Page 69 of Between Desire and Denial

I knewlove between siblings to be almost unbreakable, so seeing Knox and Olive at odds pushed me to invest in something I normally never would.

Life’s a series of choices. You choose to put your time into a person or choose to walk away. The risks were great with staying. Your time, your love, your heart. But the rewards could be great too. Not always. But that was the risk. I didn’t need to weigh the pros and cons anymore. I wanted everything good for Olive. Everything good for us.

She just needed to warm up to the idea of it. It meant I’d invest in her family too and everything she held dear. I’d take care of her—her health, her relationships, everything—to ensure she’d have the greatest outcome.

I was convinced, she was the mother of my future children after all. Even if she was avoiding the pull between us and acting like what we had was all fake, even if she was talking to men on damn apps, and even if she was going to be the biggest risk I’d ever taken.

She was worth it, I thought, as Knox shouldered me hard in the chest and pushed past me to toss in a layup.

“Damn,” I swore under my breath when he threw the ball at me with extra force. “Four to nothing. You’re playing like you want to prove something, Knox.”

“And you’re playing like you never had anything to prove at all.”

I smiled at his comeback. “I don’t have anything to prove, kid.”

“I’m not a kid. Don’t call me one.”

“When you act like an adult, I’ll give you that title.”

“You really think coming here and being a dick to your girlfriend’s little brother is gonna get you somewhere?”

I dribbled the ball back and forth in front of him. “She’s not with me because I’m good with kids.” Although, I did want to prove to her I was good with them.

He grabbed for the ball, but I moved back and took my time squaring up for a jump shot. It sank right in.

He went to retrieve it, mumbling swears under his breath. “I told you. I’m not a kid. If anything, Olive’s more of a kid than me. She’s dramatic as all hell and doesn’t know when to stop dreaming. She never commits to one thing.”

He dribbled back to the grass where we’d both decided to be and eyed up the hoop. I took a step back. He wasn’t focused. “Gotta dream big to make it big.”

“She made it big to you? She’s following some celebrity around and now is back home doing nothing.”

Teens could be little shits. He said it so easily, as if it wouldn’t hurt his sister’s feelings. But she’d come outside and was standing on the porch listening to us. “You’re not doing much yourself, Knox.” She stood up for herself, and I was proud to hear it, but I saw the pain and anger in her eyes.

He tried to fake one way, but I was ready to block the other way and caught him. He didn’t stop though. He tried to plow through me but this time I planted my feet, steadied my stance,and when he rammed into me, he bounced right off and fell back into the grass.

“I told you to watch the way you talked to your sister.” I reached out a hand to help him up, but he swiped it away before scrambling to his feet and throwing the ball away from him. “This is dumb.”

I nodded at him, not willing to argue. “Yeah, sports are pretty dumb.”

“What?” He frowned at me.

“I played them through high school. Didn’t really help me at all.”

“Well… they teach discipline and teamwork and determination.” He caught himself defending the sport he’d quit.

“I guess.” I shrugged. “I was able to build my empire without the sport.”

“So you just got your discipline elsewhere?”

“Maybe a little from basketball. Mostly from my family. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without their support.”

Knox’s eyes flicked to Olive’s. “Yeah, well, maybe one day I’ll find a family that does that.”

“Maybe you already have one, you ass,” Olive whispered. Then she glared at him. “What have you been doing when you go out of town?”

His jaw worked up and down over and over as the birds chirping around us filled the silence between us. “What’s it matter to you?” He held her gaze, and it seemed she was willing him to say something further.

“You need to stop whatever you’re doing.”