Page 31 of Love on the Waiver Wire

I know your brother is home, I don’t want to knock and have him come to the door.

I quickly get up, brushing my hands on the smock dress I have on and go to answer the door.

Just like Tuesday, Owen stands in the doorframe with a big grin on his face, a bag of peach rings in his hand.

He holds them out for me as I step away to let him in and slowly close the door.

“Your brother is having some of the guys over for the football game later,” he says, stretching one arm across his body. I can’t help but watch his muscles bulge. “So I’m going to have to head next door around 8 if that’s okay?”

He looks at me expectantly, as if he’s hoping that I’ll say no. “Of course,” I tell him. It’s the only acceptable answer. No matter how much I like his company I’m not going to take time away from my brother.

Especially if it’s a team activity.

He nods, taking his shoes off before heading to the couch. He sits in the same spot he did before, and I smile to myself. I like the look of him there.

The sun streams in through the large windows behind, and we both turn to watch the water silently.

“You know, this has been nice,” I say simply, taking my place in front of my canvas.

“What has?”

“Just having someone here.”

“Don’t you have your friends?” I don’t turn around, but I can feel his confusion.

“Obviously. But they all have their own lives and I’m not going to ask them to just come here and sit with me while I work. Heidi does sometimes. She’s a wedding photographer, so sometimes she comes and hangs out with me while she edits photos.”

“That sounds like a fun job,” he replies.

“I think she likes it, but it’s stressful. It’s definitely over forty hours of work per wedding usually.”

“Really?”

I pick up my brush, dipping it in the muted green I mixed a bit ago. “Yeah. I mean, you have the wedding, and that’s usually a whole day’s event. And then she goes home, edits a couple photograph to send the couple right away, and then she has to go through hundreds and hundreds of photos and delete ones she doesn’t like, edit them all, sometimes edit people out or things into images, and then do other things. It’s a ton of work. She’s stressed out a lot.”

“If she’s that stressed why doesn’t she find something else?”

The question annoys me for a second, but I have to remember that these guys play football for a living. Although there’s something romantic about sports, it’s not a super creative job, no matter what Leo will say. We’re both passionate about what we do, but the passion for sports and the passion for creative arts is different.

Same… but different.

“The same reason you get upset and annoyed at your job and don’t quit,” I tell him simply with a shrug as I look over my shoulder. Some hair falls out of my clip, and I place my brush down before re-clipping it. “It’s the same reason I don’t quit my job either.”

He doesn’t reply.

I’ll admit I’ve been extremely lucky. I would never be able to do this without my brother, and I love him endlessly for allowing me to follow my passions. He’s one of the best people on the planet, and we’ve always been incredibly close, no matter how annoying he can get.

He knows how I feel about living in his shadow, and all he’s wanted is for me to be comfortable and do what I love.

Leo Warner is a big softie, and I would absolutely love for him to settle down soon.

“Besides, she just loves love,”

Owen doesn’t say anything for a long time, and when I turn, I catch him watching me intensely. “I get it,” he says before leaning back, his hands clasped behind his head. My eyes go to his muscles again.

God, the man is art.

I grab my headphones and am about to put them on when Owen says, “What are you listening to?”

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