Chapter Nine
Atlas
Iwokearoundlate afternoon, groaning as a muscle near my shoulder blade pulled. Pain shot up my back as I pushed myself out of bed. I stretched my neck carefully, rolling my shoulder and wincing as more pain zinged from a knot in my muscles. I felt too young to have back problems but occasionally, after a long shift or a physically exhausting day, it hurt.
I threw on a T-shirt and walked stiffly out of my room and down the hall toward the kitchen, surprised at the smell of fresh coffee. Ty didn’t drink coffee.
The kitchen was untouched except for the almost full pot of fresh coffee on the counter. As I reached to pour myself a cup, movement caught my eye from the living room at the front of the house.
Wren stood in front of the large fireplace, gazing up at the one and only family picture we kept sitting in a gilded frame on the mantel.
It was from when Ty and I were little, a couple of years after our parents rescued us from the road where we were abandoned. It was Christmas morning and the four of us were squeezed together in front of the Christmas tree, surrounded by so many presents we couldn’t count them all. I smiled, thinking about how excited Ty always was every Christmas morning after we were saved. It wasn’t just because of the presents; it was the tangible assurance that we were loved.
A pang of sadness hit me, as it always did when I thought of the one person missing from the photo. My youngest brother, Crew, had never gotten a Christmas morning like that. He’d never known love like we had and that killed me inside.
I looked away from the family photo, cutting off the memories that brought hurt and sadness, and focused on the girl in my living room.
Wren held a steaming mug of coffee and she brought it to her lips as she studied the picture. She obviously hadn’t seen me come in, and I took advantage of that by leaning against the counter and watching her for a moment.
Since she didn’t have any clothes, other than her work uniform, I’d given her some of mine to sleep in. She wore a T-shirt that almost swallowed her whole. It hung all the way to her bare knees. I raised a brow, the exposed skin of her knees and calves somehow stirring something hot in my gut. I’d given her a pair of sweats too, but she obviously wasn’t wearing them.
I glanced away quickly, steering my thoughts away from what she might or might not be wearing under my T-shirt. Those weren’t musings I should entertain, especially considering she was staying in our guest house. She didn’t need some fool drooling all over her and making her feel uncomfortable.
Breathing in deep through my nose, I allowed my eyes to shift over to her again. She hadn’t moved. She sipped on her coffee as she studied the picture, tilting her head slightly.
So many burning questions flitted through my mind. Why was she here? Why did everything she own fit into one simple backpack? And why the hell was she so damn beautiful?
I pressed my lips together, not letting any of them escape. She would tell me when she was ready. And if she never wanted to open up, that was her choice.
But I desperately wished she would.
I pushed off the counter and opened the cabinet above the coffeemaker, intentionally making noise as I picked out a mug so she would know I was here. I poured a cup and when I turned back toward the living room, she was staring at me. The hand that wasn’t holding her mug clenched into a fist as her wide eyes latched onto mine.
“I see you’ve met my parents.” I nodded toward the picture she’d been observing for so long.
Her eyes shifted between me and the picture, her delicate brows pulling together. “Your parents…right.”
I sauntered over to her. The smiling faces of the only people who ever really loved me stared down from the mantel. “Holly and Fred Ranes adopted Ty and me when we were young. They were older, obviously.” I smiled, my eyes meeting hers. “But they gave us everything we never had and everything we ever needed.”
Wren’s eyes softened. She glanced at the photo again, her chest rising with a deep breath as she smiled too. “You look so happy,” she mused. “They must’ve been wonderful.”
I nodded, a wave of emotion washing over me. My throat tightened, and I coughed. “They were.” They hadn’t been gone long, but I missed them. “Fred owned a chain of bookstores that expanded rapidly through the years. Eventually he not only owned the franchise, but a huge network of book and media distribution.” I gestured to the house around us. “It’s why we live in a place like this. We didn’t grow up here, as you know. They never really spoiled us when we were kids.”
Wren nodded and took another sip of her coffee. “How come you and Ty both work? You probably don’t need the money.”
I grimaced at the thought. “I like my career, Wren. It’s good to work, to be motivated and have goals. Humans were built to be productive.”
Wren looked away, her finger tapping on the rim of her mug. “I guess you’re right,” she said quietly.
“Not to mention, Ty doesn’t get his full share of the inheritance until he turns twenty-five.” I grinned. “So, he actually does have to work. But I think he enjoys the restaurant.”
I lifted my mug to take a sip, wincing as the movement pulled the sore muscle near my shoulder blade.
Wren frowned as I switched the mug to my other hand and rolled my shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded but winced again at the pain shooting up to my neck. “Yeah, I must’ve slept wrong or something. I’ve got a knot in my back. No big deal.”