Page 47 of Found in Wild Sage

His brows raise. His surprise is justified because I sound like a grumpy ass and that’s not me. I might not be chatty like he is, but I don’t tend to be ill-tempered.

“I would’ve thought being a newlywed would have you a touch happier. Silly me.”

Sam delivers our food so I don’t have to respond immediately. Thank goodness. Because all I can think is that if I were a real newlywed, I probably would be.

As it stands, I’ve seen my wife less than I did before we were married. And even though we were never physical before, I’ve now kissed her, hugged her, and held her hand, so I know even more keenly what I’m missing.

In a word, I am bereft, and I’m mad about it.

“I need some insight here, Decky. Grant, Davis, and I are ready to help move whatever you guys need, but you’re telling me you’re four days into married life and…”

He raises those thick brows again like I’m going to say it loud. But no. I refuse to fill in the blank. I will not say I’m not actually living with my wife yet. No, thanks.

“Okay, silent treatment. Fun. I thought that was more Mac’s jam, but go off, Dr. Dec.” He gives me an unimpressed look, then bites into his grilled chicken sandwich.

My teeth grind together and I stare at my Caesar wrap. I thought I could eat, but just like the last few days, my appetite is nowhere to be found. Even the nurses seem to notice I’m off, but everyone at the office is chalking it up to being newlyweds who are stoutly avoiding making things awkward for our coworkers. They’ve all been lovely, and Maggie and the Drs. Martinez even made it to the wedding.

Largely, we’ve just moved on and everyone’s done their job. It’s a shame there’s no way to expect the same from my relatives.

“We’re moving slow so Charlie can adjust. This is a big change and there’s no reason to rush it.” I take the coward’s way out and keep my eyes on my plate.

He scoffs. “Right. I mean, who marries a gorgeous woman like Evie and wants to actually live with her, am I right?”

He earns a glare right as Grant slides into the booth next to me. Sam arrives instantly and places a burger in front of him, drops a kiss to his cheek, and then is gone.

My oldest brother is a grinning fool now. Lately, it’s hard to remember this isn’t his usual state—or hasn’t been. Until Sam.

“Is the little one giving you hell?”

It’s petty, but I delight in his use of “the little one.” The irony is that only Mac is bigger than Finn. Mac is tallest and has the largest build of us as though he pulled out an ancestral gene none of the rest of us did, while Grant is next in line height-wise. Finn and I are about the same height, or he may have me beat by half an inch, but he’s beefy. Thankfully, he’s not one of those men who can hardly rest their arms by their sides because their lats are overdeveloped. I’m not what anyone would call thin, but I’ve got more of a runner’s build.

Anyway, calling him “little one” puts him in his place a bit, though he, of course, only beams.

“I’m telling him he’s got a hot-ass wife he isn’t⁠—”

“Don’t say it like that, you Neanderthal,” Grant groans, which perfectly reflects the look on my face.

Finn holds up his hands. “I’m just saying if it were me and I’d just married Evie and became a family with her and my boy Charlie, I would be all up in there.”

My eyes shut against his words. There’s movement under the table and Finn yelps. My guess is he took a steel-toed boot to the shin, and he deserved it.

“I don’t mean sexually. I mean like, life.”

I open my eyes at that, appeased by his explanation. “I understand. Like I said, we’re moving slow on this because we moved very fast on the other aspects.”

We’re not trying to pretend we didn’t, so this isn’t news to anyone.

For a minute or two, we’re all eating, so there’s a reprieve from Finn’s talking. As it always does, my mind drifts to Evie. Has she had lunch? She usually brings one from home, and just like always, I’ve met her at the corner and carried her bag while she drops Charlie off at preschool, but it’s tearing me up every time I do it this week.

Maybe because it feels like we did this huge thing, took these steps, and now we’re back to the no-man’s-land that was our relationship, or very much lack thereof, before.

“Hey, Clementine. How’s your brother?”

Grant’s voice shakes me from thoughts of Evie, but my attention goes to Finn. He’s still eating, head dropped low over his plate like Mary Ryan never taught him better, but there’s tension in every line of his body. He might as well hold up a No Trespassing sign for all the subtlety he seems to have with Clementine lately.

“He’s healing up well. He’s doing a great job with his PT and all. Thanks for asking.” She smiles at me. “Hi, Dr. Ryan.”

“Hi, Clementine. Thanks again for your help with the wedding.”