Page 30 of Taming You

“You’re chipper this morning,” I say.

“I am! It’s been so long since the three of us have gone out and done anything together. I’m excited,” Gi says.

“See, even Gi agrees it’s been too long,” Liv says.

“I know. Life’s just been kind of crazy.”

They nod, and I drive us to the restaurant they picked earlier this week. The place is bustling with people. We manage to snag the last booth in the corner and settle in. I order coffee, needing a pick me up.

The three of us seamlessly slip into conversation, catching each other up with what’s going on in our lives. When our food is delivered, Liv manages to maneuver the conversation to a bet she still has to cash in with me. Last December, I bet her Josh could slip in Taylor Swift song titles into conversation and no one would notice, but I lost when Caleb figured it out. I now have to let Liv set me up and I have to go on three dates with her.

“Why are you cashing in on this now?” I ask.

“Because I think you’re now in place to settle down, and that you might actually stick it out with her.”

Something about going on a date doesn’t really sit well with me. I can’t seem to stop thinking about Zoey, but maybe dating is exactly what I need to get her off my mind.

“And what am I supposed to do about Jayden?” I ask.

“Oh, I’ll watch him,” Gi says.

“Gi, I’m not going to make you come all the way out to the city to watch Jayden, and as much as I want you to spend time with him, I don’t really want to do the drive to and from Mom and Dad’s to drop him off.”

“No, it’s no problem. I can spend the day with Emily and then sleep on your couch, or I can bring an air mattress.” She looks determined to do this.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, one hundred percent. As much as I love being home and seeing Mom and Dad all the time, I would also just love to get out of the house. I miss being in the city. Back at school, I was always out and about. Now I feel like I never leave the house and all I do is binge watch TV while I crochet or read books. This will be a great excuse to force me out of the house, and I want to bond with my nephew.”

I nod and turn to Liv. “As long as the date also works for Gi, you can set it up.”

“Oh, yay! You’re going to love her,” Liv exclaims. “I’ll text you both the details when I get it set up.”

“You’re not going to let me pick the restaurant?” I ask.

“Nope, I’m going to plan the whole thing. All you have to do is show up.”

I furrow my brows but accept it. I’m far too exhausted to fight her on any of this, and if it makes my sister happy, I’ll let her do it.

Brunch with the girls today reminds me of how much I miss when we all lived close to each other. We got to have that while I was home for the summers when I was in college, but by the time I was back from the east coast, Gianna was heading off to Stanford. It hasn’t worked out in eight years for us to all be in the same city for long. I may be their older brother, but I also like the people they’ve become and enjoy spending time with them.

When the waitress drops off the bill, I quickly snag it before either of them can. I know Liv is going to fight me for it, but I’m not going to give in. Liv insists on getting the next one, but we’ll see about that.

I spend the drive back to Liv’s excited to see Jayden. I haven’t spent much time apart from him since he was left with me, and being so far away is giving me anxiety, no matter how much I know Josh has everything under control. The second I step into their apartment, I’m looking for him. I barely make it into the living room before I see Josh has the two babies asleep on his chest while highlights from last night’s games play on the TV.

I know Jayden needs to sleep, but a hint of jealousy that he’ll sleep so easily for Josh courses through me. It makes the annoying, doubtful voice in my head pop up.

You’re replaceable.

He’s not that attached to you.

You’re going to fail at this.

No matter how hard my rational brain tries to fight the thoughts, they linger. It’s the same voice that told me I couldn’t raise Jayden on my own when I first saw him.

Liv makes her way towards Josh, kissing him on the cheek before she tries to take Cate from him, but he levels her with a look that has her smile growing and her taking a seat beside him.

“Daddy’s not ready to give up his princess?” she teases. There’s a warmth to her voice that tells me she loves that he wants to be close to her and spend all this time with Cate.

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