Page 68 of Just a Distraction

“Why rush, though? He’s barely twenty-five.”

That voice might have been Sebastian Tate’s, but I can’t be sure.

“Alec was twenty-five when he got married,” says someone else. “Age is just a number.”

Sebastian grunts and there’s a bit of a pause. “But it’s Milo. He’s the youngest. I hardly think he’s—”

“I’m right here, you guys. How about trying to talkwithme?”

I take in a breath at the sound of his voice.

“Alright, alright,” says the first voice. “Sorry. Who would have thought that THE Gloria would be here? Working at Tate? I mean, come on Sebastian. It’s fate. Let it ride, you know?”

Gloria? Who is Gloria?

“Fate? More like she tracked you down and applied here because she knew you worked here.”

Bile rises in my throat as I take a duster to the light fixtures. Dust swirls in my line of vision. Is there some Gloria who tried to get a job here just so she could be near Milo? What are they talking about?

My go-to is anger. I have to focus on not trying to break my duster in two as thoughts tumble through my mind. I’ve been abandoned so much in my life that of course this feels the same. Itfeelslike he’s rejecting me for someone named Gloria.

“I didn’t share where I worked the night we met.” It’s Milo’s voice. My stomach does a flip-flop. “There’s no way she trackedme down here. And though I hate that you now know who Gloria is and you think it’s your business to give me advice, I am in deep, guys.”

Hearing Milo’s voice does something to my anger, though. Hairs stand up on the back of my neck because there’s got to be more to the story. I don’t understand who or what they mean by Gloria, but suddenly, I feel inexplicably calm, nonetheless.

“Yeah, we know you’re in deep,” says the last voice I haven’t identified. It could be Henry, so I’ll go with that.

I rest my hand on the back of a chair, letting my weight sink into the soft leather. I don’t know who Gloria is, but something inside of me knows . . .knows. . . that Milo’s not two-timing me. There’s an explanation that doesn’t involve him being dishonest with me.

Which is surprising. I’m not used to that. I would have thought I’d be busting into the room with a demand to know who this Gloria thinks she is.

I’ve spent years trying to trust my gut. And right now, my gut is making it easy on me. For once. Because I know, in my heart, that Milo is in deep with me. There isn’t anyone else. He wouldn’t hurt me like that.

I breathe in and out, gathering my strength. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to ask him about it. But it doesn’t feel wrong. And so I’m good for now.

Henry’s still talking. “Sebastian’s right, though. There’s no harm in taking things slowly. If she has a kid, she might not want to rush in anyway.”

He has a point.

“Dude,” Sebastian says. “You are not ready to be a father.”

Milo and Oliver groan.

“Here me out!” Sebastian says. “You haven’t dated much, Milo. Rose is a single mother. She deserves to be treateddifferently than other girlfriends. You can’t do casual with her. That’s not cool to her or her kid.”

“You think I don’t know this? She’s specifically asked for casual, though. She’s moving away soon and doesn’t want long distance. I do, but I’m willing to be patient with where she’s at. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I can persuade her to continue our relationship while she’s in school.” I can picture the passion on Milo’s face. He doesn’t do things halfway, so I know his face is as much into it as his words are. “You know how I’ve felt as I’ve watched you all fall in love and get married these last couple of years? It’s what I want. I want what you guys have, okay? And I want it with Rose.”

There’s a moment of silence, and my heartbeat echoes throughout the room. I swear the Tates can hear it through the wall.

“You can’t know that,” says the voice that might belong to Henry. “Not yet. Don’t do anything you’d regret. She’s a nice woman. Seems to be great in all the ways. But how do you know she feels the same about you? She has a son, Milo. You two are about as different from one another as you can be.”

“Not in the ways that matter,” Milo counters.

“I appreciate that you like her and that her kid is cute and you’re feeling like you want to settle down like us.” Henry sighs. “But maybe it’s less about her specifically and more about the idea of her. You’re romanticizing the fact that she already has a child, so you can just jump right in and be like all of us.” Milo makes a sound of disgust, but Henry continues. “I’ve read studies on this. The youngest children tend to get married earlier than their older siblings did, just so they can catch up to them.”

Milo starts to protest and Oliver interrupts. “Let’s give him a break. Henry figured out the whole Gloria thing on his own, so Milo probably doesn’t want to discuss it.”

“We’re just trying to help him, Oliver,” I recognize Alec’s voice. “If no one said any of this to him so that it can at least be on his radar? Well, that’s wrong, don’t you think? We owe it to him as his brothers to say what needs to be said, regardless of how he feels about it.”

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