The Good Brother

by Nia Arthurs

  “Not out here,” I hiss and stare pointedly at Reece.

  He sighs and disappears into his room while I chew on my fingernails. When Ben returns, I run to him. “What did Kurt say?”

  “He says he’s responsible.”

  I almost faint. Reece’s grandfather… murdered her mother?

  “He said he gave her money to stay away from Reece and she must have used that to buy the drugs to overdose.” He smirks. “What did you think I meant?”

  Relief floods my soul. I punch his arm. “Why would you trick me like that?”

  He laughs. “My dad’s a tool, but he’s not a murderer.”

  “We should attend the funeral if they have one.”

  “All of us?” He glances at Reece.

  “No. No need to explain anything.”

  Ben frowns but slowly agrees.

  Reece’s mother is, now, truly dead.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Ben

  Stella Martinez’s funeral is poorly attended, but it’s raining heavily outside, which seems fitting.

  Logan and I are the only two who stick around to witness her burial. The priest shakes our hand when it’s over and then walks off.

  “This is so sad,” Logan sniffs. I look over and realize there are tears running down that beautiful face.

  “Why are you upset?” I move the umbrella so it covers her fully. “You didn’t even know her.”

  “She’s a human being who died tragically, Ben. Am I supposed to be happy about that?”

  I keep quiet because I am.

  Stella was a complication that worked itself out, but something tells me if I share that opinion with Logan, I’ll be in the doghouse for at least a year. Which would suck since I haven’t been officially invited into her heart to get thrown out yet.

  “Poor Reece. She’ll never have a chance to meet her real mother.”

  “You plan on telling her about this?” I ask.

  “When she’s older. Maybe in her twenties. Or forties.”

  “So more like never?”

  Logan elbows me in the side.

  I wrap my arms around her shoulders and pull her to me. She doesn’t complain and even snuggles nearer. Though I’m no closer to getting Logan to admit how she feels about me, I’ll take all the crumbs I can get.

  “Since we’re here, should we visit Harry’s grave?” Logan asks.

  “If you want to.”

  We change directions and slog through the mud to Harry’s grave. The flowers Reece left on her birthday two weeks ago are dying on the tombstone.

  Logan frowns. “I should have brought flowers or something.”

  “He’d probably appreciate having you here more than having the flowers.”

  “I guess.” She walks forward and touches the head of the stone. “Do you think he can hear us?”

  I shrug. “Not sure. Why? Do you have something to say?”

  “Yeah.” A tear courses down her cheek. “I never got to tell him thanks for… being my family. And allowing me to take care of Reece. I really—” She sobs. “I appreciated that. More than he’ll ever know.”

  I soothe her shoulder, moved by her words. It feels like Logan’s finally getting her closure.

  I nod to my brother’s grave. “Hey, Harry. I wanted to say thanks too. For calling me to Belize. Allowing me to meet Reece and this stunning woman that you were too stupid to snatch up.”

  Logan gives a snort that’s part laugh and part cry. “Ben!”

  “I’m talking to my brother here.” I face Harry’s tombstone again, growing serious. “I miss you everyday, bro. And I’m trying my best to honor the things you did—family, integrity,” I meet Logan’s gaze, “and love.”

  She smiles slightly and hugs me.

  I squeeze her tight. “You will never be forgotten.”

  “You will never be forgotten,” Logan whispers.

  We stand in the rush of the Belizean storm, the scent of the rain and damp earth filling the air. It feels like a new beginning.

  And in a sense, it is.

  When we go back home, something inside me is calm. Quiet. Like I’ve finally found myself, where I belong and I don’t need to run around chasing temporary things to find it.

  Not that everything is perfect. Ha! Not by a long shot.

  Life with a kid is always chaotic, but Reece is mature beyond her years, and I love taking care of her—even if her rare but intense tantrums drive me crazy.

  Dad’s still, well, Dad. His respect for the path that I chose is subtle, but the pride is evident in his voice whenever he calls once a week to check up on Reece and ask how I’m doing.

  I think he expected me to flake a year in and is pleasantly surprised that I’m still working at Sara and Hilton’s and our online launch is doing spectacularly.

  And Logan? Logan is making me work for it, but I finally got her to admit that she might like me. Just a little bit. That’s enough for now. I’m planning on turning that ‘little bit’ into a ‘whole lot’ in the near future.

  And who knows? That future might be here sooner than you think.

  THE END

  A Word From The Author

  Hello! Thank you for coming along on this journey with me. If you enjoyed this story, I would be honored if you would let others know by writing a review. Word of mouth is important for an author’s success.

  As a special thank you for buying this e-book, I want to send you another one completely free of charge! You can get it by clicking below.

  Direct Link: Click Me!

  When you subscribe, I’ll also send you updates when new books like this are available. Happy Reading!

  I would love to hear from you at corcorozal@yahoo.com

  You can also follow me on IG: Nia Arthurs @nia_bks and Twitter: @niaarthurs

  Other Books by this Author

  The Taming Series

  Taming Mr. Jerkface

  Taming Mr. Charming

  Taming Mr. Know-it-all

  Taming Mr. Darcy

  The Seven Realms Series

  Genesis

  Revelations

  The Tree of Knowledge (coming soon)

  Love & Reggae

  Amid the Noise

  Count Me In

  Buffalo Soldier

  Confessions of A Church Girl

  Glass Houses

  Fitting In

  Standing Out

  Standalone

  Whiter Than Snow

  Married By Science

  Tsea

  Fool Me Never

  Audrey’s Choice

  Scarlet

  From the Stars

  River’s Journey

  That Was Then

  Energy

  Becoming Rachel

  Desperate for a Date

  Something New

  Love In Many Shades Series

  Cece & David

  Cece & David 2

  Cece & David 3

  Cece & David 4

  Boyfriend By Series

  Boyfriend By Blackmail

  Boyfriend By Midnight

  Boyfriend By Design

  Lovesick Series

  Play

  Dance

  Trust

  Sneak Peek

  BECAUSE OF COOPER

  Because of Cooper... I lost my first kiss. My dignity. And any hope of snagging my one true love.

  So yeah, you could say I hate him. Detest him. Loathe him. We could do this all day.

  Now the arrogant playboy’s back in Belize with his sights set on me. But I’m older now. Wiser. I won’t roll over and take his crap just because the rest of Balen U is falling at his feet.

  So Cooper can keep flashing his golden-brown eyes. We’ll see which one of us falls first.

  And here’s a secret: it won’t be me.

  Read on for an excerpt.

  Chapter 1

  Age 13, Ten years ago.

  “Why do we always have to have a prince?” Erin Marshall thrust her fist to the c
eiling. “A woman is more than arm candy for some rich brat who happened to inherit a kingdom. Why can’t she wake up by herself?”

  “Well…” Her teacher, Mrs. June, rubbed her temple.

  “It’s because that’s how the story goes, dummy.” Cooper Lawson sliced her with his big, honey-brown eyes. He wore a jersey with his name and number on the back. A pale finger impatiently tapped his side.

  “Don’t call me dummy,” she snapped, sliding off the table that had been decorated to look like a stone slap.

  “I can call you what I want. Now get on that rock and let me kiss you. I’ve got volleyball practice in fifteen minutes.”

  A shudder wracked Erin’s body at the thought of Cooper’s lips touching anything on her body.

  She turned to the crowd of students watching their rehearsal of ‘Sleeping Beauty’. “It’s the twenty-first century. Isn’t it time we rewrite these stereotypes? Isn’t it time we rise above the patriarchy?”

  “Patriarchy?” Mrs. June mumbled, her eyes wide.

  A smattering of applause broke out.

  Erin smiled smugly. “I propose we scrap the script and stand up against the mental barriers that keep women down. I say… we turn Sleeping Beauty into Sleeping C.E.O.”

  Iris, her best friend, jumped to her feet and screamed. “Yeah! You go, girl!”

  Erin grinned at her from the stage. “How about Sleeping Prime Minister?”

  “That’s right!”

  “Sleeping Astronaut?”

  Cooper scrunched his nose. “Sleeping Astronaut? That doesn’t even make sense.”

  “Says who?” Erin shot back.

  “Kids…” Mrs. June tugged on her ear.

  Erin turned to Cooper. “If you’re in such a hurry, how about you get on that stone slab and lie down? Huh? We can trade places and you can see how hard women have it.”

  “How about you stop wasting my time?”

  “Oh? So women’s rights are a waste of time?” Erin gaped and then threw her hands wide. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a socialist!”

  “Boo!” Iris cried.

  “Socialist?” Cooper scrunched his nose.

  “Someone who’s a jerk and thinks he’s better than women.”

  “I think you mean ‘chauvinist’, dear.” Mrs. June glanced at her watch. “I also have something to do soon. Could you just finish the scene so we can leave?”

  Erin turned on her teacher. “No offense, Mrs. June, but it’s people like you who are a part of the problem.”

  Her teacher’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

  “You know…” Cooper lowered his voice and stepped toward her, his height slightly intimidating. “I don’t remember you putting up this much of a fuss when Ryan Grinage was Prince Phillip.”

  Erin swallowed. “T-that’s because—”

  “In fact, just yesterday I heard you let him kiss your cheek.”

  “So?”

  “You even asked if he could kiss you on the lips.”

  “For authenticity.” Her brown eyes flashed. “You weren’t even here yesterday. Who told you all that?”

  “Here’s what we’re gonna do,” Cooper whispered. “You’ll act like a good Sleeping Beauty. And then I won’t tell the entire school about your little crush.”

  Erin’s chest heaved. “You jerk.”

  “Thank you, darlin’,” he said in that obnoxious Texan accent that peeked out whenever he tormented her.

  Which was often.

  Erin glared at Cooper, wishing he’d hop right back on a plane to where he came from and leave her alone.

  “What’s it gonna be?” He smirked.

  Her nostrils flared. “I hate you.”

  Cooper pulled in his thin, pink lips and nodded. He swiveled on his sneakers and faced their classmates. A hush fell over the crowd when he raised his arms.

  Cooper Lawson was an enigma at Belize Primary School. He was handsome—so they said, Erin did not share that opinion.

  He was also smart and crazy rich. His father owned a chain of hotels along with an off-shore investment bank.

  Erin had met Mr. Lawson once. He was a tall, lean man who only ever wore fancy suits and dark sunglasses. He reminded her of a vampire—cold and mysterious.

  Even the teachers quaked whenever Cooper’s father came to school for student-teacher conferences.

  With a family made of money, Cooper should have tons of friends. But he didn’t. He liked to go off by himself and seemed to find the company of others entirely boring.

  That made him a legend at school. Tons of people clamored to be around him, struggling for a hint of acknowledgement. Cooper ignored them all. Acted like they were invisible. Beneath him.

  She wished he would extend that same courtesy to her. But he didn’t. Of all the students in their school, Cooper seemed to only torture her.

  “Mrs. June,” Cooper said, “could you give me a minute? I have an announcement to make.”

  Their befuddled teacher threw her hands in the air. “Why not?”

  Cooper glanced over his shoulder. Erin met his gaze, hiding how much her heart was thudding within her chest.

  “Go ahead,” she mouthed, raising her chin in defiance. Sweat ran down her forehead. She swiped it away with the back of her hand.

  Cooper swung around to face their engaged audience. “Everyone… Erin is in love with—”

  Erin slapped her hand over his mouth. “Shut up. I’ll do it.”

  Cooper yanked his head to the side, throwing her hand off his lips in the process. “Thought so.”

  She wanted to punch the smug smile off his face, but she couldn’t. He’d discovered her deepest, darkest secret. Cooper had all the power here and they both knew it.

  Erin wiped her palm against her skirt and grimaced. “Stick to the original script.”

  Cooper ignored her. He glanced at their teacher who stood at the edge of the stage with her head in her hands, mumbling— “I should have been a lawyer.”

  Cooper folded his arms over his chest. “We’re ready to start again.”

  Erin ground out a warning as she walked back to center stage. “Cooper, I mean it. Don’t you dare kiss me.”

  He remained silent and jerked his chin in the direction of the table, a silent command to get on top of it.

  Erin seethed but obediently scrambled to the set piece. Her thin braids splayed beneath her, the beads smattering against the desk with the sound of a summer rain.

  She looked up at the exposed beams in the ceiling of their school’s gym. The table’s surface was hard against her back, about the same consistency as her bed back in her old foster home.

  She pulled her lips in before closing her eyes. No matter what, she would never let Cooper near her mouth.

  “Oh, what a beautiful princess,” Cooper said, raising his voice in a theatrical display. “With skin as brown as mahogany and soft as a rose’s kiss.”

  As she lay, still and unmoving, Erin wondered when Cooper had time to memorize the script.

  She’d found out at lunch that Ryan was dropping out of the play for ‘personal’ reasons. Then she dragged herself to rehearsals and saw Cooper mouthing off the lines like he’d lived them.

  It was strange.

  And disappointing.

  Erin had only signed up for the play because Ryan was participating. She’d studied the script every night and practiced her lines over and over so she wouldn’t embarrass herself in front of the guy she liked.

  Her suggestion to change the script was a sneaky way of making Ryan her first kiss.

  Why would he suddenly drop out? Did Cooper have something to do with it?

  Erin heard footsteps pattering over the stage. She imagined Raisha, Utricia, and Kay dancing around Cooper. They were the fairy god-mothers—the beings responsible for giving Sleeping Beauty all her gifts.

  A burst of giggles came from her right. She figured it was Kay. That girl had the biggest, most obvious crush on Cooper. It was an opinion she shared liberally, as if s
he wanted him to know.

  Erin felt sorry for Kay. There must be something wrong with her if she found anything about Cooper Lawson attractive.

  “Um…” Kay cleared her throat, “Sweet Prince, the only thing that can wake up the princess...”

  “Is True Love’s Kiss,” Raisha said.

  “If you truly love her, then you must kiss her,” Utricia added.

  Erin couldn’t see what was happening, but a moment later, the table shook slightly. Cooper had put his hands on the rim of it, face to the crowd. She felt him hovering and sucked her lips in.

  His breath hit her cheek. Would he listen to her? Would he honor her request and kiss her cheek rather than her mouth?

  “I love you,” Cooper whispered.

  Erin tilted her head in confusion. Wait… that wasn’t part of the script. Was it? Shocked, Erin released her lips and opened her eyes to question him.

  Cooper didn’t allow her to do that.

  All she saw was a glimmer of honey-colored eyes before he swooped down and kissed her. His mouth was warm, soft. His lips lay on top of hers for what felt like an eternity.

  Her heart fluttered.

  Erin blinked, shock giving way to anger. She pushed Cooper off and shot up. Her almond-shaped eyes blazed into his smug ones. Chest heaving, she ran the back of her hand over her lips.

  Kay laughed nervously. “The princess is awake!”

  “Go and greet your prince who woke you with true love’s kiss.”

  “Oooh,” the class cooed.

  Erin hopped off the desk and stormed around it until she stood in front of Cooper. Her nostrils flared. “You’re no prince. You’re a villain.”

  Cooper only arched his eyebrow in response.

  Erin scoffed and stormed down the stairs, slamming through the door and flying out of the auditorium.