Page 153 of The One for Me
I have no idea where he’s going with this.
“Luke’s wife?”
He nods. “She came by the farm the other day, looking for Ellie, not realizing who lived on what part of the land and where their house was. Anyway, she’s real nice and was mentioning something about her son and a play.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And that made her nice?”
Jacob flops down in the chair. “No, she was nice to look at.”
“Jacob,” I warn.
He puts his hands up. “I know. I wasn’t going there. I’m just making a statement. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a girl who literally took my breath away. Anyway, she’s excited about the plans I have for Sebastian.”
Jacob doesn’t just make statements. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Me?”
I nod. “Yeah, you. The last time you fell in love, it ended with my having to fly out there because you wouldn’t get out of bed.”
He and another actress were pretty serious. Of course, he didn’t tell anyone other than me since Declan and Connor would never have understood. With me, it was different, I get him. When we lost our mother, Jacob handled it horribly. On the outside, he was a tough kid, good-looking, popular, and took everything in stride. The truth was a very different story. He was a mess. He didn’t want to eat and sought ways to piss my father off to take the beatings he felt he deserved. It got better as we got older, but his pain was always there.
When the accident happened, Jacob regressed.
It wasn’t until he met the actress that he started to turn his life around. She was beautiful, funny, and gave him the illusion of love that he needed. When she left him for the director, he broke.
“That was a long time ago.”
“Not that long, Jacob.”
He sighs. “I’m not in love with this girl. I don’t know her and have had one conversation about her kids. All I said was she was gorgeous, and she is. She has this fiery red hair and dark blue eyes. I’m just saying that she’s naturally pretty. But I’m not in love with her. She’s a widow and dealing with her kids.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
It’s been years since he mentioned a woman at all, and him doing so tells me it isn’t as innocent as he says.
“I do, now, let’s talk about how my brother is getting married to the woman of his dreams. In six months, you got the girl not to only fall in love with you but also to marry you. I think you definitely have the most game out of any of us.”
I laugh. “It wasn’t a game.”
He slaps me on the shoulder. “I know. I’m happy for you.”
There’s a knock on the door, and no one waits to enter, they just do. In comes the rest of my brothers and Austin. He’s in a tux with his pants fitted around his brace.
“You look good, buddy.”
He extends his fist, and I bump it. “You do too.”
“You ready to be my other best man?”
He nods. “I’ll do a good job, I promise.”
“You’ll be much better than that dope.” I turn to see Jacob glaring and then shrug as though he knows it’s true too. “Are you sure you’re okay with me marrying your . . .”
“My mom?”
I nod, unsure of whether he is really okay with thinking of her that way. It’s been a rough few weeks, but they are doing their best. She told him he didn’t have to call her that, but he said it was the truth and that he loves her. So, sometimes, he calls her Mom, but other days, it’s Aunt Devney. No matter what, we’re all trying.
“I’m happy about it. She really loves you.”
