Take the Bride (The Knight Brothers 1.5)

Their gazes softened.

“Do you love him?” Ethan asked. There was no question he was talking about Ryder and not her former groom.

She blew out a long breath, then strode to the window and looked out over Manhattan. With the crowded buildings and the people down below rushing along the sidewalks, it was such a big difference from the wide-open spaces and trees in the Poconos.

Did she love Ryder?

There were different kinds of love, she knew now. She’d loved being with Jason. She enjoyed his company, they had wanted the same things out of life, and she knew he’d give her the family of her own that she wanted.

But Ryder filled her soul. It might be a cheesy movie phrase but he completed her. He was her other half, and she didn’t need to dig deep to explain to herself why. It was a fact of life, like breathing.

“I love him,” she admitted, saying the words out loud for the first time in forever.

Parker came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her. “Trust yourself,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

“I do. But can I trust him again?” she asked quietly.

Could she believe in Ryder to give her the security she desperately needed? Could she trust him not to get something crazy into his head and make a decision for her that would leave her gutted again?

“You’re adults now,” Sebastian said. “I told him not to go there with you if he wasn’t all in. So for what it’s worth, I trust him.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Let me put it to you this way.” She turned at the sound of Ethan’s voice. “If I were walking you down the aisle to Ryder, I wouldn’t stop and ask if you were sure. And I wouldn’t worry deep down that you weren’t getting every last thing you needed from the man you loved.”

Parker stepped forward, taking her hand. “I agree with them, sis. He’s a good guy. And it’s clear as hell he loves you.”

She looked at Sebastian, Ryder’s best friend. He knew him better than anyone here.

Her youngest brother nodded his head. “He’ll do right by you this time. I know he was trying to do right by you last time… and so was I. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I knew why he ended things. We both thought we knew what was best, and we should have let you make your own decision about what you wanted in life.”

She blinked and a tear ran down her face.

“Ryder learned his lesson,” he said in a gruff voice. “He loves you and he won’t leave you again.”

For some reason, hearing it from her brother was something she’d desperately needed. Ryder might have promised the same things, but Sebastian’s trust in him took care of the final worry she had.

Was it crazy to contemplate jumping from almost marrying one man straight into the arms of another? Completely insane, she thought. But how could she risk losing him again for the sake of taking time she didn’t need?

“I love you guys,” she said to her brothers. “And I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“Love you, too,” they all muttered in their rough, brotherly way.

“What are you going to do?” Ethan asked.

She ran her tongue over her dry lips. “Well, I’m going to find the box marked clothing and dig out something normal to wear.” She glanced down at the red Paradise Cove sweats she had on. “And then I’m going to go see Jason, talk to him, and return his bracelet.”

She had the bracelet sitting on her nightstand. She’d unpacked it first thing, not wanting to misplace it.

“Want me to go with you?” Sebastian offered.

“Any of us?” Ethan asked.

Parker just nodded his agreement.

“No.” She rubbed her hands together nervously. “I have to face this on my own. Jason stormed out without talking to me. Is that love? Was he having second thoughts of his own and Ryder just gave him an excuse to walk away?” She gave voice to the questions that she hadn’t let herself deal with during her weekend away. “Or was he just embarrassed by the fact that I did turn around to look at Ryder instead of staring at my groom?”

Ethan met her gaze, a warm smile lifting his lips. “When did you grow up on me?” he asked with a chuckle.

Given everything going on in his life lately, she liked hearing the slightest laugh from him.

“I don’t know when, but I’m certain it’s thanks to you that I’m able to handle this. All of you. You’ve always been there for me. But now it’s time for me to stand on my own two feet.”

And that meant facing the man she had been supposed to marry.

* * * *

Sierra approached Jason’s secretary, a woman she not only knew well but who had been at their aborted wedding. Hoping her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt, she stopped at the desk.