The smile on my face fell instantly and I looked up to find the softest set of green eyes holding mine.

Must be the contact lenses.

My stomach twisted and I looked away and back at Troy with a friendly smile. “Thanks for that. Bye Troy. Good luck out there.”

August eyed my suitcase. “Going somewhere?”

I released a breath with a nod, glad that I had the chance to leave them both with a happier memory. “I am.” I offered one friendly smile toward the brothers and walked out.

It wasn’t until I got to the lobby to try and call my Uber that I realized I’d left my phone in Nic’s car and there was no time to get it back before my flight.

29. August

29

“You know it gets tiring looking at you sometimes,” I said after Harper left.

“I know what you mean,” Troy set his phone on the side table and rested his arms in front of him.

I sat on the chair beside his bed, looking at the bandages embracing most of his limbs and ribcage. “I talked to Ryan. Said that hit wasn’t you. It could have happened to any one of them.”

My brother nodded. “Yeah, but I was heading for minors with or without the hit.”

“I’m sorry it took me this long to come. I’ve…”

“You’re busy, I know. It’s all good. I’ve got plenty of hot nurses coming through that door than I can count. I’m not bored trust me.” He laughed and I chuckled too, loving how relieved and calm he finally looked.

It was a breath of fresh air.

“I think both our jobs have been killing us both slowly.”

Troy’s eyes finally met mine head on. “I might be the one injured here, but yours has taken years out of your life.”

I couldn’t argue that. It sure felt like that most days.

“You know how to play, Troy. I watched all your games last year. You just need patience.”

“My mind doesn’t work like yours, August. This game. I don’t know how you do it, but you’re amazing.” He shook his head like it disappointed him. “And I took it away from you.”

“No one has the power to take anything from me unless I give it away.”

“Okay, Shakespeare.” My twin rolled his eyes.

I leaned in. “I don’t want you to think that you took away any kind of dream of mine. I didn’t plan on going pro like you did. That scene is not me. I know numbers, I know finance, I know how to run a team of analysts and make other people’s money multiply.”

Troy nodded, seeming satisfied with my reassurance.

What I wasn’t going to say out loud was that it had also made me something I never thought I’d become.

Cold, angry, impatient, bitter…

And hurtful.