Chapter 29 #2
“I said, what the hell are you doing?” He yells louder than he needs to as well before clearing his throat and crossing his arms. My brother is wearing his signature dark T-shirt and jeans.
Heavy black boots cover his feet despite the summer heat.
He looks more biker than baker and we couldn’t be more opposite as I’m wearing loose sports shorts and a sweat soaked tee with the sides cut out.
I’d destroyed a handful of shirts to make them easier to get on and off with my fucked-up shoulder.
“I’m mowing.” My tone suggests it should be obvious, but I immediately clear my throat, remembering what Stone told me days ago. “I’m cutting the field.”
Sebastian glances around us. “I can see that, but why?”
Shrugging, I gaze off to my left, my sight catching on the ugly brown barn. “Thought I’d build a baseball diamond.”
“Come again?”
My brother doesn’t actually expect me to repeat myself but when I look back at him, his mouth holds firm, as if questioning my sanity. “Is this one of those, ‘if you build it, they will come’ things? In case you don’t remember, this is West Virginia, not Iowa.”
I snort, ignoring his sarcasm. “Nah. I don’t need others to come here. I’m doing it for me.”
“Of course you are.”
I could question his tone. The hint of sarcasm.
The layer of resentment. But now, I have a better understanding of why my brother talks to me like he does.
Although Stone’s explanation might not explain why Sebastian and I rubbed each other the wrong way before he sold drugs, perhaps our behavior was simply sibling rivalry.
The easy kind like Zelle and Winnie sometimes display.
Like when Winnie wants the last cookie and Zelle uses her mother hen voice to say she’s older and deserves it.
But unlike Zelle and Winnie, where Zelle would have broken the cookie in half to share it with her younger sister, I was never like that toward my younger brother.
I didn’t let him play ball with me. I easily grew frustrated when he did weasel into a game.
I acted like he was a pain in my ass instead of accepting him as my brother.
“I’m sorry, man,” I blurt without preamble.
Sebastian’s head flinches. The slight movement a hint to his surprise but his mouth is still sharp. “What the fuck for?”
“For being a dick most of my life to you.”
“Most?” He scoffs but he reads something in my sweaty face before narrowing his suspicious eyes.
“I never knew you bought some of the stuff I needed when I was younger. Always thought it was Stone. Stone led me to believe it was from him, although I’m not faulting him.
We all know he did what he could for us.
” In Sebastian’s case, Stone eventually did what he had to do to save our brother from himself.
With a deep exhale, I add, “So . . . thank you.” Fuck, if the team shrink heard me now, he’d be so proud.
Stumped, Sebastian lowers his arms to his sides. His body language reads less defensive. He remains speechless, and I’m not certain I’ve ever known my brother to be at a loss for words when it came to me.
“Maybe you could apologize for that hit the night before your wedding?” I prompt.
“Fuck you,” Sebastian retorts, but not an ounce of heat fills his voice. He tips his head back, blinking a second before lowering to face me once more. His crass words in a cooler tone might be all the apology I get.
“What did you need?” I tip my chin at him. Why is he here?
“Wanted to talk to you about Cadence.”
“What about her?”
Sebastian’s eyes narrow to slits, a warning behind the shutters of his lids. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing,” I state too fast, too adamant.
“Bullshit.” Sebastian waits. “You think I haven’t noticed the glances between you two. The way her face flushes and yours just turns red. The way you orbit around her.”
“Why would I do that?”
“You tell me. I’ve noticed all this shit because I know that’s how I am with Enya.”
Turning my head away from him for a second, I take a deep breath before peering back. “We’re both consenting adults. No commitment required, just how she wants it.”
Sebastian arches one brow but remains silent.
“How did you know?” I’ve been extra vigilant around Cadence, keeping my distance, and not dragging her off to my old bedroom like I want to, when we are here on Sundays. But I guess I haven’t been diligent enough.
“I didn’t. But you just confirmed it.”
Fuck. I tip my head back before snapping my neck forward. “Then why the fuck did you ask?”
“Because she’s a fucking superstar, man. She’s out of your league.”
“Oh, because I’m not good enough,” I counter as if I can’t hold my own with someone of her caliber.
“Because she might not be good enough for you.”
“She— What?”
“Look, I haven’t known Cadence long. I don’t interact with her often, but she’s my wife’s sister so I know well enough that Cadence does not want to be tied down. She has her routine. Guys on the fly until this Evan shit. And you scream stability and commitment and more than one night.”
“What Evan shit?” I sit up straighter, hands fisting on my thighs.
Sebastian stands taller. “You don’t know about the Evan situation?”
“No.” Who the fuck is Evan? How did I not know there was a situation with him, especially after the past few weeks?
I suddenly feel sick, my vision blurring. With a shaky hand, I swipe at my sweaty brow.
Is this the same situation I had with Felicity all over again? Is Cadence secretly seeing someone else?
Fuck! My stomach drops. My chest feels like it’s cleaving in two.
Is this why she can’t commit to me? Won’t give me more of her? Cadence, who has taken up full residence in my head and my fucking heart, can’t stay the entire night in my bed, because of someone named fucking Evan?
“Sebastian, if there was ever a time in your life to tell me something important, this is it.”
“Not my story to tell, man, but you better get it from her.” His shoulders lose their tightness. “Especially with your girls.”
After becoming a dad, my younger brother has changed once again.
He’d be the first to admit his heart expanded in a way he didn’t know it could because of Adara, and now that he and Enya have another baby on the way, his heart is going to keep growing, keep opening him up to more love. And more wounds.
Because loving someone eventually can lead to a few punctures, if not an entire break.
And suddenly, I’m worried Cadence’s secret is going to ruin us all, my girls included.