Page 101 of Rival Hearts

Alex slid his arm around my waist.

“I thought I was throwing you to the wolves,” he whispered. “But it looks like you have them eating out of your hand instead.”

I giggled. “I like your brothers. They’re really nice.”

“They’re not nice to everyone.”

Ben joined us, too. Even he looked a little more relaxed than before.

We talked and laughed, and the family joked back and forth. Eleanor and Thomas came to join us, and it was beautiful to watch them all together. They were very close—it was easy to see that family meant a lot to each and every one of them. They knew a lot about each other’s lives, and they asked about updates that had nothing to do with work.

I’d never had something like this growing up. After my mom had left, it had just been me, Gabe, and my dad, and Dad had never given a damn about us.

Gabe had been the one to look after me most of the time. He’d practically raised me, and after he’d gone off to start his own life, leaving me behind, I hadn’t wanted much to do with my dad, either.

When I saw how these people were with each other, so kind and loving and caring, it made my heart constrict.

Chris came to me while the others stood talking in different groups.

“How are you doing here?” He nodded to the glass of wine I was nursing. It was my third, and my head felt light and airy. “Need a refill?”

“No, thank you. I think I need to slow down a little. But this wine issogood.”

Chris chuckled and glanced to where Alex and Ben stood talking. They were smiling.

“They don’t always get along,” Chris confided.

“No? Why?” They looked fine to me.

Chris shrugged. “We all have a lot to work through. It’s not personal between them, but sometimes when we struggle with something, it can spill onto someone else. You know?”

I knew what he meant in theory, but I didn’t know his family well enough.

“Ben is a great guy, though,” Chris said. “We never say it out loud, of course, but I think he’s all our favorite.”

Alex and Ben were laughing, and it was nice to see the different sibling relationships.

“Speaking of brothers,” Chris said. I knew exactly where he was headed with this. “I don’t have to tell you how close my brother is to yours.”

I nodded. “They’ve been friends for a long time.”

“They have. It doesn’t always work out so well when friends’ little sisters get involved.”

I nodded again, taking another sip of my wine. Chris wasn’t wrong.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on between you and Alex, and I don’t know everything about their friendship, either. But just… make sure that this doesn’t get ugly when it doesn’t need to. Alex has been through a lot, and he might look strong, but we all have soft spots, even if we hide them well. I don’t want him to get hurt over something as silly as logistics.”

I looked at Chris. “I understand what you mean. I know Alex can be a tough guy, but I know he has a much gentler side, and the last thing I want to do is hurt him.”

Chris nodded, apparently satisfied with my answer.

“Okay, good.”

He walked away to get a refill of his own drink, leaving me close to the buffet table, alone. I walked to the table and took a piece of cheese, nibbling on it. It tasted divine with the wine, an accidental pairing that really worked.

What Chris said stayed in my mind. It often happened that a girl could break up two friends because she was a sibling of one of them. It was the biggest reason I’d been so upset with Alexwhen I’d found out who he was and why I hadn’t wanted to date him.

But we were past the part where I could push him away and stop this from happening. Not that I wanted to, even if I could. I was falling for him more and more, and the only way to do this was to talk to my brother.