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“I don’t need big brothers to come to my aid. I can handle this myself.”
Dax looks at me, eyebrows raised. He clearly doesn’t believe me. “If you have it handled, tell me what you plan to do about Liz. And if you don’t have a plan, we’ll help you come up with one. Hell, I’ll put you in my car and drive you to Syracuse myself if I have to. What we won’t do is allow you to continue like this.”
“Get the hell out of my room. I don’t need this bullshit right now. On your way out, you can call Jake and tell him not to bother coming over. I’m getting in the shower.”
“No can do, bro. He’ll be here any minute.”
I slam into the bathroom and shove the door closed. I yell through the closed door, “Why are you guys so annoying?”
“Because we’re your brothers. It’s our job,” Dax yells back.
I turn on the shower water hotter than usual. I step in and almost yelp from the heat. I let my body adjust to the temperature before plunging my face into the water.
The tension in my muscles begins to relax as the heat engulfs my body. If only the water could drown out the thoughts in my head as easily.
I love her more than I ever thought I could love someone. I could have let her know this when we were together, but I never did. So much wasted opportunity. And now she’ll never know. She’s made her decision, and I have to respect that.
Now I have to deal with my idiot brothers. I have a feeling they won’t leave me alone unless I talk to them. Being the youngest sucks sometimes.
I finish my shower quickly, wanting to get the talk over with so that I can get some work done. It’s Saturday, but I haven’t been very focused lately, and my work has definitely suffered.
I’m drying off my hair when I hear laughter from the living room. As I walk out, I see Dax, Jake, and Lana sitting on the couch. They all turn to look at me, coffee cups in hand.
“Ah, look, he’s not going to stay hiding in the bathroom after all,” Jake jokes.
Lana hits him on the leg and gives him a mean look. “Cut it out, Jake.”
“It’s alright, I’m used to it,” I say wryly. “Being the youngest of three is not a fun position. How come they dragged you along?”
She smiles gently. “I felt like I needed to be here to give a woman’s perspective.”
Grimly, I realize that I’m going to have to be firm with my family. I know they mean well, but they need to learn to stay out of my life. They can’t just barge in whenever they want.
I sit heavily in the chair furthest from the group, trying to mask my irritation. “Look, guys, I appreciate what you’re doing here. But whatever this is . . .” I wave a hand around at them. “I don’t need it.”
Jake’s solemn face scans mine. “I realize it’s none of our business,” he starts.
“Apparently, you don’t,” I mumble under my breath.
He looks at me and then continues, “But we hate to see you miserable like this. I know you’ve been burned in the past, but that was a long time ago. It’s time you let go of the past and forget what your ex-fiancée did to you.”
Lana nods. “You can’t let the past ruin your future. You and Liz really have something special.”
I run a frustrated hand through my hair. I hate spilling my guts like this, like a lovesick puppy. “I told her how I felt. I told her I loved her, and she didn’t give a damn. She left anyway.”
“Did you tell her you loved her, or did you show her?” Lana asks softly.
I look at her in confusion. “Both. I took her on dates everywhere I could think of. I wooed her, pursued her. Then, I told her I loved her. What more could I do?”
“When did you tell her you loved her?” she asks.
“I told her right before she moved. I told her that I changed her moving instructions, that she was moving in here with me.”
“You’re one dense mother . . .” Dax starts.
Lana silences him with a look and a hand in the air. She turns back to me.
“I want you to think about that for a second. You waited until she had one foot out the door and told her you loved her. Do you see how that would look to her? She thinks you only told her because you were scared of her leaving and taking Matthew, not because you actually love her. She thought it was your attempt to manipulate her into staying.”
