“Asshole,” I mutter, but I feel a grin tugging at my lips.
“Callie tried to put our age difference in between us. I tried to stay away from her because of my felony record. She’s a librarian for fuck’s sake. We don’t match. But, Quinn, hear me when I tell you, that woman lights my soul on fire. She breathes air into my lungs every day. I love all of y’all, my siblings, you’re my family. But Callie is my reason for being on this Earth. If you’ve found that kind of love, then you grab onto it with both hands.”
I release a shaky breath. I feel all of those things he described. From the moment I first saw Amber, I felt a stirring in my soul. Like something inside of me was awakening. Every day it grows stronger, louder, more insistent.
So I tell my brother about Eileen’s visit and about her punk of a son putting his hands on Amber.
The anger still pumps through my blood like poison. “She broke his nose. Little fucker.”
“Amber is a pistol. She fits in our family and none of us think she’s too young for you or that you’re too old for her.”
“You’ve discussed it?”
“Of course. We talk about you behind your back all the time.”
“Well, that’s not surprising.” I rub my hand against my beard. “That little fucker is closer to Amber’s age than I am. Do you know how much I hate that?”
“Because she’s yours.”
“Damn straight she is. Goddammit, Roe. What if three years from now she changes her mind and she wants to trade me in for a younger model?” Fuck, I sound like a pussy.
“Does that sound like something she’d do?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Then there’s your answer. Sleep on it tonight, then tell her how you feel tomorrow. When life drops your soulmate in your lap, you don’t shove her off into someone else’s.”
“Since when are you so smart about everything?”
“Prison. I read a lot of books while I was there,” he says with a chuckle.
“Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.”
“So, what was the reason you were calling?”
“I drew the short straw.”
“Fuck you,” I mutter. “But if that’s true, I’m glad. This conversation would have gone a lot differently had it been with Hayes or Johnny.”
We hang up and I stare into the darkness for a while. I agree with the sentiments Roe made, but that’s all assuming that Amber and I do belong together. How are you supposed to know when you’ve met your soulmate?