I Never Expected You (I Never 2)

“I know, but we agreed—”

“No, you agreed.”

“Okay. Okay. Are we seriously going to argue this again at 3:00 a.m.? Are you really all right?”

“Yeah, I think I just needed to hear your voice. Still okay if I swing by tomorrow after work with dinner?”

“Isn’t your sister getting suspicious that you always come home late?”

“Nah, she thinks I work long hours. I guess you could say that is a perk of her not being around all this time; she has no clue about my schedule.” I guess that’s a weird positive to find in this scenario, that she can’t call me out on my bullshit. “Ky hasn’t slipped up or anything. He knows the deal. I’m so

rry for calling and waking you up. I know you have a big exam in the morning.”

“It’s okay. But for the record, I prefer it when you wake me up with your tongue, but hearing your voice helps too.”

Oh, so we’re going there, huh? I let out a soft laugh, and my dick starts to stiffen at the thought of her waking up with my head between her thighs.

“Fuck waiting until tomorrow—can I come over now? Or maybe some phone sex?”

Haylee lets out a loud laugh, one that I know if she were here making that noise, she would be waking someone in the house up. The sound of her laughter goes straight down my spine to my balls. It wouldn’t take much for a release.

Still laughing, she says, “Good night, Zach. I love you!”

I grumble, knowing that she knows exactly what she’s doing.

“Love you too. See you tomorrow.”

I don’t know whether it was because I heard my sister singing in the shower this morning, something that hasn’t happened in years, or just the fact that Emmett is always on my mind, but I found myself on the couch watching the home movies my parents put on a DVD for us—a time when our biggest problems were balancing a social life and lacrosse schedule.

If only we knew then how much or how little time we had left with Em.

“Hey, man.” I jump when I hear a deep voice from behind. I turn to find Kyler standing in the hallway.

“Oh sorry, didn’t see ya there. Have you been standing there long?”

“No, I just got off the phone with mama dukes.” Ky takes a seat on the other side of the couch. He lets out a loud laugh, turning my attention back to the TV. “Dude, what the fuck is in your hair? Is that shit flammable?”

I roll my eyes. “Fuck off.” I punch him straight in the arm. “That used to take me an hour to perfect the rolled-out-of-bed look.”

I’m grateful now though that I wear my hair short. Kyler continues his laughter as we watch the video of us leaving for prom.

It didn’t matter that I looked hot as fuck, a definite James Bond wannabe, but I preferred being out of the suit.

I watch as Emmett playfully shoves me on the screen. I can remember it as if it were yesterday.

“Knock it off, dude. Melissa isn’t going to stand you up. She should be here soon.”

“Ha! I’m not worried about that. She’ll be here. She wouldn’t miss what I have planned for us after prom, if you know what I mean.”

Wow, I was something else back then.

“Un-freakin’-believable. Keep it in your pants, Jacobs.”

“Whatever. I know you have something planned. Don’t act like you don’t. Just keep that shit to yourself.”

There is a throat clearing in the background of the video that ends our shoving contest and draws our attention to the front porch. Whenever my sister walked into the room, she was all Emmett saw. I guess that’s exactly how Haylee and I are now. That girl is my world. While all eyes were on my sister and best friend, I focus on the girl in the background. My girl. Although, back then, she wasn’t my girl. She had gone with that douchebag; I don’t even remember his name. He made me look like a saint.

Damn, she is so beautiful. How did I seriously not notice it back then? I hate hiding this—hiding us. If my sister can’t be okay with Hails and I being happy, then we have more significant issues. We both stood by for years watching our siblings and best friends fall in love, and we both only wanted them to be happy. It was all that mattered. I would hope that my sister would have the same decency.