missing something.”
“Worry,” Nick says calmly, his gaze knowing. “Based on decades together, I can tell you that Zach
worries more than almost anyone I’ve ever met. He worries about all of us…but he spends a fuck of a
lot of time worrying about Jonas. So I get it, I think.”
Becca’s brow wrinkles. “But…why? I mean, I love Kade. I want him to be happy and healthy.
Everyone thinks about their partner. And yet somehow, I’m a fully functioning person, anyway.”
“Jonas is different, though,” I interrupt, ready to be done with this fucking conversation. “He
needs me more. He requires more from me. I just can’t give that level of attention to anyone else.”
Becca rears back, frowning. “Wait. I’m sorry, I just don’t get it. Jonas is an amazing man. What
exactly does he need from you? Like, are you doing stuff for him all the time?” Seeing my frustration,
she puts her hand on my arm. “I’m not trying to be an ass, honestly. I just…am I not seeing something?
Are you doing a lot for him every day?”
“It’s not about that. He’s a grown man, he can handle his shit. But I need to be there for him. He’s
always needed me. His whole life.”
“Meltdowns, you mean?” Nick asks.
Jonas used to get overloaded and lose his shit, but that doesn’t happen that often anymore because
I try to make sure he stays level and doesn’t get anxious. “Yes. But also, just helping him navigate the
world.”
“That’s a lot to take on,” Becca murmurs. “Too bad you don’t have anyone else who can help. It’s
so awful to have to shoulder such a burden on your own.”
Burden.
That word, when applied to my brother, sends rage coursing through my entire body. Shoulders
tensing, hands curled into fists, I lock eyes with her and freeze at what I see. It’s not sympathy or
judgment.
It’s disgust.
“You are an asshole,” she says flatly. “Your brother is amazing. Yeah, he needs support here and
there, but I can tell you, from my short time in this family, that your brother is one of the kindest, most
thoughtful, engaging people I’ve ever met. Granted, I’ve only seen one of these so-called meltdowns
when I wanted to give Evie my shitty car, but he handled it. I’ve seen people fall apart far worse for
far less.”
