Page 15 of Wild Heart

“You said it yourself, Coop. You see her like a sister. We’re the only family she’s got. What if I did something about the way I felt about her, and it didn’t work out? How do I take away her family?”

Three sets of concerned and curious eyes were on me. “I think you know all of us better than that.”

I did.

Of course, I did.

“So, you’re admitting you’re just as into her as she is into you?” Wyatt pressed.

I dipped my chin.

“And you’re avoiding doing anything about it, because you’re afraid things could go south between the two of you and result in the rest of us suddenly hating her?”

When he put it like that, it sounded absurd.

Because it was absurd. They’d never do that, not without some justifiable cause, and even then, I wasn’t sure they’d ever write her off completely. That just wasn’t how this family operated.

The reality was that I was doing anything I could to avoid giving them the full truth. While there was a part of me that worried about Ava’s family situation when it came to us having a romantic relationship, it wasn’t the only thing holding me back. In fact, it was only a very small part of the reason I hesitated to do anything with her.

“She’s been gone for more than a year,” I declared.

I thought that would explain it all. I believed it told my brothers precisely what the problem was. But when all I received in return was a bunch of blank stares, I realized it might not have been so clear.

“We understand that, but what does that have to do with anything?” Cooper questioned me.

I raised a curious brow, sending him a look of disbelief. “Are you telling me that if Skye traveled for her job and was away for periods of time like that, you’d be completely fine?”

Understanding seemed to dawn in his expression.

Shifting my focus to Wyatt, I pressed, “And what about you? You’re getting married in a week. If Rhea’s work led to her being away for months at a time, how long do you think your relationship would last?”

Neither Cooper nor Wyatt said anything.

Liam had decided that today was the day he intended to not remain silent. “Have you told her this?”

I shook my head.

“Why not?”

My brows drew together, unsure why he didn’t seem to understand this. “I’m not going to be the reason she gives up her career. She’s dreamed of doing what she’s doing for so long.”

“Maybe she wants something else even more,” he reasoned, lifting his shoulder in a half shrug. “I don’t know. She might hold on to that, because it’s all she has.”

“She loves dance. She loves to perform.”

“And I’m saying that if a person doesn’t know that there’s a problem, there isn’t anything he or she can do to change the situation,” he fired back.

“Are you telling me you don’t see my side on this?”

“I’m telling you that I can sympathize with her.” He held my stare for a beat before he added, “You’re being unfair to her by not giving her the chance to fix something she isn’t even aware is a problem. So, she’ll just go around believing you didn’t feel a thing for her, when the reality is that she’s probably willing to do anything, even give up the so-called dream career, for a future with you. Because that is the real dream for her.” Liam swore as he stood, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I need a minute.”

As my youngest brother stalked off, I couldn’t ignore the burn in my lungs. For years I’d stopped myself from pursuing Ava the way I wanted, the way we both wanted, because after everything she’d been through, I didn’t want her to have to give up something she worked so hard for.

Maybe it was selfish of me, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to be with her and have her gone for months at a time. That wasn’t a relationship to me.

But this wasn’t working for me, either. I’d buried myself in work, because I had nothing. Not a flirty text or a quick callfrom her. I didn’t even get the usual playfulness she would have normally given me when she returned for her short Christmas break.

She’d gone no contact.