I whip my head toward her, my jaw dropping.“Did you just say Joel would beniceto have around?Have you met him?”
Joel smirks, leaning forward on his elbows.“Careful, Ace.That almost sounded like a compliment.”
“It wasn’t,” I snap, glaring at him.“And don’t call me that.”
Mina lets out a happy squeal, slapping the tray of her highchair with both hands.The noise breaks the tension for a brief moment, and I look at her, desperate for a distraction.
“You see?”Ethan says, gesturing toward Mina with a grin.“Even the baby thinks it’s a good idea.”
“Donotdrag Mina into this,” I spit back.
“Anna, seriously,” Tessa says, leaning forward with that annoyingly reasonable look she always gets when she’s about to corner me.“You’re making this a bigger deal than it needs to be.”
“It’ll feel like forever,” I groan, looking at the ceiling as I feel my resolve slipping.I’m fighting a losing battle and I know it.
Joel tilts his head, his grin softening just enough to throw me off.“Look, I get it.I’m not exactly your favorite person.But I’ll stay out of your way.Promise.”
I snort.“That’s rich, coming from the guy who can’t go five minutes without making a snarky comment.”
“Who, me?”Joel asks, his eyes wide with mock innocence.
“Yes, you,” I snap.
“I think you might have us confused,” Joel says, scrunching his face slightly.
I raise my chopsticks and point them at him like a knife.
Ethan cuts in, his tone turning more serious.“Anna.Be reasonable.You know what Mom and Dad would say.”
I groan, dragging a hand down my face.“I hate when you do that.”
“It’s true, though,” Ethan says, his grin returning.“Besides, you’re great at laying down rules.Just give him a list of things he’s not allowed to do, and you’ll be fine.”
“A list?”Joel says, his tone bordering on amused disbelief.“What am I, a five-year-old?”
“You’d be lucky to qualify as a five-year-old,” I mutter.
Tessa smiles, her voice softening just enough to drive the knife deeper.“Anna, you can totally handle him.We believe in you.”
I stare at both of them, my frustration simmering just under the surface.They’ve got me boxed in, and they know it.If I say no, I’m the unreasonable one—the bad sibling who can’t even spare a room for“family.”
But if I say yes…
I look at Joel, who’s watching me with that infuriating mix of amusement and challenge, like he knows exactly what’s going through my head.
The problem isn’t just that Joel is smug, or that he has a knack for irritating me like no one else.The problem is that letting him stay means no escaping him—not his voice, not his smirk, and definitely not the memories I’ve been working so hard to bury.
“Fine,” I snap, slamming my chopsticks onto the table.“But therewill berules.”
Joel raises an eyebrow.“Rules?I’m shocked.”
“Yes,rules,” I say, my voice sharp.“No loud music, no touching my stuff, and no bringing random people over.Got it?”
“Crystal clear,” Joel says, his grin widening.“Anything else, boss?”
“Yeah,” I say, pointing a finger at him.“Don’t talk to me unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Got it,” Joel says, raising his beer in a mock toast.“This is going to be fun.”