Chapter 51

Linny

He’s been silent since we left the hotel.

We both dressed quickly. He wrapped his suit jacket around my shoulders after I put my dress back on.

I thanked him.

He told me he loved me again.

I didn’t say it back. I couldn’t. I felt it within every cell of my body, but until I know what’s waiting for me at the end of this taxi ride, I can’t form the words.

We’re headed to the Upper East Side.

He gave the driver an address on East Sixty-Third Street.

I’m not familiar with that part of Manhattan. I don’t know if we’re going to his home or another hotel.

I don’t know anything other than how much I care for this man.

“This is it,” he says hoarsely to the driver as we pull up in front of a townhouse.

He slides some money from his wallet and hands it to the driver as I peer out the window.

This has to be where he lives. It’s a beautiful brick building.

I wait while he exits the car. He holds his hand out to help me get out. I take it, welcoming his touch.

“Do you live here?” I ask tentatively, not wanting to assume anything.

He nods. “My grandparents lived here. They left it to me.”

It’s not just rich in the history of the city. The memories it holds for him makes it priceless.

“It’s a huge place just for you,” I say teasingly, wanting to lessen the anxiety I’m feeling.

He brings my hand to his lips, kissing it softly. “I don’t live alone, angel.”

As the words leave his lips, the front door swings open.

We both turn to look at the sight of a teenager dressed in torn jeans and a dark hoodie standing just inside the foyer. The light from within illuminates his face.

His hair is blonde and curly.

He waves his hand in the air toward us, as he shouts, “Germany is home.”

A young woman wearing a blue T-shirt and yoga pants appears in the doorway too. She’s breathtaking. She must be in her late teens or early twenties. Her golden brown hair is falling around her shoulders in soft waves.

“Hey, Jer.” She smiles at us both. “Is that her? Did you finally bring Linny to meet us?”

“This is her.” Jeremy wraps his arm around my waist. “Linny, I want you to meet Breccan and Athena, my brother and sister.”

***

Jeremy closes the door behind us as we step into the foyer.

“I’m Zachariah.” A boy with a cast on his left arm approaches us. He looks like he’s twelve or thirteen-years-old. “It’s a family name. I don’t like it.”

“My name is Lincoln, so I feel your pain.”

He laughs. “Lincoln? As in Abraham Lincoln?”

I shrug. “It was my grandfather’s name.”

“Mine was the name of my mom’s brother.” He rolls his blue eyes. “I never met him, but I think he must have been a pretty cool guy.”

My gaze slides over the light blue skate shorts and white hoodie he has on. They compliment his olive skin and black hair perfectly.

I point at the cast on his arm. “What happened there?”

He looks down at it. “Skateboarding.”

“He sucks.” Breccan laughs. “Like totally sucks. We spent hours in the hospital waiting for him to get patched up because he took a spill.”

“Shut up.” Zachariah waves his casted arm in the air. “Like you could do better.”

“Any day of the week.” Breccan leans his hip against the wall.

“Do you know anything about seventh-grade algebra?” Zachariah turns his attention back to me, wiping his hand under his nose. “Germany doesn’t and he’s no help with my homework.”

I giggle. “Germany?”

“He had the flu a couple of years ago.” Breccan grabs his stomach in jest. “He kept telling us to stay out of his room because of the germs. We’ve called him Germany since.”

I scan the faces of Jeremy’s three siblings. They don’t resemble one another, or him.

Jeremy looks down at his watch. “It’s getting late, Zach. You should get to bed.”

“It’s Friday night.”

“Shit. Today was a bitch. I lost track of what day it is.” Jeremy laughs.

Zachariah shakes his head. “And he tells me not to cuss.”

“That’s a privilege reserved for age.” Jeremy pats him on the shoulder. “Linny and I are going to head down the block to the pub for a drink before I take her home.”

“We cook spaghetti every Sunday and watch a movie. Do you want to come?” Breccan jerks his thumb over his shoulder toward what looks like the main living area.

We haven’t made it past the foyer.

“Our spaghetti is the ultimate,” Zach chimes in. “Say you’ll come.”

I look over at Jeremy. His eyes are filling with tears.

“I’ll be here.” I nod my head. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”