“He’s important to you.”
“Yes. Besides you, Zanders is the most important to me.”
A moment of silence lingers between us, understanding covering my brother’s face.
“I’m not trying to put you in the middle of it, but I’m just letting you know that when she calls or visits, I will not be here for that.”
“Then she won’t visit,” my brother plainly states.
“What?”
“She won’t visit. She’s not invited here. This is your home too, Stevie, and anyone who makes you feel shitty about yourself is not invited into our home or in our lives. I’m not okay with that.”
“Ryan, you don’t need to cut her off because of me. That’s not what I’m asking.”
“I know. And I’m not cutting her off, but like you, I’m creating boundaries. Once you’re comfortable with her again, if ever, then she can be in our space, but until then, no.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Of course.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know what else I need to say to convince you that I have your back. And that includes your relationship with Mom. It’s perfectly okay to create boundaries when someone isn’t treating you the right way.”
My shoulders sag. Why did I not trust my own brother to understand me all these years? But at the same time, I didn’t trust myself enough to stand up for what I needed.
“Thank you.”
He leans back on the couch, casually crossing one ankle over his knee. “So, Zanders,” he begins. “I can only assume the confidence to stand up to Mom is coming from him.”
“He makes me feel really good, Ryan. He treats me like his first choice every day, and I’ve never had that. He constantly reminds me that I’m…I don’t know…that I’m worthy of being chosen.”
A soft laugh rumbles in his chest. “And here I thought I was going to hate the guy.”
“So, you don’t hate him?”
“How could I? He’s had your back the way I should’ve. I don’t know him, but from what you’ve told me, maybe I had the wrong impression of him all along.”
“You did.” I quickly nod. “Everyone does.”
The buzzer on our door rings as our doorman’s voice wafts through our apartment. “Miss Shay, there’s an Indy in the lobby. Says she’s your friend.”
My brows furrow in confusion. Indy knows I’m spending the weekend with my brother, and she couldn’t wait to get home to Alex. So why the hell is she here?
As soon as she steps off the elevator, it becomes perfectly clear. Her brown eyes are swollen and puffy, steaks of dried mascara decorate her cheeks, and her naturally sun-kissed blonde hair is a tangled mess. She’s not in her uniform, but it’s clear from her face she’s still in last night’s makeup.
“Indy? What’s going on?” I usher her through my door.
“I’m so sorry for interrupting your weekend with your brother,” she cries. “I didn’t know where else to go. My parents are in Florida looking at retirement properties, and I can’t go to my apartment.”
I wrap her up in a hug, her tall and thin frame melting into me. “You don’t need to apologize,” I soothe. “What’s going on?”
She sucks in a few short and broken breaths. “I found Alex with someone else.”
I pull her away from my body. “What?”
She frantically nods. “Last night. When we landed early, I was trying to surprise him, but I found him in bed with someone else.”
“Indy.” My head tilts with sympathy. “I’m so sorry. He’s a piece of shit.”
“I know!” She throws her hands up. “I’ve been so good to him for six years, and we’ve known each other our whole lives. How could he do this to me?”
“Come here.” I usher her to the couch. “Where did you stay last night?”
“In my car,” she whimpers. “I grabbed what I could out of our apartment and drove to my parents’ place before I remembered they were out of town.”
“Oh, Indy.” I run a soothing palm down her arm as she frantically wipes her face, trying to regain her composure.
“Can I stay here?” She sucks in a deep inhale. “Only for the night? Until my parents are back?”
“Of course.” My head darts to my shirtless brother in the kitchen. “Ryan, Indy is going to stay with us for the night.”