*** Evelyn's POV ***
Meagan: Don't be mad.
Rafael: So things didn't go as planned. Don't be upset.
Miguel: You're going to be so pissed.
"What the hell?" I mutter when I read my text messages from the past hour. We had a meeting run late with an inspector. Good news, we passed. Bad news, we are across town during rush hour and apparently something is going on that everyone thinks I'm going to hate. Great.
"Do you want to grab a drink rather than fight traffic?" My co-worker, Rick, asks, snapping my attention back.
"Nah. I have a friend in from out of town that I need to get back for. Raincheck?" I respond.
"Sure thing." Rick agrees with a tight smile. I know Rick doesn't have a real great home life and often avoids it by either burying himself in work or hitting the bar.
"You can join us if you want." I offer him.
"That's very kind of you, Evelyn. I don't want to intrude." He insists.
"Well it's not just the two of us so you wouldn't be intruding. Rafael will be there." I try to entice him. He seemed to get along well with Rafael when they met. Rick is kind of an outsider compared to my other co-workers. I chalk it up to his complicated home life.
"Alright. Twist my arm." He laughs.
We are already an hour late and with traffic on the way there, we are pushing two by the time we walk into the bar.
And there it is. The scenario that precipitated the series of texts.
Meagan is perched on the end of a pool table flanked by Christian and Liam. I can tell by the way she is fondling the cue stick that she is tipsy and flirting indiscriminately. It might have been innocent fun until Joel walks up right between her legs and tilts his beer to her lips. She sips and gazes at him with fiery intent.
"Are those Rafael's brothers? The family resemblance is uncanny." Rick wonders.
"Yep." I snip. This explains why Miguel texted. He knows that I have limited patience for Meagan's uninhibited flirting when she gets drunk. I hate that she becomes a cliché.
And I am not pleased that it involves Rafael's brothers, either. I warned her. But I guess at least Kevin isn't in the mix. I think he feels a bit left behind with Rafael and me getting more serious. It's why I didn't want Rafael pushing him together with Meagan. I know how she can be. Kevin needs something more sincere and stable.
But then I see that somehow he hasn't escaped it. He is at the dartboard with Rafael, looking longingly at Meagan who is immersed in the attention she is getting from the oldest and younger Baumann brothers.
Now I understand Rafael's comment. Kevin isn't supposed to be here. I explained my rationale to him. And I even warned Meagan off. While I hoped that she would heed my warning, her text suggests otherwise.
"Bestie!" She shrilly cries when she finally lifts her head from the testosterone fog around her. She hops down and throws her arms around me. She slurs in my ear. "Don't kill me. These boys are HOT!"
"Let's go to the bathroom." I reply curtly, tugging her by the hand behind me. I turn and shoot Rick an apologetic look and then track my eyes over to Rafael who is already gazing back. I subtly nod towards Rick and he nods in understanding. I can tell by his eyes that he is already asking forgiveness for whatever this mess is that I have walked into. I'll handle his part in all this later.
Meagan is a babbling mess by the time we walk into the bathroom. "They're just so beautiful. How do you handle it? Those eyes! And their smiles, although no one's smile quite compares to Rafael's. Do his teeth sparkle in the dark?"
"Meagan! Sober the hell up and tell me how this happened." I know yelling at her won't help, but come on, girlie! She's acting immature and desperate. And she's neither of those things.
"I want what you have." She says timidly.
"Well I sure as hell didn't get here like this." I gesture at her. She cringes and tucks her curls behind her ears. I sigh. I am being harsh. "Plus, what I have isn't serious."
She giggles and snorts and giggles some more. "You're bananas if you honestly believe that."
"More like in denial. Ugh...but this isn't about me. It's about you." I try to refocus us.
"It's about you more than you know." She huffs and leans against the sink.
"What do you mean?" I ask suspiciously.
"They all wanted to meet me because they assume that I'm like you. They all want what Rafael has. Especially Kevin." Her slurred words make it easy to dismiss.
"That's silly. You're a hottie. You're funny as hell. You're a catch all on your own. And there is no way Liam and Joel are looking to settle anytime soon. Seriously, be careful with them." I warn. She gives me a sad smile. I reach out and play with her curls. "How did you all end up hanging out together, anyway? That wasn't the plan."
"They saw me eating a disaster of a sandwich. Well Kevin and Christian did." She declares. It is now my turn to laugh.
"And that was what won them over?" I guess.
"Well obviously they like a woman who can eat." She pats the slight curve of her stomach.
"And that's why you think they want a woman like me?" I joke.
"Yes, and no. You can just tell that they all really respect you and admire what you and Rafael have." She shares.
I sigh. "Well, I think Christian is feeling his age as the eldest. It was okay when Raf wasn't coupled because there was strength in numbers. It's all in his head, I assure you because there is no pressure whatsoever from anyone in the family."
"Is that why you suggested him for me? Was I a good pity partner?" She asks.
I cringe. "No. I know you like blondies with blue eyes and he seemed the best equipped to handle your wild streak. Kevin...Kevin's a softie. He might find you attractive, but if he knew you had something going with Christian already, he'd back off. Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't want you to hurt him."
"And how would I do that?" She barks.
"Meagan, we both know this is just a hook-up for you. I told you yesterday that Kevin is looking for a relationship." I remind her.
"Ugh. Why are they all so nice and good-looking?" She whines.
"I knew you were going to be like a kid in a candy store. It's why I tried to narrow your choices. I know the attention is nice after some duds." I commiserate.
"Are we still talking about candy? Are they MilkDuds?" She breaks into a fit of laughter.
"You're cut off from booze AND any more Baumann brothers." I scold.
"There are more who are single?!" She exclaims.
"No." I reply too quickly.
"Yes." She nods her head.
"You've already bent the rules once, Meagan." I state, trying to sound authoritative.
"You know I'm a rulebreaker, Eve. And you used to be right alongside me. But you went and fell in love and now I'm a rebel on my own." She gives me an awkward wink.
"Oh boy!" I mutter. "So if I force you to choose one..."
"Oh totally Christian. You know me well, bestie." She agrees and fans herself.
"Let's go get you some water." I wrap my arm around her shoulders and we return to the busy bar.
Rafael has a glass of wine ready for me and a water for Meagan, likely trying to recover points for his earlier misstep. He slips an arm around my waist and pulls me into his warm body. He whispers into the shell of my ear. "Hi."
"Hi. I would say sorry I was late, but I have a feeling this shitshow already unfolded earlier in the day." I mutter.
"Yeah. I'm..." He starts to apologize but I turned my head and press my lips to his. I pull back a bit and speak softly. "You can make it up to me later."
"Be careful. If you reinforce me too much, I might keep screwing up." He responds.
"We'll see how much you enjoy my strap-on." I bite the inside of my cheek to keep a straight face.
Rafael gulps but keeps his face neutral. I giggle and kiss his soft lips again.
"Get a room!" Liam yells at us. Both Rafael and I extend our hands out to flip him off. "Is that an invite to join you?"
We break apart and join the group. It is a good mix of people, but I am distracted as I monitor Meagan's interactions and try to pull Rick out of his sappy mood. I also feel eyes on me throughout the night, catching both Miguel and Kevin at different times.
Meagan's words weigh on me. They say drunk people tell uncomfortable truths. And I am way too sober to hear them. I always thought Kevin just enjoyed teasing Rafael about me. He couldn't be serious about liking me. But now when I look back and meet his sad eyes across the bar, I have my doubts.
After a couple glasses of wine, I feel brave enough to confront it. I don't shy away from these uncomfortable conversations normally and as much as I wanted to protect Kevin from Meagan, maybe someone should have been trying to protect him from me. Rafael and Rick are in conversation with Christian and Meagan. Miguel, Joel, and Liam have a group of college girls entertained. I slip over to where Kevin is sitting alone at the bar.
"Penny for your thoughts? You seem a little low." I observe.
He plasters a smile on his lips that doesn't reach his eyes. "I don't mean to be."
"If this is about Meagan, you're sort of for the better without her." I indicate.
Kevin laughs but it is hollow. "You know, I would just like for once, for once, for someone to pick me over one of my brothers."
"She's out there, Kevin. You're a great guy." I stress, rubbing my hand along his back.
"I think that's my problem. I'm the nice guy. I defer to them. Well, I'm sick of finishing last." He sets his glass down with a bit more force than I expect.
"You shouldn't look at it like that. Some girls want the good guy." I assure him. "And it's not like you're meek. Have you tried meeting women on your own?"
"I want a woman like you, Evelyn. You know our family can be overwhelming. You embraced us before you were even sure about Rafael. I can't risk a situation like Tara where she hated us. So even if I meet her on my own, I've gotta introduce her early on or..." He stops himself, obviously holding some secret truth back.
"You don't have to share..." I try to offer him an out.
"Stacy and I fooled around a few years before she met Nick. We were young and headed in different directions so we never got serious. Imagine my surprise when Nick strolls into a Sunday supper years later with her on his arm." He spills.
"Fuck that's awkward." I remark. "Did she recognize you? Wait, you don't have unrequited feelings for her, do you?"
"No! Fuck. Can you imagine? But yeah, she recognized me and we decided to keep it between us rather than start any problems. We get along fine. And it's not like I'm not happy for my brothers, but damn, this sucks." He grumbles.
I rub his shoulder and decide to clear the air entirely. "I knew it was bigger. Meagan had this silly notion that you were caught up on me."
I feel him stiffen slightly. Oh no. He glances at me sideways. "It's not so silly, but I'm working it out. I'm the good guy, remember? I wouldn't jeopardize things between you and Raf."
It takes me a minute to gather my bearings. "I appreciate that, Kevin. Don't worry and don't change, okay?"
He nods and finishes off his drink. He glances behind us as he pulls some bills out of his wallet to settle up. "Tell Rafael that I'm sorry his plan to distract me from you didn't play out. Honestly, Christian is a better match for her anyway."
I realize my suspicions about Rafael inviting Kevin along despite my requests are confirmed. But I need to assure Kevin that we weren't setting him up for failure. "Kevin..." I pause until he looks at me. "I'm sorry."
I don't know what I'm apologizing for but it makes my heart squeeze uncomfortably to see him so downtrodden. He's such a kind spirit. He leans in and for half a second I freeze because I am not sure if he was about to kiss me! But he kisses my cheek and says, "I'll see you Sunday."
I watch him walk out the exit until a voice draws my attention away. "Well that's not awkward or anything."
"Fuck, Miguel. Don't you have co-eds to bang?" I gripe as he takes Kevin's vacated seat.
"They were under age. No matter how much I like feeling younger like those guys, I have to keep some boundaries." He admits.
"Oh good. You're learning what those are." I respond sarcastically.
"And you must be forgetting. What was up with the brother? Your chat looked intense." Miguel digs into my business.
"Oh please." I blow off his comment.
"You don't have to answer me, but you might want to let him know it was nothing." Miguel nods to my other side where Rafael has just sat. His jaw is clenched and his eyes flicker with what I read as jealousy. He must have witnessed my chat with Kevin.
"Fuck off, Miguel." I first dismiss the nuisance and then turn to Rafael. "Before you get pissy with me, don't forget why he was here in the first place. You invited him against my advice."
"Yeah, I fucked up. What did he say to you?" Rafael demands. I can tell he is suspicious of his brother's behavior.
"He was just lamenting his shitty luck with women. He's fine." I try to downplay what is going on.
"I don't think you should hang out with him on your own anymore. I think that he's getting ideas." Rafael is shaking his head.
I immediately get defensive. "Are you telling me who I can and can't hang out with?"
His face softens with my tone and he rakes a hand through his hair. "Evelyn, ugh. I just don't want him getting the wrong idea and mistaking your friendliness as anything more."
"He's your brother, Rafael. You need to trust him." I argue.
"Well after what I just saw and Meagan insisting that I tried to set her up with someone who is already in love with you, I don't know what to think." He claims, making my mouth drop.
"Well, I'm not coming between you and your family. You need to talk this out with him and get it resolved. If not, we can't continue." I state firmly. I look past him to spot Meagan who is obviously flirting with Christian. I look back at Rafael who seems shell-shocked by my statement. "Can you make sure someone gets her home? I don't want to ruin her fun."
"Evelyn, can we talk about this?" He finally finds his words.
"I'm not the one you need to clear the air with, Raf. Now Meagan?" I ask sternly.
"I'll get her back to your place." He responds quietly. I lean in and leave a kiss on his cheek before turning and heading for the door. I need to leave quickly because while I was stern with him, I know I am gambling with what might have been a chance at something I never imagined wanting - a real relationship.