Page 76 of One Last Thing Before You Go

“It’s cold out,” I shrug.

She gives me a smile and blushes. “It’s a thirty second commute back to my place, Knox.”

I open my mouth to tell her I don’t care, that it’s more about her wearing it for my sake than hers, when I feel a tap on my shoulder. “Can I talk to you?” Alejandro asks when I turn to face him.

Lottie looks nervously at me, but I plead with my eyes for her not to say anything. If this is an opportunity to talk to him and convince him that I’m not some guy who’s going to screw over his sister, I want to take it. I nod and follow him back into the now-empty dining room, but not before placing a comforting kiss on the corner of her lips.

Alejandro grimaces, standing quietly with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior tonight.”

“It’s cool, I⁠—”

“No, it wasn’t. I was a jerk, and there’s no excuse. I’m just very protective of my little sister, and it looks like she likes you. A lot.” I try to control the sudden thrill coursing down my spine at his assessment. “I know you don’t have siblings, but even as adults, you never lose the sense of protectiveness over each other. And I’ve seen her go through hell and back and, frankly, I’m a little terrified you’re going to make her go through it again.”

“What? No. I would never⁠—”

He raises a hand to cut me off. “Listen, you look like a good kid.” Alejandro sighs deeply as I try to suppress my annoyance at the word kid. “I don’t know you, but you don’t look like the type of asshole that will hurt her or have complete disregard for her feelings like her ex did. But Lottie is older than you. And she’s lived through a lot. And you’re still young. I don’t think you’ll want to hurt her, but I do believe that you will eventually—regardless of whether it was intentional or not—for the simple fact that she will never be able to give you the things that you want. And that reason alone will destroy her the closer she gets to you.”

I scramble for the right words. On the one hand, I respect the fact that he wants to protect his sister, to make sure she’s okay. Lottie is amazing, and I wouldn’t want anyone else hurting her either. On the other, I don’t appreciate the whole intimidation tactic thing going on here—if that is what he’s doing.

I would love nothing more than to tell him to fuck off, to tell him I would never hurt her and that he shouldn’t make assumptions. But I only just got Lottie to agree to see each other, and I don’t want to shit the bed with her. Who knows how she’ll react if I tell him what I really think?

Instead, I say, “I hear you, man. I promise you I have no intentions of hurting her.”

He stares down at me with a frown on his face, silver threaded dark hair a little disheveled. “That’s not the problem,” he sighs. “But it’s useless to try to explain. It isn’t my place.”

“Knox?” I hear her call out my name from the foyer. “Where’d you go?”

“Over here, I call back,” leaving Alejandro standing pensively in the dining room all alone.

“Let’s go.” Her dark eyes widen suggestively, and I struggle to smile, still irritated with her brother.

We say our final goodbyes and walk hand in hand to the loft. It’s only when we get to her front door that something Alejandro says sticks out.

She will never be able to give you the things that you want. And that reason alone will destroy her the closer she gets to you.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

LOTTIE

“You good?” I ask, slipping his leather jacket off and hanging it on the hook by my front door.

“Yeah,” he mutters unconvincingly as we both take off our shoes. I watch him struggle to grin before kissing me on the forehead, lips stiff.

“You know it’s impossible for you to hide anything, right? We haven’t known each other for long, but it’s been enough that I can tell when you’re not feeling your joyful, optimistic self.”

This time, his smile comes more naturally. “You think you know me by now, huh?” He reaches out to grip my hips. “I kind of like that.” I don’t tell him it kind of terrifies me.

He leans down to kiss the tip of my nose, the top of my head, before wrapping his arms around my waist and bringing me into a tight hug. Not able to help myself, I melt against him as my hands glide up his back, the feel of his muscles beneath my fingertips sending shivers down my spine. “I’m sorry about tonight. My family is… a lot.”

He quickly pulls away enough to cup my face and look me straight in the eye. “Hey, no. Your family is amazing. I loved getting to know them tonight. Seriously. And getting to see you with them was a blessing. You are so loved, Lottie.”

I smile softly up at him, remembering how excited everyone was to meet him, how easily and quickly they accepted him and brought him into the fold. The way even the kids seemed to love playing with him. “Yeah, they seem to have really liked you too. It was kind of cute.”

“It was fun. Although Alejandro didn’t seem to be particularly fond of me.”

Ah. There we are.

“So that’s what’s bothering you?”