Page 90 of Paper Horses

“Are you crying?” Gabe sounded stunned, his tone layered with concern. “Liv, did something happen?”

“No, hush for a second and let me get this out.” I lifted my head and rested it against the back of the chair, staring at the wooden beams that crossed over the ceiling. “I love you. I can’t imagine having anyone else as my brother. I’m proud of you and who you are. I’m happy that you found Tori again and that you have Reid, even if he is a rugrat.”

He chuckled, but I could hear the emotion in it. My brother may have been hard and demanding in the business world, tough enough to take my father’s beatings, turn around, and cut him down, but he was a gentle soul. One who had found his match in Tori.

“Wow.” I could hear the creak of his chair as he sat back in it. “What have you done with my sister?”

I sniffed, hating that I was crying again.

“I love you, too, Liv. I know you don’t say it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know that you love me. Every once in a while, your evil bitch façade slips, and you show me.”

“You’re an ass.”

“And you’re getting soft.”

Wiping my cheek, I said, “I know. It’s a bad thing.”

“Seriously? You can’t continue to live like you do. That’s the bad thing. It’s fine to be the cold, calculating businesswoman at work, but you’re stiff and unapproachable all the time. And you hate it. I know you well enough to see that.”

“It’s who I am.”

“It’s who our father wanted you to be.”

His words were like a punch in the gut, and I held my stomach as the truth swirled in it.

“We are our father’s children, Liv. Both of us have too much of him in us, but we also have parts of our mother, and she would want you to be happy again. To live again.”

“Like you are.”

“Yes, and I can tell you, it’s the most amazing feeling in the world.”

I thought of Hudson and how happy and free I was with him. “I know.”

Silence lingered for a moment before he asked, “Does that mean Tori’s plan worked?”

“Damn her, I knew she was behind this. I’m taking all the cat socks back.”

A laugh that was light and brought a smile to my face came through the phone.

“I saw the sales listing,” he said, “and when I saw the name, I brought the idea to her.”

“Meddler.”

“It worked, right?”

“Yes…no…I don’t know. There’s a lot of distance between our lives, Gabe.”

“I’ve seen you rip a designer bag from another woman’s hands because you wanted it. I have no doubt you’ll figure this out. Shoot, I’ve gotta take this call. I’m happy for you, Liv. Remember, you deserve this.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

He said a quick goodbye, and I dropped the phone onto the table. My head seemed lighter, my shoulders less tense, the knots in my gut less tangled. I knew Gabe and I wouldn’t be the kind of siblings to say I love you often, but we’d said it, and something about that act made everything else all right.

I was still smiling when Hudson came into the house.

“Damn, you look pretty sitting at my table like that.”

“So, laptops and spreadsheets are a turn-on I need to keep in mind?” I asked without looking up from the screen.