Everly
Chapter Ten
Everly
It had been two days since Drake caught us in the bedroom. That had been one sobering day. Why he’d come here on a whim to surprise us is still something I need answers for. Like did he have suspicions? Or was he just missing us? It didn’t make sense unless he wanted to check up on me.
Either way, his anger actually helped me from being mortified about being caught. I’d been so worked up over his outrage, I’d completely gotten over the fact that we’d been heard having sex by my own brother. I shot him a text this morning, asking him if we could talk.
Drake, can we have a chat?
The three dots appear, and I linger before he replies, Sure, I’d like to talk before I head back.
Meet me at the apartment today, please.
At twelve?
By that time, Julian will be on his way into the hospital and my brother will be less confrontational. I quickly respond back to confirm. Sounds good.
I’m dressed for the day and anxious, rubbing my fingers together as the clock on the wall moves closer to twelve and my Julian’s still here. It’s eleven forty-five and the doorbell rings. I opened it to find my brother, standing there, biting down on his bottom lip, nervously rocking on his heels.
“Please come in,” I say. After Drake left that day, he’d tossed the key on the counter, not wanting to have seen anything again.
“Thanks.” He steps in and looks around, presumably for Julian. Of course, Julian’s shift actually starts an hour later than I thought, so he isn’t leaving for a while longer, meaning this could get ugly.
Tension between my brother and I had never been this high. Before I was the annoying little sister that my brother promiscuous brother looked after. Now, I’m the girl that ruined his friendship with his best buddy.
“Drake, Julian’s getting ready for work, but you and I need to talk.” I take a seat and then pat a spot next to me and he takes it. I love my big brother
“You’re right; we need to talk.” He sighs and then he takes my hands in his, which are shaking. With all the sincerity I’ve ever seen, he looks me in the eye and says, “I’m sorry, Ev, but it seems that Julian’s been lying to us. He’s been seeing one of the nurses at the hospital.”
“Oh yeah? Which one?” I need to know who she is because I refuse to believe it. We make love almost every single day and the only reason it isn’t every day is because of our schedules.
“Linda.” My teeth were clenched as I heard her name. My skin crawled just thinking about this mysterious woman.
“Oh really?” For some reason I knew he was going to say that, but it still stings because that’s the number I found in his pocket, the one he tossed in the garbage.
“What makes you think he’s seeing her?” I questioned. My stomach drops and flips while hoping that my brother is mistaken. There is no way Julian would betray me like that. He’s a good man through and through. If anything, he would have just left me alone. There is no way he would have messed with me only to be cheating especially because he’s my brother’s best friend.
“She told me she was pregnant with his baby.” My heart stutters even if I don’t believe it. I shake my head while I listen to my brother’s story. As much as I love Julian, I refuse to be a na?ve girlfriend.
“You spoke to her, and she told you that she’s carrying his baby?” I asked Drake.
He grows sheepish, ducking his head and running his hand through his sandy brown hair. “Well no. I heard the nurse talking about her being pregnant with the baby of a resident, and he’s one of the few residents who still works there.” So, she didn’t say it was Julian’s exactly and my brother’s just making an assumption because he’s pissed.
“So, you don’t know it’s Julian’s any more than you know it’s yours.” I toss back.
“I always use protection.” The instant revulsion, knowing he screwed her too makes me sick. I never asked Julian about his relationships because frankly I didn’t want to know about them. I’m young, not na?ve. He’s nearly thirty and gorgeous. I couldn’t expect him to remain a virgin, but that didn’t mean I had to know about any of the women. This woman was more than I wanted to handle.
“Protection fails,” I say. As a doctor, he knew that, so his blatant denial was intentional.
I’m on my feet, clenching my fists with my chest puffed out. “I can’t with this nonsense. You’re only saying these things because you’re pissed at Julian, and you don’t want us to be together.”
“I’m saying it because it’s what I heard,” my brother snaps, standing up and pacing. I’ve never seen my brother so angry.
Julian comes out from his bedroom, dressed and ready to head to work. “What did you hear?” he questioned my brother, glaring at him. I hate that their friendship has been damaged by me. I want to jump between them, but I know better than getting between two big men.
With a smugness I’d only seen directed at people he hadn’t cared for, Drake says, “I heard you’re going to be a father.”
Julian’s eyes go directly to me and down to my belly. A smile spreads over his face. “You’re pregnant, baby?”
He reaches out to cradle my waist, but then I inform him of the truth. “He’s talking about Linda.”
He spins around and gets in Drake’s face. “I get that you’re pissed that I’m with your sister, but you are going too far. You starting some shit, Drake, but it’s not going to work. I have never touched Linda.” He turns to me and takes my hand, bringing it to his lips.
“I can’t stand her. Just so both of you know.” He gives my brother a dirty look before continuing. “I told her to back off. My mother already offered to write her up for sexual harassment, but I didn’t want to create a scene. Maybe I should have taken her on that offer.”
“She’s telling everyone she’s pregnant with a former resident’s baby,” I state.
He tips his chin toward my brother with a scoff. “Then it’s probably this asshole’s kid, but it can’t be mine because you’re my one and only.” The revelation comes as a shock because he’d been so sure and so intense when he made love to me.
“Are you saying…” My mind processes his words, and my heart is thumping out of my chest.
“That you’re the only woman that I’ve had sex with.” My grin is a mile wide because it’s something we both shared together.
“That’s why you were so uptight about women walking around naked in the apartment,” Drake mutters, running his fingers through his hair.
And there went my motherfucking grin.
My teeth slammed together in anger and jealousy. I can’t imagine the women touching everything with their naked bodies. “There were women walking around naked?”
“Only once and then I demanded that it didn’t happen again.” I glare at my brother.
“Well, I need to head into work, so if you’re going to be a prick you can leave. You, on the other hand, I will see you later.” He pulls me into his arms and kisses me hard.
“Lord, Drake. What is wrong with you?”
“What? I just…”
“You could have spoken to us instead of just believing a random woman you slept with. One of the many women you banged. A man who has been your friend for nearly a decade and you treat him like shit because he has the audacity to care for me. A man who has never lied to you. Let you stay with him and…”
“You’re my sister and he was supposed to protect you.”
“I’m a woman, Drake. An adult who can make my own choices and despite what you may think those women you slept with were someone else’s sisters and daughters too.” I stand up and pace, seeing Julian’s lunch on the counter. “Shit. I hate to cut this short, but I’ve got to go. Are you sticking around?”
“Yeah. I’ll be around. I have a conference to attend, so that’s really the reason I was in town.” Oh. That explains why he came. It had nothing to do with us.
“I’m trying to understand this thing between you two. I really am, Everly.”
“That’s good because I love him.”
“He better treat you right or I’ll have to hire someone to kick his ass.” I laughed as he hugged me because we both knew that punch the other day did nothing to Julian. He might have stumbled, but he didn’t leave a lasting mark.
We part ways and I head down to the hospital to drop off Julian’s lunch just in time to see something more than enough to rile me up. My brother might not be right, but that bitch had a serious problem and if she didn’t act right, she was going to learn quickly that I’m not as adorable as my new pink highlights make me look.