Page 152 of The Problem with Players

Willow spun slightly, showcasing the leaves and flowers all over her body. “Mother Nature.”

“You look like a flower shop vomited on you,” Evan dryly remarked. Clearly, it was meant as an insult, but Willow’s eyes glistened with joy as she curtsied.

“Thank you,” she replied.

“No Alex tonight?” I asked Yara, who was dressed as a witch. That was comical, seeing how Yara Kingsley was one of the sweetest women alive.

“Are you kidding me? Socializing on a holiday when people are drunk, loud, and rowdy? He’d rather peel a million onions than be here. Mama’s having her first night off to party like wild!” she sang, downing the shot Easton passed over to her.

She shivered with disgust from the taste, making me chuckle. “Another one!” she cheered.

Avery smiled at her sister, then she smiled over at me. A shyness touched her cheeks as she slightly nodded. “Hey, Mustard.”

“Hey, Ketchup. Red looks good on you. Brings out your eyes,” I joked.

Evan rolled his eyes. “Fuck, you’re corny. I need air.” He pushed past us with his whiskey in his hand and headed outside.

The rest of us took more shots and partied even more.

After a while,I realized Evan never made it back inside. I took a break and went to check on him, only to find him sitting on a bench outside of the bar, staring down at his hands, which were gripped together. I knew my brother could be grumpy, but he seemed more than his normal grump that evening. He seemed troubled.

“Brother,” I called out.

He looked up and frowned. “Hey.”

I walked over and sat down beside him. “What’s up? What’s going on?”

“Nothing. A lot on my mind. Sorry. I don’t want to bother you. Go have fun.”

“Evan. Spill.”

He grumbled a bit before clearing his throat. “It’s about Priya.”

Worry filled me. “Is she okay? What’s going on?” I asked, my uncle protectiveness growing quickly.

He shook his head. “Not that Priya. Her mother, Priya.”

It was the first time I had heard Evan talk about that woman in years. Sixteen years, to be exact. After Priya surrendered parental rights to her daughter, Evan never spoke of her again. I knew the whole situation was hard for him, but he kept a lot of it to himself, not even sharing with his own twin, Easton.

“What’s going on?” I questioned.

“She’s pregnant again.”

My eyes widened. “By you?”

“No, you dipshit. I don’t know who she’s pregnant by. She stopped in the butcher shop. Thank goodness my Pri wasn’t working that day. She told me she was pregnant, and she didn’t want to keep it. She offered me the opportunity to adopt the baby once they were born, seeing how the kid would be Pri’s brother or sister.”

“Shit,” I muttered.

“You’re telling me,” he dryly replied. “What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”

“I have no idea. So the father isn’t in the picture?”

Evan shook his head. “I guess he overdosed. Passed away. The past sixteen years haven’t been kind to Priya. She doesn’t have any connection to her family or anything.”

“That’s crazy.”

“That’s life. Bad shit happens all the time.”

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