Page 78 of No One Else

I smile nervously, still worried I’m intruding on family time between Evan and Pete, but we’re already pulling into the drive.

“Text me if you need me to pick you up later,” she says as I unbuckle my seatbelt slowly and gather my bags.

“Okay-”

“And don’t say thank you,” she points menacingly at me, a smirk on her lips.

Her teasing relaxes me enough to get out of the car and up the walkway to the door. I knock tentatively and the last of my worries melts away when I see Evan’s surprised but happy face as he answers it.

He immediately takes me into my arms, crushing the groceries between us. “What are you doing here?” he breathes, his tone practically joyful.

“I figured you’d be too frazzled to have planned anything for dinner, so I brought it to you.” I lift the bags as evidence when he lets go of me.

“Oh God, you’re right. What time is it? I haven’t even thought of food yet.”

He invites me in and I pause when I catch sight of Pete in his recliner, a big bandage on the side of his head and a scowl on his face. His expression clears when he sees me, though.

“Natalie! What brings you by?” His smile is infectious, making my lips curve upward too.

“I’m here to feed you guys.” I set my stuff down on the table in the kitchen and then walk back out to the living room, perching on the edge of the couch. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I’ve seen better days,” he says nonchalantly.

Evan rolls his eyes as he comes to sit beside me. “If you took the pain medication they prescribed at the hospital, you’d feel a hell of a lot better.”

Pete’s scowl returns. “I’m not that soft,” he mutters. “I can handle it fine.”

“If your body’s not in pain, it’ll have an easier time healing,” I tell him gently.

His lips twist, his eyes darting back and forth between me and Evan. “Are you two going to gang up on me now? Fine, I’ll take it.”

Evan jumps up and grabs the pill bottle on the coffee table, then gets a glass of water from the kitchen. As he comes back he mouthsthank youto me, handing the items to his dad.

“I’ll start dinner,” I announce, somehow feeling like I’m intruding again.

I only make it as far as setting the temperature on the oven to what it says on the back of the can of crescent rolls before Evan’s behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, his face in the crook of my neck. “How’d I get so lucky to have you?”

I laugh. “I’m not making a three course meal. It’s store-bought rotisserie chicken, rolls, and salad.”

“You took the time and thought of us.” I shiver against his warm body pressed along my back, the tickle of his lips on my skin. His appreciation. His praise. It feeds my soul, having someone that welcomes my giving nature rather than finding it a mark against me.

I turn around in his arms, pulling his head down for a soft kiss. “I missed you in class today.”

“I missed you too,” he whispers against my lips, going in for another kiss. And another. And then another until we’re making out in the kitchen, the stove slowly getting warmer against my back as it heats.

“I have to put the rolls in,” I tell him, finally breaking away. I smile at the pout on his face, but he comes over to the sink with me to wash our hands and helps me wind the strips of dough into shape, then put the fixings for a salad together.

We bring our plates of food out to the living room when everything is ready so Pete can stay comfortable in his recliner, and watch the Braves destroy the Rays on TV.

Evan looks over at me in surprise when I comment on a play. “I didn’t know you were into baseball.” His voice is quiet so as not to disturb Pete, whose eyes are drooping more and more as the medication kicks in.

“Oh, I’m not.” I take a big bite of roll, slathered in butter. Oh God, that’s good. “My brother played in high school, so I ended up watching it all the time, whether I liked it or not.”

He pops a piece of chicken in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “You never talk about him.”

I press my lips together and finish swallowing the bread. “We’re not close. He’s five years older than me, chose to stay out in California after college, and never comes back to visit.”

“I always wondered what it would be like having a brother.”

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