Page 27 of Endlessly Yours (The Wilder Brothers #10)

He smiled then, and it was such a soft smile that it was like a kick in the gut. Not because I was jealous. But because of the fact that she wasn’t here anymore. This woman had loved Brooks, and he had loved her. She must have been amazing.

“She pretty much organized me. I didn’t want to work for other people constantly and fall behind.

Or be on too many jobs, so they ended up like shit, or be forced to cut corners.

So I found good guys, trained them, and made sure that they were certified.

But Amara was the one who kept us in line, and learned how to fit a space.

She was better at picking the tile or other silicates we used, even the fixtures.

” He rolled his eyes. “I would do my best at figuring out what bathroom fixture would look the best for a bathroom, and then she would come by and point to something, and I realized that I was going down the wrong direction.”

“Really? I can’t picture you not knowing what you want.”

“We both know that I sometimes tell myself what I want, and then I ignore what I really want,” he whispered before we both smiled softly, and he continued.

“I know how to decorate a place now, maybe not with the right linens or extra touches, but I know how to set a stage because of her. And she knew how to change a light switch without electrocuting herself.”

“That I cannot do,” I teased.

“I can teach you. If you want. It’s always good to be able to do a few things on your own, but it’s also good to find a handyman who can do it for you.”

“I guess it’s good that if you’re not sleeping next to me, you’re right next door.”

“That is true,” he said with a laugh.

“But yes, I did an okay job with the furniture in here, and I think I’m learning a little bit more with each home.”

“How many homes do you own?” I asked as I leaned against the back of the couch.

“Seven,” he said quietly.

I nearly choked on my wine. “Seven?”

“Well, I’ve built eight on this piece of land, and while it’s not a full neighborhood, eventually it’s going to be, and then I’ll have to deal with the laws on that. I’m not going to want to own all of the homes at that point.”

“Are you going to make an HOA?”

“Please, don’t even mention that phrase in this house.”

I grinned. “You’re like this scary landlord, aren’t you?”

“Not really. If any of the renters want to buy, they’re welcome to, but most of them are military and know they’re going to leave in a couple of years.”

And then everything clicked. “Just like your cousins.”

“Exactly. They were in and out of places often, and I know finding a good place to rent where you can trust the landlord isn’t always easy.

And having a little bit of space these days just doesn’t happen.

We’re close enough to the base that they can go in if they need to or remote work.

Either way, it’s a good school district, and it’s not like I’m collecting an evil amount of rent. ”

“No, you’re just making sure people have a way to move quickly if needed.”

“Exactly. Having to sell your home after living in it for two years because you got orders is a whole other set of paperwork that most people don’t need. And the Wilders own this land. We might as well use it for something that will help others. And help my business.”

I snorted. “There’s always that.”

“People need to eat.”

“That is true. And I don’t know when I’m ever going to be able to own a home.” I looked down at the wine glass, realized I had drunk nearly all of it, and set it down. “I can’t believe I just said that out loud.”

“I thought you were trying to save before this. Before you moved in here?” he asked gently.

“I was, but I’m a small business owner that does graphic art. Getting the girls’ medical insurance was a pain, and once I hit the new year, it’s going to be even harder.” My stomach ached at that thought.

“Do you qualify for anything?”

“Some. It’s a whole process, and I’m grateful that Everett is decent at actually figuring all that out with me.

But my small savings is dwindling down slowly when it comes to new shoes and upcoming sports and other things that they want to do.

Let alone therapy and doctor’s appointments, and one day the girls are going to need cars, and then there’s prom dresses and college, and I can’t even think about it all. ”

“Hey, hey, just breathe. We’ll figure it out.”

It was funny that he said we, because we weren’t technically a we.

This was nice, and I was so grateful that we had a roof over our heads, but I needed to remember that this could all be temporary.

He could be temporary. But I didn’t want to ruin the entire night, as we had already had a stressful day.

“I’m trying not to think too hard about everything that’s coming, but I also have to be realistic. I’m so grateful that we have this place because I couldn’t afford it otherwise.”

“You never have to worry about a place to sleep, Rory. Ever.”

I reached over and ran my hand over his jaw. He turned his head and kissed my palm, and another little slice slid into place, and I knew falling in love with him fully would be inevitable.

“I know that I need to stop worrying about every single thing in the future, and I will. Eventually. It just keeps me up at night sometimes.”

He frowned, tangling his fingers with mine. “I hate that you even have to worry about that. That the girls didn’t have savings or anything.”

“No, they didn’t. But we haven’t heard a single thing from the people that my sister got involved with, and I guess that’s worth it.”

“You know I looked them up, right?”

I raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“We looked them up. We wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to be a problem later. But the whole community is actually quite peaceful. There’s no violence or police investigations into them. There’s literally nothing to connect them to anything illegal other than that hinky feeling you got.”

I let out a breath. “Ava and I looked them up too. They’re just insular, and I don’t know, they wanted money, they got it, and I got the girls. Honestly, they’re so far from my mind that they don’t matter.”

“They don’t. But I still want to kick them.”

“To be honest, even my lawyer looked at the funds. There wasn’t much. My brother and sister were in debt, they didn’t own their own home, and there wasn’t much in their savings account. At least for the girls.”

Brooks’s eyes widened. “What?”

“There wasn’t. I don’t know why I thought there would be more, or at least something. But in the end, the girls are safe, and I’m going to do my best to make sure they have a safe future.”

“You’re a good aunt, Rory.”

“I don’t always feel like it. Alice… I think Alice is doing okay.”

“She loves you.”

“She loves you too,” I blurted.

“Yeah, that kid has me wrapped around her finger. Hell, so does Cameron, even though I want to growl at her.”

“Sometimes I need to growl at her too. But her therapist and I are working on it. One day, she’s not going to roll her eyes at me. However, that day will probably be on her 13th birthday when she turns into a teenager, and suddenly, it’ll be a whole new set of eye-rolling.”

“You know, that’s going to happen.”

“I went from zero to teenager in a blink, and I’m kind of sad I didn’t get the baby years.”

“Did you ever want to be a mom?” he asked softly.

“Maybe. I mean, I always thought I would. Once I found the right guy.” I quickly looked down at my tablet, trying not to meet his gaze at that.

“Amara and I had wanted kids, and then she got sick, and kids didn’t happen. But I figured I’d be a good dad. At least I’m a decent uncle with Faith, and I guess with my cousins’ kids. They all call me uncle. It’s a little too difficult to figure out family connections the other way.”

I met his gaze then and leaned forward, brushing my lips against his.

“You’re a great uncle, and you’re amazing with the girls. Honestly, I don’t know how I would be functioning right now without you or the Wilders.”

“You make me happy, Rory,” he said reverently.

My heart thudded in my chest. “Yeah?”

“Yes. I didn’t realize how unhappy I was, even if I thought I was doing okay. So thank you, for making me happy.”

I sighed into him as his lips brushed against mine. “I don’t think we’re going to get any work done,” I teased.

“I don’t think so either. Come on, let me take you to bed.”

“I do like the sound of that.”

“And then, one day, I’m going to actually take you out on a date.”

I held both of our wine glasses as he took our tablets, and I frowned.

“What do you mean, we eat together often, you’re here most nights, I thought we were dating?” I asked, suddenly feeling awkward.

“Rory, yes. I think we’re beyond whatever the name is, considering how many nights I spend here. But I rarely get to actually take you out. Just the two of us.”

“We went rollerskating with the girls.”

“Yes, and had greasy chicken sandwiches and onion rings, and it was the best food I’ve had in a while as long as you don’t tell Kendall that.”

I snorted. “I promise.”

“And we went to that baseball game, and we eat at the Wilder Retreat often, and we do all of that, with the girls. And I think it’s about time I spoil you. Just saying.”

I smiled then and let him kiss me softly until my toes curled.

“Come on, let’s get upstairs.”

We set the wine glasses in the dishwasher, turned off the lights, and I let him carry me upstairs, knowing the girls were safe, and I was in the arms of the man who literally swept me off my feet.

Maybe, just maybe, I was doing this whole life thing right.

At least for now.