“WHAT NOW?” EVERLY ASKS, drawing my attention after I merge in with traffic.
What does she mean? “Now you stay with me, obviously.”
“Will that work with your dating schedule?”
I let out a groan, finally understanding. She’s still off her rocker about Siobhan.
“Everly . . . I just threw my relationship with my best friend out the window for you. For fuck’s sake, you just called me your boyfriend in front of your brother. You’ve been affectionate . . . I thought we were past that shit.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, but she doesn’t sound convincing.
“You’re it. My girlfriend, the chick who has my balls and my motherfucking heart.”
She blinks at me. “Your heart?”
“Why do I have to be the vulnerable fucking one in this situation when you’re the one with the hang-ups?” I ask her. Because that’s how it always is.
“Well then, just tell me who that woman was. Is her number stored in your phone?”
“Yes.”
Everly gasps, and I let out another groan. This isn’t getting us anywhere.
“Just . . . take me to a hotel.”
“Not happening. You’re not leaving my sight.”
“Why not?”
“Because I fucking love you and I’m not letting that motherfucker get near you two. And I’m going to let your suspicious ass stew a little more since you were an ice bitch to me for a week, not letting me tell you about my cousin, Siobhan Callahan.”
In my periphery, I can see the fight drain from her, the blood leave her face. She slouches into the seat. “Your cousin?”
“Yes. I told her about the baby and she wants to throw a Callahan family baby shower for us.” Somehow, she either didn’t hear me blurt out that I was in love with her, or she’s chosen to ignore it.
“How many cousins do you have? I don’t even know much about your extended family.”
I glance at her, trying to figure out what she’s thinking. “Well, you know my dad was a first- generation Irish American, and my mom is from Greece. There are a few Greek cousins that I’ve only met a few times, but I have sixteen Callahan first cousins.”
“Sixteen?”
I nod. “Irish Catholic. Dad was one of six. Siobhan is one of five from Dad’s Irish twin brother, Sedan.”
“He had a twin?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Irish twin.”
“Well, yeah, he’s Irish.”
A chuckle erupts as I realize the issue. “Irish twins are siblings born within twelve months of each other.”
“Oh.”
“Dad’s the only one who had one kid, and everyone blamed my mom for that, but the truth was she miscarried and never carried to term after me.”
“Why would they blame her for that?”
“Some of the family didn’t like that he married a Greek girl and not a ‘good’ Irish girl. They kind of ostracized him, and I became the black sheep of the family.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m the son of the Greek woman who stole away their poor Lonan. Not everyone feels that way, but there are some who don’t approve of my existence. My mother’s family wasn’t crazy about my mom not marrying a Greek either, but they didn’t push her away like my dad’s side of the family did.”
“That’s crazy!” Everly cries out. “Not that there’s anything wrong with your parents, but you were innocent.”
Suddenly, Everly starts sobbing, tears raining down her face. It’s so sudden, so strange, I pull off the road and throw the car in park.
“Baby?” I ask as I undo my seatbelt, then lean over to cup her face.
“I’m s-sorry,” she manages to say between hiccupping sobs. “I’m sorry I was such a bitch. I’m sorry for not trusting you. I got scared.”
“Why were you scared?”
“Because I’m in love with you, too.” I smile at the words I’ve been waiting to hear from her lips, ignoring the pain in my own.
“Your lip,” she says, reaching out to ghost her fingers over the large split I can feel in the swelling of my lip.
“I’m lucky he didn’t knock any teeth out.”
“I’ve never seen my brother like that before. He was so angry.”
“I knew he would be.”
“Why didn’t you tell him everything?” she asks. “Why didn’t you want me to tell him that it was me that lied to you, that this was my fault?”
I let out a breath and try to explain to her the best that I can. This isn’t going to just blow over. “Because regardless of how it started, Ev, I knew after, and I still didn’t tell him. I didn’t know who you were when I took you back to my place that first night, but Cam knows that I knew at some point, and I still didn’t tell him. I lied. That’s not something he’s likely to get over tomorrow. I broke a trust that we’ve always had between us. One that I’m not sure I can ever earn back.”
“He was trying to tell me that you had other women, wasn’t he?”
“Probably, but he also knows that I’ve been talking about just one woman for a while now. No matter what he was going to say to you, he knows that I haven’t been fucking around. He’s been bitching at me for a while now to snap out of what he called a funk, but it wasn’t what he thought.”
“It wasn’t?’
“No. Not at all.” I lean forward and rest my forehead on hers. “When are you going to understand that all I see, all I’ve been able to see since you steamrolled into my life again, is you.”
“But, you’ve never been committed to one woman before. You said that yourself. What if you get tired of me?” Her breath speeds up. “What if I get so big carrying this baby that you don’t want me like that, and you want to go back to fucking other women?”
I groan at her words. God, this fucking dickhead did the worst possible thing a person could do to anyone by cheating and lying to her.
“Ev, I’m a very sexual man. I’m not going to try and bullshit you here. I like sex. I’ve had lots of sex. I’ve been with a lot of different women over the years, but I’ve never lied to them, and I’ve never led them to believe I would give them more than a sexual relationship. I’ve never wanted more than that. I have never wanted to commit to anyone before you. I’ve never been ready so when I say I like sex and I mean . . . I like lots of it.”
“Oh my God. Enough Niko, I get it, you like fucking sex. I don’t want to listen to this anymore. I’m hungry. My feet hurt and I’m hormonal. That’s never a good combo so shut up, because I swear to God, Nikolas Callahan, if you start listing off the bimbos you’ve slept with next and rate them, I’m going to rip off your beans and frank and grab the ketchup!”
My eyes widen, and I sit back on my side of the car. “Well that was a fucking visual I don’t want. I don’t think I’ll ever get that out of my head, but baby, you didn’t let me finish.” Before she can start again, I place my hand over her mouth, shushing her, then smile as she glares daggers at me.
She reaches up and pushes my hand away. “What? I didn’t say that I’d skin your one-eyed snake.”
I shake my head but can’t help the shudder that runs through me at the thought she just planted in my head. This woman could be vicious if I’m not careful. I won’t ever forget that fact. Last thing I want to see is her Bobbit impersonation.
“What I was going to say was . . . I only want to have lots of sex with you. No matter how big you think you are, I will always see you as my beautiful woman. I only see myself having tons of sex with you. And if you’re too tired or feel unsexy, for whatever crazy reason you have conjured up in your head, I’ll just have to prove to you that you are who I want. Whenever. However. Forever.”
She sucks in a breath when I say the last word, but I’m not done.
“I want to have more babies with you, Everly, and if that’s not what you want right away, well, then we can just have fun practicing for the future. Don’t push me away. Have faith in me. For once, have faith in us. Don’t punish me for my past and for Christ’s sake, baby, don’t punish me because of yours. I’m not him. I’ll never be him. I watched how my father looked at my mother my whole life, and he worshipped the ground she walked on until the day he died. I want that. I want you.”
Everything is silent as she stares at me, processing all that I’ve just said.
“Where did you come from, Nikolas Callahan?” she asks, making me smile. Not the response I was looking for, but shit . . . I’ll take anything but her doubt when it comes to us.
“Well, you see, that’s not something that I like to think about. We obviously both know where babies come from, babe, but that is not something I like to remember.”
“Niko, your parents obviously had sex.”
I roll my eyes at her and then cover her mouth with mine. Lifting away from her, I look into those beautiful hazel eyes of hers, and it’s then that I see it.
“You’re my home, Everly Hayes. I’m pretty sure I loved you that first night we were together. Hell, if I’m honest with myself, probably even when you were a kid.”
“Ummm that’s kind of weird, but I’ll take it. I do think you’re just saying that, though, because I was just a kid and you were a teen.”
“I was, but you are misunderstanding me. It wasn’t the type of love that I have now for you, beautiful girl. I was always jealous of Cam.”
“Jealous, why?” She looks perplexed.
“Maybe jealous is the wrong word. It wasn’t a bad feeling. Envious is a better word. He had you. I was an only child, and you worshiped the ground he walked on. He protected you at every turn. I wanted that. It’s why I didn’t want you to take the blame in all this. I don’t want things to change for you and him. He’s your brother. Your family. He’ll get over being upset with you and all will be right again.”
“What about you?”
“You let me worry about me. Just don’t stress yourself out worrying about your brother and me. I’ll deal with Cameron when it’s time. What happens after that is for me to worry about, okay?” She eyes me warily, but then her eyes soften as she looks me in my eyes.
“You’ve got it wrong, though, Niko. I worshiped the ground both of you walked on. It wasn’t just Cam.”
I smile at that. “I wouldn’t mind you worshiping the ground we’re on now if you know what I mean?” I wag my eyebrows at her, causing her to laugh. “I love you, Everly Hayes. We’re taking this journey together, and I hope that we’ll take many more in the future. With or without your brother’s blessing. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I love you, too.” She leans up to kiss me, and for now, my problems with Cameron are on hold. For now.