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Brady:Coop, man. You coming home for beach birthdays this summer?
Coop:I’m gonna try, but I’ll be in training. I don’t know if I can fly out for the weekend yet.
Declan:Try harder man. We miss you.
After a few minutes, Brady sends me a separate text, just between the two of us.
Brady:Hey, man. Can you talk?
Coop:Yeah
My phone rings with an incoming FaceTime from Brady.
“Hey, man.” Damn, I miss these assholes.
“Yo, Coop. Dude, you need to shave. Wait... or are you growing that just to look older?” Brady laughs and shuts the door behind him before sitting down on his bed. “Listen, I’ve only got a few minutes, and Nattie’s downstairs. But if there’s any way you can get to the beach for Fourth of July, you’ve got to do it.” Brady’s voice sounds almost hesitant, like he’s nervous.
“I won’t know until I’m at the training, but I’ll try. What’s going on?” It’s not like Brady to beat around the damn bush like this, and my curiosity is piqued.
He opens the drawer of his nightstand and removes a blue box.
Holy shit.
He cracks the box open and holds it in front of the screen. “I’m going to ask her to marry me, and I know it would mean so much to her if you were there, man. To both of us. I understand if you can’t make it. But try, if you can. Okay?”
“Damn.” I’m actually a little choked up. This guy, who’s been like a brother to me, is going to marry my sister. “You remember what I said when you told me you wanted to date her?”
“Yeah. You told me not to hurt her.” Brady closes the box and shoves it into the back of his drawer.
“I also told you, you were a good guy. You’re a good man, Brady. Take care of my sister.”
“Always, man. I’ll never be good enough. But no one will ever love her more.” He swallows. “Wow. I feel like I just asked your dad for permission.”
“What did he say when you did?” I can’t imagine Dad not being happy for Nat. Brady’s loved her for years.
“I wanted to tell you before I asked him. But if you ever tell him that, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Yeah. He could try.
“I won’t say a word.” Nattie’s voice calls out for Brady in the background.
“Gotta go, Coop.”
“Yeah. See ya, man.”
We end the call, and I stare at my phone.
My sister’s getting married. What’s that going to be like?
I lie back on my bed and close my eyes.
Soon, images of Carys invade my mind. Her at the end of an aisle, looking at me with glittering green eyes. Her pregnant, then holding our baby... Holy shit. Our baby.
I’m not sure how I didn’t realize it before.
Why I didn’t see it?
This woman is my endgame.
