The Reckoning, A Wilde Brothers Christmas (The Wilde Brothers Book 4) by Lorhainne Eckhart
Authors: Lorhainne Eckhart
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Chapter One
The door was white, with a brass handle and diamond-shaped cutouts in the Plexiglas. This was the sort of suburbia that Jake could never have imagined his brother Logan living in, this cute bungalow on a quiet street buried in a foot of snow. No, out of all the brothers, Jake thought this would best suit Samuel, the lawyer who lived a mile from him in Seattle, the brother he’d done everything with. He wondered for a moment, as he went to knock, whether he should have called. He hesitated a second and then rapped on the door, then squeezed his cold hands, wishing he’d brought his gloves. He wasn’t dressed for snow, for the Idaho cold, and he shivered in his leather coat and stomped his feet in the Oxfords he also should have left at home. Then he noticed the doorbell.
He didn’t bother to push it, though. He could hear the footsteps, the creak of the floor, and voices inside—his brother’s deep voice, which always grounded him. Today he felt odd, out of place. Everything felt so different. Logan had his own family now.
The front door opened, and there was something about looking into Logan’s blue-gray eyes, strong and confident as always, that made Jake feel as if he could handle anything life threw his way. Maybe that was why one look at his brother let him know everything would be okay. This softness was a side of Logan that Jake hadn’t seen before, though. The hard edge his brother had always carried now seemed smoother. Must have been a woman’s touch.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming tonight!” Logan held the door and gestured for Jake to come in, and Jake listened to the chatter and footsteps inside the house—Julia and the twins.
“Hope it’s okay,” he said. “I didn’t even think about calling until I pulled up here. Guess I’m used to just showing up, but it might not be okay to do that now that you’re married.”
For a moment, he ached at the thought that he might be intruding on his brother, a brother who’d always been there for him, anytime, anywhere. Logan was everything to him—had been everything to all of the younger brothers: him, Samuel, Joe, and Ben. But Logan wasn’t just any brother, he was who Jake had always looked up to. He knew that out of everyone in his family, Logan would walk through fire for him. His brother would always be there. For a moment, he found himself taking in the threads of gray that were taking over his brother’s dark hair. He looked older, probably from carrying the weight of everyone else on his shoulders.
“Get in here, would you?” Logan said.
There was something in his gaze, in the way Logan studied him, that made Jake need to figure out what was going on with him. Logan didn’t often say much, but he always knew when trouble was lurking around each of the brothers. He called often just to check in and make sure they were okay. Jake may have never told him, but he missed Logan calling, tracking him down. He still called, but he no longer grilled Jake like he used to. Even though it irritated Jake to be treated as if he were twelve years old, knowing his brother loved him and was there for him made him feel as if Logan always had his back.
Logan narrowed his eyes. Yeah, he could still read his brothers well. Jake had never, out of all the brothers, been able to hide anything from him.
Jake dropped his overnight bag on the beige carpet with a clunk. He didn’t wait for Logan to hug him like he always did. Instead, Jake reached out first and felt the muscles bunch in his brother’s back at their embrace. Logan had always looked after himself, and even though Jake was the football star, with ripped triceps, biceps, pecs, and abs—and those linebacker shoulders—Logan came in a close second. He’d noticed something else, too, the last few times he’d seen Logan, in the lines around his eyes. Ever since a roadside bomb had ended his career in the marines, Logan had changed, and even more so now that he’d married
The door was white, with a brass handle and diamond-shaped cutouts in the Plexiglas. This was the sort of suburbia that Jake could never have imagined his brother Logan living in, this cute bungalow on a quiet street buried in a foot of snow. No, out of all the brothers, Jake thought this would best suit Samuel, the lawyer who lived a mile from him in Seattle, the brother he’d done everything with. He wondered for a moment, as he went to knock, whether he should have called. He hesitated a second and then rapped on the door, then squeezed his cold hands, wishing he’d brought his gloves. He wasn’t dressed for snow, for the Idaho cold, and he shivered in his leather coat and stomped his feet in the Oxfords he also should have left at home. Then he noticed the doorbell.
He didn’t bother to push it, though. He could hear the footsteps, the creak of the floor, and voices inside—his brother’s deep voice, which always grounded him. Today he felt odd, out of place. Everything felt so different. Logan had his own family now.
The front door opened, and there was something about looking into Logan’s blue-gray eyes, strong and confident as always, that made Jake feel as if he could handle anything life threw his way. Maybe that was why one look at his brother let him know everything would be okay. This softness was a side of Logan that Jake hadn’t seen before, though. The hard edge his brother had always carried now seemed smoother. Must have been a woman’s touch.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming tonight!” Logan held the door and gestured for Jake to come in, and Jake listened to the chatter and footsteps inside the house—Julia and the twins.
“Hope it’s okay,” he said. “I didn’t even think about calling until I pulled up here. Guess I’m used to just showing up, but it might not be okay to do that now that you’re married.”
For a moment, he ached at the thought that he might be intruding on his brother, a brother who’d always been there for him, anytime, anywhere. Logan was everything to him—had been everything to all of the younger brothers: him, Samuel, Joe, and Ben. But Logan wasn’t just any brother, he was who Jake had always looked up to. He knew that out of everyone in his family, Logan would walk through fire for him. His brother would always be there. For a moment, he found himself taking in the threads of gray that were taking over his brother’s dark hair. He looked older, probably from carrying the weight of everyone else on his shoulders.
“Get in here, would you?” Logan said.
There was something in his gaze, in the way Logan studied him, that made Jake need to figure out what was going on with him. Logan didn’t often say much, but he always knew when trouble was lurking around each of the brothers. He called often just to check in and make sure they were okay. Jake may have never told him, but he missed Logan calling, tracking him down. He still called, but he no longer grilled Jake like he used to. Even though it irritated Jake to be treated as if he were twelve years old, knowing his brother loved him and was there for him made him feel as if Logan always had his back.
Logan narrowed his eyes. Yeah, he could still read his brothers well. Jake had never, out of all the brothers, been able to hide anything from him.
Jake dropped his overnight bag on the beige carpet with a clunk. He didn’t wait for Logan to hug him like he always did. Instead, Jake reached out first and felt the muscles bunch in his brother’s back at their embrace. Logan had always looked after himself, and even though Jake was the football star, with ripped triceps, biceps, pecs, and abs—and those linebacker shoulders—Logan came in a close second. He’d noticed something else, too, the last few times he’d seen Logan, in the lines around his eyes. Ever since a roadside bomb had ended his career in the marines, Logan had changed, and even more so now that he’d married
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