The silence makes me nervous, so I start to ramble. “I think I was only supposed to get you settled, ya know? Get you started, and then I had to start my life.”
He gives me a pained look, and here it comes. I brace for impact. “I would never want you to go through that shit, Evan,” he says, holding my gaze. “I mean, I can’t even be upset with your decision. I want that, not only for you, but for all those kids you’re gonna help. As much as I want you beside me, on the ice, I’d rather you be healthy. If your new path is going to make you healthy and happy, then you have nothing but my support, my love, and anything else you need. It’s yours.”
Emotion knocks me square in the chest. My brother is and has always been my favorite person, but I wasn’t expecting this at all. “Thanks, Owen.”
He leans into me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “I’m proud of you, Ev.”
A lump forms in my throat. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You’ll never do anything without me,” he promises. “We shared a womb for a reason, because God knew we’d be best friends for life.”
I lean my head to his and close my eyes, overwhelmed by his love. “And a day.”
“Got that right,” he says, chuckling, and we stand like that for a while. Not moving or acknowledging anything around us.
Just a set of twins, best friends, who came into this world together and who will always stand together.
Our own team.
thirty-four
Callie
I blow raspberries all over Vance’s neck, and his laugh feeds my soul. It’s adorable and loud, making me all gooey-eyed for him. He holds my face as I blow on his skin and kiss him. I’ve missed him so.
“I swear you’ve gotten bigger!” I exclaim, kissing him once more. He just laughs and says a version of my name that sounds more like Cammy than Callie. Not that I care. I eat it up. Aviva grins happily as she leans into Nico. “Did he get bigger?” I ask my sister.
“He has,” she says, shaking her head. “He’s gonna be big like his daddy.” I think she’s right. The kid has legs for days, which is good if he has a future anything like his daddy’s.
“Are you going to be a rock-star goalie like daddy? Buy Auntie Callie a box so she can watch you?” Vance squeals and makes me giddy with laughter. “Yes, he is. He loves his auntie Callie.”
He tries to eat my face as Aviva asks me, “Did you read his shirt?”
I furrow my brow before I fix his T-shirt to read it. It takes a moment for me to comprehend what I’m reading.
I’m going to be a big brother.
I blink and then look back at Aviva. “No way!”
She grins as I go to her, hugging her hard while she laughs. “Yup, another baby Merryweather is on the way,” she gushes, and the look on Nico’s face is beautiful. I cup the belly I hadn’t even noticed she had. It’s so round already!
I hug him next, and he kisses my temple. “You sure you still want to adopt me? You’ve got all these kids coming.”
He nods, and the pure joy in his eyes is overwhelming. “Absolutely. The bigger the family, the happier I am.”
“This is so exciting! Do you know what it is yet?”
She grins. “I do. We wanted to tell you in person.”
“What is it?” I yell, bouncing on my toes.
“A boy,” Nico says, and I shriek.
“Yes! Still the only girl!”
We all laugh at that as we hug once more. I watch as my sister and Nico kiss, and my heart explodes. I’ve always wanted Aviva to be happy, to find her reason why. Nico has not only come in and been her why, but he keeps giving her more and more reasons why. I couldn’t be more excited for them. For us, I guess, since this is my family too.
The rest of the afternoon, we catch up, and I love on Vance, getting my fill of him. I hold his little hands as we walk through the living room and kitchen. He’s almost a full-fledged walker, but he’s quicker at crawling, which is his go-to. He’s absolutely perfect, and I enjoy taking care of him while Aviva does things around the house. Instantly, I fall into my role. Ever since we moved to this house, I have always cooked when I’m home and done most of the cleaning. Aviva and Nico not only give me a place to live, but they also pay for school, so it’s only right that I help as much as I can.
The smiles on Nico’s and Aviva’s faces are unstoppable, and I know it’s because I’m home. We feel complete together, and I couldn’t love my family any more than I do at this moment. I enjoy being home, but the funny thing is, I miss Evan. Desperately.
As I clean the kitchen after dinner, we text back and forth.
Me: Aviva is pregnant.
Evan: That’s exciting! Tell her I said congratulations.
Me: I will. I’m gonna put Vance to bed, and then I’ll head over.
Evan: Okay. I can’t wait to see you. I miss you. Terribly.
My heart skips a beat.
Me: I miss you more terribly. And then some.
He sends me a kissy heart, and I send one back before I put my phone in my back pocket.
“You should have just brought him with you,” Aviva teases as she leans into the counter, holding Vance to her chest.
I grin. “He’s spending time with Owen, and I think their friend came over for dinner.”
“Dart?”
I nod. “Yeah, I think so.”
“He’s a hoot.”
“I heard. I get to meet him when I head over.”
She looks over at me. “Oh, tonight?”
I glance away, closing the dishwasher. “Yeah. I’m gonna stay with him tonight, and I’ll be back in the morning.”
She doesn’t have time to say anything because Nico comes in. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”
I look over at him. “What do you mean?”
“You’re here to see us, not him.”
I’m a little taken aback by his statement, but not enough not to have a response. “I’m going over while you guys and Vance are sleeping. I don’t see an issue here.”
“So, you’re going over to sleep with him?”
“Nico,” Aviva warns.
“Yes,” I say simply, shrugging since I know what he is implying.
“Ugh, Callie. Come on,” Aviva complains.
“What? We are together, in a committed relationship.”
Nico’s face turns red instantly.
“I don’t see any reason for why you’d be upset about this. I’m not dumb, and yes, I’m here to see you guys. But I also want to see my boyfriend. Why can’t I do both?”
“Because he’s trash, Callie. Don’t you see that?” Nico sneers, and I scrunch up my face.
“What the hell? He is not.”
“He is. He’s just like his sister.”
I roll my eyes and look at Aviva. “Is he serious?”
Aviva reaches out, holding Nico’s hand. “Nico, come on. You know that’s not true. Evan is so sweet.”
“It’s a ruse. They’re all the same. That whole family.”
“Wow, that’s rude,” I say to him, throwing down the towel that I used to wipe my hands. “All the Adlers, even Shelli, have been very kind to me. I know you have your issues with her, but you’re married with kids. Get over it.”