Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
I had almost no memory of the airport in San Diego, or the steps I’d taken to buy a ticket and get myself onto a plane. The flight was a blur, too. So, when I stepped out of the terminal in San Francisco, it felt like waking up from a hazy dream.
I blinked a few times and looked around as I hugged my bags to my chest. Everyone around me seemed to be in a huge hurry, and the busy loading zone up ahead with all those cars coming and going was complete madness.
After a minute, I spotted my brother’s fiancé hurrying toward me. Jack was flawless as ever, from his stylish sandy blond hair and a neatly trimmed beard to his expensive blue suit. I dropped my bags a second before he grabbed me in a hug. Then he looked me over and asked, “Are you okay? Your message about needing to talk to Reno had us both worried.”
“No, I’m really not.”
“What happened?”
“Way too much to discuss here.”
We both practically had to yell because it was so loud, between the car engines, the noisy swarms of people, and the honking horns. There was also a frazzled traffic cop relentlessly blowing a whistle. He was trying to stop people from parking in the loading zone, and he’d just set his sights on my brother’s big, black SUV.
Adriano had decided to momentarily abandon the vehicle, so he could come and fetch Jack and me. He was so tall that it was easy to spot him weaving through the crowd. Needless to say, he looked annoyed, because all this chaos was grating on his nerves.
When he reached my side, he said, “Hiya, kid.” Then he shoved his dark hair off his forehead and grabbed my bags. Like his fiancé, he was overdressed in a nice suit, though his was charcoal gray. There was a frown line between his thick, dark brows, and he tried to shepherd both of us toward the SUV as he said, “Can we get moving please, before that low budget rent-a-cop slaps a ticket on my windshield?”
As we made our way to the curb, I almost got run over by a tiny woman with a rolling cart heaped with luggage. Eventually, we reached the Land Rover. Adriano chucked my bags in the back while Jack and I both stood there and insisted the other take the passenger seat. I relented when my brother yelled, “I love you both, but I swear to god I’m leaving your asses here if you don’t get in this fucking SUV!”
The moment we were all seated, I grabbed for my seat belt, because I knew what was coming next. And there it was. He saw an opening and shot from the curb, like some sort of deranged Indy car driver who was determined to overtake the pack. As he wove through several lanes of traffic, Jack muttered, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”
I didn’t think he was actually religious, but my brother’s aggressive way of dealing with traffic could make anyone toss up a prayer, just in case they were about to meet their maker. Fortunately, we made it out of the airport and back to San Francisco in one piece.
For the past couple of months, Adriano and Jack had been splitting their time between San Francisco and their home in Vegas. It gave them a chance to get to know Adriano’s family on his dad’s side, who they’d only recently met. I could see them putting down roots here at some point, but for now they were renting one of those places meant for executives on extended business trips—a furnished townhouse that felt a bit like a hotel.
I was grateful for its guest room. It was small, beige-on-beige, and pretty generic like the rest of the place, but it was also cozy and private. After I dropped my stuff onto the bed, used the restroom, and washed up, I paused and scrubbed my hands over my face.
This was going to suck. The fact that Adriano would be furious with Marcus was a given. But on top of that, he’d probably start questioning my judgement. It had always been an uphill battle to get him to think of me as an adult. Hell, he even called me “kid,” and this was going to be a major setback. It would also probably kick his overprotectiveness into hyperdrive. I couldn’t put it off though, so I left the bedroom and went to find him.
He and Jack were sitting close together on the living room couch, having a hushed conversation. Before they realized I was in the room, Jack caressed my brother’s cheek and kissed him gently. Normally, that beautiful, all-consuming love between the two of them made me happy. Right now though, it made me feel lonely.
They moved apart—just a little—when they realized I was standing there. I took a seat on a club chair on the other side of the coffee table and cleared my throat before saying, “This is really hard for me, so please, let me get all of it out before you say anything or start asking questions.”