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***
I glanced at Chance as we approached the penthouse. As far as I knew, Holden hadn’t filled him in about Reid yet. Once they understood what was happening, they would be supportive, but there were still a ton of unanswered questions.
Chance knocked on the door, and Brynn bounced on her toes, grinning like a little kid. “I’m free for a week.”
“We’ll order anything you want to eat, binge Netflix, talk until the early morning hours.” I grinned at her. “I think we’ll have plenty to chat about.” Like as soon as we walk inside.
Brynn squeezed my upper arm. “I understand what you’re saying, but whenever you’re ready to chat about the time you were gone, I’m here.”
The door swung open, interrupting my response.
“There he is,” Brynn said, smiling warmly.
Zayne remained in the hall with Vaughn as I followed behind Chance, who was blocking my view.
“I’m so glad you’re here with River.” Brynn said, excited.
“Me, too. She’s the only person I know on the outside. I would literally be lost without her,” a deep voice responded.
“Shit,” I muttered, finally able to see everyone. Goddammit, that’s Reid. Where was Holden? At first glance, I’d thought Reid was Holden, too. “Fuck!” Where is my boyfriend? “Babe?” I called out.
Brynn shot me a confused look, then focused on Reid again. “What do you mean on the outside?”
Chance stood next to Brynn and narrowed his gaze at Reid. “You’re acting funny. Is the stress getting to you?”
Reid folded his arms, staring at them. A smile eased across Reid’s gorgeous face. “You think I’m Holden, don’t you?”
“I’m here.” Holden flew out of the bedroom, regret twisting his features. “Shit, I’m sorry. I thought I would be in the living area when you guys arrived.”
Brynn spun around on her heel, gawking at my boyfriend.
Chance rubbed his eyes with his large hands. “I’m exhausted, but I didn’t realize I was hallucinating. There’s two of you?”
Holden approached us. “You’re not trippin’, man.” He grabbed Chance in a hug, then Brynn. “Chance, Brynn, meet my brother, Reid.”
Brynn’s attention bounced from Holden to Reid. “Brother?” she squawked. “Since when do you have a brother? Where did he come from? Where has he been? Can someone please explain to me what in the hell is going on?”
I chewed on my thumbnail, hating that this was how they were meeting Reid for the first time.
“Um.” I squeezed Reid’s arm before I closed the door and locked it. “Reid was in the cell next to mine.” I peeked up at him. “It wasn’t until the day the FBI arrived … well I had no fucking clue that he and Holden were brothers.”
“Not until a few hours ago when we got the DNA tests back,” Holden added. “I didn’t want to say anything until we had the results. Everyone has enough on their plate.”
“Son of a fucking bitch,” Chance placed his hands on his hips. “Do you think he’s the kid in your nightmares and hypnosis?”
“Yeah, unless I’ve got another brother out there. At this rate, it’s probable.” Holden flashed us a sheepish grin. Although I appreciated that he was trying to make light of an intense issue, I understood he was rattled to the depth of his being.
Chance turned to Reid, then grinned. “Well, I have no idea how this all happened, but glad you’re here, man. Welcome to the family.” Chance shook Reid’s hand, breaking the awkward tension in the air.
Brynn assessed the open floor plan, then strolled over and sank onto the Victorian cream sofa. Four additional chairs filled the living area and faced a large flatscreen television that rested on a dark brown entertainment center. The penthouse was beautifully decorated, but I was immediately drawn to the enormous window overlooking downtown Portland.
“You two are twins?” Brynn asked, still gaping at the brothers.
“No, I think I’m a bit older and clearly a little shorter than Holden,” Reid said, finally joining the conversation. He stood next to Holden, allowing everyone to see the height difference.
“Holy shit!” She slipped off her shoes and tucked a leg beneath her. “How?”
Holden sat in a chair and pulled me into his lap. “We’re not sure. I was waiting on the results before I said anything to Mom.”
