Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
GRACIE
I should've known things were going too well. I stupidly thought leaving Chicago and blocking my ex would be enough, but if the half dozen calls I've been receiving from different numbers over the last day are any indication, I'm wrong.
They never leave a message, which tells me it's not a solicitor trying to extend my car warranty. Those damn people love to leave me voicemails.
Nope, instead I just get endless ringing that I ignore and block. Eventually he has to run out of phone numbers to use.
At least, I would think—and hope—so.
"Gracie," Owen snaps. "Did you hear me?"
I lift my gaze from the island in my brother's kitchen and find him scowling at me. "Uhhh, no," I tell him honestly. "I kinda spaced there for a minute." There's no way I can tell him the real reason I'm not focused. Not unless I want blood on my hands. "What were you saying?"
"Chase called me."
That gets my full attention. "I didn't know you two still spoke."
I don't hide my suspicion. After Chase and Annie broke up, my siblings and I agreed we were staying out of it. To me, that meant not speaking to Chase. Annie never explicitly asked us not to communicate with him, but it felt right.
"Hide the claws. We don't actually talk, but he reached out to me."
Now I'm intrigued. "What did he want?" I'm torn between wanting Owen to say Chase wants Annie back or that he’ll never speak to her again. Chase crushed my sister when they split, but I truly believe he’s her soulmate.
"He's worried because she isn't answering him and no one seems to know where she is."
"Wait." I hold up my hand. "What do you mean he's worried she isn't answering him? They split. Last I knew, they weren't talking to each other."
For two forty-something-year-old people, Chase and my sister have the weirdest relationship. They've been friends their whole lives, and at some point it developed into something more. But it's always been an on-again, off-again kind of thing.
"I have no idea. I've always tried to stay out of their relationship because I never understood it. Half the time I want to smash his face in for hurting her, and the other half I wish they would have settled down together by now."
I understand where he's coming from. I love Chase for my sister. When they first got together, I wanted to scream hallelujah, but now I want to bang their heads together.
"Do you think it's because of his career? I mean, I get bull riding is dangerous, but do you really think that's why he keeps her at arm's length?"
Owen huffs. "I don't have the slightest idea. If that's the case, then I get it. Every time he gets hurt, it crushes Annie. I could see why he wouldn't want that permanently for her. But then he needs to let her go completely. Not have one foot in the door at all times."
I nod my head in agreement. Isn't the saying “shit or get off the pot”? That's exactly what Chase needs to do rather than continue to string my sister along.
"Maybe that's why she's ignoring him?" I know that's what I would be doing if I were her.
"Maybe so. But it doesn't explain why she's ignoring the rest of us."
I give my brother a pointed look. "Could it be the fact that we have an overbearing brother who doesn't understand boundaries?"
I know that's the reason I'm not telling him about my current predicament. He's likely to go apeshit when he learns how my ex treated me—he’s overprotective like that—and I don't have the time or inclination to clean up that kind of mess. I have enough of that cleaning up after a three-year-old.
Speaking of.
"Graaaacie," Everly hollers and giggles as she runs into the kitchen with Annalee chasing behind her. "Save me."
The little girl crashes into my legs and I scoop her up just in time before Annalee can grab her.
"Who am I saving you from?" I spin around and plop Everly down so her butt is sitting on the island counter. I wait for my brother to say “tables are for glasses not asses” like he normally would when I hop up there, but he keeps quiet. Apparently that rule only applies to adults.
"The tickle monster." She points to Annalee who is wiggling her fingers like she does in fact wants to tickle Everly.
"Not the tickle monster," I tease. "How do we defeat the tickle monster?" I innocently ask Everly, then wait to see how she wants this game to go.
From the corner of my eye, I can see a smirk on my brother's face.
"We tickle it back." Everly squeals just seconds before a similar sound comes from Annalee.
I don't have to see to know she’s taken off back the way she came. I can hear her footsteps like an elephant traipsing through the grassland.
"Then let's go." I swing Everly back down to the floor. As soon as her feet hit the tile, she's off like a rocket, chasing after Annalee.
Because I can't resist watching this scene unfold, I chase after both of them.
I find them in the living room, Annalee on her back, kicking her feet and laughing hysterically while Everly does her best to straddle my soon-to-be sister-in-law.
Her little fingers tickle along Annalee's neck as she too laughs like a hyena.
I jump right into the fray and pretend to tickle Annalee right alongside Everly.
Everyone in the room, including Owen, is laughing uncontrollably. And damn it feels good to let loose that way.
Minutes later, Annalee calls for a truce and both Everly and I fall to the floor gasping for air.
"I hungry," Everly informs us after she catches her breath. Annalee, being the great person she is, offers to take Everly to the kitchen to get her whatever she wants.
I wait until the two of them have left the living room before I look over at my brother and find him smirking again.
"What's that look for?" I have a feeling I know why he's smiling, but I ask anyway.
"You're great with her, you know that?"
I turn my head toward the kitchen. Even though I can't see her, I know who he's talking about.
"It took some time to get used to each other, but she's a great kid." They all are actually. The more time I spend with them, the more I see just how amazing they really are.
"I was worried at first."
I tilt my head and lift my eyebrows in a silent question for him to explain what he means.
"You being a nanny. I was worried about how well that would work, but I see I had nothing to worry about. You're great for those kids."
I feel the red climb up my cheeks and I don't know what to say.
"You've grown up, kid. I didn't want to see it before, but it's true. You're going to make a great mom someday."
Now I just want to cry. He never gets this sentimental on me.
I can even feel the tears pricking my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.
I don’t want to weird him out. My brother doesn’t handle weeping sisters very well.
Instead, I give a very unladylike snort. "You're getting mushy in your old age."
Owen laughs. "Annalee has that effect on me."
I nod my head because I know it's true. I've seen such a change in him now that he's found her. Before he was stuffy, and he took his role as the head of the family far too seriously. Now there’s a bit of playfulness peeking through his overprotectiveness.
"I like her a lot."
My brother looks longingly in the direction of the kitchen. "So do I."
We stay like that for a little while, enjoying the comfortable silence until Annalee and Everly come back into the room. I glance at my phone to see what time it is and realize we need to head out.
Everly is starting to rub her eyes and graces us with a huge yawn. I take that as the perfect opportunity to say, "We better get going."
I gather Everly's stuff as we say our goodbyes. I’m so happy we decided to visit and Everly got to spend time with my family. She holds Annalee’s hand as we move toward the front of the house, then reaches for me as we near the door.
"Come on, little lady. We have to get home before your sisters get off the bus, and then get dinner started before Daddy gets home."
I nearly stumble out the front door when I realize how domesticated that sounded, and how much my life has changed in just the last few days.