Too Strong: Hayes Brothers Book 4

FIVE DAYS. Five whole days and nothing.

Not one message. Not one phone call.

I’m tossing and turning in bed, my face smothered by the pillow that no longer smells like Vivienne. I’m starting to wonder if maybe I dreamt the whole thing.

Maybe she never really existed.

Maybe I made her up.

Maybe it was all a fucking dream.

I groan, tugging my earphones out. Music helped at first, both to pass the time and refocus my mind, but it’s not fucking working anymore. I’ve been listening to AC/DC for hours but can’t recall a single word. I tuned it out, my screaming mind louder than Angus Young at full tilt.

Sitting up, I flick the nightlight on, rubbing my stinging eyes. I’m sleep deprived. Coming up with the most ridiculous ideas.

Vee’s not a dream. She’s real. Every last, perfect, smooth inch of her is real, as are the moments we spent together.

I squeeze the back of my neck hard. The clock on the nightstand shows a quarter past midnight. I’ve been in bed since seven and slept zero minutes.

No wonder I’m losing my fucking mind.

The idea of getting wasted seems tempting. At least when I got drunk the other night, I passed out instead of laying awake, glowering at the ceiling, my mind going a million miles an hour.

Not one explanation I’ve come up with thus far is plausible. Not one problem I conjure good enough to destroy what Vee and I had.

Have.

She’s still mine.

I’m not letting her go.

She’s done with you, my mind screams, almost drowning out the she needs more time, my heart coos.

How much more time, though?

It’s been a week. I can’t fucking stand this. I want her here. I want to see her, kiss her, and watch her fall asleep cuddled into me. Watch her smile.

I get up, padding across the room toward the balcony door. The house is silent. No wonder… it’s the middle of the night. New Year’s Eve already. I’ve got less than twenty-four hours to win Vee back if I don’t want to start next year without her.

Looking out the window, I stare at my car. I could drive to the trailer park. See her in less than twenty minutes.

But it’s the middle of the fucking night, and if her dad spots me, he could make good on his threat and put a bullet between my eyes. Doubtful, but can’t rule it out.

I grab my phone from the side table, scrolling through my contacts to Little Bee.

Fuck space.

This has gone on long enough.

I swipe the screen, watching her name appear in the middle. A jolt of relief and excitement hits me at once. I’ve missed her so much that the thought of hearing her voice lifts my mood in a flash.

“We’re sorry, but you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service.”

Excitement hisses out, replaced quickly by a sense of dread. My heart ups the rhythm, galloping against my ribs as the operator’s words sink.

She changed her number.

For days, I was convinced she needed time to arrange her thoughts. That the only reason she started to doubt us again was the argument with her dad. That she’d come to her fucking senses and realize no one can dictate her life.

Now the doubt creeps in.

What if this has nothing to do with her father’s disapproval, and something else changed her mind about us?

A knock on my door has me almost jumping out of my skin. It’s not soft like you’d expect a knock to be in the middle of the night. No, this is a bang. Loud, urgent.

“Conor! Get up!” Colt yells, apparently not giving a damn that he’ll wake Cody.

Nico and Mia are hidden away one floor up, the entire space soundproof, so there’s no need to worry about waking them, but Cody’s grumpy if you pull him out of bed when he’s not ready.

My brows furrow as I cross the room, yanking the door open just as Colt grabs the handle to do the same.

“Vivienne’s here,” he says, looking like he was actually pulled out of bed, his hair disheveled, t-shirt creased.

“Vee?” I’m struggling to catch up. I just called her… now she’s here? When did she get here? Why is she—

Why does any of that matter?

She’s here.

I shoulder past my brother without a word or a backward glance as I race down the stairs, my heart pelting faster than my legs. It’s not until I’m halfway there that I hear Cody.

“We need to get you into some dry clothes. You’re shaking.”

I enter the kitchen, ready to fucking burst when my eyes land on her pretty, teary face. Her lips are a ghastly shade of blue, and she’s trembling all over, clothes saturated, skin pallid.

She looks up, either hearing me approach or seeing movement from the corner of her eyes, and the tears spring free.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, twitching to get up. “I’m so sorry.”

I don’t stop.

I get to her before she gets one foot to the floor. My fingers disappear in her wet hair, and my lips come down on hers, the words unnecessary.

She’s here. Mine.

“I love you,” she whispers in my mouth, then inches away, cupping my face like she wants to make sure I’m paying attention. “I love you, and I missed you so much.” She kisses me again, pouring her all into one desperate kiss.

“I missed you too, baby. I—”

She presses her frozen, quivering finger to my lips. “I’m not done talking. I know I hurt you. Everything I said… wasn’t true. I swear, I didn’t cheat. I’d never do that to you.”

I cuff her wrist, peeling her hand off my face. “I know. Now stop for a minute. You’re soaked through, Vee.”

She shakes her head so hard her wet hair whips cool droplets everywhere. “Let me explain. Please, it’ll all make sense if you let me explain. I—” She tries to stand, but her legs give in.

“Stop,” I say again, slipping my hand around her back to keep her steady. “How did you get here? Where’s your car?”

“I think she ran,” Cody supplies. “She couldn’t catch a breath when I opened the door. You should get her showered and into dry clothes, bro.”

“No,” Vee stomps her foot, bracing against my chest to push me away. She’s so weak I hardly feel her efforts. “Let me speak. It’s important.”

“You’re wet, cold, and pale, baby. I’m not going anywhere, okay? I know you didn’t cheat. I told you I didn’t believe a word you said. You can tell me once you’re in dry clothes.”

“We’re family!” she yells, her newfound strength pushing me away with both hands, her eyes aflame, starkly contrasting her ashen skin. She grips the counter like she doesn’t trust her legs to do their job. “Have I got your attention now?”

“I think she’s running a fever,” Cody mutters. “She’s delusional, Conor.”

“I don’t have a fever and I’m not delusional!”

“Here,” Colt says, stopping beside me holding sweatpants and a hoodie out to Vee. “Put this on, and then you can talk.”

Her eyes gape in horror. Lips fall open. “Why aren’t you reacting?! I just told you we’re related!”

“There’s no way in fucking heaven or hell that we’re related,” Cody clips, his patience wearing off. “That’d mean one of our parents cheated, and that’s not an option, Vivienne. You’re walking a fine line right now, so you better think through what you’re about to say.”

“Watch your fucking mouth,” I snap, turning to him, my chest heaving as I shove him back a step. “Don’t ever threaten her again.” Snatching the clothes from Colt, I rein in the unexpected torrent of rage that’s pushing me to break Cody’s nose. “Wait in the living room. Both of you.”

They leave us alone, whispering between themselves on their way out, and I turn back to Vee. She’s holding onto the counter with one hand, the other grasping the glass of water.

“I’m sorry,” she says, her eyes wet again. “I didn’t mean to say it like that. I just had to make you listen.”

A heavy weight settles in my gut because the fire in her eyes morphed into uncertainty and fear, like she’s second-guessing whether telling us what she knows is a good idea.

“C’mon, you need to change,” I say, helping her out of the wet clothes, then into the sweatpants and hoodie.

Given the circumstances, the sight of her body dressed in just black panties and a bra shouldn’t make my dick stiff, but I’m a red-blooded man. I’ve got no control around this girl, especially after almost a week of celibacy.

I itch to kiss her, taste her again, touch her… anything. Even a peck on her forehead, but what she said comes back like the kickback of a gun, stopping me before I move in.

We’re family.

It doesn’t make fucking sense, but Vee never gave me reason to doubt her. A part of me is generating ideas how that could be possible, while the other begs for an explanation that doesn’t mean I fell in love with a girl I’m related to.

“I promise that this…” She points between us, “…isn’t wrong in any way.” She takes a step closer, no longer as shaky, no longer swaying on her feet. Even her lips are growing pinker.

“I think it’s fair my brothers hear this, too.”

She nods, sucking her bottom lip to bite hard. With a deep breath, she follows me into the living room, her steps cautious, a little wobbly.

“Last week, after I went home, I told my dad about us,” she starts, once she’s sitting in the corner of the sofa picking her nails. “He wasn’t happy. He told me I had to break up with you, that we couldn’t date. I always knew he didn’t like your family, but I never understood why. Rose was there, and her mom, Rebecca. She kept telling my dad not to say anything, that he’d regret it… She almost begged, but I said I won’t leave you and—”

The end of the sentence falls off the edge of a cliff, Vee’s voice cracking like eggshells. Using the back of her hand, she wipes her eyes, driving me up the wall.

Every muscle in my body tenses painfully. I fucking hate seeing her like this. I hate when she cries. My immediate reaction is to grab her, wrap her in my arms and hold her until she calms down, but the heavy aura stops me moving.

“He said that line… while you live under my roof,” Vee says, a scoff slipping past her lips. “So I told him I’ll move out. I was going to pack my bags, but he flipped everything on its head when he said that…” She peers up, a lone tear suspended from the tip of her nose, “…he said I’m your sister.”

I know that’s not true, but the words steal my breath anyway. Steal my ability to verbalize my thoughts while my head floods with visions.

Every time we kissed, touched, fucked… the thrill that burst in my chest when I watched her come undone. The emotions she awoke and the feelings that were born the day I first saw her.

She can’t be my sister. It’s… no. Just no.

“You’re not our sister,” Cody seethes, his temper rearing its ugly head. He’s usually good at keeping himself checked, but when life gets too much, he’s leaking gas and only needs a spark to fucking flame on. “No way.”

“Let her finish,” Colt snaps, his jaw ticking, eyes never veering from Vivienne. “Keep going.”

She straightens in her seat, wiping her eyes again. “I don’t remember much after that. I think I was in shock. I thought I drove myself to Abby’s, but she told me the next day my dad took me there. My mind was going so fast, question after question, no answers, just guesses.”

“What kind of guesses? How the fuck did you validate that idea?” Cody snaps once more, dangerously close to forcing my hand, so a gentle reminder to zip it is in order.

“Snap at her again, and you’ll be explaining the blood stains on her favorite rug to Mia.” Brother or not, I will shut him up with my fist if he doesn’t stop barking at my girl.

“How can you just sit here like that?” He jumps to his feet, pacing the room. “This is fucking ridiculous, Conor. She’s lying.”

“I’m not lying,” Vee whispers, tearing her cuticles off. “I stayed up all night, thinking, and it made sense after a while. My mother died when I was little. My dad hates your family… I thought maybe he was in love with your mom, maybe they had an affair, and I was an accident she didn’t want.”

“You thought our mother was your mother?” Colt asks, his tone controlled, even a little sympathetic. “Vivienne, you’re only two months younger than us.”

“I know. I know that now, but when it was all happening, I didn’t think about that. There were so many other questions and so much chaos in my head… My doctor changed my meds not long ago, but they weren’t working. I thought it was taking longer to adjust, but they weren’t working at all.” She looks up, pinching her lips like she’s about to break down. “I saw him a couple of days ago, I’ve got new meds again. I should be getting back on track soon.”

“Meds?” Cody asks, taking a seat at the far end of the sofa, his tone softening. “For ADHD? I didn’t know there were meds for that.”

“Not to cure, just to manage,” she explains, tapping the side of her head. “I’ve got it mild. It mostly affects my processing speed.”

“Why didn’t you tell me what your father said when I came to Abby’s? I would’ve told you it’s not possible.”

“I didn’t want to drop a bomb like this on you. We’ve…” She swallows, making room for words. “We’ve done things no brother and sister should, Conor. At least if you didn’t know why I left, you wouldn’t feel as bad as I did.”

Both my brothers scoff in sync. “He didn’t think he banged his sister, I’ll give you that, but there was nothing good about how he felt, Vivienne.”

She looks at me again. “I’m sorry. I tried not to hurt you. Breaking up is one thing, but finding out your family’s bigger than you thought is something else. I thought your mom gave me up. She couldn’t have hidden a pregnancy for nine months, so your father had to know, too.”

“Wow,” Cody huffs. “You really did think it through, didn’t you?” He rests his back against the couch, knotting his fingers on his head. “Okay, keep going because this can’t be over. You found out our mom’s not yours before you came here tonight, right?”

“I’m not your sister,” she firmly states. “We’re not related by blood in any way, but… you do have a sister.”