Brothers of Paradise Series

But I’m not her boyfriend either. I watch as Mario gets eaten by a flesh-eating flower on screen and fully empathize.

Several hours later-and a couple of more six-packs-and we lost Henry. He mentioned an early morning and something about a remote conference call.

I glance over at Parker. He’s fallen asleep, one hand still on his remote control. Never one to give up on victory.

“In it to the end, huh?”

Rhys rolls his eyes. “He’s got pride, I’ll give him that.”

“Too much, sometimes”

I stand and stretch from side to side, my body aching. The morning runs are good for me, but maybe I’ve overdone it lately.

Rhys shuts off the video game and the screen goes dark.

“Keep an eye on him, will you?”

I look over at him. Rhys is tall now, the tallest of all the brothers, and just as unpredictable as always. “On Parker?”

“Yes. He’s impulsive. You know that.” Rhys glances over at his bedroom door, shut now to avoid bothering the rest of the family. “And Lily. Especially Lily.”

I meet his gaze head-on and want to sink through the floor. If only he knew just how much I kept an eye on her. He’d never invite me into their house again.

“Sure.”

“Thanks, man.”

I nod goodbye and leave him to deal with his dozing brother. The house is dark and silent, but I know it by heart. I’d snuck out of the Marchands’ house enough times by now to know which floorboards to avoid.

Stopping by the closed door to Lily’s room is habit. I’d been inside plenty of times, but never in the dead of night. And never when she was in bed.

Her room isn’t quiet. I can hear the sound of faint crying.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Hell. She wanted to be left alone. Of course that’s what she wanted. Lily doesn’t break down in front of other people-we all know that. Rhys should have forced her out to be with us. Their teasing would have made her feel better.

I pause with my hand on the doorknob.

I shouldn’t enter-I know I shouldn’t-but walking away from Lily in pain feels like an impossibility. If the roles were reversed, she would never have left me alone.

I turn the knob. Her room is softly lit by the fairy lights she’s draped around her bed. I can faintly make her out, lying on her side, dark hair splayed across her pillow.

“Lily?”

The sound of her tears stops, but not without effort. “Hayden?”

“Yeah.”

The sheets pool around her as she sits up. Her hair is a stark contrast against the white of her tank top. For a moment, she just stares at me in the darkness. The tear tracks on her cheeks break me.

“You shouldn’t be alone.”

She scoots over and folds the covers back. It’s not what I had in mind, but… hell. It’s undoubtedly a solution.

“Lily…”

She swallows hard, but doesn’t say anything, just looks at me. My heart breaks a little, seeing her so sad. The need coming from her is palpable. She didn’t want to be alone, either.

I kick off my sneakers and pull off my sweatshirt. Dressed in just my T-shirt and jeans, I slip into her queen-sized bed.

“You okay?”

Lily turns to me. With the soft glow from her fairy lights, her face looks magical. Familiar and achingly new at the same time. Her long eyelashes cast shadows down her cheeks.

“No.”

I smooth her hair back. “I’m sorry. So sorry, Lils.”

“I know.”

We just look at each other for a long moment before I stretch my arm out. She curls closer, placing her head on my chest. I can feel her breathing, the soft movements of her body tucked against mine. I’ve never held her like this before.

“Don’t cry,” I whisper. “Everything will be all right.”

“I forgot,” she murmurs, turning up to face me. I’ve never seen her so unguarded before-and never this close.

“Forgot what?”

She closes her eyes. “I hurt when you’re in pain. I forgot that it goes the other way, too.”

I run a hand over her long, silken hair and feel the soft rise and fall of her breath. Oh, Lily. If only I could stay here forever, holding her in my arms and dreaming of a world where we had a future.

It took a while, but eventually she fell into a restless slumber. I followed suit soon thereafter, letting her deep breathing drag me down. It was the first night we fell asleep together, in her bed in the Marchand house in Paradise Shores, but it wouldn’t be the last.

Lily

The present

I pull the blinds in my living room and refuse to look at my front yard. Instead, I get ready in aggressive, fast movements. I shower with too hot water and use too much eyeliner.

“It’s going to be fine, Lily,” I tell myself firmly. A casual date with Turner, someone I have fun with at work. My brothers’ best friend and someone I’ve known for years. A party during the middle of the day, in my hometown, with family all around. There’s literally nothing that could go wrong.

Except everything.

Why had he come back and sent my entire world back into uncertainty? The butterflies in my stomach feel unworthy of the woman I am now. I’m twenty-eight, for Christ’s sake, not a girl of eighteen with a childhood crush.

When I dare to peek from behind my curtains, Hayden is gone. The gate is fixed, though. He’s even cleared the path of fallen leaves. The man is a complete mystery to me.

I look at myself in my floor-length mirror before I leave. A white dress with a boat-neck neckline hugs my chest, narrowing at my waist before billowing out in a flattering A-line skirt. My hair is long and loose, curled lightly at the ends. I’m wearing my favorite pair of Tommy Hilfiger wedges. A bag is slung over my shoulder, made out of woven straw and leather straps. I’d bought it in the south of France as a teenager, and it’s still my favorite summer bag.