Eva threw her hands up in the air and let out a muted scream before pointing at Justice and snapping, “I’m telling Mom.” Then she faced me again, the finger now pointing at me. “I don’t know why you have to be such a jerk! And stop calling me Eva-bear!”
I shrugged and looked at the television, pretending I didn’t give a shit about our conversation, when really, I was fighting the desire to grab her and run. “I’d agree, but it doesn’t really matter. You won’t be able to hear me call you that from London.” Giving in to temptation, I glanced at her face in time to see it fall before she quickly smoothed out her expression.
“You’re still moving next month?” she asked softly, her shoulders drooping.
“Yup.” I returned my eyes to the television.
There was silence for a few moments, then I heard an almost inaudible sigh before her footsteps left the room.
“You know, Trevor left for Costa Rica last night.” I turned my head and found Blair, Eva’s mom, standing in the doorway.
Justice smiled at her with an innocent expression. “Did he?”
She stepped into the room and crossed her arms over chest, glaring at her husband. “You know very well he did, Justice Kendall. So who threatened Eva’s date?”
My dad chose that moment to enter the room, and I silently applauded him for his timing. “What’s the score?” he asked as he flopped down into another recliner facing the television and took a swallow from his beer.
Justice answered him before glancing back at Blair, his expression still innocent. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes. “We’ll talk about this later.”
After she was gone, Justice met my gaze and lifted his beer in a salute. I returned the gesture, and we both drained our bottles. It was his way of saying thank you. Not just for pushing Eva away, but because Trevor wasn’t the one threatening the little assholes attempting to date Eva.
I was.
1
Tucker
My dad pulled me into a strong hug and pounded me on the back. “I’m so damn happy to have you home, son.”
“Thanks, Dad.” He let me go after a minute, and my mom’s arms wrapped around me, squeezing me tight. Her head only came up to my shoulders, and I smiled as I bent my head to kiss the top of hers. “Hi, Mom.” She sniffled, and I shook my head as I hugged her back. “Don’t cry, Mom. You know we hate it when you cry.”
“I’m just so happy to finally have my boy home,” she replied as she let me go and stood back. She wiped under her eyes but smiled brightly, easing my discomfort at seeing my mom in tears.
“Tucker! Tucker! Tuuucker!” My youngest sister, Hope, came racing down the hallway as fast as her seven-year-old legs would carry her. I squatted down and held open my arms with a giant smile on my face. She barreled into me, and I held her close as I shot to my feet and spun around.
“Hey, sunshine!” She squealed with joy, and the sound reminded me how much I’d missed my family for the past eight years. Hope had been a late surprise for my parents, fifteen years younger than my brother, Jackson. She’d been born shortly after I’d moved to England to head up a new European division in my dad’s tech company. I’d been home on and off over the years but only for short visits. I couldn’t stay long, or I would have given in to my desire to see Eva. And I knew that if I did, I wouldn’t be able to leave again.
Now, my dad was ready to retire and was handing the company over to me completely, so I was finally back in New York to stay. And, this time, I wasn’t going to keep my distance. I was going after the one I wanted, and I was going to make her mine.
I set my sister on her feet and kissed her forehead before straightening back up. She took my hand, and my dad threw an arm around my shoulders, both of them guiding me into the living room. I dropped down onto one of the couches in the large room, and Hope curled up into my side. My little sister was adorable, and she reminded me of my goals. I wanted a family, and I was determined to start working on that right away.
“Are you sure you won’t stay with us for a little while?” my mom asked as my dad pulled her down onto his lap.
“He’s a grown man, Penelope,” my dad said softly before brushing his lips over her temple. “He needs his own space.” She pouted, and I almost caved. Only the reminder of my evening plans had me sticking to my guns.