“You’re thirty-two.”
“I know how old I am, brat.”
“Shouldn’t you think about starting a family?”
He shook his head. “Still got time. No need to rush into anything. There is plenty I still want to do.”
I shook my head, though I was smiling. My brother had had a wild streak since he was a little boy. That didn’t change into his twenties, and at one point, Ethan screwed the entire family over with his rash decision.
He fucked us up about nine years ago, just before I moved to London, and as a result, we almost lost our childhood home.
Evelyn, desperate to save the home my mom had raised us three kids in and also to send me to Bowing’s, had done something I had never in a million years thought she would do.
She agreed to be a surrogate for a wealthy family—for Jace’s family at the time, with his ex-wife, Camila.
But the whole surrogacy thing had been Camila’s attempt to keep Jace, and it was done with Jace entirely in the dark.
Things got messy for Jace and Evelyn for a while, with secrets he kept from her, but in the end, it all worked out for them, and I ended up with the most adorable eight-year-old nephew.
Ethan’s eyes dimmed a bit, as if he was thinking the same thing I was thinking. I knew he had a lot of regrets and guilt over what happened, even if things had worked out for Evelyn. He was still trying to redeem himself, even though Evelyn had forgiven him long ago. I didn’t say anything about it.
He picked up the moving box again and headed toward the empty room I would turn into my bedroom.“Come on. Tell me where you want this, and I’ll help you unpack.”
I walked over to him. “I can do that. I’m not an invalid, Ethan,” I said.
His eyes turned hard. “Of course, you’re not. And I’ll fucking hurt anyone who says otherwise.”
I let out a small smile. “I know,” I said. “Why don’t you carry up the rest of my things and I get started on unpacking my stuff before I order us some pizza. I think Evelyn’s coming by later on. It’ll be like old times.”
“Okay. Don’t overwork yourself.”
I couldn’t help the small sigh that escaped my lips in exasperation as I watched him walk down the stairs. Before I tackled the first box, I texted Evelyn.
Me: When r u coming over?
Evelyn: Soon. Just helping Elliot dress. He and Jace r going to the game today. They have matching outfits.
Me: Send pictures.
It didn’t take her long to send the pictures, and I smiled. Elliot was tall for his age. He now stood to Evelyn’s chest, and I had no doubt he would be as tall as his dad when he grew up.
He was a spitting image of Jace, too, and looking at them side by side in the picture, smiling brightly for the camera, no one would ever doubt Elliot was Jace’s.
A small pinch formed in my heart as I thought about what I had agreed to do three years ago, a few months after my accident, when I was lost and confused and needed a new direction in my life.
I didn’t regret it, but sometimes I found my thoughts drifting. Going over all the could-be, would-be, and should-be scenarios.
The elevator pinged outside my open door brought me out of my thoughts and I looked over in time to see Ethan coming in with two more boxes. He didn’t say anything to me as he set the boxes down and moved back out to the moving truck for more stuff.
I turned my attention back to my phone and texted Evelyn.
Me: So cute. We’re having pizza tonight. Okay with you?
Evelyn: I’ll bring the beer.
A winking emoji followed her text. I smiled and shoved the phone back into my pocket, moving over to the first box.
We worked quietly for the next two hours. After Ethan had carried up all my boxes, he helped me unpack the kitchen. My dad had brought me a full set of dishes and utensils, so much more than what one person would need. Especially since I didn’t know how to cook, and probably would never learn.