Page 41 of Someone You Deserve

My stomach drops and reminders of my interaction with Miranda Thorn earlier tonight replay in my head. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean, he won’t be single forever, right? Eventually some woman is going to catch his attention, value him for everything that he is. He won’t be in your life the same way he is now, that’s for sure.”

“Oh, well…” Sweat starts to build at my temples. “Penn’s allowed to live his life…” My pulse is racing and I’m sure my concern is written all over my face.

She pats my shoulder and then walks back to the couch. “I think my work here is done.”

I curse her as I have a mild panic attack in the kitchen after she Jedi-ninjaed my mind.

WhatifPenn starts seeing someone?

I doubt it would be Miranda, but still.

What if she doesn’t want him spending time with me and the kids anymore?

Would he still come over for game night?

Would he still coach Bentley’s soccer team?

Would he still pick up the phone if I needed him?

I could scream from all the questions Willow’s mind game just plagued me with. But ultimately, there’s only one question that needs answering: What am I going to do about it?

Chapter seven

Penn

“What’s for dinner tonight?” I peek over my mother’s shoulder as she stirs something on the stove.

“Chicken bog,” she says, swatting me away. “Now get out of here so I can finish cooking.”

“We haven’t had that in a while.” The rice, chicken, and beef sausage are boiling in the broth in the pot, infiltrating the air around the kitchen, making my mouth water.

“I know. I had a craving for it, so for once, I’m making whatIwant to eat,” my mother replies. It’s Sunday, which means family dinner night. We don’t always make it each week, but the weeks we can, my brothers and sister and I gather at our childhood home and Mom cooks us a meal like she did when we still lived here. Even before Dad died, this was a tradition. But now that he’s gone, it’s even more important to all come together.

“You know we’ll eat whatever you make, Mom.” I kiss her on the cheek and then head to the fridge, grabbing a beer for me and Dallas. My brother and Willow are currently outside on my parents’ deck,watching the sun set in the distance. His arm is wrapped around her, and as I watch them, envy courses through me.

I want to have that with Astrid.

As much as I hate to admit it, my brother gave me the clarity I needed Friday night. My anxiety is at an all-time high, but that’s because I’m making risky moves in my life for the first time. It’s fucking terrifying, but I don’t want to live with regrets.

As I open the back door, Dallas glances over Willow’s head to meet my eyes. “What’s up, dickhead?”

Willow elbows him in the ribs. “Don’t call him that.”

“It’s okay. You may not understand it, but it’s actually a term of endearment between us.” I hand my brother his beer.

Willow shakes her head. “I’ll never understand men in that regard, I guess.”

“It’s the brotherly thing too,” Dallas adds. “Just wait until Parker gets here. He’ll probably refer to us in the same way.”

“You realize I’ve seen the three of you interact, right? I’m aware that you call each other names. I just don’t understand it,” Willow says.

This isn’t her first family dinner that she’s attended, but now that she’s a part of our lives, she’s becoming accustomed to the way we talk to one another.

If Astrid were here, she’d already know too.

Dallas kisses her temple, pulling her in closer to his body. “Just let it be, babe. It is what it is.” Then my brother meets my eyes again. “You doing better than you were Friday night?”

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