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thirty-eight
Evan
“So, what you’re saying is, I can’t beat Nico’s ass?”
I give my brother a dark and annoyed look. “No. We are moving forward. He doesn’t like me or want me with Callie, but we will respect each other.”
Owen doesn’t seem to understand or want to understand. “Are you sure he doesn’t like me? I’m a hoot and not fucking his wife’s sister,” Owen says, and when I glare, he laughs. “I kid. If he hates you, he hates me because I hate him.”
“There it is,” I say, shaking my head.
“And I still might hit him with my stick—on accident, of course,” he admits, and I roll my eyes.
“Don’t. Just let it be. I don’t want to make anything worse for Callie.”
Owen blows out a breath. “Fine, I’ll refrain because Callie is sweet and is good for you. I can’t believe she canceled the adoption.”
I shrug. Honestly, I can’t either. The whole breakfast this morning has played on repeat in my head. I’m trying to figure out if everything I said was good enough and if I truly fought for myself and for Callie. I think I did, but the outcome is so shitty. Callie doesn’t get a mom and a dad, but she says it’s better this way. “She had good reasoning, not wanting to blur lines and to keep the roles the way they should be.”
“True, because what if Aviva and Nico divorce. Then what? Ya know?”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” I say, surprised I hadn’t. “You’re right, though.”
“Yeah, it sucks. I know Callie’s hurting over the whole thing, but I think she made the right choice.”
“I do too. I just hope she doesn’t regret it if anything were to happen between us.”
I feel his gaze on me, and when I meet his eyes, he has a serious expression on his face. “It wasn’t about you, Ev. It was about the reasons she gave. Don’t get in your head about this.”
I swallow hard; I forget how well he knows me. “I know. I just… Ugh, I hate that he doesn’t like me.”
“Evan, come on. He can’t hate you forever. You’re a cool dude.”
“He was dumped by our sister,” I remind him, and Owen makes a face.
“I mean, I wouldn’t have been mad. Shelli’s too high-maintenance for any other man but Aiden.”
I splutter. “Says the guy with a fiancée who has a jungle in their house. Owen, I just helped you set up a water system for her plants, but Angie isn’t high-maintenance?”
Owen doesn’t even seem fazed by my accusation. “No. Angie’s plants are high-maintenance. My baby is perfection.”
I laugh at him as I lean into the counter while he hooks the watering system that we spent an hour on to the drain outside. He actually made me build a barrel to collect rainwater for Angie’s plants. I came to spend time with my brother, not to be Angie’s plant caregiver, yet here I am with a watering can in my hand. “She is a pretty cool chick.”
“The best,” Owen says, making sure everything is connected correctly. “And Callie is great. I knew that before, but I like how much she’s helped you open up again. I can’t take credit since I’m all the way over here, but she’s kicked ass.”
I smile, my heart kicking up in speed. “She has.”
He watches as the water moves through the tubes and nods before looking back at me. “All done. Thank you for the help.”
“No problem,” I say just as the door opens and Angie comes in with a huge, leafy green thing in her hand.
“Owen! Publix had this sucker on sale!”
“Oh goody,” he says, and I hold back my laughter.
“I know! Callie has the rest,” she says, and I notice my love coming in with plants in both of her hands. She wasn’t supposed to be here yet. She was going to have dinner with Nico, Aviva, Jaylin, and Kirby.
“What happened to dinner?” I ask, and Callie’s shoulders drop.
“We had an early dinner because Jaylin and Kirby couldn’t come. Jaylin has been really sick with her pregnancy.”
“That sucks,” I say, and she nods as Owen looks at the new plants.
“Publix had multiple sales on plants?” he asks, and Angie is basically dancing around, finding places for her plants. I enjoy seeing her this happy.
“Oh, the whole department!” she gushes as Callie hands them to Owen.
“I think she has this one already,” Callie mentions, and my brother sighs.
“She does,” Owen says to her. “But she says they need friends of the same species.”
