The Long Way Home (Corps Security #6)(63)
“Talk about an icebreaker, honey child … next time, just use your shoe and whack one of the big guys. Closest one usually will do the trick.”
“Hush, Sway,” Davey scolds with a giggle.
“What? Am I wrong?”
“I’ve dreamed of this moment every goddamn day since I had to leave,” I tell my brother.
I stand straight, my brother mirroring the movement, reluctantly letting Olivia’s hand fall from my hold. I wouldn’t have let go, but after that I need to know she’s okay more than I need her as a safety blanket.
I see Olivia walk into Sway’s awaiting embrace. She steps into his side, and his arm closes around her shoulder. I look from his hand to her face, meeting her uncovered eye and seeing only love reflecting toward me. I get that slight uptick of her lip that I fucking love and with a small nod to her, I return my attention to my brother. She’s still feeding me strength, even from across the room.
“Never thought I would be here,” I tell him honestly. “Didn’t stop me from longing so deep in my gut for my big brother. Not once did I ever believe I would be in a position to have this moment. Spent fucking years with a hole inside me, Ash. One I know you felt so much bigger than I ever could because at least I knew you were alive.”
Silence ticks on. The silence being what finally alerted me that, at some point while I was speaking, the room cleared, leaving just the two of us. My heart picks up before I remember that Liv is safe with Sway. Doesn’t stop me from wanting her by my side regardless.
This moment, though, this is for the Cooper brothers.
“I’m so goddamn sorry, brother. So goddamn sorry for leaving you and the pain you felt believing I was dead. Never would have left you willingly, big bro.”
A tear falls down his cheek at the same time one escapes to trail hotly down my own face.
He swallows, his throat working hard to keep himself from the same crack I feel ripping through the hold I have on my own emotions.
We both take the first step toward the other instantaneously, breaking the silent standoff. We wrap our arms around each other with a force that pulls a gruff grunt out of both of us. One arm around his back, and the other above his shoulders. His embrace mirrors mine. From the outside, we look like two dudes locked in a manly hug. However, inside our huddle, with his tears soaking my shoulder and mine doing the same to his—the Cooper men are healing.
We stand there, two brothers who lived through hell as kids together—surviving that hell … somehow and barely. We both wasted a lot of time holding on to that trauma and letting it shape our lives back then. In different ways, but still we never healed. We both experienced hell again when we were ripped apart. It didn’t matter why I left. It didn’t matter that I had to make the one person who always had my back the hardest—and everyone else for that matter—believe I was gone in a way I would never come back. None of the bullshit matters.
Nothing, that is, except for one thing; the two Cooper brothers back together and in each other’s embrace finally start to feel that healing solidify.
“Run” by Taylor Swift ft Ed Sheeran
Holy crap, my face feels like it’s going to explode, it hurts that much.
I’m not sure what I thought was going to happen when I jumped in front of Zeke. The only thing I could think of was keeping the man I love from feeling anymore pain today—especially the physical kind.
Was it smart?
No.
Would I do it again?
Absolutely.
If I have the power to keep him from feeling any more pain in his life, I’ll do it again and again.
“Well, that was something.” Sway sighs.
“You can say that again,” Davey responds.
“Did a good job defusing the situation with your face, darlin’, but let’s maybe not to that again, hmm?”
“No promises,” I whisper to the two of them, just beginning to notice the crowd in the room they lead me into when we left the brothers to have their moment together.
“Uh … hi?” I weakly wave. Then to my absolute embarrassment, my arm rises, and I point at my chest. “Olivia.”
Nine sets of eyes look at me and the two men at my side from across the vast space of the most stunning kitchen. Based on what I know about these people, I have a pretty good idea who is who. I scan the faces of the people who loved my man years before. All of them look just as shocked as I’m sure they were when they realized who was in the office with Asher. It’s one face specifically, though, the one woman standing without a man at her side, that I lock eyes with.
This must be Chelcie. The woman who had Zeke’s child after they thought he was long gone. I can’t even imagine what she’s feeling right now.
I leave Sway’s comforting hold and walk toward her. The room seemingly hangs on the edge of my movements. Energy electric coming off the big men in waves. I walk right up to her and wrap my arms around her, hugging her trembling body against mine. Her head drops, and she returns my embrace with a sob. Her whole body goes slack, and I hold her while she silently cries. My own tears stream down my face as she lets go and cries. I know from Zeke they didn’t have the kind of relationship that would impact her life or marriage to his brother with his return. They weren’t romantic. I can only guess that the enormity of her emotions have to do with not only worry for her husband but for her son as well.