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“You sound very confident.”
“Because I am.”
“Good. My brother wouldn’t accept that type of behavior.” He tossed his chin over his shoulder since the stairs were at his back.
“And you do?”
“I’m working on it.”
“Speaking of, do you know where your brother is?”
“No, I haven’t seen him since this morning.”
“He’s not here?”
“No, not that I know of. Did you call him?”
“I did. He didn’t answer.” My shoulders tensed which I didn’t hide very well because Ez stepped closer looking concerned.
“The other night, when he didn’t come home until late, did he tell you why?”
“He did. Said he needed to clear his head and went for a drive up the mountain on his bike.”
“And you believe him?”
“Should I not?”
“No, you should. It’s what he told me.”
“And you believe him?”
“Yes, I do. He’s adjusting. Elias is good at self-managing when things get too stressful. He knows what he needs. You can trust that he will do what’s required to stay level.”
Level.
“He mentioned the disruptions to his routine. I’m sure all of this has been stressful. Our marriage, me moving in here, and the simple task of figuring stuff out with us.”
Ez adjusted his stance, lowering his chin. “Trust him to do what he needs to and if you ever get concerned about him, you can come to me.”
I drew back, shaking my head.
“I trust him and I need him to trust me.”
“Doing what’s right for my brother is not betraying his trust, Cress. Always remember that. He will never hold that against you.”
I nodded.
“I’ll come to you if I think it’s necessary.”
“Good.” He offered a smile. “I love my brother. My parents might not have been good for or to him but that’s not the case with me. I see him. I always have. I believe you see him too and I appreciate that. So does he.”
I returned a smile. “I do.”
Ez offered a nod and walked away but his acceptance and trust that his brother was safe with me lingered.
TWENTY-FIVE
elias
