Tori browsed through her closet, thankful that Chris had gone to the trouble of unpacking her things. She needed an outfit that would stun him, a feat not easily obtained when she thought of all the times he’d already seen her dressed up for formal events or nights out. Finding something to wear that would wow him in a way she hadn’t before seemed an impossible task.

She threw another outfit on the bed, dismissing it as an option for tonight. Their first date. Considering all they had been through, it seemed silly to be so nervous and excited, but she was both as she whirled around the large room, the scent of him still clinging to the walls. Every paint color, every piece of furniture had been chosen, or at the very least signed off by him. The effect was beautiful and mesmerizing.

Tori waited until she heard Chris pull up outside before leaving the comfort of her bedroom. Her bedroom. It had started to feel like home in such a short amount of time. The butterflies in her stomach nosedived.

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs just as the front door opened.

“I said, drop it.” Annoyance colored Chris’ voice as he stormed through the door.

Charlie and Travis were right on his heels, sharing a perplexed look. Charlie spoke up first. “I don’t understand why you didn’t tell us.” He sounded hurt, almost regretful.

Tori felt like an intruder. She tried to sneak back up the stairs unnoticed, but at the click of her heels on the stairs, all three men turned in her direction.

Chris looked at her with fire in his eyes. She held on to the banister, afraid the weight of his stare would throw her off-balance. She wasn’t sure if the look in his eyes was due to his annoyance with his siblings or because of her, but she was choosing to believe the latter.

“We’ll talk about this later,” he said, dismissing his brothers without a backward glance and approaching her.

Tori continued to hold the railing as she stepped off the last stair. He pulled her to his chest roughly and bent down to brush a kiss on her lips. His hold around her waist was brutal, but his kiss was soft and ended quickly.

“I’ll be back in two minutes,” he whispered in her ear.

He took the stairs two at a time and disappeared into the first bedroom.

“You two got a hot date or something?” Charlie asked.

She turned to find both guys giving her a smug look. Their easygoing and playful mood helped to ease the tension she’d been holding. They moved to the kitchen and alternated opening and staring into the fridge then shutting it empty-handed.

She rolled her eyes at them and sauntered into the kitchen.

Charlie whistled as she got closer. “Da-a-amn.” He gave her a onceover that felt more friendly than sexual.

Tori twirled, hands above her head, getting a few hoots and hollers and smiles from Charlie and Travis.

“Maybe you can get him out of the God-awful mood he’s in.” Charlie returned to the fridge and peered in.

She nudged him out of the way and pulled a foil-covered dish off the bottom shelf.

“What did you two do to him?” she asked as she uncovered the lasagna she had made earlier today.

“Fuck yeah!” Eyeing the food, Travis grabbed a fork and shoveled it into his mouth without heating it up, as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks.

“Dude, at least get a plate,” Charlie said, shaking his head. “Apparently, some dude named Benny stopped by the job site today and wants Chris to fight some guy this weekend.”

Travis shook his head. “That is the worst recount of the story ever. Not some guy,” Travis said between mouthfuls. “Louis Kay.”

Tori’s eyes widened at the name. Now she understood the foul mood. Louis had been the one to destroy Chris’ hopes of winning the Junior World Championships, beating him in the semifinals on a split decision.

“Did you know he was fighting again?” Charlie asked.

“Yes, she did,” Chris said, appearing in front of the kitchen island.

He wore dark jeans and a white button-down shirt that was open at the neck, hinting at the tan, broad and defined chest she knew well. His hair was wet on the ends and drops of water had fallen on the shoulder of his shirt like he’d put it on before running a towel through his hair. When he’d said two minutes, he’d meant two minutes. He was ready to go in record time and looking as handsome as ever.

She was silently cursing her female genetics that had caused her the anxiety to spend hours preparing for the evening and worrying about her outfit when he had so easily and quickly gotten ready. Not to mention he was causing the exact same reaction in her that she had wanted to elicit from him. She was stunned.

He grabbed her hand and led her toward the door, never taking his eyes off her. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he spoke to his brothers. “Don’t wait up.”

“You made them lasagna?” he asked once they were settled in the truck. He backed out of the driveway and then moved a hand to her thigh.

“I was bored this afternoon.”

She bit the inside of her lip at the half truth. Restless, anxious, nervous — those were more accurate adjectives for how she had been feeling.

“You keep that up, and I’m going to have to start fighting them off you.”

The word fighting hung in the air. They both remained silent. Tori struggled for something to say to move the conversation forward, and Chris squirmed in his seat. Was he deciding whether or not to fill her in on his meeting with Benny?

“So where are you taking me?” she asked.

He looked at her with a mischievous smile, and she breathed a sigh of relief that they’d moved past the elephant in the truck. At least for the moment.

He tapped her leg lightly as he spoke.

“I’m taking you back to where it all started.”

She suppressed a gasp. “The bar in Carroll?”

Images of him and the blond hussy at the bar flooded her mind. She clamped down on the door handle where her hand rested. She looked over and caught a frown on his face.

“No. I mean the very beginning.” The playful look had returned.

When it was clear he wasn’t going to elaborate, she sat back and enjoyed the ride down the winding road to the heart of Sweetbriar. The days were getting longer and the sun setting later, but only a faint hint of light remained in the dark sky when Chris pulled into Sweet Snow.

“Sweet Snow was the very beginning?” Tori asked. She chewed a nail as she raked over her many memories of the place, trying to make the connection to Chris.

She had hung out here a lot as a teen. Everyone had. It was located in town along the cruise strip. It was the place to see and be seen, particularly in the hot, summer months.

The owners tolerated the noisy and most certainly obnoxious crowd of teens because the kids were loyal to their hangout. They pulled in every Friday and Saturday night, grabbed a snow cone, and sat on hoods and tailgates while they watched cars drive around the strip and eventually come to park alongside them.

It was mostly deserted tonight. The snow cone stand was closed for the winter months, but a few boys were gathered in the parking lot with their bass pumping and cigarettes hanging from their mouths.

Chris left the truck running as he pointed toward a corner of the parking lot near the snow cone stand.

“I was standing right over there with a tiger’s blood snow cone in my hand the first time I realized I had a crush on my best friend’s little sister.”

Tori listened carefully, hanging on every word.

“You and Claire showed up, teeny tiny cut-off shorts and matching red bandanas tied around as tops, barely covering more than your tits. Ryan nearly had a heart attack at the sight of you two.”

She covered her mouth and giggled at the memory. They had only been fourteen at the time and were dying to go to Sweet Snow with Ryan and his friends. Ryan had always let her tag along, but after he got his license, he’d refused to cart her around to high school hangouts. Taking matters into their own hands, Claire had convinced Tori they should ride their bikes and stash them at the grocery store nearby and then walk over to hang with the high school boys.

“I remember,” Tori said, once she’d recovered enough to speak. “He dragged us kicking and screaming out of that parking lot so fast.”

“Not fast enough. The guys were making some pretty lewd remarks about the two of you, having a good laugh about all the things they wanted to do. Ryan was laughing right along with them until he got a good look at you and realized who they were talking about.”

She stared diligently at his eyes, trying to remember the night like he had told it.

The hard look on his face softened as he continued. “But before all the commotion, I spotted you walking up, and my heart dropped to my stomach, and my dick stood up at attention. I kept those thoughts to myself after I saw the way Ryan reacted.” He chuckled. A smile played at his lips as he stared out toward the parking lot. “I’ll buy you a tiger’s blood snow cone this summer if you promise to dig out those old cut-offs.”

He winked before putting the truck in drive and pulling out of the lot. He headed to the high school next and pulled into the old gravel lot behind the football field.

Tori grinned like a fool. She had her own good memories of the games, remembering how hot Chris had looked in his uniform.

“The football field?” she asked. What possible memories could he have of her in this spot?

He nodded.

“It was after a conference championship game my junior year. You charged the field after the game. I think Ryan was hugging on some girl, I’m not sure, but for whatever reason, you couldn’t hug him, so instead, you jumped into my arms with excitement. You smelled of popcorn and cotton candy, and it took everything I had not to kiss you right there in front of the whole town.”

She felt her cheeks warm at his admission. She didn’t remember any of it. Back then, she’d thought Chris saw her only as Ryan’s annoying kid sister, so she hadn’t wasted a lot of time worrying about impressing him. She’d probably thrown herself into his arms without a second thought. So different from now, where she worried and fretted over every movement between them.

“I don’t remember that.”

She considered telling him he was a large part of why she even bothered going to the games. Between her father coaching the team and Ryan being the star quarterback, sitting through the games felt like another family get together where her big brother was praised for his great accomplishments. Not that the praise wasn’t warranted. Ryan had been unstoppable on the football field. But it was a reminder that she wasn’t quite as good at anything when compared to her sibling.

She decided to keep her own memories to herself for now, but maybe create a few more for his tour through their relationship. She leaned over and wrapped a hand around his neck, pulling his head closer. She kissed him with the passion and excitement she’d wanted to as a teenager, deepening the kiss and raking her long fingernails through his hair.

She carefully maneuvered onto his lap, forgetting all pretenses of modesty as her dress hiked up, revealing the tiny scrap of blue material.

“Mmm.” He groaned, leaning back in the seat. “Nice panties. I see you’re still matching them to your outfits.”

“Yes, you seem to know me quite well.”

She thought back to Claire’s party and how he had been the only one to guess her questions correctly. He’d been paying attention over the years. That was clear now.

“Sweetheart, I’d very much like to continue what we got going on here, but I’m not prepared to share you, and the cars are starting to slow down as they drive by.” Chris said, brushing her hair back out of her face with two hands and pulling her head into his for a swift kiss. He lifted her up and onto the seat beside him before buckling her into the middle seat.

They stopped at several more places around town. Each location brought a story, a memory from their past. Some she remembered, others she didn’t, but every stop confirmed what she’d already suspected. She was madly crazy, hopelessly in love with him.

She’d adored him their whole lives. The knowledge was freeing somehow. She’d fought her feelings and their love/hate relationship for so long that to understand it was comforting. It had all led up to this.

“Here is the last stop,” Chris said, pulling into a familiar spot along the water and killing the engine.

She smiled, remembering that night as if it was yesterday.