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“Bet.”
“Twenty bucks says you will.”
“Twenty bucks saysyouwill first. With the way your brothers and dad get around, you’re going to be a dad by Christmas.”
“There aren’t even nine months until Christmas. It’s fucking October.”
“Better get started, then,” he replies cheekily. “Or knowing you guys, you won’t even try, it’ll just happen and we’ll all have to catch up.”
I smack him in the back of the head. “Shut up, smartass.”
Trevor’s notwrong. My dad and brothers all had their happy families crop up by total accident. At first it was a fluke, now it’s a pattern that I’m determined to break.
From the kitchen, Dad emerges carrying the cake Dara made specially for the twins. He’s beaming ear to ear. It’s been this way at every first birthday over the past few years. Starting with Piper, then his own daughter, then Jarred’s baby boy, and now the twins. He takes in a deep breath, signaling to the room it’s time. A chorus starts, “Happy birthday to you…”
Trevor and I exchange a glance. “I don’t know, maybe it’ll be me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Maybe it’ll be youwhat?”
Trevor’s mouth twitches. “I think I’m ready to date again.”
“Damn,” I say in a whisper, unable to keep from smiling. “It’s about time.”
I feel someone poke my arm and turn. It’s Jarred, my older brother, singing “happy birthday” emphatically in my face to let me know I have to sing along.
I stick out my tongue but oblige. The conversation can wait.
“Happy birthday, dear Trip and Danny…happy birthday to youuu!” the room sings out with playful abandon to the birthday boys.
Keifer and Dara both coo to the boys, “Time to blow out the candles.” And they to do it for them.
They’re a cute little family. Keifer’s the first one to marry a blonde. Consequently, Trip and Danny are the first of the next Hawthorn generation to have the signature blonde hair and light green eyes of our mother.
The room cheers when the candles are blown out.
Dara hops right back into mom mode, getting started on distributing slices of cake while Keifer tends to the boys. Trip has started crying because of all the noise while Danny is reaching eagerly to get a handful of frosting.
Boys will be boys, I guess.
“Anyway, sorry we were so rudely interrupted,” I say, glaring at Jarred over my shoulder before returning to Trevor. “You were saying?”
Trevor’s brown eyes are squarely in mine. “I’m ready to find someone. We’re not getting younger, you know?”
“I thought you were going to be celibate the rest of your life,” I say dryly and then dodge a gut punch from Trevor. “Teasing! Teasing.”
“I’m being serious, Oliver. You know how hard it’s been for me to get over…you know…”
Rowan.We don’t say her name. In fact, I try not to even think it. Trevor and Rowan broke up – gosh, over two years ago now?
“Besides, I haven’t beencelibate.”
I chuckle. “That’s true.” It took Trevor months to get into bed with someone. He never saw a girl more than once. It never seemed to help him get over Rowan, though. I can’t blame him, really. I haven’t been in a relationship since high school and that doesn’t even count really. So who am I to judge?
Rowan and Trevor were perfect together. At least that’s what we all thought. The three of us became fast friends. We did everything together. I thought they were in it for the long haul.
But they weren’t. It came as a shock and blow to all of us, even the rest of my family who had gotten used to Rowan attending our weekly Sunday dinners.
No one nursed the ache more than Trevor, though. As evidenced by two whole years of not dating.
