“I’m fine,” West said.
“Me too,” Braylon said. “We ate. Nelson was too busy sleeping because he was out last night late.”
“Whatever,” Nelson said. “When you guys were my age you were too. Or maybe not West because he was too stuffy.”
West narrowed his eyes at Nelson but held his tongue. He at least was smirking. Years ago, before Abby, a massive lecture would have ensued.
His brothers finally moved to the couch to look at the shirts, and each picked one. Nelson just pulled his shirt over his head and changed right there. Braylon and West went upstairs, then came down a minute later in their shirts.
Not that his brothers were out of shape, but they were more reserved than taking their shirts off in front of someone they just met.
“Here you go,” Saylor said, handing over the dish with the sandwich on it.
“Thanks,” Nelson said. “Place looks great. Got some color in here.”
“Saylor is putting her touch on it,” he said. “I want her to feel like it’s her home too.”
He looked at West and saw the eyebrow raise, then got the nod for them to go talk.
Rowan finished his last bite and put his dish in the dishwasher. “I’ll be back.”
He knew leaving Saylor with Nelson and Braylon would be fine. Two of his funnier siblings.
West walked downstairs and he followed. They’d go outside by the water and talk. They always did.
His brother was already slipping off his canvas sneakers. Rowan was barefoot more often than not, and they made their way toward the ocean.
“How are things going?” West asked.
“Great,” he said. “I left the expo not that long ago. Ran home to shower, change, and get Saylor. We’ll head over soon for me to welcome people.”
“I know the expo will be fine. You’ve got your pulse on everything like you always do. When you were a kid, I may have given you a hard time, but when you focus, you never quit.”
He laughed. It was the first he’d heard that and he’d take it as praise. “I won’t. I want this to be big.”
“It’s grown faster and bigger than I thought it would, so keep doing what you are.”
“I plan on it,” he said. “If you didn’t mean work, then you meant my relationship with Saylor?”
“Yes,” West said. “It’s been a few months now.”
“Three,” he said.
“Three months. I know you’ve been in relationships longer but haven’t brought women to family events.”
“We haven’t had weddings until recently,” he said. “It’s not like I was with people during holidays most times.”
“Ava,” West said. “Who will be there today? Does Saylor know about her?”
He sighed. “She knows our working relationship. We are friends. We were really always friends.”
“But you were in a committed relationship with her for over six months,” West said. “Do you think it’s wise to put yourcurrent girlfriend and your ex in the same room and not even give her a heads up?”
“I should have, but I didn’t. And now it’s too late. I don’t want to make her more nervous. It’s bad enough I had to break the news to her you three would be here when she thought she had a few more weeks to meet everyone.”
“I can see how you feel about her,” West said. “Hear it in your voice too. Mom told me about what happened a few weeks ago when she was surfing.”
“I didn’t think my heart could take it. She knew what was going on and what to do, but I was ready to give her this fast acting spray. I thought she was going to pass out.”
