Page 31 of Unburied

He offered her a half-hearted smile, and her face fell at his lack of enthusiasm. Vivi closed the door as he stepped inside and shoved his hands into his pockets. “What's on your mind?” he asked.

Vivi fiddled with the hem of her shirt, looking uncomfortable. “Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I just… He’s my brother. I feel like I owe it to him to tell him personally.”

“I hate sneaking around like teenagers.” He sighed. “Why don’t we just tell him?”

Her teeth dug into her bottom lip. “I'll tell him soon, I promise. I just… With everything going on recently, it hasn't felt like the right time.”

He studied her for a moment. “The longer we wait, the harder it will be.”

“I know. But… For as long as I can remember, Knox’s been like a parent to me. Even before our parents passed away, they were never really… active in our lives. I spent time with Knox when I was little, so much so that I hardly remember my mom and dad. He’s all I have left, and I just…”

He could understand that. He even respected her choice. He knew how much Knox cared about her, so he completely understood her need to tell him personally. He also knew that his actions the other night had set them back a few steps, and he hated himself for that. He wanted to show her how much he wanted to be with her, and the best way he knew to do that was to come clean and tell everyone she was his.

“I know, babe. But keeping it a secret is going to make it a thousand times worse. Trust me. He’s gonna flip out if he thinks we’ve been hiding it from him.”

He dropped his hands to his sides. “Just promise me you won't wait too long.”

She shook her head. “I promise.”

He held out a hand to her, and she moved into his arms, automatically tipping her head up for a kiss. He cupped her neck, sliding his thumb under her jaw. “I meant what I said. I won't run out on you again. All I want is a chance to find out where things can go.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Me too.”

Her mouth twisted in consternation, and he pulled her into him. “I can take care of it if you want. Or we can do it together.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I want to tell him myself. He needs to hear it from me.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.” Vivi let out a little sigh as she pressed her face to his chest, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

“For tonight, let’s just forget about everything else.”

Her brown eyes lifted to his, full of heat. “I can do that.”

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

Vivi walked through the lobby of Morningside, lost in thought. She shot a quick smile at the nurse sitting behind the desk before signing in, then turned toward the garden. She drew up short as a person rounded the corner, nearly running into her.

“I’m sorry, I—” She blinked, dumbfounded. “Tyler?”

His expression morphed from embarrassed to surprised, then finally pleased as he recognized her. “Vivi, hey.”

“Hey.” She stared at him for a second, feeling off balance. “What are you doing here?”

He seemed to tense at her question. “Visiting an old family friend. What about you?”

She couldn’t believe he was here. It was more than a little awkward considering their date the other night. She hadn’t had the guts yet to tell him she wasn’t interested in seeing him again. Instead of just biting the bullet and getting it over with, she’d ignored him for the past several days, and now it had finally caught up to her.

“Is everything okay?” Tyler studied her intently, and she realized she hadn’t responded yet.

“I’m sorry, I’m fine.” She waved off his concern. “I just stopped in to see my grandmother.”

“Cool.” He nodded. “How’s she doing?”

“Good days and bad.” She adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “But I hear she’s been making friends, and she seems to be happy overall.”