“Cassie…” Brandon whispers as they finish the paperwork. He looks at his sister and for a moment all you can see is a broken man—one who looks more like a little boy.
A lost little boy.
I feel a tremor run through Cassie as I hold onto her hips, her back pressed to my front. Her arms are crossed tightly at her chest and I know it’s taking all of her energy to keep from crying.
“I’ll be here when you get out, Brandon,” she murmurs back. “If you truly decide to try to stay clean, to live a better life… I’ll be right here for you.”
I watch as the words hit her brother. I bring one of my hands up to her shoulder and squeeze it reassuringly.
“I’m truly going to try, Cassie. I don’t want to live like this anymore and I really don’t want to hurt you anymore,” he says. I don’t know the man, but I feel like he’s telling her the truth. It doesn’t seem like he’s giving her a load of bull.
“If that’s the case,” I tell him before Cassie can speak up, “we’ll both help you pick up the pieces of your life when you get out.”
“I don’t know you,” Brandon says, his gaze coming to me. I feel Cassie looking at me too and from my peripheral vision I can see her head jerk up in my direction, twisting to watch me.
“You don’t, but I can promise you that my word is good.”
“Why would you do that?” he asks, not getting it—not understanding what’s in play here. Then again, maybe Cassie doesn’t either. “You don’t know me,” he adds.
“I don’t, but you need to understand something.”
“What’s that?”
“Your sister is mine,” I tell him, and Cassie’s body stiffens and trembles against me.
“Yours?” he asks. “What does that mean?”
“Exactly that. I’ve claimed her. She may not have understood when she opened the door to let me into her life, but I did. I care about her. I want to take care of her and in doing that, that means protecting her.”
“I’m not going to hurt her anymore,” Brandon says.
“You won’t, because you won’t get that chance,” I tell him flatly.
“Wait a minute now—”
“You keep yourself clean, I’ll help you. I won’t be helping you for any other reason than Cassie. She’s important to me, she loves you and that means you’re important to her. I’ll help you, because doing that will make her happy.”
“So I’m just a way for you to get into my sister’s pants?”
I hear Cassie’s gasp and it sounds painful.
“Brandon! I… we…”
I squeeze her arm to get her to quit talking.
“You’ll watch your fucking mouth when you’re around your sister.” I can’t help the anger that rises up in me. “What Cassie and I have together doesn’t concern you. I will tell you this, because you are her brother, but that’s the only thing I will give you. If all I wanted was to get laid, I could have that anywhere. What I have with your sister is special and it’s real. It may have happened quickly, but I knew the moment I heard her say my name. She’s the one.”
He’s silent at that, his gaze thoughtful. I hear Cassie let out an audible sigh, relaxing back into my body, her hand coming up to the one on my shoulder and squeezing it.
“Just so we are clear, I’ll tell you again. I’ll help you because you are Cassie’s brother and she cares about you. I’ll do it because it will make her happy and I’ll do it as long as you’re truly trying to remain sober.” I stare in his eyes, knowing my expression is intense, fierce. “We clear on that?”
“We’re clear,” he says.
“If while you’re remaining sober you get smart and realize what a gift you have in your sister, then you and I will come to a different understanding.”
“What’s that?” he asks, and this is the first time that I take my attention off of him and I do it only so I can look down at Cassie.
“We’ll become family, because you will be the brother of the woman that I will marry, who will carry my child, and who I will grow old with.”
It’s a fucking vow I give her. It’s one that she may have trouble believing because of the time we’ve been together, but that doesn’t make it any less of a solemn vow. I’ll prove it to her. I don’t care how long it takes me.
“Michael,” she says, but I don’t let her finish. I bend down and press my lips against hers. Now’s not the time for heart-to-heart talks. That will be when we’re alone, when I can take her in my arms and show her with my body, as well as with my words.
“Are we clear here, Brandon?” I ask him, using his name to get his full attention.