Page 98 of Came the Closest
Despite myself, I smile. Indi masks her distaste for Warren’s endearment of choice behind a sad smile. The muscle pull of smiling feels foreign, even though it’s only been hours since I was laughing. Since Justin, Beau, and I were walking around the gallery, cracking ourselves up by trying to determine what some of the art pieces were supposed to resemble.
Indi lifts a black duffel bag. “I feel like I looked super sketchy carrying this in, but I promise it’s just a change of clothes for Chey. Well,” she amends. “A couple changes. In case you didn’t like one, and—well, yeah. You get the point.”
My sister has never rambled in the ten months I’ve known her. It hits me when she does so now that all she wants is to be accepted. The way I grew up and the way she grew up was vastly different, but at the end of the day, she’s my sister.
Cheyenne doesn’t say anything. She gets up and wordlessly hugs Indi. I think the tight embrace communicates more than words ever could.
Indi leans around Cheyenne to look at me. “Also, Milo’s downstairs with Jordan to see you.”
I glance around. “Me?”
“No,” she says dryly. “The other Colton sitting behind you.”
There’s the sister I know and love. I laugh softly when she shakes her head, and I take the elevator to the main level. It smells like greasy fast food. My stomach rumbles. The hors d’oeuvres from the gallery were digested long ago.
Jordan and Milo are waiting in the lobby when I emerge from the hallway, and I pause before they see me. They sit side by side in chairs, my older brother’s tennis-shoes clad feet planted firmly on the ground and my younger brother’s sandal-clad feet dangling above it. Milo explains something in great detail and Jordan listens intently.
I smile. Jordan can pretend he doesn’t care about Milo and Indi all he wants to. But if it were true, he wouldn’t be here right now.
I exaggerate my steps so they’ll hear me, and Milo jumps out of his chair. A soft oof falls from my lips as he crashes into my legs. His arms wrap around my thighs, and he tips his head back, a big grin dimpling his face. There’s a smear on his left cheek that looks suspiciously like chocolate.
“Hey there, Captain,” I say.
“Did Annie have her show?” he asks.
“She did,” I tell him, gently disentangling his arms so I can pick him up. “And guess what?”
“What?”
I drop my voice to a whisper and wiggle my fingers. “She told me that, after we were home, the Tickle Monster was supposed to make an appearance.”
Milo shrieks and writhes against me. “No! We’re not home!”
Jordan lifts a brow. “He has a point.”
“Yeah,” Milo exclaims, “he has a point!”
I poke him playfully in the belly. “You’re the one who has the point, silly.”
He narrows his eyes and plants his hands on my cheeks, squishing my face until my lips resemble a fish. “Where’s Annie? Inni helped me make her a rock so I gots to give it to her!”
My gaze meets Jordan’s briefly over Milo’s head, and I clear my throat before answering. “Well, buddy, she’s got to be with her family right now.”
He frowns. “Why?”
“Because her dad—”
“The coma one?”
I dip my chin. “Yes, the coma one. They need to be with him right now. But,” I add, “I promise that you’ll get to see her soon. No one makes Lucky Rocks as cool as yours, so she’s going to be super excited that you made her one.”
He looks unconvinced. His lips curl and his nose wrinkles, and he eyes me with open skepticism. I look to Jordan helplessly but he only shrugs. I know I should say something to Milo, something that will distract him from not seeing Cheyenne.
Problem is, I also want to see her.
Milo gasps. “Annie!”
His knee connects with my abdomen as he wiggles down. I suppress a groan, turning to look over my shoulder. Cheyenne crosses the lobby, changed into a pair of flannel shorts and a Lake Romance Readers Club t-shirt from Ember’s book shop. She steals my breath now just as effectively as when she came downstairs wearing the blue satin dress that hugged every last curve.