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I headed for the door, but Greer caught my arm. “Austin. Don’t.”
Whipping around, I looked at my husband, who had obviously been assaulted by my brother. His eyes pleaded with me to let it go, but I wasn’t sure I could.
“He hit you, Greer. And I won’t stand for it, not even from him. If he wants to hit someone, it better goddamn be me.”
I pulled out of his hold and stormed toward the family room, looking for my brother. “Carter! Where the fuck are you?”
Silence filled the room. “He’s gone. I told him to leave.”
I turned to find Greer standing in the doorway across the room, putting more distance between us than I liked. My ire eased off as I stared at him.
“You’re not pissed off at him?”
He took a couple of steps closer, shaking his head. “I don’t blame him for how he reacted. Surprised? Yes. But mad? No. We both love the same thing. I would probably hit him too if he were trying to take you away from me.”
I stared at him, amazed at how differently we perceived things. I was ready to pummel my brother, and he’d already forgiven him.
Running my hands through my hair, I headed for the sofa and my warm beer. Picking it up, I took a long pull, then held the bottle between my fingers.
“I love my brother,” I said quietly, “but I’m not sure I can forgive him for this.”
Greer walked over and sat down beside me, again leaving more space than I liked. He picked up his beer, but held it between his fingers. He rolled the neck of the bottle mindlessly as he stared, unseeing, at the table.
“You have to, sweetheart. I’m sure he feels betrayed. I kept some pretty damning secrets from him.”
I took another sip. “We both did. That’s not yours alone.”
A half smile pulled up the side of his handsome face. “He’s always wanted you back in his life. When you left for the service, he was a mess for a while. Just like me. Except he got to talk to you and see you, while I waited for little bits of information. That’s why I understand how he feels.”
I shifted to look at him. “What do you mean? He told me he was proud of me.”
Greer nodded. “He was. We both were. But that doesn’t mean we weren’t terrified all those years. Watching the news and trying to keep up with where you were while praying you weren’t in harm’s way.”
He paused to take a swallow of his beer, and I waited. I couldn’t stand not touching him, so I reached over and took his hand.
“It was agony, but I found a couple ways to cope. Throwing myself into this new venture here in Portland and exhausting my body until I could sleep. And when I felt unsettled, and the longing got the best of me, I wrote to you.”
I swallowed thickly, trying to remember if I’d received any letters from him. “I didn’t get any mail from you. I would remember.”
Greer smiled weakly, then nodded. “I know, sweetheart. I never sent them.”
I stared at him as more understanding set in. “You didn’t think I’d open them.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “The thought did cross my mind. So I tucked them away, hoping one day I could share them with you. I actually had my lawyer put them in my will in case I never got to explain.”
“Where are they now?”
My heart thundered in my chest as I waited for his response. “In a drawer in our bedroom.”
We both became quiet as I weighed the gravity of what he’d just said. But before I asked to see them, it occurred to me I needed to explain what I’d said earlier, too. “I’m sorry if I hurt you when Carter brought up moving. I just didn’t know what else to do with myself.”
“I know, sweetheart. I could see it all in your eyes and written all over your face. But you have to know there are options if you still want to do that with him.”
Panic began setting in, because it would be just like him to say he’d let me go. But that wasn’t happening. “What do you mean, options? If you think I’d leave you for some fucking hockey venture, you’re wrong. I don’t need fucking hockey or any more fucking money. I just need you. So don’t you even suggest it.”
Greer’s eyes reddened as he smiled at me. “Glad to know you feel that way, sweetheart, but that wasn’t what I was going to say.”
All the tension in my body melted away, and the headache that had tried to form at the base of my skull eased off. Leaning over, I kissed him sweetly.
