Getting Wound Up: A Sapphire Falls/ Love Between the Bases Novel-- PART THREE (6 page)

Then again, she should probably be glad for the interruption. She couldn’t say yes to Eli’s proposal. But she couldn’t say no to it again. She wanted it
way
too much to keep saying no.

But she couldn’t say yes. He had to go to San Diego.

But she didn’t want him to go to San Diego.

Yeah, she was glad for the interruption.

“She knows you’re here too?” Caitlyn asked starting for the door.

“Yes, she handed me the coffee cup and told me to come on up.”

“Oh boy.” Caitlyn hurried through the door.

Eli was right behind her.

“Eli, please tell your family that you’re all coming over for dinner tonight,” Maggie said as they walked into the kitchen.

The countertop was strewn with grocery bags and she was pulling jars and boxes from them, a whirlwind of activity.

Oh yeah, something had happened.

“Well, that’s very nice,” Eli started.

“I insist,” Maggie said. “I’m going to be baking and cooking all day.”

Caitlyn gave Eli a worried look. “You okay, Mom?”

Maggie didn’t even glance at her. “Sure. I’m fine. Just have a lot to do.”

“Okay. Well, let me know if you need me,” Caitlyn said.

Her mom wasn’t going to tell her what was wrong and she wasn’t going to say that she needed anything.

But Caitlyn knew someone who
did
know what was going on.

She pivoted and headed for the living room.

Bryan was just maneuvering himself from his chair onto the couch.

“You’re not supposed to be doing that by yourself,” Caitlyn scolded him, rushing forward.

Bryan slumped onto the couch and sighed. Then frowned. “I’m fine.”

Caitlyn stared at him.

God
, she wanted that to be true. She would give anything for her brother to be fine. For her mother to be fine. If they were fine, she wouldn’t be here right now. She’d be on a plane with Eli on their way to San Diego.

But she wasn’t on a plane. She was standing in her mother’s living room in Sapphire Falls watching her brother struggle to get onto the couch without help.

That was
not
fine.

“Fine.” Caitlyn threw up her hands, the frustration bubbling up and over the mental levee she’d built to hold it back at moments just like this one. “Everyone in this house is always
fine
! Well, guess what? That’s bullshit! It’s not fine. Not all the time. None of us are fine all the time! And you both need to stop saying that!”

Bryan lifted his eyebrows and glanced at Eli, then back to Caitlyn. “What’s going on with you?”

“I proposed and Caitlyn is
not
fine with that,” Eli told him dryly.

Caitlyn whirled on him. “You’re going to tell everyone you proposed?”

Eli shrugged, but he met her gaze directly so she knew he was absolutely not nonchalant about any of this. “
I
am beyond fine with it.”

She gave an exasperated little growl. “You should go.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Caitlyn.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then softened her tone. “Eli,
please
. I can only deal with one thing at a time.”

Eli narrowed his eyes, clearly very reluctant. But finally he sighed. “This isn’t over.”

“Yeah, I know.” She did. What she didn’t know was how she felt about it. She couldn’t keep saying no to him. But she couldn’t say yes either. She really just wanted to pretend that he’d never asked. That everything really was
fine
.

There were moments when she completely understood her mother. Denial was much easier than being surrounded by options that were all equally difficult.

A very stubborn look crossed Eli’s face and she steeled herself for an argument, but finally he gave her a short nod. “I’ll see you at dinner then. I guess we’re all going to be here.”

She growled softly at that too. Everyone was driving her crazy. Unable to deal with him—and not throw herself into his arms with an
of course I’ll marry you!
—she turned away, dismissing him.

She felt him move in behind her and kiss her on the top of her head. “Love you.”

Her heart melted at that, in spite of the fact that he was irritating her. She didn’t quite smile, but she wanted to. She wondered if all romantic relationships were like that—heart-melting with a dash of irritating.

A moment later, she heard the front door open and close and she propped her hands on her hips and focused on her brother. “What happened at therapy?”

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean ‘nothing’?”

“I mean, nothing. Nothing unusual. It was therapy.”

“So why is Mom in the kitchen baking and cooking for the rest of the day?” Caitlyn asked,.

Bryan sighed. “Because it was therapy. Nothing unusual.”

Caitlyn moved to sit next to him on the couch, her expression gentling. “What does that
mean
, Bryan?”

“She wouldn’t leave. I told her she should wait out in the waiting area but she wanted to be in the gym with me.”

“Oh.” Caitlyn hadn’t even gone into the gym with him. She always stayed out in the waiting area with her iPhone and Kindle app.

“Yeah.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Was it that bad?”

Bryan tipped his head back on the couch. “It was just…usual. But obviously they don’t let me get away with doing things the easy way.”

“So she watched you exercise and walk and transfer and stuff?” Caitlyn asked, starting to piece the picture together in her mind.

“Exactly. Therapy isn’t about doing the easy stuff; they make me do the hard stuff. Over and over again.”

Caitlyn watched his face. His eyes were shut and his jaw tense. She reached out and touched his arm. “Did you talk about it?”

He nodded. “She asked if it was always like that and I said yes. She asked if it was getting easier and I said yes. She asked if it was going to get back to normal and I said no.”

Caitlyn squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry.”

He rolled his head and opened his eyes. “Don’t be. It was time.”

“But the other day you said you didn’t want to take her hope away.”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment, then he said, “I can’t sacrifice your hope for hers, Cait. This is real, this is my life and Mom needs to accept it. This
isn’t
your life and you don’t have to accept it.”

She frowned and pulled her hand back. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re staying because you think I need you. I don’t. I need you to be happy.”

“You need someone, Bryan. And who else is it going to be?”

He frowned and sat up. “It’s going to be
me
.”

“Right. Except for the stuff that you can’t do.”

“Dammit, Caitlyn!” he exclaimed. “Stop. Stop making this seem like some big tragedy.”

“How is this
not
some big tragedy?” she asked him, feeling the tears burning her eyes. “It’s changed all of our lives—mine, Mom’s, yours for sure. You can’t do all the things you used to love—biking and hiking, racing, diving, dancing.”

Bryan nodded. “It’s changed our lives. But it didn’t
stop
our lives. And it could have. I could have broken my neck on that mountain and died. I could have hit my head and died. I could have—”

“Okay,” she interrupted. She knew that. She’d imagined all of those horrible things after that first phone call from Ty following the accident.

“But I didn’t.” He sat forward on the couch, propping his elbows on his thighs. “I’m still here, Cait,” he said. “My body has changed and the adventures are changing. But I’m still here.”

Caitlyn looked at her brother. Really looked at him. Not at his legs, not at the crutch that was lying on the floor by the couch, not at the wheelchair. But at
him
.

He was the same guy. His eyes still held that same humor and mischief they always had. He still had that spark that said he’d never met a test he didn’t want to take.

But he’d never done it for the trophies or medals. He’d let Ty take the spotlight. He’d been fine being second place, or not even on the podium at all. Where his best friend thrived on being the best, Bryan did it all…just to do it. Just because he loved it. He loved biking and diving and racing.

“I’m sorry it had to change,” she said softly. “You were so active, you did so much, you had so much going on.”

He nodded. “So slowing me down wasn’t such a tragedy really.”

She gave him a frown. “What?”

“I had a chance to do a lot. I saw amazing places, tried amazing things. I lived hard and big and loud for a while. Some people never get the chances I had and it has nothing to do with physical ability. I was lucky. I
am
lucky.”

Caitlyn shook her head. “You amaze me. You’re in a wheelchair part time and you feel lucky.”

Bryan shrugged. “I was running out of new stuff to do. And now I don’t even have to leave the house to have an adventure. Climbing stairs is a challenge. It’ll be a while before I feel bored or like things are routine again.”

Caitlyn couldn’t help but give a little laugh at that. “Like I said, you amaze me.”

“Have you ever known anything that I tried to do that I didn’t figure out and get good at?” he asked.

She thought about it. “No, nothing comes to mind. Unless learning to be sensitive and romantic counts. I’m not sure you’ve figured that out.”

He gave her a very familiar, full-of-himself grin. “I said was there anything I’d
tried
to do.”

She laughed again. “Right. Then no, I would say you’ve always figured things out.”

“Exactly. So leave me alone. Go with Eli. Live your life. Have
your
adventures. I’ll figure all of this out.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but then shut it without a word.

This was Bryan. Larger-than-life Bryan. He’d had a setback in his conquer-the-world plan, but he was right, he’d always been good at the things he cared about.

Partying, dating gorgeous girls, getting his adrenaline rushes and living on the edge had been the things he cared about. But yeah, he’d been good at all of that.

And he’d be good at whatever was next.

“You’re going to need
some
help,” she said. “You can’t deny that.”

He nodded. “I am. I’m going to interview some home health workers. I’m going to talk to Ty. And…Mom will be there.”

Caitlyn sighed. “You sure about that?”

“I’m sure that it will be an adjustment. But yes, I know she’ll be there.”

Caitlyn really wanted to believe it.

“And I’m the best person to help her understand all of this,” he added. “Besides, it will be good practice.”

That got Caitlyn’s attention. “Practice?”

“There’s a certain sweet brunette who’s going to need to learn all about what’s going on and that it’s not going to change me or slow me down.”

Caitlyn knew he was talking about Tessa Sheridan, a local girl who had been a friend and classmate of Bryan and Ty’s. Tess had been a little bit of a nerd in school, but she was sweet and Bryan had always had a soft spot for her. They’d never dated, though Caitlyn had suspected that Tessa had harbored a little crush on Bryan. He’d actually been more like a big brother to her—he’d taught Tess to ice skate, he’d punched the first guy who’d broken her heart, and he’d ignored his own date and danced with Tessa at their freshman Homecoming dance after the guy he’d punched had left with his bloody nose. At least until Bryan had been escorted out by the principal for punching the guy.

Caitlyn narrowed her eyes. “Does this certain sweet brunette know what she’s in for?”

“I don’t think the sweet brunette has a clue,” Bryan said.

His grin told her that he was looking forward to that challenge as well.

Caitlyn wondered if she should warn Tess.

“And don’t even think about giving her a hint,” Bryan told her. “Tess deserves to be swept off her feet.”

Caitlyn lifted an eyebrow. “Wow, that’s kind of romantic sounding.”

Bryan laughed. “Told you I can get good at anything I care about.”

Wow, sticking around Sapphire Falls to see Bryan turn into a romantic might be one definite bright side.

“I’m going to go help Mom.” Caitlyn stretched to her feet. “If we’re feeding Eli’s family too, she might need another pair of hands.”

“Cait.”

She stopped and looked back at her brother. “Yeah?”

“Marry him.”

She sighed. “It’s not that easy.”

“It is that easy. You say yes and you start your adventure. Sometimes the hardest part is taking the big breath and the first step.”

“Bryan—” She sighed again. “He said no. I don’t even know if the Friars will still take him.”

“I don’t think the Friars know anything yet.”

Something about that made her heart thump. She frowned at him. “How do you know that?”