She thought of the quiet moments spent with her mother doing household chores or sewing. The hundreds of times that her mother had sent her and Chris on lengthy errands that inevitably allowed them to return home well after their father was busy writing sermons or conferencing with other church members.
Liza had protected her babies the best way she knew how. It was something Emory and Chris would never be able to thank her for. With that one thought, she unlocked the sorrow.
Alex didn’t like the look of Emory’s ashen complexion. She sat, still as a stone, one arm holding the sheet anchored over her breasts, and her eyes staring into space. Moving to a sitting position beside her, he began rubbing her bare arms. She was icy cold.
“You can go.” Chris told him. “We’ll take it from here.”
There was no censure in her brother’s gaze, but Alex didn’t like what the words implied. That not only was Alex not needed, but that nobody would have expected him to stick around through the bad times anyway. The implication was clear. Alex was just the guy Emory was fucking.
Like hell.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Alex didn’t look away from Emory. He wrapped her stiff body in his embrace and began to rock her gently back and forth.
“This is a family matter.” Chris tried again.
“She’s my family.”
The other man was obviously taken aback by Alex’s declaration. “Look, I’m grateful for whatever you’ve done to help my sister…work through…her past. You’ve got a reputation for being that kind of guy.”
Alex’s anger began to boil. “That kind of guy. Meaning I’m good for a fuck and nothing else.”
“I’m not trying to be insulting.” Chris’s helpless expression kept Alex from fully erupting. “This is going to be hell on earth. Going home. Seeing…I just don’t want her hurt any more right now. You can’t possibly understand.”
“I understand perfectly.” Alex glanced at Chris, willing the other man to see. “Which is why there’s no way in hell she’s going back there without me.”
“You understand? Did she tell you about our father?”
Alex nodded, pressing his lips to Emory’s hair. Her floral scent was layered with the smell of sex. He liked that. It made every animalistic instinct inside him howl with glee to have marked her as his own. She was his. There was nothing he’d let her face on her own. Certainly not something like this.
Chris would have argued, but Fox laid his hand on his lover’s arm and spoke his mind. “Alex loves her, Christopher. He has a right to come with us.”
Alex opened his mouth to respond, but the sensation of tears on his bare arm forced him to focus wholly on Emory. He leaned down to see her face and realized that she’d squeezed her eyes shut. Fat tears dripped down her cheeks.
“Emory, love. Come back to me.” Alex wiped away a tear with his thumb.
She didn’t speak, but she clutched his arms and burrowed into him. It was a start.
“When are you planning to leave?” Alex directed the question to both men.
Chris looked at Fox and shrugged. “A few hours? The burial ceremony is tomorrow first thing. We figured to go down and spend the night with my aunt. She lives about an hour away.”
Fox seemed to guess the direction of Alex’s thoughts. “The aunt is a friendly. She’s been their father’s nemesis for years.”
“We’ll be ready.” Alex hoped they could take the hint without him having to argue.
“Then we’ll leave you two.” Fox grabbed Chris and half dragged him toward the door.
“I’m not leaving my sister alone.”
Alex met the other man’s pale blue gaze. “She’s not alone. I promise.”
There was a struggle going on behind Chris’s controlled expression. The bond between brother and sister had been strong because they were twins. It was stronger still after years of shared abuse. Alex vowed silently not to do anything to damage it.
It was Alex who brought her back from the cold place. Nestled in his embrace, his warmth burning like a brand against her naked skin, her awareness grew. They were lying in her bed. His body was wrapped around hers like a shield.
“You’re still here.” Her throat hurt, raw with the screams she’d bottled inside.
His arms tightened, and he pressed a kiss to her neck. “Of course I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere. I love you. And you’re all I’ve got.”
The reality of what she was going to have to do hit hard. “Where’s Chris?”
“He and Fox will be back in an hour or so. We’re all driving down together.”