Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
It happens right in front of my eyes. The draining of tension. Preston’s chest was puffed out with anger and outrage, but now it sinks back to its regular position, and the dark red color on his cheeks fades to something more natural. Easton lowers his shoulders and slowly relaxes his fists. Thank god. I don’t know what else I could’ve said if that didn’t get through to them.
“Get moving, fuckface!” Maya calls out, still recording. The crowd takes up the chant, voices overlapping and getting louder until the warm night air is filled with the sound. Like crickets, only in unison.
“And now you have evidence on Maya’s phone,” I remind them, nodding toward her. “Brody pushed Sarah onto the ground after he grabbed her arm, and she called him out for what he’s done to her. He didn’t even deny it. And now there are all these witnesses, too.”
“She’s right,” Sarah agrees. “Let it go now.” Meanwhile, people are starting to crowd around Brody, ordering him to leave, moving him across the lawn and out toward the line of cars parked along the street.
“Are you all right?” Easton is so tender when he takes his sister’s face in his hands. He treasures her, the way Preston does. Nothing gets between them and someone they care about.
There’s this funny feeling in my chest. Warmth flooding my system. A wave of affection washes over me all at once and threatens to knock me down. I’ve never known anybody like them. When they care about something or somebody, they’re all in.
Sarah waves off their offers of help. “I really just want to go home,” she confesses.
“We can make that happen,” Easton tells her before looking at me with questions in his eyes.
“I’ll go with you. I don’t really want to hang around here by myself. But it’s totally okay,” I add before Sarah can feel bad. As nice as it’s been, being here tonight, the twins are what made it worthwhile. I just want to be with them.
I can’t help but reflect on how crazy it all is as I sit next to Sarah in Preston’s truck while Easton drives her car back to the house, following close behind us. If it wasn’t for Brody and what they did to him that night in the hospital parking lot, I wouldn’t be sitting here now. If it wasn’t for that fierce, almost violent love they both carry, my life would look a lot different right now. Darker, sadder. It’s wild, the way life works out. How everything can turn on the most random moments.
I’m still thinking about it by the time we reach their house, which is even bigger and more impressive than Briggs’s house. Walking in, I happen to glance through the open door to a powder room that’s around the size of my bedroom at home. Our footsteps echo loudly on the marble floor, with Easton insisting on carrying Sarah up the stairs to her room. It’s adorable how seriously they take looking after her. If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I might not believe it.
Then again, they try to take care of me, too. It just so happens I took it the wrong way at first.
“I’m really sorry I ended your night early,” Sarah whispers to me while the guys go downstairs to grab her an ice pack and ibuprofen.
“It’s all good. It was getting a little crowded, anyway. So long as you’re all right,” I add, when she winces as she stretches her legs out in front of her on the bed.
“I’ll be fine. I’m a little embarrassed that everybody witnessed it back there, but… I had to find my brothers, you know? I knew I would be safe so long as I found them.”
There’s something special about that. There’s something special about them. Once they’re satisfied Sarah is comfortable, we leave her room and stand in the wide hallway. I could drive a dump truck down it, it’s so big.
“I’m kind of wiped,” Easton announces before throwing his arms overhead and stretching. “I really just want to go to bed.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” Preston yawns before looking down at me. “How about you? Do you think your grandma would mind if you spend the night out?”
“Yeah, stay with us,” Easton urges, taking me by the hand and leading me down the hall. “You can sleep in my room.”
“All three of us will,” Preston insists as he follows us.
How could I say no to that? After everything that happened tonight, I can’t imagine anywhere I’d rather be than sandwiched between the two of them, feeling safer than I have in a long time.
Imagine that. Feeling so safe with them, when not so long ago they were the bane of my existence.
But then, a lot of things have changed since then. I think I’ve changed a little, too, and I can’t imagine going back. Not when being with them makes me this happy, leaving me smiling when I close my eyes and let sleep take over.