I said softly.
My brother let out a heavy breath of air and then I heard him get up. The mere fact that he couldn’t sit still was further proof of how upset he was.
“A year, Lex,” he murmured. “A whole fucking year without seeing you and then months of silence.”
I tracked his voice and knew he was somewhere near the window. I climbed to my feet and did my best to move closer to him.
“You’re the last image I have, Con,” I admitted.
There was a long silence before Con asked, “What do you mean?”
“You came to see me right before my birthday last year. Do you remember?”
Another beat of silence, then a soft curse which I assumed went with the head nod he’d probably done but that I could no longer see. I almost smiled because it was something Gideon had done when we’d first met, though I doubted he’d realized it. Con was in that same place now where he had to remind himself not to respond with just visual cues.
“Yeah, I remember,” he said.
I stepped closer to him because I needed his strength. I was no longer ashamed about needing to lean on others when things just felt too difficult to bear on my own.
“I keep thinking back to the last thing I really saw clearly before that day when I woke up and everything was just a blur. It was you,” I whispered. “It was you smiling as you said good night to me and sang me yet another round of ‘Happy Birthday.’” My throat closed up as I added, “That was such a great night, Con. Of all the things you’ve given me, I think that’s the one I’m most grateful for.”
I heard my brother shuffle a bit, then his hand was affectionately cupping my cheek. “Lex,” he said gently, then he pulled me forward and wrapped his arms around me.
I choked back a sob as he hugged me.
Really hugged me.
It wasn’t the stiff embrace he’d given me the day before when Gideon and I had been leaving Luca’s house.
It was a genuine all-in Con hug.
“I couldn’t lose that memory, Con. I couldn’t risk it. All those tests and procedures that you would have had to watch fail right alongside me…” I shook my head emphatically because even now, the idea of it threatened to tear away the image of Con’s wide smile and little laugh lines as his eyes danced with mirth.
“It’s okay, little brother. You’re not going to lose it. Even if I have to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you every time we talk, that fucker is staying put in that genius mind of yours, do you hear me?”
I laughed because it was such a Con thing to say.
I nodded against his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I croaked.
Con shook his head against me. “No,” he said firmly. Then he was pulling back and grasping my upper arms. There was no doubt in my mind that he was looking me right in the eye. “You never have to say those words to me, Lex. Especially not when I’m being a stubborn son of a bitch.”
I laughed and said, “Promise me you won’t ever stop being that guy, Con. He saved my life… he saved a lot of lives.”
More silence, then I was back in my brother’s arms. His hold was fierce as he whispered, “Never.”
Con held me for a lot longer than he probably needed to, but I was glad for it. When he did release me, he took my hand and led me back to the seating area and this time when we sat, I could tell he was close because his knee occasionally brushed mine.
“So, tell me about this man of yours,” Con said. “Leave it to my little brother to snag himself a hottie in the middle of the woods in Nowhere, Maine.”
I rolled my eyes but not because of my brother’s comment about my fiancé’s hotness level. “Oh please, we both know you’ve already had him checked out. Between you and King, you probably know more about him than I do.”
My brother was silent a moment and I knew why.
I sighed because I hated the fact that I’d already brought my brother down again, but it was a topic we needed to deal with. The tension between King and Con had been like a living, breathing thing the day before. I hadn’t needed to be able to see to know that. Gideon had filled in the blanks for me about some of