Page 3 of Honeymoon Phase
Though I can’t deny that Cozy was perfect for both Max and Everly. She fit right into that family, even getting along with Max’s ex and her wife. One big happy modern family. And we’ve had eight years enjoying their wild son, Ethan, too because of that love. Ethan is a menace you can’t help but love.
And I guess Wyatt gets a free pass also because his situation with Trista last year was complicated. Hired surrogate turned lover? That was never going to end well. That miserable fucker needed Trista or he was going to brood himself into an early grave.
But Calder falling for Dakota? That seems intentional. Like he was pointing at me and saying the last one in love is a rotten egg. That’s Calder’s style too. Probably didn’t even want to fall in love but since Wyatt did, he just followed suit so he wouldn’t be left behind.
Now there’s just me. The baby of the family left to fend for myself on this mountain all on my own. Our brotherly late-night drinking sessions have turned into late-night diaper runsor Calder making sex eyes at Dakota so blatantly that I have to leave his cabin mid-beer.
It’s depressing.
And the worst part is... I’ve sacrificed a lot for the pact. More than my entire family even realizes.
Everly bounds over to me, her blond ponytail swinging with the backdrop of the giant U-Haul parked behind her. “What are you doing over here all by yourself, Uncle Luke? Don’t you want some lemonade? We moved a shitload of boxes today.”
I roll my eyes and turn away from the mountain breeders to drop down onto the bench Calder made after our dad died a few years ago. It has his infamous saying etched on it, “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time,” and I can’t help but think the shit happening behind me doesn’t look like a good time.
“I hate being a third wheel,” I mumble under my breath. “Or seventh wheel I should say.”
Everly huffs out a laugh as she joins me on the bench. She tucks her long legs under her chin and eyes me thoughtfully. “I was thinking it’s high time we change that. I’m a pretty decent matchmaker you know.”
“Yeah right.” I tug my baseball cap low on my face to conceal my brooding.
“I’m serious.” She pokes my shoulder and scoots closer to me. “You know it was me who finagled the single room in Mexico for Uncle Calder and Dakota, right?”
My eyes bug out of my head as I turn to look at my niece, who looks far less innocent than she did moments ago. “He was pissed about that.”
“Oh please.” Everly waves me off. “He wasn’t pissed. He was in love. He just needed enough one-on-one time with Dakota to realize it.”
I twist my hat around so it’s backward, tucking back myshaggy hair behind my ears with it. I want to be sure I can see my niece clearly right now because I’m having trouble believing the words tumbling out of her mouth.
She hits me with a lascivious smirk. “And you know I was the one who found Trista, right?”
I frown and shake my head. “Yeah, but just to be a surrogate for Wyatt,” I argue, turning to face my evil-looking niece head-on. “You can’t take credit for them falling in love.”
“I knew she’d be perfect for him. Why else do you think he rejected all the other surrogate applicants he spoke to at that agency? He was looking for love, not a surrogate. He just couldn’t admit that to himself. The lies we tell ourselves are so obvious sometimes.”
“Bullshit,” I laugh and look out at the mountain view, my eyes narrowing as I replay the last year of our lives when I watched both of my brothers fall in love in rapid succession. “You’re not that powerful.”
“Need I remind you of Dad and Cozy?” she asks coyly. “That was my matchmaker origin story.”
“Holy fuck,” I deadpan as I recall Everly’s wild plot to get me, Calder, and Wyatt to help her with Max and Cozy after they got in an epic fight all those years ago. Everly was like eleven at the time and she parent-trapped them like a boss. My nephew, Ethan, is living proof of how well that worked.
As if on cue, I hear the squawk of my rooster, Rufus, and turn around to see Ethan sprinting up the hill toward my cabin. Usually roosters are the ones to terrorize humans, but not in this case. Evil Ethan always strikes first. Rufus spots the little terror and flies off my porch rail, running toward the forest for cover.
My poor cock.
And I realize that the rooster technically isn’t “mine” because Trista was the one to adopt him. He’s one of the many randomanimals that kept appearing in the barn this past year thanks to her ever-growing rescue center.
But Rufus chose me.
A few months back, he decided that my front porch was his home turf instead of the nice chicken coop Wyatt built for them down by the barn. So yeah, me and Ruf-meister are tight. The early morning wake-up calls are brutal, but I’ve found that I like that damn bird. I even bring him inside for treats in the evenings. Rufus loves tortilla wraps and walnuts and sitting on my lap during TV time. It might be weird to have a pet cock but at least I’m not strapping him to my chest and taking him for walks through the woods like Calder and his cat, Milkshake. Weird fuck.
“I think it’s your turn to find love, Uncle Luke.” Everly’s eyes narrow on me and my skin begins to crawl as she gets that scary look about her that she used to get as a kid right before she got exactly what she wanted. This girl has a freaky way of persuading people to do whatever she tells them. Maybe it’s because she has a rich-ass father who has a private plane and multiple houses and wipes his ass with hundred-dollar bills. Or maybe it’s because she has three uncles who spoil her rotten any chance we get. Or maybe it’s because despite all the privileges she’s received in life, she’s still the purest, kindest, most positive person I’ve ever met and you just can’t help but want to move mountains for someone like that.
One way or another, the end result is that my niece... is a force of nature.
I level my eyes at her. “You really are an evil genius, aren’t you?”
“I prefer to call myself a ‘mastermind.’” She waggles her brows and gets a wild look in her gaze. “Now, come on. What’s your type? Give me something to work with. I think I know but I want to hear what you have to say.”
