With a reluctant sigh, he starts hunting around on the floor for his jeans and t-shirt.
“Call me to let me know you’ve landed safely in New York, okay?” he says as I’m practically shoving him out the door of Star’s pool house.
I shake my head, raking a hand through my hair. “No.Notokay, Cody. I won’t be calling you and I’d prefer if you didn’t call or text me either. We need some fucking space from each other.”
His face slackens with a mix of hurt and shock. “So, not only are you breaking up with me but you’re throwing away over a decade of friendship as well?”
I bury my head in my hands, fighting the urge to strangle him with his own ponytail. “For what I really hope is the last time—I’m not breaking up with you. We were nevertogether.” I lift my head and look him straight in the eye. “As for still being friends…” I sigh. I hope we can salvage that—for Star and Jace’s sakes if nothing else—but it’s going to take some time and a major reality check for Cody. “Just give me some fucking space. Please.”
3
It’s already wellafter ten am by the time I drag myself out of bed. I can’t believe how easy it’s been for me to fall back into these old habits; you’d think after nearly two decades of waking with the sun it’d be ingrained into me by now, but it’s only taken two weeks of this bartending gig for me to revert back to the sleeping habits I had during my college days. If only my body felt as good as it did back then…
After a quick trip to the ensuite bathroom, I make my way down to the kitchen in the elevator—yes, that’s right…anelevator.I’m currently staying in my brother’s six-story Greenwich Village townhouse, and considering my “suite” is on the top floor, I’m definitely glad not to have to hoof it up and down four flights of stairs multiple times a day, even if an elevatordoesseem a bit excessive.
When I get to the kitchen, I’m greeted with a warm smile by my brother-in-law, Owen, who’s currently attempting to feed a baby strapped into a highchair. “Hey, Damon.”
I pause in surprise at the scene, my eyes moving from the baby, who looks to be about a year old, to the kitchen table where a little girl with blonde pigtails, who looks to be about two, is sitting in a booster seat and scribbling away in a coloring book. “Uh…did I miss something?”
I know Blake and Owen have been talking about kids pretty much since they got married almost a year ago, but this seems a little sudden, even for a couple who got married on the same day they got engaged.
Owen lets out a soft chuckle. “Nah. This is my nephew Dylan.” He nods to the baby in the highchair before waving a hand toward the table. “And that’s my niece Leia. I’m on baby-sitting duty today.”
I nod. Right. Of course. Owen has ten older siblings, so it stands to reason there are a bunch of nephews and nieces amongst them. I’ve only been in New York for a few weeks so I haven’t had a chance to meet them all yet, but the ones I have met seem very loud and boisterous—basically the polar opposite of Owen.
“Uncle Owen, can I please have some juice?” Leia asks, glancing up from her coloring book with wide, beseeching eyes..
Owen offers her a stern look. “You had some juice not long ago. How about we stick to water for now and you can have more juice later this afternoon?”
Leia’s expression forms into an adorable pout but she nods. “Okay. Can I have some ice?”
Owen grins and stands from his chair, stalking over to Leia and tugging gently at one of her pigtails. “That you can definitely have.”
I let out an amused huff of laughter. I know from experience with my own kids that if Blake were the one here babysitting he would have given into those big brown eyes and Leia would not only have a juice, but probably her choice of whatever sugarysnacks she could dream of. Despite the fact that Blake is forty-four and Owen’s only in his mid-twenties, it’s clear that Owen is more of a hard-ass while my brother is a big old softie. It’s going to make things interesting when they eventually have kids of their own.
“So, what are you up to today?” Owen asks as I start rooting around in the fridge for some eggs and veggies to make an omelet.
I set the ingredients on the counter and glance back up at him. “I have work this afternoon, but not much else. I’ll go for a run, I guess. Do some grocery shopping.” I wave my hand at the items on the counter. “Sorry for the invasion, by the way. The fridge is pretty bare upstairs.”
Owen rolls his eyes. “You’re welcome down here anytime. You know that.”
I offer a small smile. “Thanks.”
I get to work separating the eggs, which prompts Owen to let out a loud huff. “God, there are two of you,” he mutters with an exasperated shake of his head. “What did yolks ever do to offend you so much?”
I arch an eyebrow at him. “Nothing in particular. Whites are just healthier.”
He waves a dismissive hand. “Healthy smealthy. It’s my professional opinion that there’s nothing wrong with eating the whole egg.”
“Really? You’re playing the nurse card?” I ask skeptically. “Do I need to flash my personal trainer card now?”
He just smiles and shakes his head. “I’ll wear you down eventually. Before you know it yolk wastage will be a thing of the past. And then you’ll find yourself eating sugar. And butter. And…” he gives a dramatic gasp. “Processed food.”
I offer a wry smirk. “I’m not my brother. You can’t bribe me into unhealthy habits with blow j—” I manage to stop myself justin time, remembering there are little kids in the room. I give a little cough and rack my brain for how to finish that sentence. “Jellies.”
Owen offers an amused smirk. “Nice save.”
I return to slicing up the veggies and then retrieve a pan from one of the drawers under the counter. Turning from Owen, I place the pan on the stove and let it heat before adding the egg whites and then the veggies.
