“Please don’t go,” George says quietly. “I have—I have something to confess.”
No one says anything. Not even Mother, which is unlike her. Until…
“What is it, George?” Evie asks.
She knows his confession is for her.
He turns to look at the woman he brought with him for the weekend, his expression contrite. “Priscilla, I’m terribly sorry for wasting your time, but I’m afraid I must tell you something,” he says, his voice soft, his gaze still locked on Evie. “I have—feelings for someone else.”
Evie blinks yet again, surprise etched in her fine features. “You do?” she asks, her voice weak.
George nods. “I’m an utter fool, Evie. Can you forgive me?”
Wait a minute. Is my brother…
“Yes.” Evie is full-on crying now. Again. “Oh, George.”
“Please, Evie.” He’s actually begging.
“I forgive you,” she sobs. “Of course I forgive you.”
“I’m in love with you.” George laughs. Shakes his head. “I have a funny way of showing it, what with bringing another woman here to my parents’ home, but I think I was trying to convince myself to do the right thing, when the right thing—the only thing—was in front of me the entire time.”
Aww. That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard my brother—or pretty much anyone—ever say.
“George, what in the world are you doing?” Mother’s sharp voice nearly makes me jump out of my chair.
George sends her a quick glance. “I’m saying that I’m in love with Evie and I want to be with her.”
If I could’ve whipped my phone out and snapped a photo of the shocked expression on our mother’s face when George told her that, it would’ve been worth me getting yelled at. But alas, I’m too slow, and missed the opportunity. And Mother is extremely skilled at smoothing out her expression in a matter of seconds to make it seem like whatever she was just told doesn’t bother her.
But this admission bothers her profusely. I know it does. She cannot stand Evie. My best friend.
Now the love of my brother’s life.
“You want to be with me?” Evie squeaks. “Oh my God.”
She dashes around the table and grabs George, pulling him in for a hug. My brother embraces her, holding her close, then slips his fingers beneath her chin and kisses her for so long, I finally have to look away.
Seeing them confess their love for each other makes me miss Cannon. Makes me miss his smile and his voice and his touch and his kisses. Long-distance relationships are the absolute worst.
My gaze snags on Priscilla’s and she smiles at me, a little sadly. Everyone around the table seems to go wild at once. Mother’s yelling, Father’s asking Priscilla if she needs a ride home, Evie is beaming from ear to ear, and I go to Priscilla, take her hand and pull her out of the dining room, away from the chaos.
“I am so sorry,” I start, but Priscilla cuts me off with a shake of her head, a serene smile curling her lips.
“It’s fine. I had a feeling he was interested in someone else all along,” she says.
I’m frowning. “How did you know?”
“Call it womanly instinct.” Priscilla actually laughs. “We don’t really know each other that well. We’re work mates, and we have mutual friends.”
“Wait.” I frown at her. “I thought you were a YouTuber.”
“Oh, I do that too.” She waves a hand, smiling. “But I also work in finance. Anyway. One of our friends suggested George and I should go out on a date, and so we did.”
“When?” I ask.
“Last Friday.”