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“No, can’t say I did. But it’s in the past, and I’m trying as ever to live in the here and now and look forward. So, let’s give her the proper farewell she deserves, and never speak of her again. Right?”
Jude hugs me. “I missed you, Sis. Family above all. Please, don’t leave us again. We can’t survive without you. We all thought we were the ones keeping everything together. These past weeks have shown us what was really going on.”
“Well I’m glad we got that sorted. Let’s go meet my boys, drink some whiskey, and play cards.”
Chapter
Forty-One
Marcus
I call my boys and, to my surprise, they’re with all their uncles at Evie’s new place. James tells me she’s had Jude there for two nights and they’re all staying over drinking whiskey and playing cards. I hear their laughter in the background and Evie screaming as she wins a hand.
A strange sensation settles in my gut—fuck. I’m jealous. Why has she spoken to them and not me? I’ve sent her loads of messages, nothing. Radio silence.
“Facetime me, Dad.” James’s request is unexpected, and I do it before he can change his mind.
They’re in a huge warehouse loft. The highest spec. James shows me around the room. It’s Evie to a T.
“Hey, Kellen,” calls Evie. I don’t speak, I’m so shocked. “Cat got your tongue? Thanks for your pics! Been entertaining myself with them. I’m thinking of starting an onlyfans account. ‘Kell’s dick pics.’” She’s letting me know, just so I’m in no doubt as to the pics she’s referring to. I manage a smirk, but words are beyond me still at this point. “There was one, though. I wasn’t totally sure what it was. Or what angle it was from. I’ll send it back to you and you can tell me. Maybe I’ll run a book on what it is.” She fucking winks at me.
“Kitten,” I croak out, “I’ll send as many pics as you can handle.”
“Well, that’s probably a lot, as you know.” She starts to laugh and walks off.
“Has she been at the whiskey?” I ask James incredulously.
“Yep. She and Uncle Jude started at breakfast—hair of the dog.”
“Okayyyy, well, enjoy, boys. Bucky, are you winning?”
“Always. This lot is useless,” he says, grinning at me, glassy eyed and red cheeked.
They’re all plastered. And I want to be there. I want to be included. What a fuck up I’ve made of all this.
“I’ll see you next week,” I tell them both.
“Okay, Dad. See you then,” they both shout.
All the Greystones yell their byes, and I hang up, and sit with my eyes closed. Unsure how I feel. But knowing I’m missing out.
“What’s up with you? Did I just hear Evie?” Xander asks, walking into my open plan living room.
“You must have bionic ears to hear that,” I grumble at him. “Yes, it was. I facetimed James. They’re all at hers. They?—”
“Wait, all at hers? All of them? The brothers as well as the boys?”
“Yep. Getting plastered on whiskey and playing cards. I feel fucking weird, Xan.” I feel more than weird. I’m longing to be included. Fuck, I regret it.
I slump back in the seat and look around the house in Malibu. This big room, where I’ve lived a thousand lifetimes, packing a hectic and crazy life into it, and it feels a bit empty, hollow. I can’t remember hearing that type of laughter at this table, that type of banter.
“Fuck. I think she was flirting with me.”
“You think? What’s wrong with you? Either she was or she wasn’t, Marcus.”
“She was, then. She was, yes, definitely.”
“Might be hope for you yet then.” He grins at me.
