Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
I narrowed my eyes. “You both have a date, or are you seeing the same girl?”
They laughed. “No. We’re each seeing a different girl.”
“Oh. Friends?”
Paul looked uncomfortable. “Sisters, actually.” He exchanged a glance with Jeremy. “Twins.”
“You’re seeing twins?” I repeated. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, feeling oddly hurt. “Where did you meet them?”
Jeremy leaned forward. “At Oscar’s Tavern—a few weeks ago. That night we went to the bar after the gym and you went home.”
I nodded in remembrance. I wasn’t as big on the bar scene as my brothers were. Overall, I tended to be more serious and lived a quieter life. I headed home and did a little more work, while they headed to the bar for some beer and wings. We each had a condo in Toronto in the same building. I also had a house in Port Albany, where I spent a lot of time. That was another difference between us—they liked Port Albany to visit but preferred the bustle of the city. I enjoyed the peace of living by the water and, more often than not, went to Port Albany on the weekends and some weeknights. We’d grown up there, and to this day, I felt more at home in the quieter area than the craziness of Toronto. Paul and Jeremy were the opposite—another difference between us most people didn’t see.
“We didn’t tell you…” Paul paused and looked at Jeremy. “We didn’t say anything because we didn’t want you upset, Ronan. We didn’t want you to think we were abandoning you.”
I had to laugh. I had noticed they weren’t around as much, even when I was in the condo. “You’re not abandoning me. I’m happy you’re seeing someone. Or two someones. I can’t believe you met twins. I mean, what are the odds?”
“I know. And the girls are great.”
“Do you double-date all the time?”
“No. Some nights. Other times, we go our separate ways. We want the girls to meet you.”
“I’d like that.” I hesitated. “Do your girls have names, or do you just call them ‘the girls’?”
Paul laughed. “Kim and Diane.”
Jeremy smiled. “They’re awesome. Kim, my girl, is a teacher. Paul’s girl, Diane, is a nurse. They have a friend we thought might suit if you…” He let his words hang in the air.
I shook my head. “Not interested, but thanks.”
“Not everyone is like Loni,” Paul offered, his voice low.
I held up my hand to stop that conversation. “I know. I’m just not interested.”
“Okay. Wanna come meet them with us? We’re going for pizza and a movie.”
I held back my grimace. That sounded like a planned date and me being a third wheel. No thanks.
“No. You go ahead. Maybe we can meet up this weekend?”
“Great. We’ll check with them and talk tomorrow.”
We high-fived and they left, already discussing their plans and forgetting about leaving me there.
I shook my head at that strange thought. It wasn’t as if we were glued at the hip. Our parents had always encouraged some separation, even growing up. The truth was, that plan often failed. We were in the same classes at school when we were younger, and the teachers always kept us together for projects and groups. Even older, when choosing our own classes, we ended up together since we all were headed in the same direction, career-wise. Our lives were always interwoven, although we had our own friends and all of us had dated different girls at one time or another. We were incredibly close. Somehow, we always traveled toward the same goal, always a part of one another’s lives. This was the first time Paul and Jeremy were doing something together I wasn’t part of that seemed long term—not a simple “we’ve decided to go away for the weekend without you,” sort of thing.
It felt strange.
I shook my head. I was a grown-ass man, and I was perfectly fine being on my own. I took my laptop to my office, grabbed my gym bag, and shut the door. I wasn’t surprised to find I was the last one in the office as I headed down the hall and took the steps. That happened a lot these days. Addi and Brayden had been married almost two years but still acted like newlyweds. Gracie’s daughter, Kylie, was almost one, and she liked to be home as early as possible. Reed and Heather were in Port Albany today, overseeing the last of the new building setup. After many months of delays, we had finally broken ground on a building that would hold ABC Corp, and we would be moving within the next few weeks.
I planned on moving to Port Albany permanently. So had Paul and Jeremy. It had been their plan as well since we’d be working there every day—it only made sense. My steps faltered when I thought about that idea. Now that they had met these girls, did that change their plans on moving? I had never lived anywhere but with or close to my brothers. Hell, even our condos were next to one another on the same floor of the building. I always knew that one day that would change. We would marry and settle down. But somehow, I had thought we’d be in the same zip code.