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“Nico,” Aviva warns.
“Yes,” I say simply, shrugging since I know what he is implying.
“Ugh, Callie. Come on,” Aviva complains.
“What? We are together, in a committed relationship.”
Nico’s face turns red instantly.
“I don’t see any reason for why you’d be upset about this. I’m not dumb, and yes, I’m here to see you guys. But I also want to see my boyfriend. Why can’t I do both?”
“Because he’s trash, Callie. Don’t you see that?” Nico sneers, and I scrunch up my face.
“What the hell? He is not.”
“He is. He’s just like his sister.”
I roll my eyes and look at Aviva. “Is he serious?”
Aviva reaches out, holding Nico’s hand. “Nico, come on. You know that’s not true. Evan is so sweet.”
“It’s a ruse. They’re all the same. That whole family.”
“Wow, that’s rude,” I say to him, throwing down the towel that I used to wipe my hands. “All the Adlers, even Shelli, have been very kind to me. I know you have your issues with her, but you’re married with kids. Get over it.”
“I am over it!” he roars at me, and I’m taken aback once again. Nico doesn’t yell at me. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t,” I say calmly, which surprises me. “Evan would never hurt me.”
“Nico, take a walk,” Aviva demands, and when she steps between us, I realize how close he’s gotten to me. “For real. Walk away before you say something you don’t mean.”
He doesn’t move, though. “So, you’re okay with her going over there for sex?”
Before I can argue further, Aviva says, “You know it’s more than that. Stop it. You’re allowing your feelings to get out of control. Go take a walk. Breathe.”
He doesn’t go at first, but then he does, stomping out the side door, slamming it hard. I watch as Aviva shakes her head, walking over to the counter and patting Vance’s butt since he has gotten fussy.
She doesn’t look at me, and I say, “What the hell?”
Aviva only shakes her head. “I don’t know, Callie. He isn’t handling Evan and you being together well, and I don’t understand why. I’m unsure if he feels betrayed since he has told anyone who will listen that you are off-limits, or if he is still allowing his past with Shelli to come into this relationship with Evan, but he’s been like that since the boys came to the team. He doesn’t interact with them, and I don’t know how to make it better. I don’t even know if I can.”
She looks back at me, and I hold her gaze. “Veev, I love Evan.”
She doesn’t seem surprised.
“Like, more than I’ve ever loved any guy I’ve been with. I feel what you felt when you first allowed yourself to give in to Nico, and I’m not giving him up.”
She sighs heavily. “I know, Callie, and I believe you. He’s a good guy. Good for you.”
“I won’t stand for how Nico is acting. It’s unfair to me, to you, and to Evan.”
“I know,” she says, exhaling. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Someone has to keep him accountable. The way he is acting is not the behavior of the Nico I love and care for.”
“I hear you, Callie. I know,” she says, exasperated, and I feel bad.
“I’m sorry,” I say quickly, cupping her wrist. “You know how I am. I get so worked up when I’m attacked or someone I love is.”
She meets my gaze. “Oh, I know, Callie. And listen, I hear you. But you know how he can get when his emotions overwhelm him. We know this about him. I mean, he’s a walking war zone during Cup runs because he’s safe here. He knows he doesn’t have to mask himself.”
“I remember. But Evan isn’t going anywhere.”
Aviva’s face softens before she reaches out with her free hand to hold mine. “I am so thankful and excited that you feel that confidently about Evan. I have wanted nothing more than that for you.”
“I’ve always wanted it for you.”
She smiles sweetly, lacing her fingers with mine. “Let me smooth this over. Why don’t you bring Evan by for breakfast in the morning? Everything will be fine,” she promises, and I want to believe her.
But unfortunately, I don’t trust Nico on this issue anymore.
“Let me know how your conversation goes, and I’ll see if Evan wants to.”
She squeezes my hand. “Fair enough.”
“Are you okay if I go to Evan’s?”
She gives me a matter-of-fact look. “Absolutely, Callie. You’ve been with us all day.”
“You sure?” I ask, hesitant. “I should have checked with you first.”
“Go, Callie.”
I lean in, kissing Vance’s head and then her cheek. “I’m gonna go, then.”
“Good. Text me when you get there.”
I agree and head to my room to get my bag that I packed earlier. When I come out, I hear Aviva in the kitchen with Nico. “Listen, you need to get it together. They’re serious about each other.”
“He doesn’t deserve her, Aviva, and you know it. He didn’t consider my feelings or even listen to the fact that I don’t want anyone distracting Callie. We have a job to do to make sure she is the best human imaginable after her shitty childhood, and we don’t need some boy distracting her!”
“Nico, he is a sweet guy, supportive and so good to her. She loves him.”
“I don’t care. He is not good enough. For the reasons I’ve mentioned—and you know what she did to me.”
“Listen, I get it, and I know she hurt you. But Evan isn’t like that. You can’t fault him for what she did.”
“You sound like his bitch ass.”
“Nico, please. Name-calling isn’t going to help the situation. You need to give him a chance.”
“I’ve told you, he doesn’t deserve her. She is too good for him,” he sneers, and I wonder if he’s said that to Evan. Is that why Evan was so scared to tell me how he felt? Because Nico put it in his head that he wasn’t good enough for me? If so, I’m going to have words with my soon-to-be dad. But also, doesn’t he realize we’re past the point of molding me into a good human? I’m a damn good human, a great teammate, and a great aunt. Not to mention, a fantastic girlfriend, if I do say so myself. So why does Nico feel he has to protect me from any potential emotional harm? Evan is one hell of a distraction, but he also keeps me accountable. He pushes me. I don’t understand.
“You don’t get to decide that because, guess what, if my dad had said that about you, I wouldn’t have listened because I love you. I don’t care what anyone has to say because you are it for me. It’s like that for them.”
Nico laughs. “They aren’t in love. He just likes getting between her legs.”
