Page 26 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

Cal eyes him critically. “Are you an alcoholic?”

Ellis lifts a shoulder. “I enjoy a drink or two.”

“But it’s not an addiction.”

“No.” Though he can see how easy it would be to go down that road.

“Have you been in a relationship?”

“Not a serious one.”

“Have you hurt any of your partners?”

The no is on the tip of his tongue, but he makes himself ponder it. “There have been times I was a jerk.”

“But have you hurt them? Intentionally. Repeatedly.”

He sighs. He gets Cal’s point. “No.”

“Then you’re not nearly as messed up as you think you are.”

“I have my issues.” It’s not fair to compare who is the more fucked up one. Ellis might not go around drinking his ass off and beating his partners, but he knows that wherever he goes, he leaves something bad behind.

“Doesn’t everyone?” Cal challenges. “You might not be perfect, but you’re a good person. You were there for Dawson and you didn’t even know him that well. You took care of my screw-ups, dealt with the police and the company, and never asked for anything.”

“You’re family,” Ellis says, fidgeting uncomfortably. He’s no hero, or whatever Cal sees in him. Ironing out other people’smesses is the one thing he’s good at, especially since he’s unable to sort out his own shit.

Cal, the bastard, doesn’t wanna back down. “Based on what we just spent nearly an hour talking about, it’s clear that blood doesn’t mean much. I was terrible to you our whole life, our mum walked out on us, and our dad was a controlling asshole.” He pauses. “You might be right, someone was bound to turn out like him. I’m just glad it wasn’t both of us.”

Ellis’ chest constricts, making it hard to pull in a proper breath. He looks at Cal, really looks at him, shocked by the wave of affection that comes at him out of nowhere. The man in front of him might not be the brother he knows, but it’s a brother he always wished for. Minus the sex talk.

“There’s no one at this table who’s like him,” he says, making sure his voice brooks no argument.

Cal must get it because he smiles, holding Ellis’ gaze. “I hope so.”

Something passes between them; kinship Ellis has never felt with his brother before. He hopes it’s not the last time he feels it.

He returns the smile. “Okay, the moment is over.” Cal laughs at that. “Tell me something good. Read any interesting books lately?”

“I started readingMe before you,but couldn’t finish it after Dawson told me it doesn’t have a happy ending.”

Even though he’s known about Cal’s sudden affinity for romantic fiction for a while, it still feels very weird to hear him talk about it. Just how hard of a hit did Cal’s brain take in that crash?

“I thought you’re only into fantasy.”

“Mainly, not only.”

“Next time you’ll tell me you’re readingFifty Shades.”

Cal’s expression turns curious. “I don’t know that one. Is it good?”

Ah, Jesus. Then again, Ellis walked right into that one. “On second thought, if you’re going to dive into that particular rabbit hole, you might as well look into gay romance. Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.”

“Any recommendations?”

Ellis chokes on air. He was just teasing, but of course Cal would take him seriously. “Uh, no? Ask your husband. You’re on the same team.”

“Team?”