Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Arden
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be tonight than sleeping in Danika’s bed with her curled up against me, but she doesn’t want to do sleepovers and I need to respect that. It doesn’t stop me from holding her for a while, though, content to just lay here while she sleeps.
With a kiss to her forehead, I gently pull my arm out from under her back and she rolls to her side but doesn’t wake up. Tiptoeing out of the room, I gaze at her sleeping form one last time before closing the door and turning around. Margot’s cold hard stare hits me right in the face.
“What is with you women scaring the crap out of me?”
Margot puts a finger to her mouth and gestures toward the door of the apartment.
I follow her, noticing she’s already got her jacket and shoes on and I quickly put on my mine as we head outside.
The dawn is breaking and I don’t think I realized just how long I laid next to Danika.
I didn’t sleep a wink but for some reason I’m not tired at all.
It’s a good thing I didn’t pick up the extra shift today though, so I can get a nap in when everyone leaves.
“I take it she told you everything?” I ask as Margot and I start walking. I’m not entirely sure where we’re going but it is nice to just wander and have this alone time with my sister. It’s been too long.
She nods. “Yeah, she told me. I know all about it from her perspective, now I want to hear from you. How are you doing with all this? I know how you’ve always felt about her.”
Narrowing my eyes, I glance toward her. “What do you mean, always felt?”
Margot does her signature eye roll and I want to squeeze her. I’ve really missed my little sister. “Please don’t insult my intelligence. You’ve liked her since we were kids. Anyone with eyes could see you were obsessed with her.”
“Obsessed is a strong word.”
“You were always at her side, defending her or taking her places. Bringing her lunch when she forgot or water to her soccer practices.”
“I did that for you, too.”
“Hardly. And only because you had to. You didn’t have to do anything when it came to Danika, you did it because you wanted to.”
We keep walking and I realize that Margot has led us right to the Cafe Royale. She’s always dying for a caffeine fix, I should’ve realized. I can grab a coffee for Dani while we’re here. Damn. Maybe I am obsessed.
“I’m trying here, Mars. I don't know what to do to keep her.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re hooking up and that’s been great, but I want her. All of her. I don’t want to be her pretend boyfriend. I want to be her husband.”
Margot stops in her tracks, and I realize I might’ve come on a little strong there but I don’t even care.
Of course, I wouldn’t propose to Dani until we’re well into our relationship, maybe not even until she’s finished her med school and residency but it’s absolutely the plan for the future. If she’ll have me.
“You need to tell her how you feel,” Margot says, continuing to walk. “I’m not sure she understands the depth of your feelings for her.”
“She said that?”
Margot sighs, “I’m not going to be a go-between for you two. She’s telling me things and you’re telling me things but I’m not your messenger. Talk to each other to find out how you each feel.”
She’s right but it’s not easy to hear. She’s not going to betray her best friend’s trust by telling me what she’s saying to her but I’m her brother! Doesn’t that count for something?
We head toward the doors of the cafe, and I hold it open for her to walk through. We are definitely the first customers since according to my phone, it’s only six-thirty in the morning.
Margot orders her iced hazelnut latte, and I get two large coffees for Danika and me. Margot clocks the exchange but doesn’t say anything. Margot also orders a coffee for Sydney and we leave the cafe with a travel tray of four coffees and a bag full of pastries to share.
“Have you talked to Dad recently?”
“I’ve been busy, Mars.”
“So have I, but I still find time to call him.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t live there and take care of them for the past four years,” I say kind of sharply. I don’t mean to be accusing but I don’t like her insinuating that I need to do more than I’m doing for the family. I’ve done enough.
Having to live in that house with a disabled father and an elderly grandmother is not a walk in the park. I worked my ass off to provide for us and help Margot pay for college. Memaw’s social security helped slightly and dad’s disability checks helped even less but I took everything we could get.
Having to take on such responsibility at a young age wasn’t exactly what I envisioned for my life but of course I did it. I always show up for my family.
Now it’s my turn to be a little selfish.
Dad is set up with a remote job at home and Memaw is living large on the couch with her stories. All is well so I’m going to let myself enjoy it for at least a little while.
“I’m sorry, Arden. You’re right.”
I’m already shaking my head. “Forget it, Mars. It’s fine.”
By the time we get back to the apartment building, we’ve changed the subject various times and we’ve landed on Alex’s favorite type of tie when we finally get to the door.
Thank god, because I can barely acknowledge that my little sister has a boyfriend that she lives with, let alone talk about him twenty-four/seven.
I’ll leave her to yap about her hunky boyfriend with her friends.