A Long Time Coming (Cane Brothers, #3)(98)

“Same, Lia.”

We both take a drink.

“When you first saw me in the hallway of your dorm, did you ever think this is where we would end up? Neighbors, best friends, attached at the hip?”

“Uh . . . not at that moment, but after that night, I had a good inkling.”

“How so?”

“We just matched. Like when everyone left Scrabble that night, and we were alone, I felt like my missing puzzle piece was put into place.”

“I felt the same way.” We both lift our drinks to our mouth and take long pulls. “I would be lost without you, Breaker.”

“I would be lost without you, too.”

“Doesn’t seem like it,” I say, my mind turning morose. “You have so much going for you. Your business, you have a strong family bond and sisters-in-law who are so much fun. You have promise, a community surrounding you, and so much opportunity.”

“And you don’t have any of that?” he asks, his tone suggesting he’s wondering where I’m going with this.

“I have you. I’m building a circle. And I have a job that I love, but I don’t know, I just feel like you have so much more.”

“What I have, you have. You know Huxley and JP treat you like a sister. And you’ve built your business from the ground up, not many people can say that. Are these feelings stemming from not having your parents around?”

“I think so,” I sigh. “God, do you think I will ever get over it?”

“No, I don’t think losing your parents is something you get over, I think it’s just a tender hurt you learn to live with. It will take time, but it will get easier with each day.”

“I can still feel them sometimes,” I say softly before taking another large sip of my drink. “At night, when I feel alone in my apartment, I can sometimes feel that they’re there, watching over me.”

“They are,” Breaker says. “They’re always watching over you. And you know, when you’re feeling alone, you can always come over. That’s what I’m here for.”

“You are.” He slips his arm behind me and pulls me in close. “You are so important to me, Breaker.”

“You’re important to me too, Lia.”

I sit up and look him in the eyes. “Like . . . what would I do without you?”

“I try not to think about what a day without you in it would look like,” he says.

I stare at him, his eyes flitting back and forth between mine, my eyes traveling over his face as a smile tugs at my lips.

“Why are you smiling?” he asks before finishing off his drink and setting his can down.

I join him and set my empty can on the coffee table. “You’re a far cry from the guy I met back in college. Remember that caterpillar you grew on your upper lip? Atrocious.”

“Hey, there were a few girls who liked it.”

“Amanda Fulton? Yeah, because she liked every guy with two nipples and a penis, she pretty much looked past the nose fur.”

“Were nipples really a requirement for her?”

I palm his face and push him away, causing him to laugh. “I’m tired.” I let out a large yawn.

“Because we drank too much,” he says.

“Well, I want to go beddy bye.”

“Then go to bed.” He leans against the couch and puts both of his hands behind his head.

“I will,” I say as I stand on wobbly legs. “Just need to go to the bathroom first.”

I move toward his bedroom, and he says, “Where do you think you’re going? Your apartment is down the hall.”

“But the comfortable bed is right over here. Thanks.” I offer him a wave and then head toward his master bathroom, where I take care of business and brush my teeth.

I don’t bother with my hair because it’s already a mess. I move toward his bed and climb into the cool sheets. Yes . . . this is perfection.

For Christmas one year, Breaker bought me the same sheets as his because I said I love them so much, but for some reason, they don’t feel the same on my bed. I think it’s the mattress. That, and his bed smells like his cologne, which could make anyone want to sink in deeper.

“Just make yourself at home,” I hear him say as he moves around the bathroom.

“Don’t mind if I do.” I scoot toward the middle of the bed and lie on both pillows, leaving him with limited options. He always claims I’m a bed hog so might as well live up to it.

I hear him flush the toilet, followed by the sound of him brushing his teeth. When he turns off the bathroom light, he moves into the bedroom and lowers the motorized shades—something I don’t have in my apartment—and puts the room into complete darkness.

The bed dips from his weight, and then he slides up against me.

“You have my pillow.” He tugs at it.

“Hey, I’m using that.”

“You can’t use both,” he complains.

“I can do whatever I want. I got here first.”

“Yes, but this is my bed.” He tugs again, but I hold on tight.

“Fine. If you’re going to be like that, then I have no choice than to do this.” He slips his arm around my waist and pulls his body flush against mine so he can share the pillow.