Secrets & Lies

13| Sibling Rivalry

It was nearly eight in the morning by the time I snuck back into the lake house. I was lucky that everyone was still asleep. When I woke up in Grant's arms this morning, I couldn't get over how incredibly good it felt. He convinced me to stay for breakfast and we ordered some waffles and eggs from room service. Then we took a shower together which was...refreshing. He and I had showered before, but this—like a lot of things recently—felt different. 

Leaving the hotel was a different story. It was hard to say goodbye to him. That wasn't something new, though. It had always been hard. I promised him I would call him later and I wasn't going to blow it like the night I talked to my dad and got hammered. After the amazing night we had, going M.I.A. wasn't the best move. Not that I wanted to ghost him. What I wanted to do was go back to that hotel and crawl into bed with him. Hell, I wanted to binge on The Walking Dead with him. But I couldn't. 

Instead, I was walking down the long staircase to meet Amelia and Wyatt for brunch. 

"Hey, babe." I kissed Amelia on the cheek and sat in the empty chair next to her. 

"Hey. How was your night with your friends?" 

I reached for the pancakes, unable to make eye contact with her. "It was good. We hung out at Jack's and played some pool. It's been awhile since I've seen them, so it was great to catch up." 

I spread some butter on my pancakes before I poured the syrup over it. "How about you? How was your night?"

She reached for the orange juice and filled her glass. She didn't make eye contact with me either. Was she pissed at me for being out all night? Maybe she went into my room and noticed I was gone. Fuck. I hoped not. 

"It was good," she finally answered. "I hung out with Wyatt mostly." 

I nodded. "That's good. I'm glad you guys get along so well." I took a few bites of my pancakes before I brought up the other issue. "So, you know about the bonfire?"

She sipped her juice and glanced in my direction awkwardly. You could slice through the tension with a knife. "Yeah. Your mom told me. It sounds like fun." 

Fun? But I thought that..."You know it's a party, right? There'll be family and friends there." 

I could see the tenseness in her expression. "I know. I'll be okay."

"Good morning, guys," Wyatt drawled as he came and sat across from us. "How is everyone?" 

"Good," Amelia and I answered at the same time. 

My brother looked from me to Amelia. "You guys seem tense."

"Didn't sleep well," I mumbled before I took a bite of my eggs. 

Wyatt grabbed some French toast and fruit before he smirked at me. "Too much to drink last night, bro?" 

If I didn't know better, I would say my brother was suspicious of my extracurricular activities last night. But there was no way he could know. He barely even knew Grant and he had no idea that he was in town. 

"Yeah," I answered. "A little too much bourbon." 

Fuck. Was I ever going to stop lying to everyone? It was my fault. I knew that. But it almost felt like tug-of-war. I was being pulled in two different directions. Amelia was on one side...and Grant was on the other. There were a few moments I caught myself leaning more in his direction. What would happen if that rope snapped and I fell to his side? To him. For him. 

There was a time I remembered all too well where I admitted to myself that I felt more for Grant Matthews than physical attraction or lust. I said the words to myself—in my head. But since then, especially as my bride-to-be sat next to me, I haven't allowed myself to think about it.