Unveiled (Torn #6)(14)

“Yes, I’d love one. Thank you,” I said politely before taking the same chair I had used the night before.

“I’ll swing out with Amber since I need to make some important calls before I head out to the children’s wing to say good morning to a few of my babies,” Trista grinned while she referred to the kids in the cancer ward where she volunteered.

“Ummm, one more thing, sweet cakes …” She gave me a skeptical look, one I had gotten to know well. One that usually didn’t have good news. “Emma’s going to be in the vicinity in about ten minutes. I don’t know, but I feel like I have to ask you first. Should I tell her about Carter? I’m not sure if these two are talking or what the what, you know? It’s so complicated, and she’s … you know.” She meant pregnant, though she didn’t want to say it out loud because Brody was there, and also, there might be a chance my brother would come out of his unconsciousness when he found out his one and only was with child again.

This was so tricky, and Emma was the closest friend I had. Contemplating whether to even tell her was frustrating, but she was one of the main reasons Carter was in this situation; therefore, I wasn’t sure if it would be beneficial to her.

“So, yay or nay?” she pressed while my mind rendered blank.

“If she wants to come see me, no one better stop her, or things could get ugly,” Carter’s weak voice broke through, surprising us all.

He still had his eyes closed, but apparently he had been awake the entire time, listening to us talk.

Emma. He would always love her, even when he was at his weakest. It saddened me to see him so unhappy; however, if he insisted on seeing her, then all I could do was be here to support him, hoping he got it together once Emma got through to him.

Here’s to hoping she can.

Trista blew out a loud whistle before accusing Carter of spying on us. She then explained she and Amber would be back before leaving the room.

It felt like old times with only the three of us: Brody, Carter, and I. I thought about us growing up. The olden days were so much simpler. How I wish I could have some clarity to help me through, because the old Lindsey would have figured out things. She would most likely hatch a plan that would succeed, and Claudine would already be out of the picture. Alas, I was the new version—too in love and too invested to see beyond my fears and problems.

When Brody started recalling what had happened after he found him unconscious, I remained mum, training my eyes on the two men I had grown up loving. Brody would always be family, so dreaming of hating him forever was out of the question. Even if our romantic relationship had all but gone to ashes, he would forever remain special to me. I had, after all, loved the man even before I had understood what the word meant.

What’s more, even though Dimitris was adamant that I didn’t speak to him one on one, I knew, deep down, it would put Brody and I in a much better place. Because, at the end of the day, we were family.

He had witnessed the rise and fall of my life. He knew my family; the darkness Carter and I had grown up in, always with a shroud of loneliness that went over the emotional abandonment category. He was one of the only people in the world who could read me without me having to explain what I was feeling. He and I deserved to talk, even just this once.

We both deserved to put the past aside. Besides, even though it was blatantly obvious that he still had feelings for me, I believed he deserved to understand that I had truly moved on from my hero-worshipping of him. I was a woman bent on love, bent on a mission to get Dimitris and the kind of trust and love I had thrown back in his face when I had decided to walk away from him.

I was done cowering. It was time to move forward, shredding old views with new ones. Maybe, just maybe, when Dimitris saw me maturing to the woman he had always dreamed me to be, he would change his mind and marry me again. It was worth a shot since I was left with little to no option otherwise.





Chapter 8


Lindsey


While Brody entertained Carter, I distracted myself with my phone, checking every other minute or so, hoping I would get a message from The Greek man himself. Since he was always up at ungodly hours of the day, and given that he was on a European body clock, I knew he was up, most likely barking orders on his phone or going through work as he pushed his laptop to the hilt.

The night before had been scarily telling of where he and I stood in the long run. Clearly, he and I were on different wavelengths. Could it be due to the fact that he and I had an unconventional relationship to begin with? The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced things would play out rather differently and more in my favor had I decided to stay in Athens and be there with him full time. However, regretting a missed decision, weighing the what ifs, wouldn’t solve anything.

Seeing my brother talking and trying to laugh made me feel a little better somehow, though it truly nagged at me that he kept gazing towards the door. I knew what that look meant; he was waiting for Emma to waltz in here, crying a river, asking if he was okay. He was a sucker, and I felt ten times worse witnessing him hold out hope for whatever emotional scraps he could get from her. He was better than that; how could he not see it? There were a lot of women who would give their right kidney just to have him. Why not choose any of those?

I knew Emma was a great woman for him—hell, I wanted her to officially be my sister—but it wasn’t meant to be. He had better accept that because he would only hurt worse if he kept going this way.