“AJ?” Steph stared in shock at her brother in the doorway of her perfect little bed-and-breakfast getaway and tried to figure out whether she was hallucinating. Were hallucinations a side effect of really good sex?
But AJ proved that he was, in fact real, when he pushed past her and into the cabin. “I’ll invite myself in,” he muttered under his breath.
Her mouth fell open but no words came out. She was torn between apologizing for not being a more pleasant hostess and yelling at him for just showing up at her doorstep. But he was annoyed enough to keep talking before she needed to figure out how to respond.
“I’ve been calling you for days, Steph. You can’t just run off without a word when I’m dodging bombs at home.” He strode to the living area and collapsed on the couch, the exhaustion obvious on his face. She really didn’t want to know what he’d been dealing with at home. That was why she left.
“I have been texting,” she said weakly.
AJ’s head fell back and he rubbed at his temple. Right then, Josh appeared from the bedroom, wearing only a pair of jeans because this situation needed to get even worse.
There was a long silence as each man stared the other down. Even though Josh was standing and his formidable chest was in full view, AJ didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. After a few seconds, his gaze bounced to Steph. “You little whore.”
A look of rage crossed Josh’s face and he started for the couch, but Steph ran between the two men and held out a hand to Josh. “Don’t,” she warned. “He means it as a compliment. AJ is always trying to get me laid.”
“It’s true,” said AJ in a much more cheerful tone than he had when he walked in. “If I knew all it would take to get Steph to lighten up was a redneck, I would’ve brought her out of the city ages ago.”
Josh narrowed his eyes and Steph seriously debated punching AJ in the face. “Josh,” she said between clenched teeth, “this is my twin brother, AJ. AJ, this is Josh.”
Josh shifted his weight a bit, signaling that he was no longer about to pounce, but he by no means looked relaxed. “Funny. She never mentioned a brother.”
Instead of looking offended, AJ looked positively delighted by Josh’s balls. “Ha!” he barked. “Come on, Steph. You know I’m the most interesting part of your life. And that’s not an insult to your life. It’s a compliment to me.”
“Your modesty never fails to impress me,” she said dryly.
“I’m a very impressive person.” He winked. “But seriously, I’ve come to take you home, so kick out your boy toy and start packing.”
“She’s not going anywhere,” said Josh, finally taking a step forward.
The amusement suddenly faded from AJ’s face. “Look, I’m probably happier than Steph about what is going on here. But we have real world problems to get back to. Dad wants to sign over the Caribbean and French properties over to us so Mom can’t get to them and Mom’s trying to subpoena us to talk about affairs Dad might have had. I support running from problems more than anyone, but some things have to be dealt with. So, pack up and let’s go.”
His words cut her deeper than he would ever know. If anyone understood how she was feeling, it was AJ. He had been getting pulled into the middle of the divorce even more than she had ever since it started. Because he worked with their father, each parent had expected him to spy for the other. And when he refused, he was pissing off their father—his boss—or their mother.
He’d channeled his frustration into his vices of alcohol and women, but Steph, who had always been the more conservative of the two, didn’t have any vices to escape into. Which was why she’d run. She’d run far and fast until she hit Hope Falls.
Her few days here were the first time in forever that she had felt able to breathe. To relax and really be herself instead of guarded or waiting for the next bomb to drop at home.
Except home had apparently followed her here.
As frustrating as it was to have AJ show up unannounced, she couldn’t kick him out. If he had traveled across the country to track her down, he at least deserved a few minutes to relax. Steph tightened her lips as she met Josh’s eyes and moved out of the living room and for the bedroom. Josh followed her and she tried to figure out what she was going to say.
He already knew. “I guess we’re not having Chinese food.” He reached down for his shirt.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he was going to come here.”
“I got that.” Josh pulled his shirt on and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”
Steph frowned. “If anything, he’s the embarrassing one. That man has gone far too long doing whatever he wants. One of these days, someone is going to put him in his place and I swear, I’m going to be on the sidelines laughing when it happens.”
Josh snorted even as he shook his head. “You like him, though. It’s good. It’s good to have family you can count on.”
“Well, I’ve complained about our parents enough. It was nice to have AJ there to balance out the crazy. Maybe with crazy of his own, but still…”
“Why didn’t you mention him?”
She clenched her jaw at the question. She had asked herself the same thing over the past day she’d spent with Josh. In her life, she rarely went an hour without mentioning AJ considering their lives were so intertwined. They were not only twins, but back home they were best friends. Her, AJ, and Willa Belli would go out most nights of the week together and the three of them would have a blast. AJ was the carefree presence in her life that she probably couldn’t survive without.
So why hadn’t she told Josh that she had a brother? “When I went on my little soul-searching trip here, I left AJ alone. I think I was avoiding thinking about that.”
“And that’s why you didn’t answer his calls?”
“I didn’t answer his calls because AJ is the only person in this world who could make me go home if I wasn’t ready. And I don’t want to go home.”
“But he’s here now,” pointed out Josh.
“Yep.” She wanted to say she wasn’t going to leave or promise that this wouldn’t affect them, but she couldn’t give any assurances. She didn’t have any assurances to give.
Josh didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned around and crossed to the nightstand next to the bed, pulling out the pen and a piece of scrap paper from the little drawer.
He scribbled something down before he handed it to her and she saw it was his phone number. “Call me later?”
She nodded. “I’ll figure out what I’m going to do and let you know later tonight.”
He swooped down for a quick kiss and she let her eyes drift shut as she leaned against him. What she wouldn’t give to go back to fifteen minutes ago when they were curled in each other’s arms and the outside world was still, well, outside.
“It’s okay.” He pulled away.
“What’s okay?” she asked.
“You leaving. I figured it would happen eventually.”
Steph tried to find the words to say to make him feel better, but nothing came out. Hell, she had no idea how to make herself feel better, let alone Josh. “This doesn’t mean anything…”
“I’m not stupid enough to ask for any promises, Steph.” He started to look for his shoes.
She opened her mouth and closed it. She wanted promises, damn it. She wanted to know that when she went back home, she would have him to come back to. “Josh, I—”
“Don’t.” He slid on his second shoe, not bothering to tie them. “Don’t say anything you’re going to regret later. We had fun. Let’s end it on a good note.”
Steph felt as if her stomach were about to fall out. Her insides literally twisted at what he was saying. She knew he wanted more. She knew he wanted a relationship with her, but was afraid. Afraid she’d go back to Chicago and would never come back.
Who was she to say anything would be different? She’d run from any hint of a long-term relationship her entire life. Now, after two crazy days, she was going to drop everything and turn into the perfect girlfriend? Josh obviously wasn’t that naive and she couldn’t let herself be, either.
She had taken too long and Josh started out of the bedroom. She followed and prayed like hell that AJ wouldn’t say anything.
Of course, her asshole of a brother had to be an asshole. “Nice meeting you, Josh,” he said, with the bite of sarcasm in his voice.
Steph grabbed the first thing she saw, a half-empty water bottle, and tossed it right at his gut before she quickened her pace to meet Josh on the porch, only taking half a second to relish in her brother’s pained grunt.
“I don’t want you to go,” she admitted as they both came to an awkward stop.
“I don’t want to go.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “But life doesn’t really like to give me what I want.”
“Well, I’m a spoiled rich girl, damn it. And I am used to getting what I want, so this is pretty damn frustrating.”
He let out an insincere laugh. “We both know it isn’t true.”
“I’m going to come back,” she insisted.
Josh stared down at her, but he didn’t look convinced in the slightest. “Maybe this was supposed to happen. And if you come back, you come back.”
“But you won’t be waiting for me,” she finished.
He was quiet and Steph had to bite her lip. That was it, then. He was just going to step back and let fate take its course? She started to say something but a car pulled up to the cabin and Steph was forced to keep quiet as the Chinese food delivery boy got out.
Josh nodded at her and stepped away. “Good-bye, Steph,” he said somberly before he turned and walked out of her life.
She let out a sigh and shook her head. Could fate really be this much of a bitch?