Silence remained after her revelations. He was so happy for his mother and the way she’d handled Soph’s father.
“Levi,” she finally breathed out softly. Almost like she was afraid the other man would shatter from all the questions in that single word.
“Ma,” he countered.
Levi had always been a bit of a different man than he and Loch. He had inner demons held on a tight leash, and Nox worried.
“Do I need to worry about those bruises?” she asked him pointedly.
Their gazes held, almost in a stand-off, before he answered, “No.”
“You want to tell me about them?” she asked.
“No.”
“Are you ever going to?”
“Yes.”
“You’re safe?” Levi shrugged. “Be careful,” she told him with a frown. He nodded. Her gaze moved to Loch. “Anything you wanna share?”
His youngest brother looked like a deer caught in the headlights—eyes wide and skittish, body frozen, looking for a place to run. “No?” Nox had to fight back his laughter.
“You sure?” she asked him.
“Yes?”
“Your answers are more like questions, Lochlan,” she pointed out. He finally remained silent by stuffing half a sandwich in his mouth. “You’ll speak about her when you’re ready.” She nodded in satisfaction. As if she’d known all along there was a woman.
“Her?” Levi asked. “Who, her?”
Loch remained quiet. Nox knew there was a girl. He would be surprised if Loch spoke to her, though. He was one of the shyest people Nox knew. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if his youngest brother was still a virgin.
“No one,” he finally answered Levi with a scowl.
There was a protective gleam in Lochlan’s eye that Nox saw, and he understood it so much. Respected the hell out of his brother for being so honorable about the whole thing. He worried that it would eat away at him eventually.
Warmth and healing invaded Sophia’s sleep. Forcing her eyes open, she saw the moon high in the sky through the window surrounded by stars. It was one of her favorite things about living so close to the mountains. Even being in the city, nature was still present.
Soft snoring behind her had her slowly turning around to see Lennox sleeping softly. The covers bunched around his hips, one strong muscled arm lay under his head while the other lay across his bare chest.
She watched as he slept. His face soft without worry of who was trying to hurt her. Though she figured the answer was her mother. Sophia hated that he was wrapped up in her drama. She wanted so much to run away, let him be free of the stress that seemed to follow her around, but she was selfish. She knew that the emotions he made her feel would never be found again in her life.
The tattoo on his arm drew her eye as she traced the moon and star with a light touch. Seeing their family name inside the crescent wasn’t shocking. These brothers were as close as could be. A hint of jealousy fired her insides thinking of never having that with anyone herself. All her life she’d wanted a sibling. Someone to share her hopes and dreams with.
“I wish I’d met you sooner,” she whispered to Lennox. Knowing he wouldn’t hear her words while he slept made her confession easier. “I’ve always wanted someone else with me, to understand me.” She closed her eyes and laid back down on her pillow. “I never wanted my mother’s wrath aimed at anyone else, that would be cruel, but to have a kinship with someone who wholeheartedly understood would have been nice.”
She paused thinking about what life would have been like if she’d had another person there to be with her through the pain. “I used to think I’d done something wrong to have my parents hate me so much. There was even a point in my life where I wished I was dead. I didn’t want to wake up with all that hatred anymore. I only wanted to be loved.”
Her eyes popped open wide when she felt a finger trail down her cheek. “You are loved, Soph,” Nox whispered leaning over her body gently. Cradling her face in his large palms, he leaned forward, kissing her lightly. “I love you so fucking much it’s scary. You consume every thought I have, direct every action I make.”
She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to say she loved him too. She did. She felt it wholly in her heart, but would he believe her?
Clearing her throat, she muttered, “I wish I’d known you sooner.”
“I heard that.” He smiled. His dimple came out to play, making her melt.
“I love that you understand me,” she said looking through her lashes. “I’m afraid you’re going to be hurt, though, and that terrifies me.”