Sweet (Landry Family 6)

Damn.

“I’ll be honest with you, and you can take this for what you will,” he says. “When she said she was staying with you, I called a few people to see what was up. And I read some things about you.”

I hang my head.

“I have an inkling that growing up wasn’t easy for you either. And I heard what happened with your father.”

My stomach twists.

“And I also heard that you tried to take the fall for your brother,” he says. “That he was the one holding the gun when it went off and you tried to say it was you.”

A lump settles in my throat. My eyes burn at the memory and at the fact that Hollis knows this. How the fuck does he know? I’ve tried to forget that entire night. But Hollis is right. It does cause a darkness to exist within you, waiting to rear its ugly head.

“The only people I’d ever take a fall like that for is Paige and Larissa. Because I love them,” he says.

“Makes sense,” I say, the words barely coming out.

“I think you and I love the same. Hard. Willing to die—willing to do anything for the people we love. Am I right?”

“Yes.”

“And you love my sister?”

“Absolutely.”

He sighs. “Then be a man and fucking fix this. Do something.”

Fuck. “I can’t. She asked me for space and I promised her at one point that I would give her all the space she needed.”

“She needs space, Nate. She needs not to feel pressured, not physical distance.”

“I’m not pressuring her for shit, Hollis,” I say, my irritation growing. “And I’m not the one that picked physical distance as the coping mechanism here.”

“Don’t blame my sister for this.”

“I’m not blaming anyone but, reality check, I didn’t do anything.”

He makes a sound that tells me that if we were eye to eye, we’d be on the verge of fist-to-face.

I can’t blame him though. He loves her like I do. We both want the same thing, the same result.

“We’re getting off track here,” he says, his voice more measured. “If you want to fix this, show her you want to fix it.”

“And how do I do that and give her the precious space she’s asked for?”

“No need to be a dick.”

“No need to act like this is a fucking cakewalk, either. What do you want me to do, Hollis? Want me to come over and throw her over my shoulder and bring her home? Because I will. You have no idea how much I’d like to chain her to my bed until she comes to her senses.”

“Easy there. We’re cordial. Don’t ruin it.”

I roll my eyes, but he’s right. My nostrils flare as I try to calm down.

“Look, she got scared,” he says.

“Why? I don’t know why. Someone tell me fucking why.”

“Talk to her. Don’t let her ruin this for herself because that’s what she’ll do.” He chuckles sadly. “She loves you. And I know from personal experience that she’s going to run from that as fast as she can. It’s in our DNA. It’s some kind of abandonment response or some shit. But save her from herself, Nate. If you love her, save her. Don’t let one mistake snowball into more.”

I hold my head and try to mold his words into something actionable. Can I do that? Can I just make this better? Even though she asked me not to?

That’s exactly what I want to do as long as it won’t make things worse.

I look around the kitchen with no spoons in the sink, no pancake batter on the counter, or sugar on the floor.

Can it get any worse?

“I’m going to give you a tip and you can do with it what you want,” Hollis says. “Larissa and I have an appointment at two o’clock. Paige will be here alone. That’s all I’m saying.”

For the first time since I came home and she wasn’t here, a little hope flashes through me.

“You’re a good man, Hollis.”

“And I hope you’re one too. Talk soon.”

“Goodbye.”

I shut my phone off and stick my head down the hallway.

“Ryder! Come here! I need your help!”

THIRTY-FOUR

PAIGE

“Hey,” Hollis says, coming into the living room with Larissa at his side. “We have a doctor’s appointment to check on the baby. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

I smile at them, even though I don’t feel it in my soul. “Okay. Good luck.”

“You okay?” Larissa asks. “I mean, I know you’re not but do you need anything?”

“No.” Just Nate. “I might run somewhere and grab a sandwich. I need a little fresh air and I don’t know when I ate last.”

Hollis swallows. “Oh, um, yeah. I have a box of shit from Coy being delivered today.”

“You do?” Larissa asks.

“Yes. Papers and stuff. Could you hang around here until it comes? I’ll order you food.”

I wave him off. “Don’t worry about it. I can order myself food.”