“Fine. I’ll stay here and draw.”
“Like it’s your job?” Austin drawled as he walked into the shop. Well, walked wasn’t a good word for what he did. He prowled. Just like the rest of the Montgomery brothers. They prowled, stalked, or strolled. A Montgomery didn’t merely walk. Even Maya’s sisters moved like the guys when they wanted to—with purpose.
Maya, however, probably looked like she stomped around when she wasn’t putting an extra sway in her hips so she could saunter.
And why she was thinking about different walks rather than what was going on in the shop, eluded her. Okay, that was a lie. She knew why she kept thinking of random crap. That way, she didn’t think about what was important.
Like the fact that she was falling in love—or rather already in love—with her best friend.
Nope.
Not going there.
She was fine.
Maya was fine.
She kept telling herself that. That she was fine. That she was okay. Because there wasn’t another option. She’d get over this insanity and go about her day. Maybe she’d go out and get laid and everything would go back to normal. She liked normal. At least, normal for her.
“Maya?” Austin’s voice cut through the ever-revolving loop of manic thoughts, and she shook her head.
“What?”
“What the hell is going on with you?” her big brother asked. He sank down onto her stool and ran a hand through his thick beard. “You’ve been out of it for the past few weeks. Is it Alex?”
He’d lowered his voice for the last part, and she couldn’t help but hold back tears. How annoying of her eyes that they would fill every time she thought of Alex. She hated not having better control when it came to him. Their younger brother had been in rehab for a few months now and would be getting out soon. He’d tried to drink himself to death, and had ended up hurting not only himself but also others in their family. She and Jake had been the ones to take him to rehab, and thankfully, Alex had stayed. She didn’t know what haunted him, but she was glad he was getting the help he needed. Or, at least trying.
And as much as knowing she’d been unable to help her brother hurt, that wasn’t the reason she was out of sorts. Not that she could tell Austin that. But she couldn’t outright lie when it came to Alex either. They’d all promised themselves they’d be truthful when it came to him and any issues that arose from his disease.
“I’m happy Alex is coming home,” she said honestly. She reached out and put her hand on Austin’s knee. The thick muscle tensed under her palm a moment before relaxing slightly. “He needs to come home, and I think we’ll all be good for him.” She paused. “At least, I hope so. Are we doing the right thing?”
Austin sighed. “You mean letting him out? Because it’s not our call since he technically went in voluntarily. Plus, I don’t think I want to be the one forcing him to stay. Hell, I don’t want any of us to be in that position. He wouldn’t see us during the whole thing, so I honestly have no idea what’s going to happen. What I do know is that I love our brother, and I’m not giving up on him.” He closed his eyes. “I’m also not going to let him hurt my kids.”
Maya sniffed and squeezed Austin’s knee before pulling back. Austin might show some emotion and didn’t mind hugs, but she knew when her big brother needed space. “The old Alex wouldn’t have, and I know that when he gets out, he won’t be the same Alex as he was before the drinking. But hopefully he won’t be the man he’d become with it.”
Austin was silent for a few moments before giving her a slight nod. “We just have to wait and see. And, by the way, I know you went on this tangent with me because you’re hiding something. But I’m going to be good, or at least as good as I can be, and let you off the hook. For now.” He narrowed his eyes a moment, and she did her best to keep her expression blank. It wasn’t easy when her family saw so much without even trying. She wasn’t any better with them, though.
With that, her big brother strolled over to his station and started setting up for his next client. Maya let out the breath she’d been holding and leaned back in her chair.
She couldn’t hide her unease for much longer. Frankly, she wasn’t hiding it that well to begin with. Her family had always been good at reading her emotions since she never truly tried to hide them. There wasn’t a reason to in most cases. The more she let out, the better she’d feel and the easier she’d be able to help her family.