Comeback (The Holland Brothers Book 3)

“Can I get you anything?” I ask Sabrina as I stand in the doorway of her bedroom.

She’s propped up on the bed with pillows behind her back. Her mouth curves into a soft smile as she looks at me.

“No, I’ll be okay.” Her eyes flutter closed, and I can see her chest rise and fall as she focuses on her breathing.

The run-in with Graham has her asthma flaring up. One more reason to fucking hate that guy.

“Rest,” I tell her. “I’ll order food, and we can chill tonight.”

Her eyes open and she shakes her head. She sits up. “I’m babysitting Greer tonight. Olivia has an event at the bookstore she can’t miss.” The stubbornness in her tone tells me that she’s not going to abandon her friend when she needs her.

But she’s in no shape to watch Greer.

“Can’t someone else help?”

“Olivia is really picky about who she lets watch her.”

I nod, remembering how protective Knox was over us when we were little. I can’t remember a single time someone other than my mom or my brothers looked out for me or Flynn.

“What if I watch her?” I ask.

I’m not sure Olivia trusts me, but I think I can manage dressing up like a princess and reading a dozen or so books. My throat tightens at the thought.

“You’re sweet, but I can manage.”

Stubborn, beautiful woman.

I move to the side of her bed and sit beside her. “Okay, but how about you have Olivia drop her here and that way I can help out if you need it.”

“I know what you’re doing.” Her lips twist into a playful, knowing smile.

“What’s that?” I ask, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her mouth.

“You’re sweet and too good to me. I’m okay. I promise. I know my limits and I can hang with Greer for a few hours.”

I drop my head so it’s resting in her lap. I want to be near her but don’t want to make breathing harder. Her fingers come up to thread through my hair. It feels nice and I try to soak it in, let it soothe me.

“I don’t feel sweet or good right now,” I admit. More like murderous and restless.

I sit up and meet her eyes. We were quiet on the drive home. I was spiraling and she was focusing on breathing. I don’t have to hear her say it to know she’s worried about what will happen with the studio.

Her hands fall to cover mine. She squeezes gently. “Stop it. You didn’t do anything.”

“You know that’s not true. If we weren’t together, then he wouldn’t be so hell-bent on owning that building.”

“You can’t know that.”

I do though. In my gut, I know he’s doing this because of me.

When Brogan and London get home, the four of us sit in the living room while Sabrina tells them about Eleanor moving to Florida and selling the building.

My frustrations are a constant companion, but I keep it in check as best I can. Sabrina has enough on her mind without worrying about me. And that’s just who she is, someone who thinks of other people even when she’s at a low point.

Brogan crosses both arms over his chest. “Can’t you talk to Eleanor and tell her what an asshole Graham is?”

“She wants to move closer to family. I can’t ask her to wait because I don’t like the buyer.”

“Fine. Then I’ll buy the building,” Brogan says.

“What?” London and Sabrina say at the same time with matching expressions: eyes wide, brows raised.

Damn. I hadn’t even thought of that, but he’s right. Eleanor just needs another buyer. Surely there are lots of those?

“How much could a building cost?” he asks, then pulls out his phone probably to google the answer.

“Fuck me,” he mutters quietly. Obviously, the answer was more than whatever he thought. He recovers quickly. “I have enough for a down payment, and I’ll take a loan out for the rest.”

“We could pool our money,” I say. I don’t know what half is, but it doesn’t matter. I can’t think of a single thing I’d rather do with my savings.

“No,” Sabrina says. A small smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. “Thank you both, but no.”

“This is what family does,” Brogan tells her. “What good is having money if I can’t use it to help out when it’s needed?”

“He’s right.” As I speak, she meets my gaze. “Let us do this for you. You deserve it. That studio is going to be the best in the city and the neighborhood is great. It’s a good investment.”

Fuck, I hate that I almost sound like Graham right now with his good investment bullshit. But I know that whatever she touches is going to succeed. I’d gamble on her all day long.

“I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’d offer, but it’s just a building. I can find another.”

“You put so much work into this one.” London says the thing we’re all thinking.

Hours. Weeks. She poured her heart and soul into that place.

“And I’d do it again. Making that space mine was an incredible experience.” Her smile is genuine, and I know she’s ready to lie down and accept this cruel change of fate, but I’m not. Not yet.

“Fucking Graham,” I grumble. “He’s doing this because of me.”

“Maybe.” She shrugs one shoulder like she’s already considered that and doesn’t care.

“We could pretend to break up and see if he loses interest.”

A soft laugh, barely discernable, slips from her lips. “That’s the sweetest way anyone has tried to break up with me.”

Brogan is burning a hole through me. I feel his stare and when I glance at him, he signs, What the fuck?

“Pretend break up,” I clarify for both of them. I’m not losing her. Fuck Graham.

“No.” She gives her head one definitive shake. “No way.”

Her phone screen lights up and she glances down at it. “Olivia and Greer are on their way up.”

She stands, but I’m faster.

“You relax. I got this,” I say as I head for the front door.

“So bossy.” She grins at me but stays seated.

Greer is as cute and as full of energy as I remembered. She bounds into the apartment in her pink dress with a tiara on top of her head but then comes to an abrupt stop when she spots Brogan. Ever so carefully, she moves behind me.

I squat down so I’m at her level. “Scary looking, isn’t he?”

She doesn’t respond, but her face is filled with trepidation.

Brogan smiles and waves one hand. He’s a big guy and with his shirt off, probably even more intimidating to Greer.

Put a shirt on for fuck’s sake, I sign to him. Then to Greer I say, “That’s Brogan. He’s nice. I promise. And that’s London.”

“Hi, Greer.” London smiles brightly. “I’ve heard so much about you from Sabrina.”

“Nice to meet you,” Brogan says to her. “I like your dress.”

“What do you say?” Olivia asks her daughter, coming to stand beside her.

“Thank you.” Greer’s voice is barely more than a whisper.

“Hey.” Brogan lifts a hand. “Good to see you again.”

“Yeah, you too. Thanks for letting Greer hang tonight.” As Olivia talks, Greer nuzzles back so she’s plastered against her mom’s legs, still keeping a close eye on Brogan.

Sabrina comes over to greet Olivia and Greer despite my efforts to keep her seated and exerting as little energy as possible.

“Are you kidding, we’re so excited.” Sabrina hugs Greer first then Olivia. To the latter, she adds, “I’m so sorry about this.”

“No, this is great. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. How are you feeling?” Olivia asks her.

“Better.”

I make a small huff. She’s still hurting. I can tell by the way she doesn’t stand straight and talks quieter.

Sabrina rolls her eyes at me but smiles. “Don’t worry. He won’t let me do too much.”

Damn straight I won’t.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Take your time. We got it,” I say.

Olivia eyes me with amused skepticism. Greer still looks slightly terrified. So basically, I’m killing it on babysitting duty.

Leaning down so her face is eye-level with Greer, Sabrina says quietly, “Do you remember how I have a big brother who plays football?”

Greer’s little head nods rapidly.

“Brogan is that brother.”

Her eyes widen. “You weren’t kidding. He is big.”

We all laugh. Brogan blushes for what might be the first time ever.

“He is,” Sabrina agrees. “But he’s really nice, I promise.”

“And he really likes playing dress up,” I tell her. Which is true. Just not usually in dresses and tiaras. “I bet we could talk him into a princess fashion show later.”

She thinks seriously about this. “I don’t think my dress will fit him.”

I bite back a laugh and can feel Brogan glaring at me. “Don’t you worry. We’ll figure something out.”

London and Sabrina are both fighting laughter too.

Glancing at Olivia, I say a little quieter, “We’ll be fine.”

Her early reservations seem somewhat abated.

“Text me if you need anything,” she says, then picks up her daughter to hug her again. “Be good for Aunt Sabrina.”

“I will.”

With a reluctant smile, Olivia places Greer back on her feet and heads for the door.

“Bye, Liv!” Sabrina calls after her.

As soon as she’s gone, we all fall quiet. There’s a child in my apartment and I have no idea what to do next.

Thankfully, Sabrina does. She takes Greer by the hand and walks with her into the kitchen. Brogan manages to find a shirt and then he and London make pizza, which Greer finds fascinating and eventually decides it’s worth it to get close to Brogan to help out.

By the time it’s done, Greer is as enamored with him as every other woman he meets. I glance over at Sabrina. She’s smiling happily watching the two of them interact, but she still doesn’t look like she’s one hundred percent.

While Brogan holds Greer up on his shoulders so she can help him and London clean up from dinner, I turn on the barstool to face Sabrina.

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m tired, but my chest isn’t as tight.”

“Why don’t you go to bed or at least lie down on the couch.”

She smiles but in a way that I can tell she’s about to argue.

“I’ve got this, baby.”

“Oh, you do, huh?” She glances over at Brogan.

“He’s like a big kid himself so it makes sense that she’d be drawn to him. But I’ll keep an eye on him to make sure she doesn’t eat her weight in ice cream or stay up all night long.”

“Okay.”

I’m shocked that she agrees. My face must show it because she adds, “Just for a little while.”

I lean forward and brush my lips over hers. “Take as much time as you need.”

She slides off the chair. “I’m going to sleep in your bed so Greer can have mine.”

“Practical and lucky for me.”

The rest of the evening is a blur of princess movies, dress up, and a fashion show (I never need to see Brogan in a sheet dress ever again). Greer is so tired by bedtime that I only get through half of a book before she’s out.

I leave on a lamp and crack the door in case she wakes up, then look in on Sabrina. I’m pretty sure she’s out for the night too. Today really took it out of her. The reminder of what led to her flare-up has me grinding my back teeth all over again.

In the living room, I find Brogan alone. I let out a long breath as I take a seat next to him.

“Cute kid,” he says.

“Yeah,” I agree.

“How’s Sabrina?”

“Still sleeping,” I say. “Did London go to bed too?”

“Yeah. She isn’t feeling great either. I think she’s coming down with a head cold.” His beer rests in one hand, propped up on his leg. “So, what are we going to do about Graham?”

“What can we do?” I ask as I run a hand through my hair. It’s messier than normal from all the times I’ve tugged at the strands thinking about him being Sabrina’s landlord.

“If I knew, I’d already have done it. I’d love to kick his ass for the shit he’s pulled on you this season alone.”

“I can’t help but think this wouldn’t be happening if he didn’t already have it out for me. He’s picking a fight with me through her.”

“He’s a prick. There’s no telling what he would or wouldn’t have done. He’s threatened by you and what that means for his position on the team. That’s why he doesn’t mess with anyone else.”

“Maybe,” I say, wondering if it’s that simple.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it. That’s what he wants. And anyway, it doesn’t matter. We’re here now.”

“I suppose you’re right.” I let my head fall back onto the cushion.

“Cheer up. We’ll figure this out together. I already have a few ideas.”

“You do?” I ask, anxious to hear them because I have none outside of beating him so badly that he can’t sign the contract with Eleanor.

Brogan sits forward and glances toward the front door.

“That must be Olivia,” he says.

“I got it.” I stand to answer it.

“All right. I’m heading to bed. We’ll talk Graham’s demise in the morning.” His mouth pulls up in a half smile, like he’s going to enjoy taking him down as much as me.

With a nod I move toward the door, and he goes off to his room. I pull open the door without bothering to look through the peephole, but I guess I should have because it’s not Olivia.

“Flynn,” I say, taking in my baby brother standing slumped with either hand propped up on the sides of the doorframe like it’s the only thing holding him up. “What are you doing here?”

“Good to see you too.” He stumbles forward, brushing past me and smelling like he fell into a liquor cabinet.

“Are you drunk?” I’m slow to follow him as my brain processes him being here at all, let alone wasted.

He plops down on the couch, sitting like his head weighs fifty pounds. Even still, he lifts it enough to speak where I can read his lips. “Don’t act like you weren’t doing the same thing when you were my age. I lived with you, remember?”

He tries to sign as well, but his movements are all over the place.

“I remember.” I take a seat on the other end of the couch. “What are you doing here?”

“The Twins cut me loose. I didn’t know where else to go.”

Shit. My gut twists into a knot. With everything happening lately, I’ve been too caught up in my own shit to think about what might happen after his bad game that ended the Twins’ season.

“Is Knox traveling this week?” It doesn’t make sense that he’d stop here instead of going to Valley. He and Knox are closer and that’s home.

“I don’t want to stay with him right now.” He keeps signing as he lies back with his head resting on one arm of the couch. “He’ll want to talk about it and I’m not ready.”

“Okay.” I guess that means we aren’t going to talk about it either. I can respect that. “Brogan just went to bed. Do you want me to wake him?”

“Nah. I’ll catch up with him in the morning. It’s cool if I stay a day or two, right?” he asks.

“Yeah, of course. You’ll have to stay on the couch tonight though. There’s a five-year-old in the spare bedroom.”

His brows lift. “Does Brogan have a secret kid in addition to the secret sister?”

“No. I’m babysitting,” I clarify.

“You?” He manages a laugh. The transformation on his face has him looking more like my little brother. “Who would let you babysit their child?”

“She’s a friend of Sabrina’s and I’m a great babysitter, thank you very much.”

“You hated watching me when I was younger.”

“That was different. I was a kid myself.”

“Remember that time you and Brogan were watching me, and I put pizza rolls in the microwave for like ten minutes?” He huffs a laugh. “Nearly burned the house down. Knox was so pissed.”

“Do you want to stay or not?”

“Yes, thank you. The couch is great.” He stretches his long legs out and closes his eyes.

“I’ll get you a blanket and pillow.” I stand and start for my room, then stop and glance back. “I’m sorry about the Twins.”

His eyes slowly open and a flash of pain crosses his face. “Thanks.”

Don’t touch the microwave. And get your shoes off my couch. What, were you raised by wolves? I sign the question with a smile.

Worse. By four obnoxious big brothers.