Page 76

As promised, River and Miles reached out to grab a drink with me. I know River wants to intimidate me, but I’m not scared. Ruin is the love of my life, and even though he is a few years older than me, I know what I want and what I’ll do to keep Ruin by my side. I should have spoken with him when I talked to Rain, but I was just happy to start seeing my girl again.
When I dropped Ruin back home, River and I exchanged numbers. He texted me the details of the only bar in town andtold me to meet them at eight o’clock. I get there right after having dinner with Ruin. As much as I love spending time with her, eating out every day all day is getting old. I need my own place so I can cook and have more privacy. Miss Callie loves asking questions.
“Gio, hey,” Miles says as he takes a seat next to me at the bar. I lift my chin at him, and the bartender comes over to take his order.
“River is parking; he’ll be right in.” I nod and take a sip of my drink.
“Listen, I know he can be a little intense, but he’s just trying to look after Ruin. As you can imagine, the entire family is still very shaken up after her accident.” I can understand that. But I need to remind them who I am so they can trust me.
“Hey, Gio, thank you for coming.” River pats me on the back as he sits on the other side of me.
“I’m happy I finally have the chance to speak with you both,” I tell them as their drinks are delivered. I guess the bartender knows what River always orders. “I have already spoken with Rain and Granny, and I spoke to River about this back in the winter,” I say as I look at Miles, “Ruin and I were a couple before the accident. We met at the university, and we were very much in love. I am still in love with her. And it broke me into a million pieces when I couldn’t be with her after she woke up from the coma.”
“Fuck,” Miles says, taking a big gulp of his beer. “So you’re her teacher.”
“I was her lab instructor, yes. I’m five years older than her, and I never used my position to manipulate her or try to control her. We were two consenting adults.” I take a sip of my water, regretting I didn’t order something stronger. I’ve never done well under scrutiny.
“You stayed away for six months, like Rain and I asked. Why did you show up again?” River nearly shouts, and I raise my eyebrows. Miles stands up from his barstool and moves to stand next to River.
“Be nice, River. Ruin is clearly smitten with him.” River sags in his seat and nods his agreement, so I continue speaking.
“After I spoke with you and Rain, and after what happened at the hospital, I kept my word. I didn’t want to interfere in her recovery, but after six months, I figured I’d try my chances and see if I could make her fall in love with me again.”
River and Miles nod, understanding evident on their faces.
“You’re a good man, Gio. Ruin was so in love with you. Even though she never mentioned your name, she would talk about her boyfriend all the time.” I smile at Miles’s honesty. “I’m sorry we didn’t look for you after she woke from the coma, but once the doctor said we shouldn’t tell Ruin any details about her past, we focused all our energy on helping her get back on her feet.”
I nod at him; that makes total sense.
“I don’t blame you or anyone, really. It was just an unfortunate series of events. I’m just thankful Ruin is alive and thriving, and I get another chance with her.”
Miles clicks his glass with mine, and I smile, waiting to see if River will join, but he’s still clenching his jaw.
“Why did you speak with Rain and Granny before speaking with me?” he asks, and I shake my head. Does he think I didn’t follow the family hierarchy? Well, too bad.
“Rain came to look for me at the hotel the day after I first went to the diner. She was clear about the family's wishes for me to stay away from Ruin, but as I explained to her, I’m done waiting. I can’t keep from spending time with the love of my life.”
He closes his eyes, and I feel his pain.
“Look, I’m the oldest of my siblings, and I can tell you, I understand how you’re feeling right now. We feel responsible foreverything and everyone, but I can also tell you Ruin loves you and speaks highly of you.” He raises his eyebrows as he releases a breath.
“She does?” I chuckle at his disbelief. I nod at him, and he shakes his head. “Damn, I need to chill a couple notches, huh?” He chuckles, and Miles raises his glass.
“Amen, brother, fucking finally.” We all laugh at that. “River, we’re not kids anymore. You’re not alone; we’re a family, and we help each other.”
River nods as he gulps his beer.
“Yeah, I need to work on letting go.” Miles pats him on the back, and I ask for another round of drinks.
“I’m not sure if Ruin told you about our father, but he passed away four years ago.” He looks at me, and I nod at him. I remember that conversation as clear as day.
“Ever since, I have taken the reins of the orchard. Mama kept the diner afloat, and Rain has been helping her. I think at some point, we’ll all agree to transfer the diner to Rain. It’s her passion.” Miles nods in agreement. “But I became the responsible adult, you know? If anyone needed anything, they would come to me. And I didn’t mind because that’s my job as the eldest brother. I wanted to help Mama as much as possible.” He pauses to take a sip of his beer.
“And then Ruin decided to move to Raleigh. Even though I was hesitant about her moving so far away, I didn’t say anything because I knew she was an adult, and it had been her dream since she was young.” River starts playing with the condensation on his cold glass, and I’m not sure where he’s going with this.
“I took her to buy a used car. I knew it wasn’t the best, but I thought it was safe enough.” I clench my jaw, preparing myself for what’s coming next. “Turns out, I didn’t do a good enough job checking the car, because next thing I know, I’m getting a phone call that my sister has been in an accident, and we need to go tothe hospital to see her.” His voice breaks, and I gulp my water. I don’t blame him for what happened, but I can see why he’s blaming himself.
“River, you need to stop blaming yourself for every single thing that happens to us,” Miles tells him, and River shakes his head.