AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I said I don’t know you well enough, Mason.”
“You let me come to your house and have dinner with your kids. Hell, Houdini is as much my dog as he is yours.”
“That doesn’t mean I can completely trust you.”
Her voice isn’t as strong, and it hits me what this is about. Her husband, again.
“You can’t trustme? Or is it men, in general, you can’t trust? Because Sam left you?” She opens her mouth to respond, but no words come out. “Never mind. As long as you don’t deal with him and your anger, you’ll never trust another man.”
I turn to leave, grabbing my phone and slipping on my shoes.
“Mason, don’t do this.”
“Do what? According to you, we aren’t anything serious.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. You’re ashamed that you have feelings for me.” I shake my head. “I’m just the kid falling in love with you.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll give you all the space you need. The ball’s in your court.”
I slip out the back door then, through our back gates, and into my house. I realize if I stay here today, I’ll go over there and beg her to take me back—even if she wants me to be her dirty little secret. If it wasn’t for those kids. They are so damned sweet, and I like that. I want to be part of their lives, to be more important than just the next-door neighbor.
I know it’s wrong to expect her to turn her life upside down right now. She just got to town, and her kids are her priority. And yes I am being an ass
I scrub a hand over my face, trying my best to get my emotions back in check. Thankfully, I didn’t have to work today, but it would take my mind off my troubles. I need to get out, to be away from here. If those kids come home and I see them, it will break me a little. I take a quick shower, change, and head to the one place I know I won’t be judged.
I knock on my sister’s door about five minutes after leaving my house. When the door swings open, my older sister, the middle child who loves to tell people to get bent, is still in her PJs, and she has my niece on her hip.
She takes one look at me, then says to whoever is in the background, “Pay up. I told you he would fuck it up.”
“Everly,” Becca says, hurrying forward. She has her hair up in two buns—although the purple is something new. “Be nice. Your brother is hurting.”
Becca steps forward and gives me a hug. “Come on in. We have French toast Quinn made, and it’s the best.”
I hug her back, then look at my sister over Becca’s shoulder. “I like her better than I like you.”
Everly rolls her eyes. “Good. Then you can go to her house from now on.”
We make our way into the kitchen, and I hold my hands out for my niece. Everly hands her over easily. “We’ll have to make some more French toast, babe.”
“No problem,” Quinn says.
He plates up a pile of toast. I hand my niece back to my sister and take the plate. By the time I sit down and add syrup and butter to it, he pours me a massive mug of coffee.
“So,” Everly says as she sits down next to me. “How did you fuck everything up?”
“Why is it my fault?”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re a man.”
Quinn chuckles, joining us by sitting beside Everly. Becca sits on the other side of me.
“When we had problems, it was you,” Quinn says.
Only a crazy man would say that to my sister. Usually, she would probably dick punch any other man who dared to blame her. Instead, she smiles at Quinn. Their relationship is still a little bent, but they both seem happy.
