Make Me (Broke and Beautiful #3)(63)

Roxy laid a hand on her shoulder. “I get it. No one knows what you’re feeling, but you. We’ll support you no matter what.”

She nodded once. “Thanks.”

“Hey, uh . . . Abby?”

All three girls turned to find a man in jeans and an American Ninja Warrior T-shirt at the base of their stoop. Although they had never met, Abby knew who he was immediately. His resemblance to Russell wasn’t supernoticeable, but it was there in the set of his shoulders, the square shape of his jaw. Russell’s brother, Alec. All at once, worry crashed down on her head. The look on Russell’s face when he’d walked out of the apartment two Fridays ago was all she could see. Why was his brother here and not him? Had something happened to him?

When Roxy cleared her throat, Abby realized she hadn’t spoken. Wake up. She mentally shook herself and sat up straight. “Yes. I’m Abby.”

Alec scratched the back of his neck, appearing to have difficulty looking her in the eye. “Jesus. My brother aimed high.”

“Ohhhh,” Honey and Roxy said at the same time, obviously discerning the stranger’s identity.

“Would you mind if we talked alone for a minute?” Alec asked.

Abby felt glued to the step. She didn’t want to hear what Russell’s brother had to say but craved it at the same time. How was he? Where was he? “Yeah. Okay,” she said, standing on shaky legs.

Honey and Roxy stood with her, both of them leaning close. “You want us to stay with you?” Honey offered. “Or ask him to leave?”

“No.” She gave them a grateful look. “It’s fine. I’ll be upstairs in a few minutes.”

“We’ll save you some champagne,” Roxy said over her shoulder, as they climbed the stairs and disappeared inside.

Abby stared after her friends a beat, steeling herself, before descending the stoop to join Alec. Her upbringing had her extending a hand without thinking, and her breath caught when Alec’s hard handshake reminded her so much of Russell. “How did you know where to find me?”

“You sent Russell a birthday card a couple months back . . . he kept it, envelope and all. He’d be pissed if he knew I’d gone through his stuff, but I didn’t have a choice.”

“Oh.” Great. They had barely exchanged pleasantries and she already wanted to run upstairs, bury her face in a pillow, and wail. Who saved an envelope? “It’s nice to meet you, finally.”

“Yeah.” Alec shifted side to side. “My brother would have brought you over for dinner, only our place is small, and my Darcy can’t cook for shit.”

An unexpected sob escaped Abby’s lips, rendering them both horrified. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why . . . you remind me of your brother, and—”

“If you don’t mind me saying so, I’m pretty freakin’ relieved you’re upset.” He made a frustrated noise. “That came out wrong. It’s just that if I’d come here and seen you laughing it up, I would have had to bust Russell’s chops for moping around over a girl who isn’t even interested. And then I’d have to feel crappy about it, right? I feel crappy most of the time, as it is. But I digress.”

A surge of irritation hit Abby that Russell had never introduced her to Alec. Five minutes in his company, and she already felt like they’d been friends for years. I never introduced him to my parents, either. The realization plowed over her like a bulldozer, but she struggled to respond. “What, um . . . brought you here? Is Russell okay?”

“No, I’d say he’s pretty far from okay.” Alec turned serious. “Look, I don’t know the details of what happened between you two, but I haven’t always been there for my brother like I should have. This is me trying to correct that.”

“Okay,” Abby whispered, somehow already knowing she was toast.

Alec was silent a moment. “Our mother, she was depressed. Severely. My father didn’t understand, didn’t get her the help she needed. He worked all day. I cut school and dicked around, so I wouldn’t have to go home.” He sucked in a breath. “It was Russell with her most of the time. Listening to her cry. Making sure she ate enough food before she started drinking . . . he was the one who found her after the accident. And it affected him. We didn’t get him the help he needed, either.” He looked away. “He was the bravest one of us three, but that doesn’t mean he’s not scared. Scared of its happening again.”

The summer sun held no warmth as Abby processed Alec’s words. Her hands rose on their own, hugging the opposite elbows to keep herself from shattering. He’d told her only half the story that night in the water. Why? She would have understood everything if he’d just been honest. His insecurities made sense now. It had never been entirely about her money, even if he’d given that reason to himself. It had mostly been about her happiness. And she’d thrown him out before he could fully explain.

Oh God, she needed to see him. Abby realized she’d said the words out loud, when Alec nodded. “If you don’t mind my being bossy, going now might be the best course of action.”

Her pulse skipped a beat. “Why?”

“He’s selling the house. That jerk moves fast.” He checked his watch, as if he hadn’t just ripped Abby’s chest wide open and pulled out her beating heart. “There’s an open house in forty-five minutes.”