The Husband Checklist

by Miller, Jasmin

  I’m not sure whose eyes are bigger, Ollie’s or mine.

  “You went to the gym?” He looks at me for confirmation and somehow, I manage a nod.

  It’s funny he reacts to that fact first before inquiring about the date, and it’s easy to tell by the pinched expression on Julia’s face that she isn’t too happy about it either. At least she doesn’t look nervous anymore, so that’s a good thing.

  Ollie starts laughing, and I can’t help the chuckle that passes my lips.

  Julia shoots us nasty looks before she pulls back her shoulders. “Yes, I went to the gym. And before you ask your next stupid question, yes, I have a date. And I sure as hell will enjoy it.”

  With another glare aimed at both of us, but definitely remaining longer on me, she storms out of the room. The angry swish of her hips makes her ass look fantastic— Wait, she’s actually going on a date with the gym douche?

  What the hell?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Julia

  Avoiding both my brother and Carter for the rest of the night gave me enough time to cool off. It also made one thing crystal clear: the faster I can get this conversation with my brother over with, the better. Which is the reason I’m staring at him first thing in the morning, even though I haven’t had a cup of coffee yet. Since that’s the only way to catch him before he heads into the office, I’ll endure the torture.

  The same frown he wore yesterday is still on his face, making me feel like a teenager about to get a lecture.

  Shutting his laptop, he clears his throat, and looks up at me from his chair. “Well, I spoke to CJ last night, and he confirmed your Vegas story.”

  My gaze flicks upward, and I’m moments away from flipping him off. I get that he’s protective of me, always has been, even more so since our parents died, but I don’t think he actually realizes how bad it is sometimes. “Oh jeez. Thanks a lot, Sherlock. I didn’t realize I was being investigated.”

  He has the decency to look a little awkward after my response, which is something. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”

  “I think so too, Ollie. You need to get over this. I’m not a little girl anymore. I know you’re worried about me and want to make sure nothing bad happens to me, and I really appreciate that. But I’m old enough to make my own decisions, even if they’re bad ones sometimes. If I want to go to Vegas and marry a stranger or have wild monkey sex with someone, then that’s up to me and not you.” I pretty much blurt out the last sentence without taking a breather, or thinking about it, and wish I could take back the words, but it’s too late for that now.

  Thankfully, he cringes and his face turns slightly red, which might actually be a good thing.

  When he opens his mouth to speak, I lift my finger to silence him. “Let me say one more thing before you go off on me. I know you mean well, I really do, probably more than you’ll ever know, but you need to trust me to live my life the way I want to. And if I need you, I always know where to find you.”

  His face still hasn’t returned to his normal shade, but the look in his eyes has softened. He lets out a deep breath before getting up from his chair to walk around the glass desk, stopping a few feet in front of me. “I’m sorry for being too invasive and abrasive. Everything that concerns you freaks me out. I know it’s often irrational, but the thought alone of you being hurt, or worse, losing you too, is just too much. The fact that I haven’t seen much of you since Mom and Dad died probably hasn’t helped either.”

  Guilt pushes heavily on my chest, making me wish I could go back in time and change the way I dealt with things. But I can’t. This conversation has been way overdue for many reasons.

  “I know it sounds controlling when I say things like that, but I’d really like to know what’s going on with you and what you’re up to. Not every minute of course, just in your life in general. You mean the world to me. I want the relationship we once had, because it kills me not to have that anymore.”

  The back of my throat tightens before he’s even done with his last sentence. My stomach rolls like it might get sick, but I close the distance between us and throw myself at him, tears already streaming down my face. “I’ve missed you too. I’m so incredibly sorry I shut down over the past years. I didn’t know how to deal with losing them, and I honestly didn’t even realize how bad it’s gotten until Nate broke things off and I spent some time with Carter. It was like a light bulb turned on in my head, showcasing how little I actually enjoyed life and how much I’d changed. Carter has been a really big help.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Carter’s voice comes from the doorway, startling both of us. “What am I missing here, and why was I not invited to this party?”

  Despite the mess both my brother and I are—me all snotty with swollen eyes, and my brother with misty eyes too—we chuckle. I can’t remember how many years it’s been since all three of us have had a moment like this together, which is incredibly sad. The fact I’ve missed out on so much cannot compare to the happiness I’m feeling right now over having this puzzle put back together in my life. I’m definitely more than ready and excited to get my old self and life back.

  “Come here, you big oaf.” I open my arms wider so we can turn this into a group hug.

  This feels good, just like old times. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed them.

  We pull back after a few moments when both guys start squirming, but we have the same smiles on our faces. Seems like I’m not the only one who missed our trio.

  Ollie presses a kiss to my temple. “I’m glad we got that all cleared up. We can talk about it some more later if you want to.” Then he turns to Carter. “Did you want anything?”

  His eyes widen. “Oh yeah. Cora called me. She said she couldn’t reach you, but she got a phone call about yesterday’s audition. It looks like the job is hers, so she wants you to pick her up at seven tonight to celebrate.”

  “Nice.” Ollie’s lips part in a grin. “I knew she’d get it.”

  When was the last time I saw him this happy?

  Definitely not since we lost Mom and Dad. It’s easy to see how much he likes his girlfriend, which makes me happy but also makes my chest hurt. He didn’t really tell me about her, but I know I can only blame myself and my withdrawal from life for that. “You really like her, don’t you?”

  His gaze meets mine, and I’m sure he’s fully aware that I know little about her and their relationship. “I do.”

  “I’m glad. What does she do that she goes to auditions? Is she an actress?” I cringe a little at the idea of my brother dating an actress. Growing up in Southern California has exposed us to a lot of actors and actresses, and we’ve had more bad run-ins than good ones all together.

  Both him and Carter chuckle.

  “Nope, not an actress. CJ and I have had our fair share between us, and we figured out quickly they weren’t the best fit for us.”

  The sharp pang in my gut at hearing about Carter’s casual dating life takes me by surprise, but I need to ignore it. There really is no point thinking about it. I know he’s a serial dater and not after any sort of commitment.

  But I might need a few more days to adjust to hearing about his conquests. And who he’ll be sleeping with next.

  My brother touches my arm as I will the burning sensation in the back of my eyes to go away. “You okay there, Jules? You’re suddenly a little pale.”

  Man, I need to get my act together.

  I wave him away. “Everything’s good, sorry. I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, so I’m a little tired.” Pulling at the hem of my shirt, I try and stir the conversation away from me. “So, back to your mystery lady. What kind of job does she have? And why in the world haven’t I heard more about her yet?”

  His whole demeanor changes, a silly grin curving his mouth. Even his eyes look shinier. “She’s a fitness model. She just started out last year, but she’ll hit it big because she’s amazing.”

  Suddenly his smile does falter though, and I’m sure he’s about to
answer my second question. “And I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. We haven’t been talking a lot, and you barely ever asked questions about my life, so I thought you weren’t interested in hearing about her. I would have told you about her eventually but wanted to wait for a bit longer to see how things were going between us.”

  Carter’s hand presses into my lower back, a friendly gesture that’s probably meant to comfort me. But the heat of his touch through my shirt has the opposite effect, and my skin buzzes from the contact.

  My momentary distraction is gone when my brother’s words finally register, the impact of them making me waver for a second.

  There are so many things I want to say right now but don’t. I know I’m responsible for most of the distance between us, so I can’t blame him for pulling back some too. Even more so if I might have seemed uninterested in hearing about his life.

  What a mess.

  I tell myself not to dwell on the past, and that there’s no better time to turn things around than right now.

  Pushing past the lump in my throat, I try and give him the most genuine smile I can muster. “Well, I hope I get to meet her sometime. It’s easy to see how special she is to you. Your face lights up like a Christmas tree every time you talk about her.”

  Ollie throws a quick glance at Carter, who replies, “It’s true, dude.”

  When my brother looks back at me, he shrugs. “You’re right. I like her. She’s great, really great. And she can’t wait to meet you. I’ve already told her all about you.”

  I’m flooded with emotions that he told her about me, but I’m also glad he did. “I’m happy for you. Why don’t we go out for dinner this weekend?”

  He nods. “Sounds great to me. I’d really like that.”

  Turning to look at Carter, my mouth starts talking without consulting my brain first. “You’re coming too, right? I don’t want to be the third wheel with those lovebirds.”

  He glances at my brother before looking at me. “Sure. Why not? It’s a date.”

  I roll my eyes and groan, but at the same time, I’m also unable to ignore the fluttering in my belly.

  “Relax, Jules. It’ll be just like old times.” Carter chuckles and winks at me before looking at his watch and shooting my brother a look. “We better get going if we want to get any work done today.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Carter tips his chin, and after a curious look in my direction, he saunters out of the room.

  Ollie goes to his desk and puts his laptop and his notebook in his briefcase. “It seems like you guys really have gotten closer this last week. You’re already bickering like you used to.”

  His comment stuns me, causing me to freeze momentarily. I shake my head to clear my thoughts, knowing I really have to get a grip on my reactions. “I missed both of you. A lot. I didn’t realize how much my life had changed until this last week, and I’m truly sorry it took me so long. It’s been a bit of a shock, to be honest. Yet, I’m happy I’ve realized it.”

  My voice is thick with emotion when Ollie walks back to me to give my forehead a kiss. “I’m glad you feel that way. You’re home now, and that’s all that matters.”

  After giving my shoulder a squeeze, he picks up his suit jacket from the hook on the back of the door and drapes it over his arm. “I better get going, but I’ll see you later, okay?”

  And with that, the two most important men in my life leave me alone to my wacky thoughts. At least, some things never change.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Carter

  The living room is dark except for the glare of the TV, but I find it oddly comforting. I’m still nursing my first beer, somehow not feeling in the mood to drink. When a certain someone left for her date a few hours ago, I thought having a few drinks was exactly what I needed. Guess I was wrong.

  Maybe I should go to sleep. She might not be back for a while anyway.

  It’s not like I’m waiting for her to come home or anything.

  Yeah, right.

  Just when I decide to not be sitting here when she gets back, the key turns in the lock before the door opens slowly.

  The porch light illuminates Julia from behind, and it’s my first glimpse of her today. I’ve barely seen her since the conversation with her and Ollie two days ago. We’ve been flooded at work, putting in the necessary extra hours. The little I did see her at home, I’m pretty sure she tried to avoid me as much as possible. Instead of pushing her, like I really wanted to, I gave her some space, hoping this would be the right thing to do.

  I can’t deny how relieved I am she’s not wearing one of the super sexy outfits she got on our shopping trip last week. But the green dress she’s wearing is still sexy, highlighting those damn curves of hers, the same ones I can’t stop thinking about.

  On second thought, I’m starting to think not even a potato sack can hide them. Or maybe I just imagine her naked under me, no matter what clothes she has on.

  I groan out loud, annoyed with the direction my thoughts have taken me once again, for about the millionth time this week.

  “Carter?” Julia almost stumbles as she inhales sharply, her hand flying to her chest. “You scared me. Why in the world are you sitting here in the dark?”

  “I’m not sitting in the dark, I’m watching TV.” The words come out a little raspy, my mind still stuck on my previous thoughts of her, when I point to the screen as if she doesn’t know where or what the TV is.

  Way to go, Carter.

  After closing the door, she walks over to me, her eyes focused on the TV. “Since when are you into reality shows?”

  A quick check confirms I have obviously no idea what’s actually on.

  Busted.

  I lift my shoulders in a half shrug. “Oh. There wasn’t anything else on.”

  Narrowing her eyes, she gazes at me, and I know she doesn’t believe a word I’m saying. She snorts as she sits next to me on the couch but doesn’t call me out. Instead, she grabs my beer and downs it.

  Less than two seconds later, she swallows hard before pinching her lips together, right before pulling the bottle from her mouth with a loud pop. “Ew, this is warm. How long have you been holding this?”

  I roll my neck and stare at the ceiling. “A while?”

  “Reality TV and warm beer? What’s going on with you? Are you okay?” I can hear the smirk in her voice, and I can’t help myself and look at her. Her eyes sparkle as she stares at me with a grin.

  At that moment, I realize I’ve actually missed her the past few days. It was so easy to fall back into our old pattern last week that I’ve gotten used to hanging out with her. Just being around her, laughing with her, it’s like sunshine for my body, releasing endorphins left and right. And that was without the sex. Add that on top of it, and my endorphins were on crack.

  Since I can’t tell her that, I try my best to stay composed. “Sure.” I redirect the attention to her, which apparently also turns me into some kind of masochist. “So, how was your date?”

  She sighs heavily. “Ugh. Don’t ask.”

  “That good, huh?” The wave of relief that shoots through me shouldn’t surprise me, but I have a hard time not pumping my fist in the air. Which I realize is a total dick move, but there’s no point in denying I’m happy about the outcome, and I’m afraid it’s written all over my face too. I told her I’d help her with her little journey as best as I could, but that guy she went out with was definitely not husband material.

  Not that I think anyone is good enough for her.

  Also, when I agreed to help her, I hadn’t had the enjoyment of spending countless pleasure-filled hours with her. And that changed things, even though Julia seems to be sticking to her pretense that nothing transpired between us. So I play along, as good as I can.

  The least I can do is make sure she doesn’t end up with a total jerk.

  “I’m not even sure what happened.” She kicks off her shoes and puts her legs on the coffee table next to mine.

/>   Her legs. The same ones that were wrapped around my body last week when I was—

  “Carter, are you listening?” She snaps her fingers in front of my face to get my attention.

  “What?” I blink before my gaze flickers to her face. “Sorry. I just remembered something, but it’s not important. Go on.”

  She eyes me suspiciously for a moment before throwing her hands up. “I don’t know. He seemed so nice and funny at the gym last week, didn’t he? I mean you saw him too. Didn’t you think he was a great guy?”

  I cross my arms over my chest, relaxing back into the couch. “I have no clue, Jules. It’s not like I talked to him.”

  “That’s true, I guess. Anyway, he was boring as hell. It was so bad I actually drank a ton of water just so I could go to the bathroom more often. He probably thought I have a bladder problem.”

  Her shoulders shake against mine, and I laugh too. That seems like such a Julia thing to do. She always comes up with the weirdest ideas. But it’s something I’ve always liked about her. It makes her different, unique.

  “Only you, Jules. I’m sure there would have been easier ways to escape the evening and your lame company.”

  The punch in the arm hits me before I can move out of the way, but she chuckles. “Stop it. It still turned out to be a rather productive evening in the end.”

  My heartbeat increases. What?

  “Oh yeah?” Does my voice just sound funny to me or can Julia hear it too? I clear my throat, willing whatever is blocking my vocal cords to go away. Neither do I need nor want to feel this weirdness around Jules. It only complicates things. “How so?”

  She rummages through her purse until she pulls out her phone with a triumphant “Ha” before proudly wiggling it around in front of my face like it’s a miracle she found it in the first place. Which might have been the case.