Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Austin’s gaze swings to me, and the look he gives me almost drops me to my knees. The betrayal in his eyes is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, the hurt, the guilt, the heartbreak. “Austin,” I breathe. “I—”
He looks back at Izaac, shaking his head. “Nearly twenty-five fucking years, and the only thing I’ve ever asked of you was to never touch her,” he says, the heaviness in his tone breaking me. “You’re fucking dead to me.”
And with that, Austin turns on his heel and stalks out of my childhood room, leaving me a fucking mess as I fall into my mother’s arms.
32
ASPEN
My brother has always been my greatest supporter, my best friend, and the biggest pain in my ass, and now, he feels like nothing more than a cold stranger.
I’m out of options.
The day he stormed out of my childhood bedroom, I ran after him. I tried talking to him, gripping on to his arm and begging him to hear me out like a child, but he shook me off, got into his car, and drove away. I’ve tried calling. Texting. Hitting him up on social media, until he finally got sick of it and blocked me. It’s been almost two weeks of radio silence, and not just from him. Izaac has been just as cold. Refusing to see me until he’s mended things with Austin, and sure, that’s commendable, but what about me? What about the way I hurt? Does that not matter to either of them?
God, I’ve never felt more alone than I have over the past two weeks. They’re assholes. I know Izaac never officially admitted that he was in love with me, but I know he is. So how can he just shut me out like that?
Fuck, it hurts, but that’s always been his specialty.
Pulling up outside Austin’s door, I prepare myself for a world of hurt. If he’s not taking my calls and refuses to hear me out, then he leaves me no choice. I need to make this right.
My brother is one of my favorite people in the world, and while I hate that my betrayal is eating him up, he surely must have seen it coming or at least considered it as a possibility over the years.
I’ve been in love with Izaac for so damn long, how could he not have seen it coming? And I don’t just mean a stupid little crush. No, this is the whole shebang. The soul-shattering, breath-taking, all-or-nothing type of love that forever alters the way you view life. It brings your priorities into perspective, and now that I know what it’s like to have just a glimpse of that overwhelming happiness, I’m not about to let it slip through my fingers. And if that means Austin will need to suffer, then so be it. If he loves and values me in the way he says he does, then he’d want this for me. He’d want me to experience the greatest love this world can offer.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I get out of my car and stare up at Austin’s home. It’s not quite as extravagant as Izaac’s place, but it’s definitely nothing to turn your nose up at either. Austin has worked his ass off since finishing college and has proudly given himself everything he’s ever wanted while fighting Mom and Dad tooth and nail, refusing their constant need to offer him the world. He set out for independence, and that’s exactly what he’s built for himself.
I make my way toward the door of a house that’s always felt like home for me, despite the rare occasions I’ve actually stayed here. Nerves settle in the pit of my stomach, and before I get a chance to chicken out, I lift my fist and rap against the hardwood door.
I wait a minute, and as it quickly turns into two, I grit my teeth.
That asshole is ignoring me.
His car is parked in the driveway, and judging from the way his stupid doorbell camera lights up, he knows it’s me standing out here.
I knock on the door again, this time taking a page out of Izaac’s book. “I’m not going anywhere until you hear me out,” I call through the door. “I love you, Austin, and whether you want to hear that or not, I don’t care. You’re my big brother, and I’m not just going to let you shut me out. You’re too important to me, so if you want me to get lost, you’re gonna have to answer the door and hear me out first.”
I’m not going to lie, I really didn’t think this through before I jumped in my car and drove over here. Hell, I didn’t even know if he was going to be home. I took a shot in the dark, and thankfully, I was right. Though, had he not been here, that wouldn’t have stopped me from searching every other place he’s ever been, starting with the restaurant.