“I love you, Bran, I will do and say anything to help you and Ryder get through this.” He reached out and tugged on my hair like I was a little girl. “You’re both the reason I decided that someday I’d settle down, did you know that? Before I met Keela, I used to watch you both and I liked that Ryder could be happy and complete by just seeing you. At first I thought he was pathetic and * whipped, but the more I was around you both, the more I realised it was something real. I wanted it, and now I have it. It’s hard work, but you and Ry have got this. Don’t give up, okay?”
He laughed when I jumped forward, and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face against his chest. He put his arms around me and squeezed me tightly. Tears flowed then, but for once they weren’t sad tears, they were hopeful tears. That was what Alec just gave me.
Hope.
I hadn’t experienced the feeling in a long time, but I couldn’t deny that it felt incredible.
“Thanks, Alec,” I murmured against his chest.
When I pulled back from our hug and looked up, I couldn’t help but giggle. He was so different now compared to when I first met him in Darkness all those years ago.
“What?” he asked, grinning at my goofy expression.
I shook my head. “I was just thinking about the first time I met you and about the first thing you said to me.”
Without warning, he reached around my body and smacked my behind making me yelp with surprise.
“You still have a great ass,” his grin deepened. “But don’t tell Keela I said that.”
I laughed, and playfully swatted at him until he ducked out of reach.
“You’re crazy.”
“No one sane is this awesome,” he said as he pointed a finger at himself.
I snickered. “I need you to do me a favour.”
“Name it,” he stated.
“Before I lose this bit of courage, I think I need to pay your big brother a visit. You have really straightened things out for me. If I don’t believe in what me and Ryder had, and what we could have again, then I’m givin’ up without a fight. I’m exhausted, but I’ve one more round in me to make this work. I have to try or I’ll regret it for the rest of me life.”
Alec lifted his hand in the air, and I clapped my palm into it, laughing. I was already dressed, so I grabbed a pair of shoes and walked downstairs with Alec.
“Where are you goin’?”
I looked at my sister in the doorway of the sitting room with Dominic behind her; both of them were looking at me expectantly.
“To talk to Ryder.” I answered.
“Really?” Bronagh said, her eyes wide. “A good talk, or a bad talk?”
I shrugged. “My intentions are good, and I know Ryder will like what I have to say so I’m goin’ to go with a good talk.”
Being tackle hugged by a thirty week pregnant woman was not what I expected, and I know that if Alec hadn’t been behind me when Bronagh rushed me, we would have both fallen to the floor.
I took it as a good omen though; hopefully it wouldn’t be the only thing falling today. I hoped my heart would run and jump off a high dive board when I spoke to Ryder.
I hoped.
“You know, for this to work, you actually have to get out of my car.”
I clasped my hands together over my trembling legs.
“What if he’s changed his mind about us?” I asked Alec who took his keys out of the ignition of his car. “What if he got pissed off that I haven’t contacted him in two weeks?”
“Branna,” Alec laughed. “He is willing to wait the rest of his life for you. He’s the one who is scared out of his mind that you won’t come to him at all. We’ve been dealing with his bitchiness since he told you the truth.”
I really hoped he wasn’t saying that just to make me feel better.
I inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and said, “Fuck it. Let’s do this.”
“Atta girl,” Alec whooped.
We both got out of his car, and walked up the cobbled pathway that led to my old house. It was strange that just seeing the house made me miss Ryder that much more. I decided it was because so many good things had happened there, so many things that outweighed the bad. There were memories from within the house that I would keep forever, and others I would never think of again.
When we entered the house, I had a quick flashback of being attacked in the kitchen, but I quickly shook it off. Big Phil was gone, and the twisted son of a bitch couldn’t hurt me anymore. I wouldn’t let him.
I’d never let anyone have the power to hurt me ever again.
I followed Alec down the hallway, and when he entered the kitchen, I hovered outside by the doorway.
“What’s up, bro?” Alec asked Ryder.
I heard a sigh. “Nothing. I painted your old room to give me something to do. I’ll probably patch up some of the holes in Dominic’s old room if you want to stick around and help?”
“Can’t bro, I’m just dropping her off.”
“Who off?” Ryder questioned.
That’s my cue.
I stepped into the kitchen with my head held high and when Ryder saw me, he jumped up to his feet and let the cup that was halfway raised to his mouth fall to the floor with surprise.
“Shit,” he hissed when the cup smashed to pieces then cleared his throat. “Branna.”
I lifted my hand and lightly waved. “Hey, Ry.”
“Hi, hey,” he said in rapid succession. “Hello.”
“Bro, one greeting is enough,” Alec mumbled.