Taking care of myself, throwing a punch—it’s what I thought being a man was, but what Echo craves is the guy who has the balls to walk toward her, talk out our crap and stick when it gets tough.
Not the guy who accepted dating advice from a messed-up girl with motives of her own. Not the guy who freaks each time another guy peeks in Echo’s direction. She deserves the man who will not just stand by her on the easy calls—the sitting in hospital rooms, the attending of gallery showings—she deserves the man who will stand by her when it hurts like hell to do it.
The moments when I have to suck up my pride. The moments when I have to push past my feelings and think about hers. The moment when I let her tear out my heart for one year because that’s what’s going to make her happy.
Isaiah emerges from the hallway leading to the rooms, and his eyes narrow when he sees me. “What’s going on?”
The gift shop clerk hands me back my change, and I shake the roses at Isaiah. “Groveling.”
“Then you must be doing a pathetic job. Echo just busted ass out of your hotel room.”
My hand freezes in my pocket as I had been shoving the money back in. “Echo’s back?”
“Fuck, man. She left after you came back this morning? I was hoping she’d at least hear you out.”
Not allowing Echo enough of a head start to stop to explain to Isaiah, I race for the exit. “Busted ass as in leaving the hotel?”
“Yeah. I called her name, but she kept going like she was on a mission. Said something about how she can take a risk and that she’d see me soon.”
Take a risk? I tear past the front doors and into the parking lot. My muscles turn to stone when I notice the empty spot where I left Echo’s car five minutes ago. We barely missed each other.
“Noah,” says Isaiah in a low voice that causes my instincts to flare. “We’ve got trouble. Nine o’clock.”
In slow motion, my head turns to the left. That damned Hunter’s coming in fast. My grip on Echo’s roses tightens, and a thorn slices through my skin.
“Where’s Echo?” Hunter demands.
Isaiah rolls his shoulders back and tips his chin up. My brother is willing to take on this fight.
“Don’t know,” I answer. “Heard she tore out of here like the devil was chasing her so how about you and I cut the shit and you tell me what the fuck you did.”
Hunter’s eyes swing between me and Isaiah. Possibly wondering if he should notify next of kin about which of us he thinks is going to pull the trigger. “I brought up her mom, and she left.”
Isaiah pops his neck to the side, and I contain the urge to rip Hunter’s arms out of his sockets. “Left how?”
“I was testing Echo. To see how’d she react if someone taunted her about her mother.”
I step into him, and Hunter takes a step back. Isaiah places his hand on my arm. “Let him finish. Then we’ll kill him.”
Right. Find out the damage then tear out his windpipe. “Continue.”
“Her mother is going to be at the art show in Denver. I entered Echo two days ago, and the rumors are already building. I’ll admit, my tact isn’t the best, and the news freaked her out. It’s why I’m here. No one who looks that dazed should be alone.”
Damn him. He fucked her up then came here to be her savior. My cell’s out of my pocket before he finishes talking. In fact, the bastard’s still talking, now only to Isaiah, who’s looking as friendly as a mangy, starved wolf.
The numbers finish dialing, and I go straight into voice mail. “It’s Echo. Leave a message and I’ll call you back.”
“You didn’t power your phone again, did you, Echo,” I growl. “I know we got stuff to work out, but I don’t like how you left. If you can’t call me to let me know you’re fine, then you call Isaiah. Fuck it, you can call Beth. Call your dad. Just someone.”
I pause. In order to chase her dreams, Echo has to confront the one person that has given her nightmares. The one relationship she doesn’t know how to handle. I glare at Hunter. He starts to say something, but stops when Isaiah pins him with one sharp glance.
I’ve stayed on Echo’s cell for too long—long enough that if she did power up her phone, she would have ended the call by now, but regardless I say the words, “I love you.”
And hang up.
“That’s it,” I say to Isaiah. “That’s all she said? Take a risk?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Take a risk. What the hell is Echo going to do to prove she’s a risk-taker? The last time Echo got bold, she broke into school to stop me from stealing her file. Echo keeps thinking she’s not a risk-taker, but when my girl goes, she goes big and falls hard.
My eyes slam shut. Goes big. Falls hard. “Fuck me.”
“What?” Isaiah asks.
“I need a car. I think I know where she went, and we need to get there before she does.”
“I bet you the asshole has a car.” Isaiah jacks his thumb toward Hunter.