“A year, Lex,” he murmured. “A whole fucking year without seeing you and then months of silence.”
I tracked his voice and knew he was somewhere near the window. I climbed to my feet and did my best to move closer to him.
“You’re the last image I have, Con,” I admitted.
There was a long silence before Con asked, “What do you mean?”
“You came to see me right before my birthday last year. Do you remember?”
Another beat of silence, then a soft curse which I assumed went with the head nod he’d probably done but that I could no longer see. I almost smiled because it was something Gideon had done when we’d first met, though I doubted he’d realized it. Con was in that same place now where he had to remind himself not to respond with just visual cues.
“Yeah, I remember,” he said.
I stepped closer to him because I needed his strength. I was no longer ashamed about needing to lean on others when things just felt too difficult to bear on my own.
“I keep thinking back to the last thing I really saw clearly before that day when I woke up and everything was just a blur. It was you,” I whispered. “It was you smiling as you said good night to me and sang me yet another round of ‘Happy Birthday.’” My throat closed up as I added, “That was such a great night, Con. Of all the things you’ve given me, I think that’s the one I’m most grateful for.”
I heard my brother shuffle a bit, then his hand was affectionately cupping my cheek. “Lex,” he said gently, then he pulled me forward and wrapped his arms around me.
I choked back a sob as he hugged me.
Really hugged me.
It wasn’t the stiff embrace he’d given me the day before when Gideon and I had been leaving Luca’s house.
It was a genuine all-in Con hug.
“I couldn’t lose that memory, Con. I couldn’t risk it. All those tests and procedures that you would have had to watch fail right alongside me…” I shook my head emphatically because even now, the idea of it threatened to tear away the image of Con’s wide smile and little laugh lines as his eyes danced with mirth.
“It’s okay, little brother. You’re not going to lose it. Even if I have to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you every time we talk, that fucker is staying put in that genius mind of yours, do you hear me?”
I laughed because it was such a Con thing to say.
I nodded against his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I croaked.
Con shook his head against me. “No,” he said firmly. Then he was pulling back and grasping my upper arms. There was no doubt in my mind that he was looking me right in the eye. “You never have to say those words to me, Lex. Especially not when I’m being a stubborn son of a bitch.”
I laughed and said, “Promise me you won’t ever stop being that guy, Con. He saved my life… he saved a lot of lives.”
More silence, then I was back in my brother’s arms. His hold was fierce as he whispered, “Never.”
Con held me for a lot longer than he probably needed to, but I was glad for it. When he did release me, he took my hand and led me back to the seating area and this time when we sat, I could tell he was close because his knee occasionally brushed mine.
“So, tell me about this man of yours,” Con said. “Leave it to my little brother to snag himself a hottie in the middle of the woods in Nowhere, Maine.”
I rolled my eyes but not because of my brother’s comment about my fiancé’s hotness level. “Oh please, we both know you’ve already had him checked out. Between you and King, you probably know more about him than I do.”
My brother was silent a moment and I knew why.
I sighed because I hated the fact that I’d already brought my brother down again, but it was a topic we needed to deal with. The tension between King and Con had been like a living, breathing thing the day before. I hadn’t needed to be able to see to know that. Gideon had filled in the blanks for me about some of the looks that had passed between my brothers, and from his description, it wasn’t good.
And it was all my fault.
“He seems like a good man,” Con finally said. As expected, the lightness in his voice was gone again.
“He asked me to marry him,” I murmured.
Con’s fingers wrapped around mine where they were resting on my knee. “A smart man too,” my brother said. “Congratulations, Lex.”
“I need my brothers there, Con.”
“We’ll be there,” he responded, though by his tone I could tell he knew exactly what I was asking of him. His answer was proof that this thing between King and Con wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.
“Con,” I began, but he gave my fingers a hard squeeze.
“I’ll get there, Lex,” he said.
I knew it was all I was going to get out of him. It was no surprise when he changed the subject back to Gideon and began plying me with questions about my husband-to-be as well as the daughter I was gaining. By the time the hotel room door opened and the sound of female giggles filtered into the room, Con and I were deep in discussion over the pros (there weren’t any) and cons (there were plenty) of a Las Vegas wedding.
“Fine, if you don’t want Elvis to marry you, I’ll do it,” Con said. “I’ll get one of those online ordainment things.”
“Um, what now?” Gideon asked from somewhere near the vicinity of the door. The giggling had dissipated, so I assumed the girls had gone to one of their rooms to do whatever it was they did in there so much.
“I was just explaining to Con how I’ve always dreamed of getting married on a cliff overlooking the ocean or on the beach with our bare feet buried in the sand and somehow that translated to a drive-thru wedding in Vegas with the King of Rock and Roll officiating.”
I sensed Gideon’s presence when he reached my chair. I could tell he was behind me, so I tipped my head back and softly said, “Hi.”
“Hi yourself,” he murmured, then he kissed me.
His fingers laced with mine and he hung on to them even as he moved around the chair. It was the most natural thing for me to get up and give him my spot on the chair and then settle on his lap.
“Ok, so Las Vegas chapel and either your brother or The King himself performing the ceremony, right? Make Brewer the flower girl and I’m golden,” Gideon announced.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t make me call the girls in here to get their wedding ideas,” I responded.
“Con, you’re out,” Gideon said simply. “And give The King our regards. There’s a beach out there somewhere calling our name.”
I chuckled and leaned in to kiss my man. The kiss quickly spiraled out of control and it wasn’t until Con coughed that I remembered we weren’t alone. I was pretty sure my cheeks were on fire when I glanced in my brother’s direction. “Sorry,” I said, even though I wasn’t completely sorry.
“No you’re not,” Con responded. I could hear the smile in his voice. “You’re lucky I need to be somewhere, or I’d stay here and watch you two squirm.”
He’d do it too. And considering that I could feel Gideon’s erection pressing against my thigh, we’d definitely both be doing a lot of squirming. As it was, it was awkward to stand up so I could give my brother a hug. Con had the audacity to chuckle in my ear, proving he knew exactly what my problem was.
“Shut up, big brother. It’s going to happen to you someday.”
“The hell it will,” he grumbled. He squeezed me hard and said, “No way am I—” before his beeping phone cut him off.
He sighed and released me. I assumed he was going for his phone but when there continued to be nothing but silence for several long moments, I said, “Con?”
More silence that frustrated and frightened me at the same time.
“What is it?” Gideon asked as he stood up and took my hand. That move in itself ratcheted up my fear.
“Con?” I whispered. “Is it about Gio?”
“What?” Con asked, seemingly surprised. “No… no, sorry. No, it’s not… it’s
not about him or the family.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding. “What happened?” I asked Con, because there was no denying the shock in his voice.
“Nothing, it’s…” He hesitated before saying, “This guy who used to be a fighter died.”
“Did you know him?” I asked. While Con was very well known in the MMA world, I didn’t know much about the sport. I’d never been a big fan of watching my brother getting beat up, even if he did always win his matches.
“Yeah,” Con said glumly. “I, uh, need to go,” he added. Then his arms were closing around me briefly. “I’ll call you when I get back to Vegas.”
“Wait, are you heading back there today?”
Con didn’t respond to me. Instead he said to Gideon, “Take care of him.” Then I was getting one more hug before he was gone.
“Gideon—”
“He looked as upset as he sounded, Lex,” Gideon confirmed.
Before I could say anything else, my phone beeped, indicating I had a text message. I hit the button and heard the robotic voice say, “I’m okay, Lex. I promise. I love you and I’ll see you soon.”
Gideon wrapped his arms around me. “He’ll be all right, sweetheart.”
I nodded my head because I knew how strong my brother was. How strong he’d had to be. But I also knew Con had a lot of secrets and there was only one person on Earth who might be privy to them. “Do you think I should tell King?” I asked.
My husband-to-be pressed a kiss to my neck. “I think we need to let Con and King figure things out between them on their own. But how would you feel about a little detour on the way home? Maybe in a certain city that’s obsessed with quickie weddings?”
I turned in Gideon’s arms. “You’d be okay with that?”
“With what? Making sure my future brother-in-law is okay? Even if he weren’t already important to me, Lex, he’s important to you and that’s all I need to know.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, then I dropped my head against his chest and just let him hold me for a while.
After a minute or two, Gideon pressed a kiss to the top of my head and said, “You should know that I have every intention of trying to convince you to agree to one of those quickie weddings while we’re in Vegas. You, me, and Elvis.”
I chuckled. “You should be using your unique powers of persuasion for good, not evil.”
I felt Gideon’s mouth tug into a smile where it was resting against my temple. “Quickie marriage in Vegas followed by honeymoon number one which will consist of sex, room service, sex, more room service, then maybe some sex…”
“Okay, color me intrigued,” I said.
“…to be followed by us on a beach with our toes in the sand with a minister and our families looking on as we say our vows. I’ll describe that exact moment when the sun touches the water and the stars dot the sky above us. I’ll tell you every dirty look your brothers give me as they threaten to do me bodily harm if I hurt you in any kind of way. The waves crashing on the sand will be our orchestra and the breeze will tell you which flowers are surrounding us—”
“Yes,” I cut in right before I searched out Gideon’s mouth. “To both,” I said when I managed to tear my mouth from his. “I can’t think of anything better.”
Gideon pressed his mouth to mine in a brief kiss, then kept it there so I could feel his smile. Then he began humming a familiar tune and it was all I could do not to cry when he softly sang the words that went with it.
“Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay. My oh my, what a wonderful day…”
Yes, it was.
It really was.
The End
About the Author
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Lex and Gideon’s story. Up next in the series is Con’s story! Don’t worry, King will get his own book too!
As an independent author, I am always grateful for feedback so if you have the time and desire, please leave a review, good or bad, so I can continue to find out what my readers like and don’t like. You can also send me feedback via email at [email protected]
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Also by Sloane Kennedy
(Note: Not all titles will be available on all retail sites)
The Escort Series
Gabriel’s Rule (M/F)
Shane’s Fall (M/F)
Logan’s Need (M/M)
Barretti Security Series
Loving Vin (M/F)
Redeeming Rafe (M/M)
Saving Ren (M/M/M)
Freeing Zane (M/M)
Finding Series
Finding Home (M/M/M)
Finding Trust (M/M)
Finding Peace (M/M)
Finding Forgiveness (M/M)
Finding Hope (M/M/M)
Love in Eden
Always Mine (M/M)
Choosing Fate (M/F)
Tempting Fate (M/M)
Pelican Bay Series
Locked in Silence (M/M)
Sanctuary Found (M/M)
The Truth Within (M/M)
The Protectors
Absolution (M/M/M)
Salvation (M/M)
Retribution (M/M)
Forsaken (M/M)
Vengeance (M/M/M)
A Protectors Family Christmas
Atonement (M/M)
Revelation (M/M)
Redemption (M/M)
Defiance (M/M)
Unexpected (M/M/M)
Shattered (M/M)
Unbroken (M/M)
Protecting Elliot: A Protectors Novella (M/M)
Discovering Daisy: A Protectors Novella (M/M/F)
Pretend You’re Mine: A Protectors Short Story (M/M)
The Four
Forgotten: Luca (M/M)
Non-Series
Four Ever (M/M/M/M)
Letting Go (M/F)
Short Stories
A Touch of Color
Catching Orion
Twist of Fate Series (co-writing with Lucy Lennox)
Lost and Found (M/M)
Safe and Sound (M/M)
Body and Soul (M/M)
Above and Beyond (M/M)
Crossover Books with Lucy Lennox
Made Mine: A Protectors/Made Marian Crossover (M/M)
The following titles are available in audiobook format with more on the way:
Locked in Silence
Sanctuary Found
The Truth Within
Absolution
Salvation
Retribution
Logan’s Need
Redeeming Rafe
Saving Ren
Freeing Zane
Forsaken
Vengeance
Finding Home
Finding Trust
Finding Peace
Four Ever
Lost and Found
Safe and Sound
Body and Soul
Made Mine
Foreseen: Lex (The Four Book 2) Page 28
