Hatch
No, that’s where I am. It’s in Croatia. The town is built inside an ancient Roman palace. It’s gorgeous.
Me
Meet any nice Croatian girls?
Hatch
I’m not really in the market for that.
Poor kid. About ten days ago, my nephew had flamed out with Summer and now he was finding himself in Europe. But he hadn’t forgotten his girl.
Hatch
Summer’s doing great with her internship.
Me
You talked to her?
Hatch
No, Addy told me. I’m thrilled for her.
Remarkably mature for a kid barely out of diapers. I could learn a thing or two about acceptance, especially given the latest gossip from my old Boston Cougars teammate Dean Foster. He had messaged me this morning.
Ran into Everly last night with Coughlan. They’re engaged.
That she was halfway to hitched less than three months after our split hadn’t surprised me. Dean’s follow-up text had, though.
And pregnant.
If I hadn’t figured it out before, that clued me in real quick. Not father material.
Was I like my old man? I was so sure I wasn’t. How he had treated my brother Theo had disgusted me, while his Act Two with me and Sean had hardened my heart. Maybe even soured me on relationships.
But not the ones with my family. I loved my nephews and nieces, like they were my own, which at this rate might have to suffice. Everly obviously didn’t think I was good enough for that kind of life. She saw something lacking in me.
Not so different from Dr. St. James.
Mental headshake. Who cared what that brainiac thought? It wasn’t as if I wanted to give her my sperm.
The thought tugged at my groin. Not sexy. But maybe a little? Sperm delivery was inevitably connected with sex and orgasms and smooth skin and messy hair …
Knowing the professor, she wouldn’t even want to do it the old-fashioned way. She probably had some sort of meth lab setup in her apartment with test tubes and syringes and specimen cups. Clinical. Cold.
But she didn’t seem so clinical or cold when I ran into her last week. If anything, she seemed off her game, all because I bought her a cup of tea and a cinnamon roll and whipped out my big … vocabulary.
That pretty blush on her cheeks was still on my mind as was the way she stepped away—or practically stumbled—but couldn’t stop looking at my mouth. So I might have imagined some of that. Still, I liked the idea I might be able to throw her off that righteous path she had carved out to skip right over me.
“Uncle Jason!”
“Tillington!”
In Theo’s backyard, I scooped up my rambunctious niece into my arms. It was kind of weird that my brother was still pumping them out at his elderly age, but he’d sworn Tilly was the last. His little accident was my favorite.
“I can’t believe you’re finally four years old.”
