are you all in the call?” I asked.
“Because when you messaged me, I messaged the boys to ask if they also heard from you. Something felt off in the message. You weren’t using any emojis but had three exclamation marks,” Josie said.
Ian nodded. “So obviously once we realized you’d messaged all three of us, we thought something big was up.”
“Especially since you didn’t message the group. You only message us individually when you don’t want us to panic,” Dylan added.
My mouth hung open. “Wow.”
“You might be the therapist in the family, but we’re your siblings,” Josie said. She was in a room I recognized as Tess’s bedroom by herself. Ian seemed to be in a dark corner of a restaurant or a coffee shop. There was a chorus of voices in his background. Dylan was in his office. Yet they all called me.
Awww, the sibs loved me so much. This was really cute, and exactly what I needed.
“You’ve been crying,” Josie said in a dismayed voice.
Ian grimaced. “Crap. I don’t know how to deal with tears.”
“Who’s responsible for them? I just need a name,” Dylan said, making me laugh. I knew he wasn’t really joking though.
“It’s been a long day. We had an incident with fans at the hotel,” I began, wondering if I should tell them the whole story. I was 100 percent certain they’d be very worried. I couldn’t keep it from them though. It wasn’t in my nature. I liked to tell them everything and have them poke their noses in my business, giving me their opinion. I tried to downplay the whole thing, making it seem like a minor incident, but as soon as I mentioned the stitches and sprained ankle, they realized what I’d been trying to do.
“How hurt are you?” Dylan asked.
“It’s not bad at all. Look, I’ll show you.” Pushing off my robe, I rearranged the strap of my top so it didn’t cover the shoulder blade and held the camera so they could see it.
“Okay, that isn’t so bad,” Josie agreed.
My brothers said nothing. Yeah, the overprotective gene was strong in the male members of my family.
“You want us to come to the hotel?” Dylan asked.
“No, absolutely not,” I said fiercely. I wasn’t sure it was safe, what with the fans camped out. I focused the camera on my face again, biting my lower lip, unsure how to explain what happened next.
“There’s more,” Dylan said. He leaned back in his office chair, frowning.
“You’re freaking me out lately with your deductive abilities,” Ian said.
Josie said nothing, just watched me intently.
“So... after the doctor left, Brayden started saying things like he shouldn’t have brought me with him on the tour and that this was all going to be too much for me one day. That I’ll feel caged in, and I’ll want to break out and I’ll leave him. Which is absolutely not true. I love him.”
“But you did tell him you didn’t think your lifestyles are compatible at one point,” Josie said slowly. “I don’t think it’s so far-fetched for him to worry about it.”
Dylan was silent for a few beats, but I could tell it was only because he was searching for the right words. “Well, as someone who was dumped by his girlfriend because her feelings for me had changed, I can’t say that I don’t understand his point of view.”
I couldn’t believe he used himself as an example. I knew how difficult it was for him to talk about this. My heart was hurting for my brother.
Ian cocked a brow. “I’m no expert, but you two make no sense. Dylan, this isn’t the same situation. Isabelle was leery in the beginning, but she even told us this isn’t as difficult as she thought. So what’s the problem?”
Dylan laughed. “I wish the world were as black-and-white as you think, brother. Lina—”
“She didn’t break up with you randomly because her feelings changed, okay? Or because of anything you did. She was sleeping with a coworker,” Ian said, throwing a hand in the air.
I gasped, sliding lower on my lounger. Josie covered her mouth. I’d been certain Ian was keeping something to himself when Dylan had opened up during that breakfast, but not something this big.
Ian closed his eyes briefly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blurt that out,” he said.
Dylan was quiet for so long that I could practically feel him raising walls around him.
“How do you know?” Dylan asked eventually.
“Doesn’t matter,” Ian replied, glancing at me in the camera. His gaze moved