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“I really wish I was,” I said with a sigh. “There goes my good mood.”
“A good mood caused by your new girl?” When my eyebrows raised, he shrugged. “Layla dragged me here to grill you about her. So tell me. Things getting serious?”
“Yeah, they are. At an alarming speed, if I’m being honest.”
My brother stepped to the window and pulled back the curtain, shaking his head and chuckling at whatever he saw.
“She’s still laying into her,” he said almost fondly before turning away and heading for the kitchen. “Got any beer?”
He knew I did. Not just beer either. I also had a well-stocked liquor cabinet. It took me a long time to figure out that my drinking habit increasing wasn’t due to boredom—it was due to unhappiness. I’d been unhappy with Sarah and without her and I drank in an effort to ignore it. Thankfully, I never got to the point where my drinking became problematic. I eased up before it got that far.
But it wasn’t until I met Juliet that I realized I hadn’t been mourning the loss of Sarah at all. I’d been mourning the loss of married life as well as the complete destruction of my trust.
Mason reached into the fridge and took out two beers, popping the caps off and passing one to me before he said, “Tell me about her.”
“She’s... incredible. I love her far more than I probably should this soon.”
Mason nodded slowly and took a swig of his beer. I waited for him to ask a follow-up question or even make a comment, but he said absolutely nothing. He seemed to be waiting for something and I felt my eye twitching in irritation.
“I bought a ring!” I blurted out, pleased to see the shocked reaction on his previously stoic face. “I want to marry her.”
“Haven’t you been seeing each other for like a month?”
“Yeah. It’s so fucking crazy and I really can’t even begin to explain it. It’s just—she’s mine. I know it. She’s the one and I’m a fucking impatient man. I want her here with me all the time.” I paused, chuckling a little. “I want what you and Layla have. A real marriage.”
“Awww!”
I wanted to die. I watched in horror as Layla came rushing into the room and hugged me from the side. Mason just gave me an apologetic shrug, one that said he hadn’t been aware of her eavesdropping either.
“All right, all right. That’s enough,” I growled, trying to save face by straightening my spine and puffing out my chest. “I was just—”
“I know what you were saying and since it was so heartfelt, I promise not to tease you about it. This time,” she promised, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Oh, and the bitch is gone.”
Mason shoved my untouched beer over to her and asked, “What’d you say to her?”
She took a long swig before shaking her head. “There are some woman-to-woman conversations that aren’t for men’s ears. But I think it’s safe to say that she won’t be coming back.”
For some reason, I believed her. It took some stones to show up on my doorstep after everything we went through, and between my own hostile reception and Layla the guard dog jumping in to finish what I started... yeah. Sarah wasn’t the kind to go for repeated humiliation.
“Thank you,” I said earnestly, holding my hand up when it looked like she was coming forward. “No more hugs.”
“Spoilsport.” Layla rolled her eyes and plopped down on the barstool, propping her chin on her hand. “So what are you going to do about Juliet?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going to propose?”
A beat of silence passed before I asked, “How long were you standing there?”
“I came in right when you said you bought a ring.” When I muttered something under my breath about her being nosy, she laughed in response. “Oh come off it. I would’ve known before the day was out either way. Mason tells me everything.”
I looked to my brother and he gave me a hesitant little nod. Fucker. It irritated me to know that everything I told him would be repeated back to his wife, but at the same time, the honesty in their relationship made me incredibly jealous.
“Ethan. We’re not trying to nose into your business. But if you need to talk through anything or want an unbiased opinion—we’re here to help.”
The serious note in her voice surprised me. I was more accustomed to the side of her that teased me like we were truly family. Which I guess in a way, we were.
It was kind of funny. Growing up, I always wondered what it’d be like to have a sister. Now I knew.
