Breathless_ Steel Brothers Saga - HELEN HARDT Page 0,27

a onetime deal. I supposed it was up to me to change his mind, but why should it be? I’d already been forward, which was usually out of my comfort zone. Of course, never had I wanted anyone as much as I ached for Bryce Simpson.

Truth be told, I’d been attracted to him since I was a kid. He’d been around all the time, being Joe’s best friend and all, and his blond-haired and blue-eyed handsomeness was such a striking contrast to the dark hair and eyes we Steels possessed.

I finished the eggs and flipped the slices of Canadian bacon. I divided the eggs among three plates and then buttered the slices of whole-grain toast. Then I started another pot of coffee while I waited for the Canadian bacon to finish.

The guys were talking, mostly Joe and Ryan, but every once in a while, Bryce piped in. I went back in time in my mind once more. Bryce used to be nearly as jovial as my brother Ryan. When I was a kid, he was always smiling and laughing. He’d been good for Joe, who was on the quieter side. Though I was too young to remember, apparently Joe had been as boisterous as Bryce before Talon had been taken. Bryce must have done a lot to pull Joe out of his funk during that difficult time. Of course, no one but the family, excluding me, even knew Talon had been taken. Had Joe confided in Bryce? I had no idea. They were as close as two men could be, as close as Jade and I were. I would have told Jade everything, but perhaps male friendships were different.

I’d had my own issues with my brothers over them not telling me about Talon until last year. Sure, they were trying to protect me, but I was far from a shrinking violet. I hoped I’d proved that by now.

I certainly harbored my own guilt. Talon’s abduction had been orchestrated by Ryan’s birth mother, a crazy bitch who’d been obsessed with my father. The reason? Finding out my mother was pregnant with me.

But for me, my brother wouldn’t have gone through hell.

No, I didn’t blame myself, not objectively at least. But I had at first, and I possessed the scars to prove it. Several talks with both Jade and Melanie had helped me see the truth, but still a smidge of guilt remained. It would always be there.

It was a part of me, just like Joe’s guilt would always be a part of him.

I had to learn to live with it. Assisting with Talon’s family was helping. I’d grown to love Dale and Donny, and Jade was my all-time bestie. Plus, I was getting to know my middle brother. He’d always been elusive, having been gone so long with the military. I’d always been closer to Joe and Ryan.

Maybe I’d tell Bryce about my feelings of guilt. If I had the chance, that was. He didn’t seem to want anything to do with me now.

But again, he’d been so vibrant before. Even if Bryce had known about Talon when he was younger, he certainly hadn’t known of his father’s involvement. None of us had.

I finished up the Canadian bacon and slapped it on the full plates. I turned and forced a smile. “It’s ready.” I brought two plates over and set them in front of Joe and Bryce.

Ryan lifted his brow.

“I only have two hands, Ry. Sheesh.” I brought him his plate.

“Just kidding, Sis. But why do those two bozos rate higher than I do?”

“They were closer,” I said, forcing my smile again. “I made another pot of coffee.”

Joe held up his cup. “I’ll take a hot topper.”

Then Bryce stood. “I’ll get the coffee. I’m sure Marj has other things she’d rather be doing than feeding us.”

Ryan laughed. “Are you kidding? She lives to feed people.”

“Right,” I said, again with the forced smile. My brother was teasing, of course, but his words irked me. “Thanks, Bryce. I do have some things to do.” I walked swiftly out of the kitchen.

In truth, I didn’t have much on my plate today, but I relished the chance to escape. With Felicia gone, I was also doing the laundry, but I’d just completed it two days prior. We’d hired the rest of the housework out to a maid service that came once a week, which worked fine for me. I was an atrocious housekeeper.

Since Jade was still at the hospital and the boys were at school,