Page 18 of Falling Again For My Best Friend's Brother

"You good?" His voice was low, sending a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with fear of falling.

Before I could remember how words worked, Addy's voice shattered the moment. "We need to put the caterpillars through boot camp!"

We finished attaching the mesh, but my skin still tingled where Trevor had touched me.

"Attention, cadets!" Addy's high-pitched voice rang out across the garden. "It's time for your training course!"

She marched back and forth in front of the caterpillar container with a stern expression. The caterpillars, oblivious to her commands, continued to munch on the leaves.

"First, you must crawl through the Tunnel of Terror!" she said, pointing to a small gap between two leaves.

Trevor's arm slipped around my shoulders, his chuckle rumbling through me. "We better retreat before she drafts us into her caterpillar corps."

We escaped to the porch, where Hero waited behind his gate until we could figure out how he kept escaping. He looked both confused and impressed by Addy's display.

"Auntie Amelia, I'm starving!" Addy declared, apparently having exhausted both herself and her caterpillar cadets.

I cleared my throat, reluctantly stepping away from Trevor. "Time to head to Grammy and Pop-pop's, kiddo."

Trevor nodded, his eyes holding mine a beat longer than necessary. "We'll finish the decorations another day."

As we packed up, my mind buzzed with the day's events. But beneath the warm, fuzzy feelings, Kevin's words plagued me. Could I trust my heart to a man with a troubled past? Or was I setting myself up for the world's worst heartbreak?

The drive to my parents' house was a blur, my mind a chaotic tangle of emotions. Addy's cheerful chatter from the backseat was like background music to my internal soap opera.

As we stepped into my parents' house, I breathed in the scent of Mom's cooking. Dad playfully ruffled Addy's hair, momentarily lifting my spirits. But as Addy launched into her epic tale of caterpillar boot camp, I snuck off to the kitchen for some liquid therapy—aka, a cup of tea.

Mom, with her superhuman mom-sense, followed me. "Spill it, honey. What's got you looking like you just found a slug in your salad?"

I groaned, slumping into a kitchen chair. "It's the Kevin-Trevor-Me triangle of doom."

Mom raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like a bad geometry problem."

"Kevin's gone full protective-brother mode," I sighed. "He totally embarrassed me at the park, claiming that Trevor is trouble and not good enough for me."

"And what does Trevor think about all this?"

"That's the thing—he doesn't know what Kevin said. Kevin ambushed me privately, but his disapproval radiated like a neon sign." I fiddled with my teacup. "I told Trevor I didn't care what anyone thought, but... I really want Kevin's support. Is it crazy to think Trevor deserves a second chance?"

Dad's voice made me jump. He snuck into the kitchen like a ninja. "People change. From what I have heard that boy has come a long way from his troubled teen days."

I chewed my lip. "You think so?"

Dad wrapped an arm around Mom. "Kevin's just being a protective big brother. But at the end of the day, it's your heart, Amelia. You get to decide who's worthy of it."

"Thanks, Dad," I murmured, feeling a little lighter.

"Now," Dad grinned, "let's go rescue the cookie jar from Addy."

Later, as I climbed into my car, my phone buzzed with a message from Trevor: "Today was amazing, Caterpillar Queen. I can't wait for our next adventure. Sweet dreams."

I stared at the screen, torn between giddy excitement and lingering doubt. But as I pulled into my driveway, a thought struck me like a lightning bolt. If Trevor and I were meant to be, we'd find a way through this mess. And if Kevin truly cared about my happiness, he'd come around... eventually.

With a deep breath, I typed a reply: "Today was perfect, Colonel Crawly. Here's to future adventures and sweet dreams."

As I hit send, a sense of peace washed over me. Who knew? Maybe our love story would change Kevin's mind and prove that sometimes, the most unexpected connections last a lifetime. Or Maybe my big brother would end up saying I told you so.

Chapter ten

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