“I had to be crazy,” I muttered as I narrowly avoided getting hit, trying to merge onto the exit ramp I needed.

The GPS told me I was going in the right area.

I recognized the big buildings around me – from TV and the like. The New York City skyline was one even I recognized.

I was having more trouble recognizing me right now.

I’d left Texas several days ago and rented a car to drive all the way to the East Coast.

After finding out about Matt, I’d looked him up. It had taken some doing to track him down, but I’d finally managed it, and we’d spent more than an hour on the phone catching up.

We’d skirted around the elephant in the room while we were on the phone, although I knew I’d have to face it once I saw him.

Matt had been convicted of killing his mother, something the whole family had believed, including me. We were cousins on his mother’s side, and I’d always looked up to him. Although he was a few years older than me, he indulged in the case of hero worship I had for him, letting me tag along with him and the older guys he’d hung out with.

He’d gone to jail, and it was like for the rest of the family, he ceased to exist.

But after reading about how he’d been cleared of the crime, I did what I should have done ages ago – reached out.

And that was how I found myself driving down a street that held more cars than I thought I might have seen in my entire life.

Matt lived in Manhattan now, and he’d told me he’d love to see me.

I’d decided to take him up on that…and more.

I had money tucked away in my bank that I’d rarely touched while in the army. I’d had some idea of using it for college, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do so it was still just sitting there.

I was going to do what Matt had done. Start over.

And what better place than to try to do it in than New York City?

* * *

The car rental place where I had to return my ride was only a couple of blocks from Matt’s apartment.

The lady behind the counter had offered me a subway map, but I had no intention of getting on that thing without some idea of how it worked, so I passed.

I had my rucksack and an oversized duffel that carried all my clothes, my shoes, and a few books. I’d had to hike carrying weight before, and this was just walking a couple of city blocks.

Once I got my bearings, I set off in the right direction – I hoped.

Finding Matt’s place turned out to be the easiest thing since I’d crossed into the metro New Jersey area earlier.

The door was locked.

I frowned at it.

“You’ve got to use the buzzer if you want to go inside and visit somebody,” an older man said. He nodded to my right, and I saw the button, just like the doorbell back home.

“You know what apartment you need?” he asked, pushing to his feet from where he’d been sitting on the steps.

I told him, and he nodded, showing me how to use the system.

I must have NOT FROM HERE tattooed on my forehead.

Still, he was friendly about it, and when a woman’s voice came on the intercom, he clapped me on my shoulder. “There you go, soldier.”

“Hello?” the woman on the intercom said.

“Hi…ah…I’m looking for Matt…I mean Jake King?” When we’d talked, Matt – Jake – had told me that when he started over, he had really started over, including changing his name. I needed to start thinking of him as Jake.

“One minute…”

I blew out a breath and looked out over the chaotic street scene to my left.

Welcome to New York, Liam.

* * *

Matt – Jake – met me before I even got halfway up to his apartment.

The tall blond striding toward me paused for a second to study me, and I could tell from the look on his face he wasn’t sure it was me.

Shifting the rucksack on my back, I smiled. “Hey, Matt. Ah…I mean, Jake.”

I didn’t have time to get anything else out before he closed the distance between us and hugged me. “Liam! Welcome to New York, kid!”

He pulled back, grasping my face between his hands as he gave me a long, thorough study.

“It has been too long,” he said, shaking his head. “Come on. Let me take one of these bags.”

I tried to tell him I had them, but he insisted, and I turned the heavy duffel over to him while he asked about the drive, my parents, my brothers and sisters.

I answered what I could, shrugged when I didn’t know the answer. I didn’t know the answer to a number of the questions. My parents weren’t the only ones who’d sort of lost touch with things – I hadn’t exactly tried to keep the lines of communication open myself.

“Is everything okay?” my cousin asked as he paused in front of a door. “I mean, you were always a serious kid, but you used to talk more than this.”

I managed a smile. “There’s just not much to talk about,” I said honestly. “My folks and I exchange cards on birthdays, holidays…I call Mom on Mother’s Day, but…” I shrugged, uncertain where to go from there. “They got their hands full with the younger kids. I always knew that once I turned eighteen I’d have to find a way to take care of myself – they’re barely making it as it is. Me going into the army just sorta…well, it made it easy for us to not talk a lot.”

“That…” Matt blew out a breath. “Wow. That sucks.”

“It’s just how it is,” I said, shaking my head.

“That’s not how family should be.” He bumped his fist against my shoulder. “That’s not how it will be here. Come on, I want you to meet Michelle.”

Michelle was waiting for us when we got inside.

She smiled at me and offered her hand. I took it, giving her what I hoped was a discreet study.

She was pretty. Not knock-out beautiful, but pretty. A smile spread across her face, and I decided I might have to change that opinion because her smile really made her stand out.

She glanced over at Matt and shook her head. “I guess I was expecting a double of you – I wasn’t sure I could handle that.”

I flushed, although the easy way she’d delivered the comment made it clear she was being playful.

“I appreciate you all letting me crash here for a while.”

When I’d broached the subject of leaving Texas and coming to New York, Matt had told me that I could stay with him and his fiancée. I’d been prepared to quickly find other accommodations if the fiancée wasn’t quite onboard with that idea.

But judging by the welcome in Michelle’s smile, she was happy to have me here.

“Jake tells me that you used to be kind of like his kid brother,” Michelle said, gesturing for me to come farther into the apartment.

The Jake threw me for a second, and I had to remind myself of the name change. Looking over at my cousin, I shook my head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to you not being Matt.”

Jake shrugged. “You will. I did. Just takes time.”

“Jake, why don’t you show Liam the guestroom while I finish up dinner?”

Michelle left the two of us alone, and I looked over to Jake, waiting.

He gestured down the hall. “It’s down this way. Nothing fancy, but I figured after four years in the army, you wouldn’t be too picky.”

I took one look at the room almost double the size of the room I’d had back at my parents and laughed. “Compared to what I’m used to, this is like five-diamond accommodations or whatever they call them.”

He dumped my bag on the bed and gestured to a door off to the side. “Your bathroom. It’s small, but it’s got what you need.”

“Thanks.” As he turned to go, I cleared my throat. “Hey, uh…can you give me a minute?”

He looked back at me, his expression curious. “Sure.”

“Look, I’m sorry I believed what they said about you and…well, you know.” I shoved my hands into my pockets, not certain what else to say.

A faint smile crooked Jake’s face, and he looked younger, like he had back when we were kids. “Hey, I believed it too.”

“Still…”

“Don’t, Liam.” Matt – Jake – turned to face me completely, his hands on his hips. “Police, medical people, witnesses, they all said the same thing. What else were any of us supposed to believe?”

“I could have stayed in touch,” I said, shaking my head. “Like you said, that’s not how family should be.”

He gave me a rueful grin. “But you’re here now. Most of the family still doesn’t talk to me. So…lay off on yourself, okay?”

* * *

Dinner was a simple thing, the three of us sitting at the island in the kitchen, eating chicken and potatoes, drinking beer and catching up.

Or in the case of Michelle and me, we got to know each other.

“What did you do in the army, Liam?”

I had to wait until I washed a mouthful of food down – Michelle was a good cook. Meeting her blue-green eyes, I said, “Infantry. I’m also trained as a medic.”

“Infantry,” Michelle said softly. “That had to be…intense.”

The conversation almost seemed to echo the one I’d had with my friend Gavin back in Texas. As Michelle studied me, I fought the urge to squirm uncomfortably.

I hoped to hell she didn’t ask anything else.

She didn’t.

“A medic, huh?” Jake asked. “Thought about going to medical school or anything like that?”

Over the past hour, it had gotten easier to think of him as Jake, mostly because he was different from the guy I’d known as Matt growing up. He still had a caustic sense of humor, but there was something more…collected about him, I guessed.

I didn’t know if that made sense.

Of course, it could just be that he’d grown up – spending several years behind bars, no less. Why wouldn’t he seem to be a little different?

Meeting his eyes, I shook my head. “I don’t know if I’m good enough with people to be a doctor. I need to figure out something though.”

“Well…” Jake shifted on the stool where he sat and gave me an easy smile. “I might have an idea there to help you out.”