Page 128 of Sunkissed Colorado

I inhaled sharply, dropping my hands as I stared at the floor. “Did Grayden tell you what really happened that sent him to prison? Because he’s the one who wouldn’t defend himself after all that went down.”

“I haven’t brought it up. He’ll talk about that when he’sready.” Grace’s voice was firm. “But itdoesn’t matter. Don’t you think this has caused us all enough pain?”

“Yeah, but when you’ve been carrying around something for this long, how do you even begin to figure out how to set it down?”

I wasn’t just thinking of Grayden, but of Zandra and everything she’d told me about Jessa’s death.

Zandra, my heart thumped with every beat.Zandra.

Grace reached over and took my hand. “You just have to focus on the love part, and the rest will sort itself out. Talk to him. Even if you don’t want a relationship with our brother, at least you’ll be making that decision with your eyes open. Ask me how I know.”

What would Zandra say if she were here beside me? Maybe the final call was mine, but I could use that gut check. The way I could just look at her and her expression would tell me if I was on the right track or completely full of shit.

But Z wasn’t here right now, and my sister deserved an answer to her question. The one she’d first asked me months ago.

“Okay. I’ll talk to him.”

Grace’s face lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

She was already pulling out her phone. “It’s a couple hours earlier in Seattle where Gray lives now. It won’t be that late.”

“Whoa, hold on. I didn’t know you meantnow, now.”

“Why wait?”

“Because maybe I need to think about what I’m going to say?”

“You’ve had ages to think about it. Years.”

I couldn’t argue with that logic. “Fine. But if this goes badly, Dane, I’ll need that bottle of Macallan 25 after all.”

He sat on the arm of the couch next to Grace. “You got it.” My sister grinned and hit the call button, then put it on speaker.

It rang four times before going to voicemail. Grace gestured at me when the beep sounded.

I cleared my throat. “Uh, hey. It’s me. Your brother.” Wow,nice and awkward. “Callum. Grace is here too. Look, I… I know it’s been a while since we talked. Since I told you to leave town, actually. And I’m calling because I think maybe…I was wrong about that. Or at least, I was wrong to make that decision for everyone. So if you want to talk sometime, I’m…I’m open to it. Call me back when you get this. Bye.”

When Grace ended the call, she threw her arms around me. “I’m so proud of you. This is the start of something good for us. I know it.”

“Hey, Dane?”

“Yup?” He didn’t glance away from the sandwich he was making.

“How did you know you were in love with Grace?”

Now, he set down his package of deli turkey, one eyebrow slowly lifting.

We were in the kitchen for a midnight snack. A couple rounds of scotch had indeed been drunk. Grace and Dane hadn’t tried to shuffle me off, seeming to get that I wasn’t ready to leave yet, and I was grateful for that.

Ever since Grace and Dane had gotten together, I’d rarely spent time with just the two of them. Certainly not with Dane alone, since we’d had our disagreements about Grace in the past.

But Grace had stepped away to put her comfy clothes on, seeming to sense this might be a long night, so this was my chance. I was surprised at myself for wanting Dane’s advice. He was Ashford’s best friend, not mine. But I was doing it anyway.

Hedidlove Grace. Of that, I was sure.

Dane went back to sandwich assembly. Layering meat with cheese. A solid foundation. “I fell in love fast. With your sister, things just clicked into place. I knew we belonged together.” Heshrugged and let out a short laugh. “Took longer to convince her, but I made it happen.”