was always the same thing when he got back from deployment. No one ever lectured the guys about drinking too much the first few nights they were on leave. It was one of those unspoken rules.
They got away with just about anything in those first few days, especially if it was a long tour or a tour that ended with a few of their buddies being shipped home in caskets. I couldn’t begin to understand his life or what he saw or went through, but I knew it wasn’t pleasant.
He was a strong man and stayed upbeat, but I knew he had his demons. One day, he would have to deal with it all. I just hoped he was ready for it. Fortunately, he did have our father to lean on. My dad had seen a lot during his time in the service and knew how to help Kade cope. I didn’t. It was just another bond between the two of them.
I made my way back to the patio and found Charlie at the grill, pulling our steaks off.
“Done?” I asked.
“To perfection,” he answered. “How’s your brother?”
I laughed. “Drunk.”
“I take it he’s on leave?”
I sat down at the table and reached for my beer. “Yep. He’s coming down on Saturday. Apparently, daddy dearest did not want the black sheep in the same state.”
He winced. “Sorry, man. That sucks. Your old man is tough. I would think with the success you’ve had, especially in the last year, he would get over the fact you didn’t enlist.”
I shrugged. “I guess not. It’s cool. I’m glad Kade is coming here. I’m looking forward to hanging out with him.”
“Are we going to hit the bars? A Marine always gets the ladies. I’d be more than happy to serve as his wingman.”
I had not seen my brother in a long time. I wanted to be a little selfish with the short time I had with him. “Actually, he’s only going to be here a day or two. I was thinking about him and I reconnecting.”
Charlie held up a hand. “No problem. That’s good. You guys need to hang out.”
“Maybe another time,” I offered.
“Absolutely. I will look forward to it. How goes it with you and your new lady?”
The smile was an automatic reaction. There was no stopping it. “Good. Very good.”
He chugged his beer. “No shit? I didn’t think it would last.”
“Why not?”
“Because you are not the kind of guy that dates a woman more than a couple times. And you are not the kind of guy who gets that cheesy, lovesick smile on his face when I mention the woman.”
“I’m not lovesick,” I protested.
“Have you guys hooked up since the last time?”
It was a direct question. It should have been an easy question to answer. I didn’t want to answer it. It felt wrong to talk about Evie and I hooking up. I was beginning to see it less and less as a hookup. “We spent some time together over the weekend.”
“Oh, that’s right,” he said with a nod. “You were supposed to meet her dad. How did that go?”
I groaned and finished off my beer before getting to my feet to retrieve another. “It went like shit,” I said as I walked away.
I grabbed a couple more cold ones before sitting back down at the table. “You bombed the meet-the-parents thing?”
“I don’t know if I told you her full name,” I said.
He shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t remember. Evie, right?”
“Evie Marsh,” I answered.
He didn’t get it. “And?”
“Evie Marsh is the lovely daughter of Dr. Philip Marsh.”
I waited until the name sank in. His eyes bugged out and he choked on the beer he’d just taken from the bottle. “No fucking way! Are you shitting me?”
“Nope.”
He burst into laughter, throwing his head back and getting it all out. “How in the hell do you find the one woman in the city that you can’t have?”
“What do you mean I can’t have?” I snapped. I didn’t like being told I couldn’t have something or someone. It made me want it all the more.
He shook his head. “Seriously. How are you going to have a relationship with her? I take it the meeting went about as well as could be expected between the two of you? Wait, did he even remember you?”
“Oh, he remembered me all right,” I told him, remembering the moment we laid eyes on each other.
“Fuck. That sucks. What happened?”
I gave him a brief recap of what was said and me walking out. “He