“Until I met Graham. And your mom.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
“I had other friends growing up at boarding school and initially at college, but I never really talked about any of their mothers, and while I might have met a couple of their moms in passing, I never spent time with any of them. And they weren’t like yours.”
Of course, he went to boarding school. God. Still, I smile. I don’t even know what he meansexactly, but no, there’s no way the rich moms who sent their sons away to school were like my mom. “She’s one of a kind. Though I’ve grown up with a bunch of incredible moms.”
He nods. “Exactly. But I didn’t really know what was possible, I suppose. I met Graham and your mom and saw it immediately. And yes, I realized I have been missing that, without even knowing it.” He frowns slightly. “I’ve never felt like I really belonged anywhere. School was temporary. Home wasn’t a place of comfort and roots like it is for you here. It was justwhere I lived. It was a…starting point. It was simply where I was until I could go out on my own and do what I wanted to do.”
I frown. “That sounds so cold and like everything that came before you left home was just like…a waiting room or something.”
He nods. “That’s how it feels when I think about it or look back. I can’t say it wasn’t formative. Of course it was. It helped me know what Ididn’twant. But I left home not knowing what Iwanted. I felt like I was floating around, trying to find a landing spot. Then I met Graham. He was the most grounded person I’d ever met, besides being warm and brilliant. He was like this entirely new species.” Everett laughs softly. “I didn’t know a person could know exactly what they wanted, could be driven and confident, could also have a loving, warm, supportive family, a huge group of friends, and still be funny, warm, and?—”
I laugh. “Youhaveto fill in that blank.”
Everett grins. “And be a total nerd at the same time.”
God, I like him so much.
“What’s that look for?” Everett asks me.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve got hearts popping out of my eyes.
“Just that you really do know and love and accept my brother just as he is,” I say, my voice a little thick. “That’s all really real.”
Everett looks mildly surprised, then almost…emotional. He shrugs. “He does the same for me. I’veneverbeen really understood and accepted the way Graham does. Then Margot. Then your parents. And Lauren.” He shakes his head as he mentions my dad’s long-time best friend and business partner. “Every person Graham brings into my orbit just—” He swallows hard.
“What?” I ask softly.
“They make me feel things my parents have never made me feel,” he says. “My parents always put their work first. Their jobswere most important. They were in and out of my life. When I saw them, I’d have to catch them up on what I’d been doing. Your mom has photosdisplayed in the house, of random days. Not days when anything special happened, like a birthday or an award, but just a day when you all went sledding.”
He shakes his head as I feel my throat tighten with emotion. If I glanced at the fridge right now, I would see the photo he’s talking about. It’s probably fifteen years old, but it’s there, under a Ferris wheel magnet, on the right side of the fridge where it’s been for years.
“My dad wouldn’t eventryto make a family with my mom because of his job and public persona. My mom couldn’t let anyone know she had achild. I was just a thing that happened to them. Aninconvenientthing that happened to them,” he adds.
And as much as I like him, I really hate his parents.
But I’m so fucking glad he and Graham found one another.
“So, how old were you when you met her?” I ask.
“You aresofar behind on the kiss-answer ratio,” he says.
I really am. “You better do something about that, then.”
He puts his mouth back against my elbow and sucks lightly again, but the sleeve of my shirt won’t bunch any further. Instead, he kisses over the fabric to my shoulder, then pulls the neckline of the shirt to the side, exposing my shoulder. He drags his mouth back and forth against the skin, then kisses across my collarbone to the base of my throat.
He pulls back slightly, but I can still feel his breath against my neck and see the deep green and gold flecks of his irises.
“The first time I remember meeting her and spending time with her, I was about three. I think I’d met her before that, because I knew that I knew her, but I don’t remember times before that. We went to the movies together.” He smiles. “It was a Disney film. She was appalled to find out that I didn’t really like movies.”
“You don’t like movies?” I ask, also a bit appalled.
He puts his mouth back against the base of my throat. He kisses, then his tongue flicks out and licks. He kisses up the side of my throat to my ear. “I really don’t. But if you ever want to watch a movie, I will happily do that with you. I will happily do anything with you, Ginger.”
I pull back. “Ginger? That’s what we’re going with?”
He continues kissing along my jaw, because I did, after all, ask him a question. He stops with his mouth hovering right above my lips. “I want to call you something no one else does. And it can’t be Diana, because that’s not really you.” Then he kisses me on the mouth.
