Men.

She hated them all.

Well, just three of them really.

Tom.

Buddy.

Evan.

She flung her purse down on Evan's front step and sat down to wait for Monica. As if she'd wait inside, being forced to endure the spectacle of Evan prostituting himself for her brothers' favor.

Oh, sure. He hadn't invited them. That didn't matter. He loved them! More than her!

She kicked a pebble, which rolled only about six inches before stopping. Who was she trying to kid? Evan didn't love her, regardless of her family. He didn't love her, exactly what she'd said she wanted. So why wasn't she feeling so victorious right now?

"Josie?" Her mom opened the front door. "Mind if I join you?"

"Yes, I do." Not that she minded, actually. It was just a test to see if anyone in her life actually listened to her needs and wants.

Her mom sat down next to her on the step.

There we go. The answer was "no." "What's up, Mom?"

"Are you and Evan fighting over me?"

She glanced at her mom. "We aren't fighting."

"Don't be silly, darling. I could hear every word you two were saying."

"Because your ear was pressed up against the door?"

"Of course. You don't think I could have heard all the way over by the stove, do you?" Josie's mom put her arm around her shoulder. "You're feeling jealous of how Evan feels about our family, aren't you?"

"Well...it's more complicated than that." She sighed. Maybe it was time to tell her mom the truth. With nine kids and a thirty-nine-year marriage, her mom had to have some man advice that would be helpful, other than marry one and start having his kids. "Mom..."

"It's okay that he likes our family. It's good, in fact. You should be very pleased."

"I am. Or I would be if I was actually planning to marry him."

"Josie!" Her mom uttered a quick prayer, slapped her hand over Josie's mouth, and shook her head. "Never say that about the man you're going to marry. That's bad luck! Shame!"

"Mom!" Josie pulled her hand off. "I'm not going to..."

Her mom slapped her hand back over Josie's mouth. "Just because you don't have the same optimistic views of marriage that I do doesn't mean you need to dump your baggage on Evan. You've been given a second chance with a wonderful man and you better start deserving it."

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. She was in control of herself now. "Mom, it's not about Evan. It's about Buddy."

"Oh, my dear, I never thought of that."

Finally! It was about time she got through to her mom. "See, Evan..."

"No need to say anymore." Her mom patted her hands. "You're afraid that it's too weird that you're going to marry the brother of the man who robbed you blind."

"Well, not exactly..."

"No worries, my dear. It's clear that Evan is a completely different man. Have no worries that he's a crook. He's a good man. Very different from his brother."

"That's not what I'm talking about..."

"And you don't have to worry about your kids inheriting Buddy's genes either. Evan will be the father, and everything will be all right." Her mom put her arm around Josie and hugged her. "Look at my sweet, baby girl, having such mature concerns. I knew you'd come around."

Argh! "Mom!" Josie pushed off her arm. "You aren't even listening to me!"

"Of course I am."

"Evan doesn't love me! He wants me to marry Buddy! And he likes my family better than me! The engagement rumor was an accident. Don't you understand? He doesn't want me!" She flung up her arms. "Do you hear me?"

"Yes, I do." Her mom's voice was quiet. "I'm sorry I didn't see what was going on. I should have."

"Well, finally."

Her mom patted the step beside her. "Come sit down, honey."

Josie flopped down next to her, exhausted. For the first time in her life, her mom actually listened to her? Maybe their relationship was finally moving to new levels.

"Josie, you can't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid. I'm angry. Annoyed. Do you realize that I actually started to let myself like him?"

"Of course you like him. You're going to marry him."

"What?"

Her mom smiled. "You're scared, honey. That's okay. You were burned by Tom and then Buddy. Of course you would be worried that you've made another mistake. That's why you're imagining all these terrible things. Open your mind. Evan loves you. He's going to be engaged to you, and he's going to marry you. He's not going to hand you over to Buddy or use you for your family. Stop letting your fears from your past overshadow the joy in your present."

Josie groaned and flopped back on the step, cracking her head against the cement. Ow.

Good. She deserved it. Maybe if she gave herself a concussion it would knock some sense into her.

"Would you like me to go talk to Evan? I'll let him know you're scared." Her mom leaned forward. "Even the best men aren't always quite as tuned into their woman as they should be. That's where I can help. Provide some coaching."

Josie covered her face with her arms. "Fine. Go talk to Evan. Help him be more sensitive to my needs. That would be great."

"Okay, sweetie. I'll take care of it." Obviously, the sarcasm was lost on her mom. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I have a hot date."

"Josie! Bite your tongue! Infidelity is a serious matter. You, of anyone, should know how destructive it is."

"Mom! I'm going with Monica."

"Still. You shouldn't joke about that. Maybe you're the one who needs some coaching about how to be in a successful relationship." Her mom gave her a warning smack on the shoulder. "Shape up, Josie. You've been given a second chance and you'd better not mess it up. By the time a third chance comes around, you'll be too old. You'll have to adopt!"

"Mom! I'm twenty-seven!"

"And don't you forget it!" Her mom stood up. "I'm going inside to talk to Evan. And you and I will do lunch this week so I can chat with you. A good wife means you must treat your man well. I think you need a little coaching on that."

"Fine. Lunch. I can't wait." Exactly what she needed. A lecture on how to be a sweet little housewife for Evan. Yippee do da.

Then headlights flashed, and a horn gave a quick toot. Saved! Josie hopped to her feet. "Okay, Monica's here. I'm sure I'll be back after you guys are gone. Have a great night."

She nearly dove into the front seat of Monica's car, ordering her friend to hit the gas before her mom came after them.

And Evan wanted a family. Was he insane, or what?

* * *

Evan didn't move from the dinner table, didn't stop Josie's mom from going out after her. What was up with Josie?

All this family talk. What had he done? What was wrong with being friends with her family? And why wasn't she happy with him? He'd made her breakfast. He'd made her dinner. He'd welcomed her family. What more could a woman want?

Love.

Shut up. He wasn't listening to that annoying voice in the back of his mind.

She loves you.

SHUT UP!

You're breaking her heart.

He cursed and jumped to his feet. This was all he needed, to feel guilty about her and Buddy.

She said she wanted sex only. No relationships. And he'd gone even further than that, at least today. So why was she mad? What was he doing wrong?

A shout from the family caught his attention, something about a dog…Crap! Max!

The dog had been snoozing in there during dinner, courtesy of a two-hour run after work. Guess he was awake now, and causing trouble.

This was good.

Evan needed the distraction of Max. So what if the pooch liked to destroy the house? At least he was easy to understand. Run him, he'd sleep. Play with him, he'd leave the furniture alone. Feed him, he'd eat. None of this other stuff that he couldn't figure out. "Coming!"

Dogs. Brothers. Red Sox.

Three things he hadn't had in years. It was about time they were in his life again. Thanks to Josie. She'd brought them all back. Changed his life. Taught him to be himself with Dr. Black. It was all thanks to Josie. Which meant he'd have to figure out what was bugging her and fix it. He owed her.

A loud crash sounded from the living room, then the scramble of toenails, then Max bolted around the corner and crashed into Evan's legs, nearly taking him down. "Hey, Max."

Evan scratched the dog's mangy ears, and grinned when the dog groaned and leaned against him. "Maybe I'll give you a bath tonight. What do you think of that?"

Max just sighed and pressed his head against Evan's hand.

So, maybe there was a little bit of room in his life for chaos.

"Let's go watch the game, shall we?" He'd go hang with Josie's brothers, trying to keep Max from destroying anything, and maybe see if her brothers had any ideas about Josie.

He'd just started to walk toward the living room when the front door slammed, and Josie's mom came marching down the hall. "Evan! Evan! Where are you?"

"Here." He stopped. "What can I do for you?"

"We need to talk, young man. Into the kitchen. We can talk while you help me bake a cake."

Or maybe he'd get info on Josie from her mom. He grinned as he followed her into the kitchen. As if he had a choice.