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You could have heard a pin drop within a five-block radius. Max slowly pivots to face us, his jaw hanging open in shock. I wait for Finn’s announcement to register, for fists to fly, but as each second ticks by, and nothing happens, I let out the breath I was holding and start laughing.
“You should see the look on your face, Maxy. Priceless!”
Finn starts laughing with me, and slowly Evie and Mom join us. Max only shakes his head and walks away. After our laughter fades, and we’ve said our hellos, I go in search of my brother. I’m not surprised I find him sitting in my father’s home office. The rich scent of leather surrounds me as I step inside, memories of all the time I spent in here with him smacking me across the face.
“Someone can’t take a joke this afternoon.” I plop down next to him on the sofa.
“You two have a twisted sense of humor.”
“It got you to stop fighting, didn’t it?”
“You couldn’t have just said hello, Lo?” he asks, finally turning to face me. I can see the turmoil raging in his eyes. “You and Finn, you guys have a weird friendship. I don’t get it. When he said you two were together, I started freaking out.”
Well, shit. I expected him to blow a gasket, not stop and think about the words coming out of Finn’s mouth. I should be honest with him and tell him the truth. It’s the perfect opportunity to confess that what Finn said is fact not fiction, but as much as I’ve been trying to convince myself he’s not ready to hear it, I’m not sure if I’m ready to confess it. Because once the words slip passed my lips, it makes it real.
It means things can fall apart.
That I could lose him.
He could hurt me.
So instead, I do what I do best and deflect, giving him the truth but at the same time keeping my secret.
“Finn’s a good guy, Max. He’s your best friend for a reason. He cares about me, and I care about him. He protects me when you’re not around. He wouldn’t hesitate to help me if I asked.”
“Do you love him?” he asks without breaking eye contact.
God, I wish I were a better liar.
“I do. He has a big heart. He’s the kind of man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“Why don’t you marry the guy then and put him out of his misery?” His words shock me, causing me to suck in a deep breath, my hand flying to my heart. Then he starts laughing. Hard. Holding his stomach as he tips his head back.
I’m still in shock from his little quip, so I smack him in the chest and then rush out the door, his parting words coming out rushed between laughs.
“I was kidding, Willow. Lo, I’m sorry.”
Not funny, Max. Because I would marry that man in a heartbeat if he ever asked. No matter how you feel about it.
It’s not hard to avoid the guys the rest of the day. Mom, Evie, and I head to my parents’ room to help her start getting ready while they attempt to finish fixing the sink. Mom’s eyes are glistening with tears as we sit on the bed, waiting for Evie to show us the final result of our hard work.
We curled her long, golden locks before pinning half of them up. I tried to convince her to leave tendrils around her face, but she wasn’t having it. My little sister is a lot like Max when it comes to getting her way. She doesn’t like to budge. It was hard enough to get her to let me curl her hair. She would have gone with a messy bun on top of her head if I let her.
“You okay?” I ask Mom, taking her hand in mine and giving it a little squeeze.
“I’m fine. Just wishing your dad were here today. He loved watching you guys get dressed up for things like this.”
“You mean he enjoyed threatening our dates,” I joke, resting my head on her shoulder.
“That too. God, did he love scaring the crap out of those boys. Do you remember Evie’s first dance, her freshman year?”
Pink satin gown. Butterfly clips in her hair. More makeup than necessary. She looked like a Barbie doll.
Kendall would have loved that look.
“Yeah, sort of, why?”
“It was the first time in a long time I saw your father cry. You guys had all left. Your father had threatened both of your dates, but did you know he also threatened Max and Finn? It was hilarious. And then once the house was quiet, we curled up on the couch and he cried. He wasn’t ready to let you guys go. He wanted to keep you all little forever, but he knew he couldn’t. Evie going to high school broke him.”
