Page 89 of An Endless Memory

I mock glared at him. I had been that stubborn with Carter. “I was used to everything working out, and suddenly it wasn’t, and I had more than myself to consider.”

I sighed. I was never this open with him or anyone else. But the fact that Jasper knew Eliot, and he guessed the real foundation of my relationship with him? Well, I needed a friend I could talk to and that was my brother.

“I can’t believe you bought Carter’s shit.”

I rolled my eyes toward him. “There are little ears around.”

Jasper gave me a really? look. “You don’t want him to hear us talk shit about the guy who gave up being his dad?”

True. “Carter was very charming and persuasive. He’s good with animals. I didn’t notice he was so poor with humans. I was overwhelmed in vet school, there was Cali, and he dangled a good life in front of me. Trust me, I didn’t see his cheating coming. Or the end of my marriage.”

“But you do now?”

I shoved his muscled shoulder. “Ouch.”

He laughed. “So you and Eliot are just having some fun until you get the house?”

“I guess so. He’s really being a perfect husband.”

“No one’s perfect, and clearly, he’s not if he’s not doing everything he can to win you forever.”

I appreciated my brother’s faith in me as a partner, but Eliot had gone out of his way many times. “Maybe he’s not perfect for me. He needs to be free to make his own choices too, and I kind of cornered him.”

Jasper reclined on his side and stretched his legs out. “I’ve only worked with the guy for a couple of months, but Eliot doesn’t do shit he doesn’t want to do. The whole place has been set up Eliot’s way.”

“No, it’s?—”

“Not you. Okay? If he doesn’t want to stay married, that’s his issue. It’s not yours. Just like Carter being a selfish prick shouldn’t have been your problem.”

Kellan started crawling in my direction. I held my arms out. Kellan bypassed me for my brother. Instead of being jealous, I was pleased. My kids were surrounded by people who supported them, just like I had been my whole life until I got married. Now I was again. Jasper had my back.

“How’d you get so wise?” I asked.

“I was born that way.” He lay still while Kellan babbled and patted him. “So, are you going to take a detour on the way home?”

I puffed my hair out of my face. “I’m not planning a detour.”

“Hear me out. You can go hang out with your boo and get him to make those noises I try not to hear at night in person.”

Embarrassment flooded me. We could get loud. “He does not make noise.”

“Ugh. I didn’t need the confirmation. I steered clear of your room last night because I was afraid of what I’d hear.”

I gasped. “Jasper! The kids are bunking with me.” Besides, Eliot and I texted most days, but the phone sex wasn’t as frequent since we’d had real sex.

“Anyway,” Jasper continued, “the kids can ride with me to Buffalo Gully on Sunday.”

Friday to Sunday? With Eliot and without kids? “He’s not expecting me.”

“Surprise him. It’ll at least show you how he reacts.”

The decision took me no time at all. I wouldn’t be shorting the kids time with their grandparents, and I could be the one reaching out to Eliot for once. He wouldn’t be alone for the entire holiday weekend. The year would go fast, and maybe he’d realize the flame that was growing between us was worth fanning. “Are you ready for three and a half hours in a car with two kids?”

Thanksgiving and today had been full of sunshine and minimal wind. It was like fall had made a resurgence before the winter solstice in a few weeks. I’d been prepared to stop and turn around at least three times on this trip. What was I doing? This wasn’t a case of making plans and the weather getting in the way. Eliot had a valid reason for not spending the holiday weekend with me.

I’d come too far to turn around. I drove around Buffalo Gully and turned off on the gravel road. Jasper had given me directions.

I shouldn’t have come. Eliot was going to be really busy, and now he’d have to entertain me.

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