“Calm down. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize your relationship with him. I’m here to look out for you, not make life harder.”
She grabs my hand. “Thank you.” She closes her eyes for a moment and yawns. “Ugh, what time is it?”
I glance at my watch. “Six.”
“Man, I couldn’t make it past seven all of last week.”
“Let me order some dinner then. I want to make sure you eat before you go to sleep for the night.”
I walk away from her and walk into my bedroom. My first priority is to order food. Then I pull up Walker’s name in my messages. This has gone too far. He and I need to work this shit out so he can visit his own damn sister.
Meet me here tomorrow morning. Nine sharp.
His message is instant.
Don’t tell me what to do. Let me handle this with my sister.
I can try to be nice, but I need to make it clear where I stand with Eva.
I’m trying to be nice here but let me make one thing clear—Eva and our baby are my first priority. I will not let you come between us. If you would like to talk like adults, I will be at this address, waiting.
I’m banking on him doing the right thing and meeting me here. This shit between us has got to be resolved if I have any chance of giving Eva the life that she deserves.
When I get back out to the family room, she is lying flat on the couch, looking up at the ceiling.
“I’m bored,” she says on an exaggerated breath.
I smile down at her. “Let’s do something. We can play a card game or something. Do you know rummy?”
Her eyes light up. “Let’s play poker.”
I chuckle. “You like poker?”
“Yes, Mr. Misogyny. You would have known if you had asked any of the women who were here last time—myself included.”
I throw my arms up in defense as she tosses her blanket off her and walks to my dinner table.
“Hey, I didn’t ask anybody to play. That was all your brother.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re all the same. Now, go get your cards and chips.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I smile as I walk away.
When I come back, she insists on shuffling. I realize I might have underestimated her as she shuffles the cards in the air from one hand to the other.
“Okay. Texas Hold’em. No limit.”
“No limit?” I raise an eyebrow.
“You scared?” she says, challenging me with her stare.
I purse my lips, trying to figure out how serious she is about this no limit. “Fine,” I say. “No limit.”
I sit at a booth in the corner as I watch my phone change from9to9:01. I clench my fist, pissed off that he isn’t willing to do this for his sister.
I’m not that bad of a guy. Does he really think a life with me would be so horrible?
I won’t let him make me second-guess what I have with his sister. Not like he did two days ago.