The Good Brother

by Nia Arthurs

I throw my arm out to keep him back. “We’re not giving her a cent.”

  She tilts her head. The light catches her big, black eyes so she looks like a creature from another world. “Let’s not be too hasty, Benny. Huh? We’re all family here.”

  “In your dreams,” Lauren says.

  Stella fixes her otherworldly gaze on Lauren. “You know, Harry and I used to talk about you. Laugh at you. He wondered how the woman he’d loved turned out to be so shallow, so pathetic.”

  Lauren trembled. “You’re lying.”

  “Come on.” Dad grabs Lauren’s shoulders and steers her away. “We don’t need to put up with this.”

  Anthony follows them.

  When I turn my back to walk away too, Stella calls out to me. “That wasn’t the same for you, Ben.”

  My feet freeze on the cracked pavement.

  Stella sighs. “The day he found out I was pregnant, when we found out it was a girl, the moment I went into labor—Harry wanted to call you so bad.”

  “Why didn’t he?” I whisper. “Why didn’t he trust me?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he wanted to wait until the right time and it never came. Or maybe he knew how much you looked up to him and didn’t want to admit how royally he messed up.” She shrugs. “Guess we’ll never know now.”

  I step away. “I don’t care. I don’t care who you are. Harry’s gone. Reece is my responsibility. And you can’t have her.”

  Stella yells at my back, “I’m not going anywhere, Ben! You can’t ignore me!”

  I turn the bend and hurry to catch up with the rest of the group. Dad and Lauren shoot me concerned glances over the roof of the car.

  “What did she say?” Dad asks.

  “Nothing worth repeating.” I get in the backseat and remain silent all the way home.

  The moment I open the front door, Logan sprints toward me. The wrinkle between her eyebrows is on prominent display. “What did she say?”

  Suddenly, I feel exhausted. More than anything she shared tonight, Stella’s words about how much Harry wanted to tell me are messing with my head. I advance toward Logan.

  She remains in place, blinking rapidly. “Ben?”

  I wrap my arms around her. Bury my face in the crook of her neck. Inhale her sweet scent.

  She squirms and pushes my chest. “What are you doing?”

  “Give me five minutes.” I hold her tighter, gathering her to my chest. “Please.”

  Logan hesitates. Then I feel her rub my back. “Was it that bad?”

  I hold her for a beat longer and then straighten. “Let’s sit down.”

  When I’ve shared everything Stella hurled at us tonight, I stare at Logan. She’s quiet, gaze locked on the floor. I dig my fingers into the couch and try to imagine how she must be feeling.

  I skirted around Stella’s comments about Harry’s obsession with Lauren, but Stella’s very existence is yet another instance where Harry chose another woman and rejected her.

  Idiot.

  “Logan?” I touch her shoulder.

  She shakes her head as if coming back to life. “I’m sorry. I’m just… processing.” She brushes her hair out of her face. “So… what now?”

  “Now, we wait.”

  “Wait? For what? You heard her, Stella could approach Reece any minute of the day. What if she confuses her?”

  “We’ll be here to clear things up.”

  Logan frowns at me.

  “Look, I wish she hadn’t crawled out of whatever crack house she’d spent the last nine years in, but she is technically Reece’s mother.”

  “How do we know that? Shouldn’t we take a DNA test or something?”

  “We could.” I nod. “But if it confirms what we already know, what would that change? It’s not like Stella is threatening to take custody of Reece. She knows she has no grounds to stand on. What she’s threatening to do is terrorize our lives until we give her what she wants.”

  “So let’s raise the money.”

  “Even if we could, Logan, how would that help? She’ll just come back for more.”

  “But your dad—”

  “No. I’m not asking anyone for money to pay off a drug addict who happens to share Reece’s blood. We find another way to solve this.”

  Logan buries her head in her hands. “Reece can never find out.”

  “We won’t let her.” I study the side of her face. “Are… you okay?”

  “Me?” She glances up. Meets my eyes. “With what? The fact that Harry’s ex-lover isn’t dead or that she breastfed Reece while on drugs? By the way, we need to take Reece to the hospital tomorrow.”

  “Yeah.” I bob my head. “But I meant, with learning about Stella and Harry.”

  She lets out a breath. “I knew Harry didn’t create Reece by himself so…”

  Silence descends.

  Logan breaks it first. “I can’t believe Harry had a fling with a nurse at his hospital. He seemed like such a man of principles.”

  I note the disappointment in her voice and her downcast expression. “Do you still have feelings for my brother?”

  She says nothing.

  My heart thunders in my chest. Maybe I’m crazy, but hearing that Harry made some questionable decisions while he was in Belize is liberating. He was a great person, but he didn’t belong on a pedestal. He made mistakes just like anybody else.

  If Harry messed up and bounced back, there’s hope I can do the same too.

  “Do you?” I urge.

  Our gazes lock. She shakes her head slightly. “I don’t think so.”

  I lean in, my gaze locked on her lips. “Does that mean you like Anthony?”

  Logan remains quiet. I hold my breath as I drag my eyes to hers. They glisten with unshed tears. “What are we doing, Ben? I mean, we’re sitting on a bomb here. Everything’s complicated and crazy right now. We can’t—”

  I kiss her, sipping from her lips like they’re the most fragile treasures in the world. Logan kisses me back. Her arm slings around my neck. I drag her closer to me until half her thigh is in my lap.

  When I pull back, she’s still got her eyes closed. I smile at her face. “What were you going to say? We can’t what?”

  Her eyelashes flutter and then she pushes me away. I let her go and watch as Logan leaps to her feet and flees to the other side of the room. She looks like a cornered rabbit even though there’s a whole room between us.

  I could chase her. But I don’t. That kiss just cemented my feelings. Logan’s it for me. They’ll be plenty of time to pursue her later. And I’ve got the advantage. We live in the same house.

  She retreats, still facing forward as if she expects me to jump from the couch and ravish her right then. “It’s been a long day. I’m gonna… my room... by myself.”

  I smile and that seems to get her even more skittish. “Goodnight, Logan.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Logan

  “Have you heard anything from Stella Martinez since last week?” Anthony asks as he folds the handkerchief over his lap.

  “No.” I move my fork over my salad.

  “I know I should have told you this sooner but,” Anthony leans over, “Kurt Duncan came by my office the day he left Belize. He told me not to worry about Stella. That he’d handled it.”

  “You think he gave her money?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know. He didn’t give me any more information than that.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  Anthony arches an eyebrow.

  I freeze. Oy. “Is that what you called to tell me on Monday?”

  That day, before Anthony could get a word in, I told him I wasn’t ready for a relationship and hung up.

  “That’s exactly it.”

  I clear my throat and keep talking to hide how uncomfortable I am. “What Stella is up to doesn’t matter. She can’t get close to our family. We’re doing all we can to protect Reece. We’ve alerted the school to be on the lookout and anytime she goes outside, Ben
and Tango are with her.”

  “Tango?” Anthony scrunches his eyebrow.

  “That’s Sara and Hilton’s dog. Remember them? You met at the party.”

  “Right. Ben’s bosses.” He clears his throat. “You and Ben have a lot of mutual friends.”

  I set my glass down and stare at him. “Anthony, I came this afternoon because you said you had something to tell me. I don’t appreciate the snide comments.”

  “I’m not being snide. It’s just an observation.” He stares at his plate and asks casually, “Have you two made it official yet?”

  I frown. “Why are you assuming we’re together?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “No.” I lift my chin. “I told you I’m not ready for a relationship.”

  Anthony nods. “But when you are, it’ll be with Ben.”

  I drop my fork.

  He reaches out and grips my wrist to keep me seated. “Sorry. I’ll stop.”

  After lunch Anthony takes me back to the salon. I open my door. “Thanks for everything. I guess… I’ll see you around.”

  “Logan?” He glances at me, his dark eyes vulnerable. “Is there really no chance for us?”

  “I’m sorry.” My fingers dig into my purse strap. Anthony’s a great guy, which is why I can’t lead him on.

  “Okay.” He lets me go.

  I squint against the sunlight as I watch him drive away. When I, at last, turn and head inside, Tanya pounces on me. “What was that about?”

  “Closure,” I say simply.

  She skips in front of me. “Now that you two are officially over, when are you going to get with Ben?”

  I groan at the ceiling. “Why is everyone assuming I’ll date Ben?”

  “Because he likes you and you like him right back.” Tanya cocks her head to the side. “Am I missing something?”

  “I am perfectly happy with the way things are right now. I don’t need to change that.”

  Tanya smiles at Yvonne and Clara. “Call us if anyone comes in. Logan, office. Now.”

  She drags me to the backroom where I finally shake my hand free. “What?”

  “Spill. You said Ben kissed you after Reece’s party and that you kissed him back.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then the day after, you broke up with Anthony.”

  “That’s right.”

  “So all of that… means what?”

  “I don’t know.” I fall on top of the nearest box. “I’m going crazy, Tan. Every time Ben enters a room, my heart starts beating fast and my mouth goes dry. He’ll touch me and all I can think about are those kisses.”

  “In other words, you like him.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?” Tanya tosses her red braids over her shoulder. “Anthony’s out of the picture now. There’s nothing holding you back.”

  “What if we date and then break up? Where would that leave Reece?”

  “There’s a thing called divorce and plenty of kids have survived it.”

  “Really?”

  “Why are you assuming that you and Ben will break up anyway? I remember the first day you met him, you didn’t trust him at all. Now you rely on him like he’s your husband. You call him when you’re having a hard time or when you need him to bring the flat iron you secretly took home—”

  “I said I was sorry for that.”

  “What I mean is,” Tanya stoops beside me, her brown eyes beaming, “get out of your own head. You have a tendency to overthink things, which is fine, but Ben’s already proven he’s a good person. So just… do it.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?” She sounds surprised.

  “I’ll tell him. Next year.”

  Tanya rolls her eyes toward the ceiling. “You’re hopeless.”

  “I prefer the term cautious.”

  “Whatever.” Tanya stands and sways her hips. “There’s a handsome black lawyer who needs some nursing for his broken heart and Doctor Tanya is in the house, baby!”

  I laugh and watch her sashay out.

  That night, I head home early. When I open the door, Reece is around the table doing her homework. Ben is in the kitchen, swirling something around in a pan.

  I approach Reece and kiss her on the forehead. “How’s homework coming?”

  She grimaces. “I hate math.”

  So did I, but it’s not like I can tell a ten-year-old that she never uses any of that trigonometry junk in real life. I force a smile and say instead, “Keep on going. If you need help, we’ll ask Uncle Ben.”

  “He hates math too.”

  “Then we’ll call Hilton. If he can’t figure it out either, we’ll go through all our friends until we find someone.”

  She grins. “Thanks, Logan.”

  I nod and pad into the kitchen. Ben turns around, a smile in his gorgeous blue eyes. “You’re home?”

  “Yeah.” I pour myself a glass of water and drink it with trembling fingers. My brain urges me to say something else, fill the silence, but I can’t. I’m overwhelmed by an impossible case of shyness. It’s a recent development and only strikes whenever I’m around Ben.

  “Could you grab the bread for me?” he asks.

  I scramble to the cupboard and hand him what he asks for. His fingers brush mine and sparks skitter up my arm, going straight to my heart.

  Ben doesn’t seem to notice and sets the bread on the counter. “Do you want a sandwich?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I say in a quiet voice.

  He nods to the cabinet. “Could you bring two extra plates then?”

  I sprint to the other side of the room and pull my T-shirt away from my chest in an effort to cool myself down. What is wrong with me? Ben just asked if I wanted a sandwich, nothing more and nothing less.

  Get yourself together, Logan.

  I inhale deeply and reach up to get the plates when I feel someone behind me. It’s Ben. He presses me against the counter so the rim digs into my stomach. His scent washes over me, tempting me to close my eyes. My heart gallops.

  I turn around. “What are you doing?”

  “Helping. You looked distracted.” He grabs the plates and holds them in one hand. The other settles on my waist. His gaze slips over my face, but I can’t do anything since he’s still got me pinned to the counter. “You’re beautiful,” he says.

  “I thought I was cute,” I shoot back to hide how much those simple words affected me.

  “I amend that statement.”

  “Well, I’m not going to say it back.”

  “You don’t have to.” Ben swoops in and drops a kiss on my lips. “Your face says it all.”

  I gawk and scold him for the kiss. “Who gave you permission to do that?”

  “What? This?” He kisses me again, longer this time. My body melts into his, falling without my instruction. Diving despite my mind’s express instruction to feign disinterest.

  My knees buckle. I dig my fingers into his shirt to keep myself upright. Keep myself connected.

  A storm of feelings course through me, and suddenly, I’m the aggressor. Attacking him. Tugging on his lips like they’re my last meal. I can’t get enough.

  Then I hear a crash. My hands still. My heart stops for a second. Ben pulls back and glances at the floor as if he’s not really seeing anything.

  I disengage my hands from his shirt, which is wrinkled beyond imagination. My gaze gradually treks lower where I register splintered glass.

  Ben seems to come to life when I gasp. He notices the glass and then frowns when I try to sidestep it. “Wait.”

  “But I have to get a broom.”

  “You’re not wearing shoes.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  “Logan.”

  “It’s fine.” I take a step forward.

  Without another word, he scoops me up like I’m a sack of 100% Brazilian human hair and carries me to the living room. Reece observes the two of us with slackened jaw.

  She lowers the volume on the TV. “What happened
, Uncle Ben?”

  “There was an accident in the kitchen, kiddo. Stay in here while I clean it up and don’t forget to wear your slippers when you’re in there in case I miss any shards.”

  She nods and scoots closer to me, burying her body in my side. “Are you hurt, Logan?”

  “I’m fine.” I press another kiss to her forehead. “What are you doing watching TV?”

  She looks sheepish. “Uncle Ben said I could take a break when I got frustrated.”

  I frown. Reece has that man wrapped around her little finger. “Get back to your homework, missy.”

  She groans but obeys.

  I flip the television to the news channel and settle in, trying to focus on what the reporter is saying when my body’s still aflame from kissing Ben.

  Then a picture of Stella Martinez pops on screen and all thoughts are driven from my mind. “Ben!”

  He rushes out, eyes wild with concern. “What? Are you hurt? Bleeding?”

  “Are you okay, Logan?” Reece pops behind the sofa.

  I swallow and force myself to remain calm. “Sorry to scare you, baby. Go back around the table.” I grab Ben’s hand. “You need to see this.”

  He sinks into the sofa beside me and together, we watch the news report of Stella Martinez’s death.

  The journalist holds a mike to her face and in a subtly pitiful tone reports, “Stella Martinez was found dead of an overdose this morning in an unknown alley. She was one in a growing number of addicts purchasing low grade cocaine that has been smuggled into the country…”

  I turn to Ben. He looks back at me and swallows. “She’s… dead?”

  “Anthony said your dad visited him before he left last week. He told him that he’d ‘taken care’ of the Stella problem. You don’t think he’s behind this, do you?”

  Still looking shell-shocked, Ben shakes his head. “I don’t know.” Then he straightens and frowns at me. “You were with Anthony today?”

  “We went to lunch,” I say flippantly.

  “WHAT?”

  “Sh! Keep your voice down.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Is my going out with Anthony really the problem here? Stella is dead.”

  “I’ll get to that in a minute. Why did you go out with Anthony? I thought you cut him off?”

  “Ben, focus.”

  He doesn’t look happy, but he dutifully focuses on the problem at hand. “Fine. I’ll call my dad and see if he had anything to do with it.” He pulls out his phone.