Page 124 of A Chance for Us
Thirty-Two
OLIVER
Jack is sitting on my couch, watching me pack and drinking a beer. One that I can’t have because it makes me sick.
Thanks, cancer. I’m not even allowed to numb the hurt of heartache thanks to you.
“You head out in three days?” Jack asks, knowing exactly what I’m doing since my annoyingly overprotective sister is coming.
“Yup.”
“And you’re staying for how many days?”
I roll my eyes. “Six.”
“Yeah, Stella said as much.”
“Yup.”
Jack makes a low grumbling noise and then walks over toward me. “Did you decide anything about Maren?”
Tossing the shirt I was folding onto the bed, I turn to my brother-in-law. “Is there a reason you’re here, Jack?”
“Yeah, apparently, it’s my damn job to fix all the broken Parkerson men. Trust me, it’s not a job anyone wants.”
“I don’t need to be fixed.”
He laughs. “Yeah, sure, you’re the pillar of strength and perfectness.”
I grin. “Thanks for agreeing.”
“That was sarcasm.”
“This is me not caring,” I toss back.
Jack shrugs. “Care or not, I was sent here to fix you because your sister thinks you’re a mess, and while my beautiful wife is meddling and frustrating, she’s often right. So, here I am.”
Stella is a pain in my ass. “And as I said, I’m fine, so you can go and tell her you did a good job and get your reward.”
“If it were only that easy . . .” He walks over to the table and grabs the large manilla envelope. “Did you sign them?”
I fucking hate my family. “No, I didn’t sign them.”
“Why not?”
Is he stupid? Yes, he is because he married my sister. Or maybe that makes him smart—whatever. “Because I’ve been busy.”
“Too busy to sign your annulment paperwork? It takes like, what? Three seconds to scribble your name?”
“I’d rather use the next three seconds to toss you out of my cabin.”
Jack smirks. “You can try.”
This is going one way, and since I doubt he’ll leave me the hell alone until he gets what he wants, I give in. “I love Maren, she doesn’t love me back, she filed for an annulment, and I have cancer. All of this adds up to disaster and the end of the relationship. I’m fine. She’s probably happy this is done so she can live her life according to her plan. Now, can you let me have some peace?”
“No, because you’re an idiot if you think Maren doesn’t love you. We all saw it.”
“She might have thought she did.”
