Page 8 of Forever Mine
We’re twins, but I’m not going to pretend to understand what he’s feeling. The pain I’ve been swallowed by for the last year doesn’t compare to his or Ry’s. They’re in love with Liz. Soulmate, forever kind of love. She’s my soulmate, too, but in the way best friends who’ve shared a lifetime together are. Elijah is my forever love, and I let my guilt over what happened to Liz almost destroy us.
“She doesn’t remember us, Jay. Things are clearly screwed-up. We need to find out what happened to her and freaking her out isn’t helping.”
Jay’s jaw locks tight, but he nods.
When we get to the truck, he pops the tailgate down. The bed bounces a few times when he jumps into it and opens the storage box. I take the toolbox from him when he hops down.
“Before we go back up, I want to talk to you.”
“I need to get back to Liz.” The tears return, and he furiously dries them with the hem of his T-shirt. “You don’t understand.”
Hating to see my brother like this, I cuff the back of his neck and touch our foreheads together.
“Then help me understand.”
The blunt nails of his calloused fingers dig into my back when he falls into me. This is not two brothers hugging. This is him seeking safe harbor, trusting me to be the pillar of strength he needs right now.
“The last words I said to her were ‘get out.’ I kicked her out of our house. And for what? For protecting you? For standing by you when you needed someone? For being your friend? What happened to her is my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, Jay.”
Easier said than believed.
He buries his face deep into my neck, his grip on me like a vise, squeezing me until I can barely breathe.
“I didn’t protect her. I wasn’t there to save her.” He collapses to the ground in the middle of the parking lot, a broken man consumed by regret.
I crouch down beside him and rest a hand on his shoulder, needing that connection as much as he does.
“I could have stopped her from driving off. I could have convinced her to stay with us that night. You don’t think that guilt has been eating me every single day? But she’s here now, alive and safe. It’s nothing short of a miracle. So let’s fix her door, eat some pizza, and spend time with our girl.” My voice catches on the last word.
He grasps my proffered hand, and I pull him to stand.
“She looks good, doesn’t she? But what’s with the hair?”
A small smile tugs the corners of my mouth. “I like the pink streaks.”
When he traces his thumb under his chin, only then do I notice the slight redness and swelling.
“She’s got a mean right hook. Clocked me good before you guys showed up. Missed crushing my balls by inches. She’s changed. We have a fighter on our hands.”
She punched him?
“Liz has always been a fighter,” I reply somberly.
Eyes closed, his head tips back to the blue-skied heavens. “How do I get her back, if she doesn’t remember me?”
I give a weak shrug, feeling just as lost as him.
“Come on. Let’s make sure Ry doesn’t order any pizza with pineapple on it.”
By the timeJay and I fix her front door, the pizzas arrive. Liz will need to get maintenance to replace it and check the door jamb fittings. At least it hangs right and closes properly, so she can deadbolt it.
“… and CU allowed me to defer since I was already accepted. So here I am.”
Crammed around the small breakfast nook table, Liz has been answering every question we’ve asked her.
“How long were you in the coma?” Elijah asks, rolling his pizza slice like a burrito and biting it in half.
