Carter is already sitting on the couch rubbing his hands against his thighs as he sits up straight. Oliver and I choose to remain standing, with Oliver leaning against the fireplace that I’m not sure that he ever uses.
My hands are on my hips, and I give him a warning with my eyes. “Are we going to have a conversation like real adults or am I going to be walking right out of here until you finish your timeout and say sorry?”
“Sorry? Are you kidding me? You both decided to uproot your lives due to a little thing that most people call marriage,” Carter answers, and we can all see and hear that he is still tense.
I shouldn’t be so invested in this conversation. It’s between them, but it’s about Oliver and me. I won’t abandon my husband.
Oliver rubs his head in aggravation from the direction of this conversation. “You make it sound like a game.”
“And? So how is this going to work? Because now that the charade is out in the open then you can get a divorce. Are you going to divorce?” Carter questions.
I try to grasp where he is coming from. We expected Liam to lose it, but in the end, it’s Carter. “I think we’re going to be fine. We wasted time, and we won’t waste any more trying to prove to you that we’re not crazy. I mean, we’re a little crazy, but that’s beside the point.” I try to make him smile, but all I get is his face relaxing a smidgen.
I roll my eyes and go to flop on the couch opposite Carter. “If it calms you, I’m moving in here and we are staying married. I love Oliver.”
“And I love Hailey.”
My gaze lifts to Oliver and a small smile of agreement appears on my lips. I’m his.
Oliver propels himself away from the mantle and comes to sit on the arm of the sofa, placing his hand firmly on my shoulder. “We are clear about what we want. A long-lasting marriage,” Oliver reiterates.
“Look at you two forming a united front.” I can’t assess Carter’s level of cynicism.
Carter’s nostrils flare, but he says nothing. Carter grows silent and looks forward, and it seems to be in deliberation.
Oliver squeezes my shoulder as he is familiar with my brother’s communication style.
“This is promising,” Oliver quietly mutters to me.
The long silence that overcomes all of us is unnerving.
“This isn’t about us, it’s about Rosie.” The words fall out of Oliver’s mouth in a string of words as though he was waiting for a balloon to pop.
Yikes. I roll my lips in, recognizing this is confronting.
Carter snaps his sight to Oliver.
“You know he’s right,” I add, though I’m not sure I should get involved.
“I… I just want my brother to have what I didn’t.”
Oliver scratches his cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I kind of gathered in your not-so-subtle explanation of marriage that everyone heard.”
“Is it so crazy that I don’t want my brother to make mistakes or experience misery?” Carter justifies.
Oliver’s jaw slides to the right as he forms his words. “It isn’t crazy at all. And I’m sorry that this must be… bringing up memories.”
“Fuck memories. It’s letting something go so easily.”
“As in Rosie?” I voice my theory, slightly afraid that I’m saying her name. He’s clearly uncomfortable.
Carter doesn’t answer, and instead, Oliver takes the lead. “I won’t let go of Hailey, I promise.”
He huffs a breath and rolls one shoulder back before muttering a sound. “Fine.” He’s barely audible.
“Fine?” Oliver checks.
Carter cracks his neck in discomfort. “Yes. Fine.”
