Page 79 of Burden of Proof

“No.”

“Then how does that matter?” he asked.

“It just…”

“Does it matter to you?”

I bit the inside of my cheek, shrugging again even though we both knew the answer was yes. “I don’t want him to be ashamed or embarrassed about me.”

“Has he ever led you to believe that he is either of those things?”

“No,” I grumbled.

“So, it’s your own hangups then.”

“Marshall—”

He cut off my protest with a raised hand that brokered no argument, so I bit my lips between my teeth and stopped arguing.

“Do not manufacture problems that don’t exist.” He looked down at his watch and frowned. “I’m sorry, Lincoln. I have a call upstairs that I’ve got to take.”

“Yeah.” I forced a smile and stood up, grabbing my coffee. “I didn’t want to keep you. Thanks for the coffee.”

I tried to step away, but Marshall reached out, stopping before closing the space between us and curling his fingers around my wrist to prevent me from leaving. I looked up at him, feeling more lost than when I’d called him in the first place.

“The call will keep,” he said. “I’m not leaving until you feel better about whatever is going on up here.”

Marshall did let go of my wrist to tap his fingertips against my temple.

“I just want to be enough,” I whispered.

“Lincoln, let me tell you a couple of things that I know to be true, okay?”

I nodded again. Clearly it was the only response I was capable of.

“I’ve known Hunter for almost all of his life. He’s the quietest of my brothers, but he is also the most loyal. He is fiercely dedicated to the things and the people that matter to him, and if you’ve spent any time at all with him, then you know that tobe true. I’ve never met anyone who loves as hard and true as he does, and I’ve never met anyone who loves so infrequently.”

Marshall paused, letting the intended effect wash over me. I’d heard him right the first time, but he stayed silent, and I took the end of his confession in a second time.

“My brother is sparing with his affection, Lincoln. And it’s because of that he is generous. You hear me?”

“Yeah. Yes.”

“If he loves you, you are worth it,” he said.

I blinked back a very unwelcome rush of tears, tilting my head back to stop them from sliding down my face.

“And Silas,” he went on, clearly unmoved by my thwarted display of emotion. “Silas loves everyone, and I love that about him, but he doesn’t love anyone the way he loves you.”

I scoffed.

“Not even me,” he said, and I rolled my eyes at that, finally letting one or two of the tears escape. “You can roll your eyes all you want at that, but you know it’s true. Silas cares for you in ways he’ll never care for me, and I love that for him. I love it foryou.”

“Alright,” I mumbled, wiping my lash line.

“And if these two men, whom I hold in the highest regard, think you’re deserving of that, who are you to tell them otherwise? Who are you to tell someone I myself have grown rather fond of, that he shouldn’t trust the love that is so graciously and freely given to him?”

“Marshall, shut up.”