Page 21 of The Problem with Dating
This shit was unreal.
“Uh…is there anything I can get you guys?” I asked. “Is there anything you need?”
Nathan scoffed. “Yeah, I need you to start watching baseball,” he demanded. “Fucking golf, really?”
But before I could say anything, Gideon remarked, “If she’s giving up golf, it’s going to be for hockey, not baseball.”
“You know what?” Nathan replied as he cracked another tile piece. “The both of you can just leave me the hell alone.”
Well, alrighty then.
Chapter 12
Gideon~
It was going to be a long day.
Even though Nate wasn’t afraid of hard work, Echo had really fucked him up with her choice in sports, and the fucker would not shut up about it. Every time Echo brought us some water or snacks, he’d level her with a glare and mumble a reluctant thank you.
Christ, he was like a little kid.
However, bringing him with me had been more of a must than a want. When Grant’s procedure had been scheduled, Andie had warned us that Grant would be tired the next day, and they’d need to keep an eye on him, even though he would probably sleep the day away. However, as much as Nate loved Grant, today was a day for Grant, Andie, and Steven. Because Nate loved Grant as if he were his own, I knew it killed him to have to take this step back and let Grant be with his parents, and this had been my way to help keep his mind off the reminder that he was the stepdad. Though no one treated him that way, when it came to Grant’s heath, Andie and Steven were his anchors and the decision makers. And while Andie and Steven have both voiced how they didn’t mind Nathan’s support, this was Nathan’s way of proving to them both that he respected their dynamic as a family still. I wasn’t sure how my little brother did it, but he did, and I was proud of him for it.
Of course, that didn’t mean he still wasn’t getting on my nerves.
“How can you be attracted to a woman who likes golf,” he grumbled after another hour of pouting had gone by. “I mean, what is wrong with you?”
By this time, most of the floor had been pulled up, except for the flooring underneath the bearing wall. I looked over at my brother. “You’re married and in love with a woman who doesn’t watch sportsat all,”I reminded him.
“We’re talking about Echo, not Andie,” he retorted. “Besides, what the hell is wrong with this family that baseball is not the number one sport watched?”
“We gotta keep you humble somehow, Nate,” I said dryly.
“Yeah, well, you guys suck,” he mumbled back.
“And who even says I’m attracted to her?” I challenged.
Nathan scoffed. “Oh, please.” He started breaking up the floorboard underneath the bedroom door frame. “The second she mentioned an ex-husband, I thought you were going to pop a vein.”
He wasn’t wrong.
I had been thrown for a loop when Echo had mentioned an ex-husband, and while I wasn’t bothered by the fact that she’s been married before, I still wanted to know the details. I was already onboard with the fact that I was attracted to her something fierce, and I planned on making something of it once she got over being mad at me. It would help to know if her ex-husband was still in the picture or not.
“Yeah, well, that’s not what we’re here for,” I replied.
Before he could comment, his phone chimed with an incoming text. He dropped everything and grabbed his phone from his pocket. His face took on a sappy expression before looking up at me and saying, “My wife wants me home.”
I glanced at my watch and it was already past five in the evening. We’d been here all day, but most of the labor had been from walking the floorboards and dismantled tile out to the backyard and flinging them over the fence into my yard. I wasn’t going to leave a dangerous mess lying around where Echo might hurt herself. The only mess in her house was her missing flooring, and that was it.
I stood up and popped all those bones and stretched all those muscles that were reminding me we were getting told. Nathan stood as well. “Well, thanks,” I told him. “I appreciate it.”
Nate nodded. “Same time tomorrow?”
“I’ll let you know later tonight,” I told him. “I gotta double check with Echo, since I just kind of sprung this shit on her this morning.”
Nathan grinned. “You are so sunk, big brother.”
I ignored his comment as we gathered our shit and headed back through the house to the front door. Echo was in the kitchen when she spotted us. “Are you guys leaving?” she asked as she came out from behind the kitchen counter.
