25. Am I Walking Funny? #2
I’m just fueling my brother’s fire at this point. That much is clear by the deep, jagged breaths he’s sucking in from across the table, the way he’s gripping his steak knife like he might stab it into the wooden table if this conversation doesn’t end pronto.
Alannah gasps, slapping her palms down on the table. “Those are my favorite cookies!” Folding her hands together in prayer at her chin, she pouts. “Will you please tell your boyfriend that we have the same favorite cookies?”
He’s not my boyfriend, but I flash her a smile and nod. “Of course.”
“Does he like to dunk ’em in milk like me? Does he eat ’em whole? Or does he twist ’em apart and lick the icing off?” She twirls her ponytail around her finger, staring dreamily into space, eyes twinkling. “I wonder…”
“Well, you’ll never find out, because you’ll never meet him.” Jeremy pushes back from the table, picking up his plate and mine, even though I’m not finished yet. I lunge for it, but he spins away. “Auntie Ollie is breaking up with him.”
A loud, disbelieving, that’s-fucking-hilarious laugh escapes me. “I’m absolutely doing no such thing.” First of all, I think Carter would literally knock my door down if I tried to end things. Secondly, no. No freaking way. I like him, I have him, I want to keep him.
I should probably tell him that. Carter, not Jeremy. Because I was kind of stuck on freak-out mode all afternoon, had to have Cara talk me off a cliff about pictures and meaningless articles, and then came right here. We haven’t had a chance to talk, and I know he’s worried about me.
Jeremy loads the plates into the dishwasher and slams it shut. It bounces back open and I snicker. The glare he shoots me from over his shoulder is a nine out of ten on the menacing scale.
Kirstin touches my hand. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you.” Her voice drops. “And Carter Beckett is so sexy. I need all the gory details.” Her blue eyes bulge and she pokes the inside of her cheek with her tongue. “ All of them.”
“ Kris !” Jeremy’s booming voice has us jumping. “Come on! No! You’re supposed to be on my side!” His arms are all flail-y. He looks desperate. I bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“I’m always on your side, honey.”
“Thank y—”
“But there are no sides here,” Kristin continues. “Olivia’s an adult. She can date whomever she likes.”
“Are you fuck—” his eyes slide to his daughter, whose wide gaze is bouncing between the three of us, “— freak ing kidding me? She’s gonna get hurt.” He waves a hand over me. “I mean, literally, your, uh… thingie is gonna be hurting. He probably gave you gonorrhea or something.”
I cringe, sinking a little lower in my seat. I can’t blame Jeremy for thinking that. I sure as hell said the same thing when Carter and I first met. I’m about to tell him that Carter’s clean, but then I realize I don’t need to justify anything to my brother.
“I’m not going to stop seeing him because you disapprove, Jeremy.”
Pushing away from the table, I pull my nephew out of the contraption he’s bouncing around in and hug him close. He’s such a chunker, always hungry; see the fist he’s currently trying to stuff into his mouth.
“Want me to feed him?” I ask Kristin. Pulling Jem’s shirt up, I tickle his pudgy belly before giving him a big, wet raspberry. He giggles like crazy, spit bubbling from his mouth.
“That’d be great, Liv, thanks. His bottle is in the fridge if you wanna—”
“No.” Jeremy rips Jem from my grasp and deposits him into Kristin’s lap.
She couldn’t look more irritated, and when he turns away from her, she slices her finger across her neck while glaring at the back of his head.
I love her. “You’re not using my son to distract from the fact that you’re dating the world’s biggest manwhore. ”
Alannah’s nose scrunches. “What’s a manwhore, Daddy?”
“That’s what Auntie Ollie’s boyfriend is, sweetheart.” His patronizing smile is directed at me, and he pats Alannah’s head.
“He is not.” I throw my arms across my chest. “Not anymore. He’s different.”
Jeremy laughs. It’s one of those exasperated laughs, like he can’t believe he even has to have this conversation with me as he drags both hands down his face in slow motion. “You can’t honestly believe you’re the girl Carter Beckett is going to change for.”
The snide remark pierces right through my chest cavity. His intentions may be harmless, but that’s sure not how it feels. Because right now my own brother is backing up that article. The one that wondered if I’d be enough for Carter, the one Cara only just managed to convince me was a load of crap.
I clear my throat and reach for Alannah’s head, kissing her hair before I move toward my nephew and sister-in-law. “Well, as much fun as it is to listen to how my own brother thinks I can’t possibly be good enough for a man like Carter Beckett, I think I’m gonna get going.”
“Aw, Liv, come on. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“You meant it exactly like that,” I say quietly, trying to mask the hurt.
Kristin stands with Jem on one hip, gripping a fistful of Jeremy’s shirt. “You’re being an asshole right now. Apologize to your sister or find somewhere else to sleep tonight.”
“You can sleep with me, Daddy!” Alannah shouts excitedly. She frowns and plants two fists on her hips. “But only after you say sorry for hurting Auntie Ollie’s feelings.”
Jeremy follows me to the front door, his big, stupid feet clomping behind me. “Ollie, come on. I didn’t mean that you’re not good enough.”
“That’s what you said. And that’s what the article said too.” My bottom lip quivers without my permission. Jeremy’s never been good with tears. That’s why his arms go up, all frantic, because he’s desperate to stop them before they start.
“No, no, no, no! Olivia, no . You’re enough! You’re too much! Too good!” He throws his head back and groans at my watery eyes. I won’t lie, I have the power to stop them in this particular scenario now that I see him crumbling, but I let them come, just to get some slack. “ Ollie . Fuck.”
His arms come around me, pulling me into him as he rocks us side to side. I hide my victorious grin in his chest.
“He makes me happy, Jer.” Pulling back, I wipe the theatrics from my eyes.
“I want you to be happy. I do, Ollie. But I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m a big girl. I can handle it.” I 100 percent can not handle it, not if he hurts me. But I’m learning to trust him, trust that his intentions are pure.
“Are you sure you like him? Like, if there’s even a shred of doubt—”
“I like him. A lot. No shreds. Not even one.”
His gaze sweeps my face before he nods. “Yeah, okay. Fine. I’ll give him a shot.” He takes my hand, tugging. “Now quit this fake I’m-leaving bullshit. Your nephew needs to be fed.”
Giggling, I skip back through the living room, scooping Jem out of Kristin’s arms and kissing his cute little nose.
Alannah throws her arms around my waist. “I can’t believe my aunt is dating Carter Beckett. All the girls on the team are gonna be so jealous.”
She stays up way later than a seven-year-old should to watch the hockey game, and when Jeremy walks me to the door later he hands me his Vipers jersey, the one with Carter’s last name on it.
“What the hell do you want me to do with this?”
He looks at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck while he grumbles something I sure as hell don’t make out.
“Pardon?”
Jeremy throws his hands in the air with an exasperated exhale. “I said can you get your stupid boyfriend to sign my stupid jersey!”
There’s no hiding my smirk at this turn of events, and the last thing I see before my brother slams the door in my face is the mega roll of his eyes.