“I think I might,” she ventured hesitantly. “Sarah has a doctor friend in New York who’s one of the best in the country with the procedure. I’d like to at least see her when I’m in the city. What happened to me was rare. I can’t blow off the chance to at least find out all of the facts.”
Liam rose quickly to his feet and scooped her up and swung her around. As he set her on her feet again, he looked excited. “That’s my brave sister. I think it would be fantastic if you tried.”
She hugged him back. “I was scared, Liam. I’ve been scared for a long time of so many things.”
He took her by the shoulders. “And you’re not anymore?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” she answered drily. “But I won’t let my fears rule my life anymore. If I don’t try it, I’ll never know if I could have had my hearing back again.”
“You are brave, Tessa. Hell, you’re one of the gutsiest women I know. I may not be too sure about your choice in men, but you’ve always handled things better than I would have done.”
She put a hand on his shoulder, Liam’s support and the way he’d always been beside her bringing tears to her eyes. She wasn’t about to tell him about the times when she was weak, when her world was pitch-dark. He didn’t need to know, and she was over her past. Tessa wanted to move forward, and she wanted Liam to do the same.
She smiled through her tears. “You’re the best brother a woman could ever ask for. Everything I’ve gone through, you’ve suffered right along with me. It’s time for us to be happy, Liam, and it’s time to let go of any notion that you’re responsible for any of the tragedies that happened in the past.”
“But what if—”
She quickly covered his mouth with her hand. “No more what-ifs for either of us. Please. Our life is good. And I’ve suddenly become a millionaire.” She giggled as she removed her hand from his mouth. “Looking at my savings was like winning the lottery.”
“Did you really think you had to work those other jobs?”
She shrugged. “I guess I did, but only because I chose to believe it. Besides, I get bored when you won’t let me work here more.”
“Somebody would lose their job,” he warned her.
“I know. That’s why I find other things to do. Even now that I know I’m loaded, I’ll still do those jobs. But I’m not moving back home,” she warned him. “I’m too old to live with my brother. It’s not much different from still living with parents. I’m independent and able to function just fine on my own.”
She could buy her own place now, own property. The shock of finding out that she actually had a lot of money still had her head spinning.
“You’re always going to be my little sister,” Liam said, tugging her ponytail playfully.
Tessa laughed, knowing she could handle Liam being the protective older brother. What she couldn’t deal with was his guilt and over-the-top need to keep her safe.
“So I guess this means my brother is even a better catch than I thought,” Tessa said thoughtfully.
Liam frowned. “Don’t even try to set me up again.”
“But you have as much money as me, right?”
He smirked at her. “More. I told you that I developed some products early in my career. I sold some of them and I collect some fat and happy royalties. I also get paid very well for consulting. I am the best in my field.”
“So you’re rich?” Tessa asked bluntly as she gaped at her brother.
“Not Sinclair type of rich, but yeah, I’m not hurting for cash. Jesus, why didn’t you ask me before?” he asked, sounding frustrated.
“I don’t think I was ready to face reality,” she admitted. “I guess I was content just to work when I could and convince myself that I was okay the way I was.”
“You are okay,” Liam answered quickly. “More than okay.”
“No, I wasn’t. I was scared, but I was safe in my small little world where I couldn’t do much.” Where there were boundaries, there was security.
“So you aren’t going to be brokenhearted when you’re staring at the backside of Sinclair?”
She thought for a minute. “I will be sad. Maybe I’ll even fall apart for a while. But I wouldn’t trade meeting Micah for any reason. He’s the reason I’m skating, he’s the reason I’m trying. He’s the reason I want so much more than I’ve had before.”
“You’re in love with him,” Liam stated flatly.
She nodded as tears began to flood her cheeks.
Liam put his arms around her and pulled his little sister tightly against him, then kissed her on the top of her head. “If he hurts you, I’ll kill him.”
Tessa didn’t hear him; she just continued to cry.
Later that night, she awoke to Homer rolling against her body as the mattress beneath her compressed.
Tessa sprang out of bed and flipped on the bedside lamp. Her heart continued to race in surprise, but she couldn’t help but laugh.
Micah was sprawled on the bed facedown, Homer sitting next to him looking affronted and unhappy.
Tessa took her time admiring Micah’s nude body, his tight ass and ripped biceps flexing as he slowly rose on his hands and knees and flopped with his back against the headboard.
Man and dog glared at each other before Micah finally asked, “You let the dog sleep on my side of the bed?”
“Well, you weren’t here,” she answered logically. “And he likes the bed.”