Falling For My Brothers Rival

ia's

more than anything else, it wasn

s fre

. I had my own apartment downtown. I was more than capable of taking care of myself. Yet somehow, my older bro

if Mason even reali

he did and simply c

e kitchen counter whi

so

asn't even seve

before

morn

eat bre

e was something almost comfor

morning to

presentation to

d

thing before

erally mak

phi

d don't worry, I ha

ser

ow yo

n, "I'll pick you up

"What? I

to be terrible.

ose. "It takes me fifteen mi

still

ou have

at

drive m

kno

e having this

se I w

on and love that always came tangled together where he

ns to be

on't have to solve every pro

inally, "I'll se

before I coul

a long moment, shaking

am. The man thousands of fans admired. The man sports reporters ca

e was confident, charismati

ply my overprotec

f him. Maybe then they'd understand why I occasionally wan

lors faded with age. Mom stood in the middle with her arms around both of us. Dad smiled beh

last family pict

om a teenager into my guardian. He worked two jobs while finishing school, missing parties, vacations, nearly every normal e

got that. I

erything they did. And sometimes the people who loved you the most were the ones wh

thoughts. I glanced at the

ally cam

ason standing there, two pa

ght bre

eady cal

ought fo

ting despite myself. "You realize no

not n

gument

pulling containers of fresh fruit, yogurt

here are enough calories h

energy. You get nervous

ting where I s

han once. You remember

t comes

omething tighten

ed knee. Every heartbreak. Every tiny disappointment. He carried all of it like it had ha

he or

Then stop treating

the counter. The kit

t trying

nd controlling are

ened. "I don'

self to drive me to work, then walke

ave me

d use it in

s co

a second neither of us

hed, and something in his shoulders sagged, like

romised Mom and Dad I'd always p

idn't fail anyone. Th

to keep this f

ighteen. Yo

tri

ped closer, until we stood only

d less like the fearless captain the whole city knew, an

up everyth

in. And that's

s of it. "But I'm not the little girl

kno

checking on me every hour, or solving ev

keep saying you know. T

and when he finally spoke, his voic

d to you..." His voice caught

holding disappeared at once, repl

ame from fear. Real fear. Fear born from losing everyone he loved on

He hugged me back immediately, tightly, like

you," I

ve yo

to let me live

lightly against my

enough to smile up

of his mouth. "I'll think about it.

ou learned absolutely noth

d you're

here I got

something in me, the same way it

h brea

ng myself, despite Mason's continued protests. He'd eventually surrendered,

, that small, familiar ache of love and exasper