Chapter 37
THIRTY-SEVEN
olivia
It had been years since I had slept next to a man, and oh man, was Nate a treat. Three times, I rolled over to find him hard and ready.
Me: These young guys are underrated.
Sophie: No, they’re not. We’re just too stupid to go for it.
Me: I shouldn’t be able to walk.
Sophie: Are you walking.
Me: Not exactly.
Nate woke first, and I woke shortly after with his head between my legs. After three orgasms, I rode him until he came and immediately fell back to sleep.
As I was making breakfast, I heard Austin’s car pull into the driveway. Shit.
I stared at the food on the stove, gazed down the hallway at my bedroom door and gambled on whether or not Austin would be smart enough to stop the kitchen fire—because if he caught Nate in my bed, there would be a much bigger explosion.
“Hey, Austin is home.”
Nate shot up in bed. “What should I do?”
“You need to stay here until he either leaves or goes into his room.”
The garage door opened, and I heard his footsteps in the hallway before he called out to me. “Liv? Where are you?”
I left Nate in my bed and headed back into the kitchen, where the eggs and bacon I’d been cooking were only slightly smoking. “Hey, how was the party?”
“I managed a couple of half-hearted congratulations. You would have been proud of me.” My brother had always been the guy who looked on the bright side of every situation. It sucked to see him worn down.
“Hungry?”
“Starved. Is Nate up yet?”
“Haven’t seen him yet.” I lied and hoped my brother wouldn’t see through me.
“Do you think there’s hope? Did I pick the wrong woman?”
Oh, fuck. Now I had soupy Austin. It had taken all this time for his anger to break; now he was a little broken. My heart went out to him.
“Ashley wasn’t right for you.”
“I know you always hated her—”
“I didn’t hate her, I just thought she wasn’t good enough for you. What do you think of Jason?”
“Um, not a fair comparison. You would never have given Jason the time of day if you hadn’t gotten pregnant.”
“What made you think Ashley was your person?”
“Oh, no. You’re my person, Liv.”
I sighed. “Austin, that’s the problem. I know it gets weird because we’re twins. But your wife should be your person. Not your sister.”
My eyes caught some movement in the hallway as Nate slipped out of my room and into his own. When he emerged, he’d covered his beautiful chest with a t-shirt. God, I loved that man naked.
“Morning,” he said, and I appraised the stubble that had formed on his jawline overnight.
“Morning,” Austin and I said in unison.
“Hungry?” I asked. “I made extra.”
Nate nodded. “What time is Cooper coming home? Are you bringing him to the game tonight?”
“Are you boys going to win? Or am I going to leave with a disappointed little boy?”
“Who the fuck knows? I mean, we suck lately, but if you play enough, you’re bound to hit another team on a bad night.” Austin said, the frustration clear as he spoke.
“Aus—”
I knew he was pissed at my tone even before he cut me off. “I can’t wait until October,” he said.
“For the playoffs?” I asked.
“No, we’re not going to be in the playoffs. But I’m gonna hide on an island somewhere. I need a breather.”
Nate caught my eye over Austin’s shoulder. We’d all underestimated how difficult this had been for him. His wife cheated, but she’d picked such an absolute shitbag to do it with. He had also learned that it wasn’t her first indiscretion.
“Okay, so here’s to having a finalized divorce and a long vacation. Fuck the World Series.” My comment hit like a bomb.
“I’m going back to bed. Sorry, I’m not hungry anymore.”
Nate and I stared at him as he trudged down the hallway toward his bedroom.
“Fuck, he’s worse than I thought.”
“Don’t the team doctors offer psych?” I asked.
“I think they’re at a loss this year. He’s not the only one who’s spinning,” Nate said.
“I feel like I should be doing more to help him.”
“Don’t we all…”