Darwin looked around, then tilted his head toward the dining area. “Come with me,” he said, heading into the room and not bothering to see if she followed. Arrogant ass.
“What?” Taylor asked again.
“I wasn’t comparing you to Caleb yesterday,” Darwin said. “At least I wasn’t trying to. If it seemed that way, I’m . . . I didn’t mean for it to seem that way.”
Taylor wasn’t sure what was happening right now, but it was possible her brother was trying to apologize. Maybe she should warn the rest of the family that the world was coming to an end.
“Rebecca and Freddie thought I was insensitive yesterday,” Darwin continued. “I didn’t mean to be.”
Of course Rebecca and Fredericka were behind this.
She considered simply accepting his unvoiced apology, but figured she could at least own up to her part in last evening’s episode. She was so used to Darwin adding a negative spin to everything she did, her knee-jerk reaction was to respond antagonistically, often without taking the time to digest his words.
“Maybe I was a bittoosensitive,” Taylor offered. “I’ll be the first to admit that, where you’re concerned, I tend to react somewhat irrationally.”
“Youoverreact,” he said, his voice losing the tiny thread of contriteness it had held just a minute ago.
“I’m justified, asshole,” Taylor shot back. So much for them turning over a new leaf when it came to their relationship. “God, I swear, Darwin.”
He stuck his hands out, his shoulders practically meeting his ears as he tried to defend himself. “You said it yourself. I was just agreeing with you.”
He wassuchan asshole.
“Can we please just come to an understanding?” Taylor said. “Whenever you get the urge to offer your opinion aboutanythingconcerning me, don’t. It’s as simple as that.”
“I’m just trying to—”
“Don’t.”
Taylor heard her dad clear his throat from somewhere just over her shoulder. “Do you two care to join us for this toast?”
“Sorry, Daddy,” Taylor said. She turned to her brother and hissed, “See, now you’ve pissed off the Colonel on his birthday.”
“Taylor,” her father said.
“My fault, Dad,” Darwin said.
Darwin motioned for her to go ahead of him. Taylor pinched his arm, but then she took his hand and held on to it as they made their way back into the great room. She gave his hand a squeeze before releasing it.
She loved him. She didn’t like him most of the time, but she would always love him.
She went over to Jamar and grabbed hold of the hand he offered.
He pressed a kiss near her ear and whispered, “Everything okay?”
She nodded, but before she could voice a response, her mother began her toast. Taylor felt tears welling in her eyes as she listened to her mother honor her dad’s sixty years on this earth and over forty years of service to his country. Was it any wonder why she had a reputation for flaying her opposing counsel like a fish? The woman was a brilliant orator.
Once done with the private family toast, they filed out of the house and into their respective cars.
“What happened with your brother?” Jamar asked as he eased into the caravan behind her dad’s new car.
“It’s all good,” Taylor said. “For a minute I thought Darwin had turned into a normal human being, but he’s still an asshole. All is right with the world.”
“I guess that’s good to hear,” he said with a chuckle.
“I honestly wouldn’t know how to deal with him if he was pleasant,” she said. She leaned over and pressed a kiss against his neck. She whispered against his skin, “I saw how you were ready to tackle him for me. Normally, I’d find that kind of stuff annoying because I’d rather fight my own battles, but I have to admit that was pretty sexy, Twenty-Three.”
He glanced away from the road long enough to give her a quick kiss on the lips. “You help me slay my dragons, and I’ll help you slay yours.”
