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“Just needed some space,” I mumbled, refusing to meet Grayson’s gaze.
His scowl deepened. “Space from what? You think you can just walk away from your obligations?”
“That’s me. That’s what I always do, right?”
“Woah!” Wolfe shot me a look. “What brought this on?”
Another pull on my beer and I still couldn’t look at my brother as I said, “Scarlett and the twins… they deserve so much more than I can give them. I’m just not the man they need me to be.” Holy Jesus fuck. Fucking hell. Fuck. I hadn’t planned on saying anything to either of them about Scarlett, but I guess since she was always at the very front of my mind these days, it just came flooding out. Right now, I was seriously regretting the beer I’d already downed, and the fact that it seemed to have removed my filter.
Wolfe turned the stove down, letting the spaghetti sauce simmer, and leaned against the counter, folding his arms across his chest. “I think what you’re feeling is perfectly normal, but not necessarily true.”
Okay, so wisdom from my baby brother was a little unexpected, but alright, I’ll play along. “Elaborate.”
“I would imagine that most people are afraid of being able to live up to the huge responsibility of parenthood. It takes a lot of work and effort. I mean, be honest, who would have thought I’d be father material to those four kids before I met Esme?” He tilted his head toward the living room.
“Yeah, not me.”
“Me either,” Grayson agreed.
“Exactly. And don’t get me wrong. It’s damn hard work and most days, I feel like I’m barely measuring up. But the kids, and Esme, are so worth it. And sure, it’s terrifying as hell, but that just means you care. Also, you’re not in this alone, you know. We’re here for you, man.”
The self-deprecation was clear in my voice when I scoffed. “Since when have the Rivers brothers ever needed help with anything?”
Grayson chuckled dryly. “Since one of us decided to knock up an environmental lawyer and send his life into a tailspin.”
I couldn’t help but crack a wry smile at that. “Yeah, well, I never claimed to be the smart one.”
Before I could say anything else, Stef strolled into the kitchen, grabbed a drink from the fridge and went straight to Grayson, leaning back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her as she snuggled right in. “Hey you,” she murmured, tilting her head back to look up at him, her brown eyes sparkling. My brother absolutely melted, like a giant fucking marshmallow over a campfire. Blech. “It’s very serious in here. What are we talking about?”
“Rhett’s in love with Scarlett, but he’s too chicken shit to do anything about it.”
I stared at Wolfe for a long moment. “Who said anything about love?”
“You did.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Well, not out loud.”
“Jesus fuck, when did you get so smart?”
“He’s not that smart. Everyone knows.” Stef took a swig of her drink, then shot me a smug smile. “You’re not Mr. Mysterious, in case you were wondering. I just gotta say, though, you and Scarlett getting together is awesome. I’m totally here for it.”
“Yeah, well…” This was all getting a bit much.
“Well, what? What’s the problem? Scarlett’s a catch. And way out of your league.”
I winced at that, because yeah, the truth hurts.
“Oooh, like that, is it?”
“Fuck off.” I guess I was an open book these days. One with extra-large font.
“Oh please, Rhett, spare us the pity party. You’re a great catch too, and it’s dumb to pretend otherwise.”
“That’s just it, though. I’m not pretending. Scarlettisway out of my league. She’s a hundred times the person I could ever hope to be. There’s no way I can live up to that, or be the man she needs me to be. She deserves so much more.”
“Whatisit with you men and your dumb ideas?”