Anti-Stepbrother(79)

“Okay.” I moved forward, closing my eyes, and stepped into his arms. I rested my head against his chest, and after a second, his arms closed around me. His cheek rested on top of my head, and we remained there, leaning against the wall, until the door opened again.

The nurse said, quietly, “We’re ready for you, Caden.”

He didn’t move. Not at first. He held on to me a moment longer, then took a breath to ready himself before he pulled away. I stayed in the hallway for a beat, standing there as the door closed. Whatever was happening inside that room made my heart ache.

I brushed a tear away as I found the front lobby. I had intended to go right for the coffee stand, but I stopped when I saw Marcus sitting in the farthest corner of the room. He was hunched forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and his head in his hands.

I couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or crying, or just sitting there.

A seed of anger lit inside of me. He was here? When he could’ve been with his other brother, with Caden? Caden wouldn’t have had to feel alone the entire night. But as soon as those thoughts flashed in my mind, a second wave of sadness washed them away.

I had no right to judge.

My family had its own problems, and I remembered the morning when my mom had passed away. I’d sat like he did, in the farthest seat in the lounge. I was there, but I’d wanted to hide, and I didn’t want anyone to tell me it would be okay. It wouldn’t be okay. It was never going to be okay, and all I’d wanted to do was sit there and pretend my mother was sitting next to me.

I filled two cups of coffee and put one on the windowsill beside him.

He looked up as I sat down in the seat across from him, my own coffee in hand.

I managed a small smile and lifted the cup in greeting. “Morning.”

Then I looked away. No judgment. No questions. No unwelcomed opinions would come from me. Just silence and companionship.

And coffee.

“You were here all night?” He sounded guarded as he asked that question.

I nodded. “Diego told me, and I came here after that.”

“Diego?”

He didn’t know him. My heart ached even more. “He’s a friend of Caden’s.”

“Oh.” Marcus picked up the coffee and leaned back in his chair. “Thank you.” He glanced out the window and murmured, almost as an afterthought, “Caden has a lot of friends I don’t know.”

“I’m sure you do too.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Caden knows all my friends. Caden knows more about my life than I do.”

And there was the elephant in the room. If Colton was Marcus’ twin, why was it Caden in that room?

Marcus cursed silently. “This is fucked up. Let me guess, it’s just Caden back there?”

“You don’t know?”

“Caden called and left a message. That was it. But since you’re still here, I’m betting my mom’s not back there. I know my dad’s sure as hell not back there. Am I right?” His anger grew as he kept talking. “It’s fucking bullshit. This is all fucking bullshit.”

There was an air in the hospital. It didn’t extend to other patients or visitors, but I’d felt it with Caden, with the nurse, the doctor, and I saw it hanging over Marcus now. It enveloped him like a blanket he didn’t want, and I realized what it was. Finally.

A secret.

There was a feeling that whatever had happened with Colton, it was wrong. Like it was shameful. They couldn’t properly grieve whatever had happened because it shouldn’t have happened.

I didn’t like the feeling.

I felt suffocated and paralyzed all in the same moment, and if I was feeling that way, I wept for the ones who had really been hurt by whatever this was.

I heard myself ask, wincing as I did, “What happened to your brother?”

No. I closed my eyes. I shouldn’t ask. It was Colton’s secret to tell, but I wanted to know. I felt I could help better if I knew. I’d know the right things to say. I think…

“You don’t know?”

“I haven’t asked. I was trying to be considerate.”

“Oh.” He paused, pain evident on his face, and then he shrugged. “Caden will never tell you because he’s big on that. If it happened to him, he wouldn’t want anyone to know, but Colton won’t care if I tell you. He was never secretive like that. Hell, he’d probably love you. Did you meet him? Was he awake?”

“I didn’t meet him. I stayed in the hallway when Caden went in.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Marcus rolled his eyes. “That’s ridiculous. Colton would’ve made some lame joke about dressing better if he’d known he was going to meet you, or something stupid like that. And he would’ve laughed, thinking he was so funny. He would’ve wanted to meet you. Caden should’ve taken you in.”