“Laney Jacobs.” My head snaps up at Levi’s firm voice. “You have three seconds to open this goddamn door or I will kick the fucker down.” I close my swollen eyes and wipe angrily at the tears that are still racing down my face. “One . . .”
I look up at the door, then at the mess on the floor. I don’t want them to see me break down. I don’t want them to see me like this.
I drop to the toilet seat. “Levi, please—”
“Two,” he yells. His strong voice sends shivers down my spine. Damn him, and damn Benny because I’m sure he had something to do with Levi showing up at my house only minutes after I left his. Well, let them kick the stupid door in; it’ll be their problem to fix, not mine. Although this is my only bathroom and I’d prefer not to be without a door.
I can hear faint whispering, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. “Three.” My eyes pinch shut and I tense up, waiting for the door to fly open. Several seconds pass and I chance a peek to find that the door is now wide open and there are two brooding men standing in front of me. “Turns out, I just needed a coin.” Levi holds up said penny and shrugs. Stupid child lock doors.
Benny pushes past Levi. “Your boyfriend is a fucking Neanderthal.” He squats down in front of me and takes in our surroundings before his eyes fly to mine. His face is awash with kindness and compassion, but I’m still too raw and I can’t do this right now.
I shove myself off the toilet seat, brushing past Benny and Levi, taking extra precaution not to touch either one of them or look them in the eye. If I do, I’m afraid of what I’ll find, and I’m not ready to see pity. I can hear two sets of feet bound after me. They’re not going to stop . . . and if I’m being honest, I don’t want them to. I keep trying to remind myself that they love me and they’re worried about me, so I leave my door open when I walk in my room, silently inviting them in. Even facing the other direction, I know they’re both standing there because their presence in a room is demanding. Not to mention, the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up, and that’s usually a good indicator that Levi is within close proximity.
I spin around to face them at the same time my front door opens and then slams shut. “Laney?!” Luke comes barreling down the hall, pushes past Benny and Levi, and doesn’t stop until he’s toe to toe with me. His golden eyes bounce around my body, and I can tell the moment that he notices my hair. “Oh, Laney.” He yanks me into his arms, and for several seconds I just stand there, unable to move. Then something inside of me crumbles, and I wrap my arms around my brother.
“I’m losing my hair, Luke,” I cry, squishing my face into his chest. “I don’t want to lose my hair. This isn’t fair. I don’t want to be bald and I don’t want to wear a wig, and I don’t want people to stare at me and wonder what’s wrong. I just want to be normal and have hair and boobs. Is that too much to ask for?” I sniff. “Hair and boobs. That’s all I need.” The words sound funny when I say them aloud, and I choke back a laugh because it just doesn’t seem appropriate to go from bawling like a baby to cracking up in a matter of seconds.
“Your hair will grow back, Lane.” I can’t see Benny because I still have my face buried in Luke’s shirt, but his voice is laced with sympathy.
“Plus, you still have one breast, and it’s a really great breast.” My head snaps up and I stare at Levi in horror, shocked that he would say that in front of Luke and Benny. “What? It’s true.” I keep staring and he keeps shoving his foot further and further into his mouth. “I don’t care if you only have one breast. You could have no breasts and I’d still find you insanely attractive. It would be a little bit harder to get you off—”
“Stop.” Luke’s voice booms through air. Still clutching me tightly in his arms, he spins around and glares at Levi. “I do not need to know about my sister’s breasts. Please, for the love of God, don’t ever talk about her boobs or lack thereof again if it in any way pertains to anything unrelated to her cancer. There is only so much a brother can handle, and that’s just pushing the limits.”
We all stand in stunned silence for a solid minute before Benny and Levi start to bust up laughing. Levi’s head falls back and a deep throaty laugh erupts from his mouth that does nothing but send tingly sensations to all my fun parts. Benny slaps Levi on the back and they do one of those weird man-hug things.
“So . . .” Luke says, stepping away from me. “You and Levi, huh?”
“Yup.”
“You never told me.” He looks hurt, and I instantly regret not sharing that with my brother. He’s been busy with work but we text or talk nearly every day, and I should’ve told him.
“I’m sorry, Luke. Things have just been crazy, and it all sort of happened really fast.”
“It’s okay. Just tell him not to talk about your boobs in front of me again, okay?”
“You got it.” I giggle, amazed at how quickly these three wonderful men were able to make me feel better.
“So . . .” Benny eyes me up and down, hands on hips. “Your hair looks like it could use a cut.” Levi smacks him upside the back of the head and walks over to me. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side.
“You’re right,” I say, pursing my lips, preparing myself for my next words. “I think it’s time to shave my head.” I haven’t looked in a mirror, but I’m sure my little tirade in the bathroom did nothing but make me look like a cat with mange.
“Only when you’re ready, baby.” Levi kisses the side of my head and my brother rolls his eyes.
“So how did you guys all end up here, anyway?” I ask, shooting Benny an accusatory glance.
He raises his hands innocently, but before I can call him out on it, Luke speaks up. “Benny called me,” he confesses.
“What the fuck, dude?” Levi shoots Benny a glare. “You called him and not me?”
“Wait . . . who called you?” I ask Levi.
“No one. I woke up and you were gone—”
“Wait a second,” Luke interjects. “Woke up? Are you sleeping over there?”
“Butt out,
Luke,” I say, keeping an eye on Levi. “Keep going.”