Like I could forget. I find a couch in the lobby and dial my brother.
After three rings, he answers, his voice scratchy and gruff. “You need bail?”
I smile, relieved he picked up. “Sorry it’s late. I’m happy to report I’m not in jail.”
“Then what’s going on? Why are you calling me at one in the morning if you’re not incarcerated?”
“I’m messing up this thing with Rory, and since you screw up with Paige all the time, I figured you’d have some ideas.”
“Why do you think I screw up a lot?”
I scratch the back of my head. “’Cause we have a helluva lot more chickens than we did a few years ago.”
He chuckles but then pulls the phone away. “Sorry I woke you, babe. It’s Jace. No, he’s not in jail. Gonna take this in the other room.”
Why does everyone think I’m a delinquent?
He clears his throat. “Okay, tell me everything.”
Ten minutes later, he sighs. “Well, hell, Jace. Rule one of any relationship is you gotta talk to your woman once in a while and let her know what’s going on. No wonder Rory’s pissed. It’s bad enough you have girls swooning over you wherever you go, but you top that off with this Marlowe crap, and I’m surprised Rory hasn’t ditched you yet.”
Thanks for the vote of confidence. “Did you miss the part where I’ve been up all night rehearsing and recording the entire week? And getting up with Layla at five or six in the morning? I fell asleep on the fucking floor this morning after I fed her, that’s how tired I was.”
“All right. I get it. You’re doing your best. I hear ya. But you gotta communicate. Did I not teach you this?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I love you, bro, but you taught me fuck all about relationships except that divorce sucks and not to marry your childhood sweetheart.”
He lets out a long sigh. “Shit. I guess you learned that watching my marriage to Amber go up in flames after she cheated on me.”
Amber yelled at us every single day she was married to my brother. “You and Paige are obviously good together, but it’s not like you share your marriage dynamics with anyone. Not that I’d expect you to.” I rub the back of my neck, uncomfortable talking about this but not knowing what else to do. “I’ve never been in this deep with anyone, so I know I’m making amateur mistakes. And I’ve barely slept all week, so my head is a mess.”
“All right. Let me ask you a few things. Rapid fire.”
Shit. This is something he used to do when I was a kid and I couldn’t think straight. I brace myself. “Okay.”
“Do you want this to work with Rory?”
“Yes.”
“So do you want her as your girlfriend or wife?”
“Wife.”
“Do you want to divorce her?”
“No.”
“Do you love her?”
“Yes.” My eyes widen at my confession. Jesus. Is that why I feel like death warmed over after she said she wanted to leave me?
“Interesting. I have to admit I’m surprised. Never thought I’d see the day when my baby bro would fall in love.”
“Fuck off.”
He snorts with laughter. “I’m just giving you shit. Look, I know your heart is in the right place, but the key is to let Rory see that. You gotta find a way to pull back on this stuff with Marlowe. Didn’t you just post a bunch of videos with her? Paige showed me some stuff when we were going to bed.”
This can’t be good. “Rory posts all of our social media.”
