Thano’s reaction didn’t surprise me either. I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him. I wasn’t so sure, though, he would be doing anything with his brother here. Especially with a girl who was, clearly, not Greek and no condom.
“No, baby, we’ll sleep in the guest room upstairs. It has a fireplace too.”
With a wide smile that said she was more than happy with that arrangement, Phoebe said, “Yay! This is like a scene from a romance book! Couple gets stuck in cabin during a storm.”
Rolling my eyes, I stared at the fire. Claire and Phoebe would get along great with their stupid romance books. None of it was real. At least, it wasn’t for me.
“What’s wrong, ladybug? You don’t like romance books?”
Ugh. This guy was hot one minute and cold the next. I was starting to get whiplash with his mood swings. “No. I don’t,” I said as I continued to stare at the crackling wood.
Thano sat next to me and bumped my shoulder. “Why not?”
I moved my head and looked directly into his eyes. “Because life isn’t like that. It’s not filled with love and flowers and the guy rushing in to save you. Real life is filled with heartache, disappointment, and moments you’d do anything to forget about it.”
Something moved across Thano’s face. His eyes mirrored my sadness I was sure. We both knew that heartache. The only difference between us was he loved the woman who broke him. I hated the man who broke me.
Slowly turning back to the fire, I forced the tears at bay.
He’ll never make me cry ever again.
Never.
I STOOD AT the back window and watched the snow continue to fall. Kilyn’s phone was about dead, but she had called Claire to let her know what had happened so she didn’t worry about her.
My mother had called about an hour ago. I knew I should have let it go to voicemail, but I answered it like a stupid fool. Thad had, of course, told my parents about the cabin I had built. Then he went off and told her I was trapped up here . . . with a girl.
I cringed as I thought back to my conversation with her a few hours ago. I had to go outside so Kilyn didn’t hear me.
“You’re with a girl. I knew you were with a girl. Didn’t I say I knew there was a girl?”
Sighing, I pulled the hood from my sweatshirt up and over my head. “Mama, there is no girl. Kilyn is an interior designer. She’s also a friend.”
“That’s not a Greek name. What is that?”
Swallowing hard, I mumbled, “Irish.”
“What? What was that? I didn’t hear you.”
“Irish, Mama. She’s Irish. Kilyn O’Kelly is her name and she is just a friend.”
I could hear my mother saying something to someone before coming back on the line. “Why? Why do you do this to your mother? What did I do to deserve the heartache my boys give me?”
“Mama, it’s freezing outside. I’ll call you tomorrow when I know more about the roads after this storm.”
“You be a gentleman, Athanasios. No funny business with the Irish girl. They have bad tempers you know.”
Rolling my eyes, I let out a gruff laugh. “I love you, Mama. I’ll call you tomorrow and please don’t worry.”
“We aren’t finished talking. You will come by the house when you get back. Straight here. No sex! If you do, you wrap your stick!”
I was positive the look on my face was one of horror. “I’ve got to go, Mom.”
Hitting End, I tried to erase the last minute of that conversation.
“Hey, Phoebe and I are heading up stairs. I’ve got the fire going good in both bedrooms.”
Looking at my brother, I smiled. “Shit. How long have I been standing over here?”
He shrugged. “Long enough for Kilyn to fall asleep and me to start the fires. You’ve got to stop getting lost in your own head, Thano.”
My eyes darted over to the fire. Kilyn was snuggled up under a blanket sound asleep.
“I’m not lost. I know exactly where I am, and I’m not ready to let anyone else in here with me.”
Thad frowned and shook his head. “Then I suggest you let Kilyn sleep in the bedroom and you sleep out here. I get the feeling she’s been hurt before. The last thing she needs is for you to fuck around with her emotions because you don’t have your own shit together.”
I opened my mouth to respond back when I shut it again. I knew he was right. The right thing for me to do would be to leave her alone.
But I didn’t want to.
Placing his hand on my shoulder, he wore a concerned expression. “It’s time to move on, Thano. Savannah would have wanted you to move on.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded my head and hit the side of his arm. “Thanks, bro. I’ll see you in the morning.”