Beautifully Destroyed (Beautifully Broken)

“Oh… yeah,” she mumbles, gripping the strap tightly as if she’s scared I’ll rip it away from her.

Christ, seriously?

We climb into the truck, and I mutter, “Seat belts.”

Quinn lets out a chuckle. “You sound like Eli.”

Giving her a grin, I say, “Dad ingrained it into us.”

“You should stay for dinner,” she says as the engine roars to life. “I can ask Eli to get us a couple of pizzas on his way home.”

“In that case, I’ll definitely stay.” I glance in the rearview mirror as I reverse onto the road, and trying to be welcoming, I ask Finlay, “Quinn said you’re from Chicago?”

She doesn’t even look my way as she murmurs, “Yeah.”

Okay then.

I shoot Quinn a look, silently asking if I’ve done something wrong before steering us toward Eli’s house.

She gives me a reassuring smile that sets me at ease, then turns her attention back to Finlay, “Did you manage to get everything into storage?”

Finlay’s arms are still wrapped tightly around her waist, where she’s sitting as close to the door as she possibly can.

“Ah… no. I needed to get out of Naperville. Dad said he’d have it taken care of.”

A slight frown forms on Quinn’s forehead, and she lets out an awkward-sounding chuckle. “Dang, was it so bad staying there?”

My eyes flick to the rearview mirror again.

Finlay lets out a shuddering breath. “You have no idea.” It might just be my imagination, but I swear I can hear pain lacing the words.

When I bring the truck to a stop in front of the house my brother built himself, I climb out and grab the luggage from the back.

Maybe Finlay’s just super uncomfortable with strangers? After all, Quinn said she’s an introvert.

I shrug it off as we walk into the house.

“The first guest room,” Quinn mentions, giving me a thankful smile.

Eli and Quinn have been dating less than a year, but we’ve all accepted her as part of our family. She’s easy to get along with, and I already feel protective of the woman who’ll hopefully become my sister-in-law.

I drop the luggage in the guest room where Finlay will be staying and head back down the stairs.

“It’s a lovely home,” I hear Finlay say before I stop at the entrance to the living room.

“I’m just going to head home and shower. I’ll be back in time for dinner.” I start to turn away, then add, “Oh, remember extra cheese.”

Quinn takes a step in my direction, and I hold a hand up. “I’ll close the door on my way out.”

“Great, see you later. Thanks for your help.”

I smile at Quinn, and just as I pull the door shut behind me, I hear Finlay say, “Please tell me he’s the scary brother, and Eli is the nice one.”

My muscles tense at her words. I wasn’t mistaken. Finlay’s afraid of me.

Quinn lets out a burst of laughter, saying, “You’ll see, they’re both really sweet. Intense, but sweet as pie.”

Got to love Quinn.

Walking toward my truck, I decide to keep my distance from Finlay until she’s had time to get used to me. Hopefully, it won’t take too long because I’d like it if we could at least become friends, especially if we’re going to be in-laws when Eli and Quinn get married.

Chapter 5

FINLAY

Quinn takes hold of my hand and pulls me up the stairs. “Let’s get you settled.”

My heart’s still hammering in my chest from meeting Ethan.

God.

I almost swallowed my tongue when I saw him walking toward us at the bus station.

He’s well over six feet, and his muscled body tells me he’s a hell of a lot stronger than me. Wavy dark brown hair, with sharp eyebrows, ice for eyes, and a strong jawline, he looked scary as hell. It registered that he’s very attractive, but my trauma shunned the thought and focused on the dangerous vibe rolling off him in waves.

I take a calming breath as Quinn gestures to our left. “You have your own bathroom. It’s through there.” I’m tugged into a bedroom, then my cousin continues, “I hope blue’s still your favorite color.”

There’s a trickle of warmth in my heart that Quinn remembered my favorite color. “You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

“We wanted you to feel at home. The last thing I want is you leaving again.”

My eyes drift over her face, and setting my own trauma aside, I ask, “How are you holding up?”

“Every day, it gets better. I still miss Katie.”

I reach for Quinn, feeling more comfortable, and give her a hug. “I’m really sorry I didn’t come sooner.”

My voice is brimming with regret.

“You’re here now,” Quinn murmurs. When we pull apart and start unpacking my bags, she asks, “So, are you going to help me at the store?”

Now that it’s just Quinn and me, I manage to relax enough to actually chuckle. “Yeah, but beware, I’ll probably eat all your profit.”