“Marriage isn’t a game, Caleb.”
Uh oh. He was using my real name.
“Fully aware of that, thanks.”
“You like this girl that much? Enough to live your life with her?”
I considered his question. “Honestly? I think so. I mean, we have a lot to do to get to know one another. But she’s honest, kind…fiery. I like that a lot.”
He laughed. “You just described your mother.”
I made a face. “Well fuck, don’t ruin it for me.”
“The fuck?”
“Mom’s great,” I said, looking over into his now pissed off face. “But I don’t want to think about marryingher. Jesus.”
He relaxed. “The three of you used to fight over who got to marry her on any given week.”
“We were kids.”
“And smart enough to recognize a good woman when you saw one.”
“That’s why I know this could work.” He arched a brow at me, so I continued on. “How the fuck would I pick anything but a good woman with her as my example of what a wife and mother is? How would I have anything but a good marriage when I grew up in your house, watching the two of you love each other all these years?”
He smiled and nodded. Pride was radiating off him. He should be proud. It was a damn impressive accomplishment in this day and age. To marry your best friend and keep her happy all these years. And for her to do the same.
“Why the fuck do you think we’ve all been searching so damn hard for the same thing?”
He frowned at me. “What’re you talking about?”
I scoffed. “The three of us aren’t getting married until we find a woman who matches us the way you two match. This is your fucking fault,” I said, pointing at him as I stood up. “And don’t piss me off or I’ll point that out to Mom and you’ll be trying to get back into her good graces.”
He stayed sitting as I went inside, trying to puzzle out whether he’d actually get into trouble for setting too good of an example. Spoiler alert, he absolutely would.
* * *
I wentinto the living room and sat down in Dad’s recliner, checking my phone. I’d told Devyn I was having dinner with my family tonight, so my screen was blank. She was giving me space to hang out and tell them our news. Not that I needed it. Itwas more about getting lines of communication open with her. Getting her used to the idea of me texting and calling regularly.
Movement caught my eye and I looked up and found Relay leaning against the wall a few feet away, watching me. “You’re a creepy fucker sometimes, you know that?”
“I’m not the one who just realized someone was watching him while the other person was being completely silent and still.”
I gave him an incredulous look. “No. You’re the one who’s staring at me while barely breathing. The fuck is wrong with you?”
One side of his mouth kicked up into a smirk as he came and sat down on the couch. It was rare to see a smile out of him these days. That smirk was usually what we got. It was such a difference from when we were kids, but I still loved the asshole just as much now as then. I just wished there was a way for me to help him with his demons. But he was one of those solitary types who liked to deal with shit on his own and would bite your head off if you tried to help. Guess we were all a little like that, but he was the worst. I doubted even a damn exorcism would help him. It would take an army of priests just to get their attention.
“What’s your plan?”
“Here we go again,” I muttered.
He arched a brow. “Take it Dad already asked you that.”
“Yup. And I fully expect this talk from Isaac and Mom at some point, though I can ignore anything Isaac says.”
“Right, the idea is to win her over, not creep her out.”
“Exactly,” I sighed. “I’m doing what I can. If I move too fast, I’ll scare her off. That’s the last thing I want to do.”
