Chapter 2

The next morning, kitchen smoke woke me.

Tyler stood at the stove frying eggs while grease splattered everywhere.

My marble countertop was covered in oil.

"Morning, future sister-in-law."

He sounded friendly, but the metal spatula in his hand was scraping directly across my nonstick pan.

"Tyler, don't use a metal spatula on that pan."

"You'll ruin the coating."

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

He agreed without changing what he was doing.

Marcus came out of the study, saw me frowning in the kitchen doorway, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Jules, don't be so tense.

"Tyler isn't a stranger.

"He's my brother, which makes him your brother too."

I said nothing and removed his arm from my shoulders.

During breakfast, his mother spoke.

"Jules, this house gets nice light, but it's a little small.

"Once Tyler finds a job here and gets a girlfriend, there won't be enough room."

My fork paused halfway to my mouth.

"Mrs. Caldwell, this is supposed to be Marcus's and my home after we marry.

"Tyler can stay temporarily, but he can't live here permanently."

Her expression hardened, and she set her fork down against her plate.

"What do you mean, permanently?

"This is his brother's house. He needs your permission to stay a few days?

"Marcus, listen to the way your fiancee talks!"

Marcus's fork froze in midair. He glanced at me.

"Mom, Jules didn't mean it that way.

"Tyler can stay until he finds work. We'll discuss it then."

"What does 'then' mean?"

I set down my fork and looked at Marcus.

"How long will it take your brother to find a job? One month? Three months? A year?

"He lives here, I sleep in the guest room, you sleep in the study, and your mother has the primary bedroom.

"Is this our future home or a Caldwell family hostel?"

The room went silent for two seconds.

Tyler chuckled. "Don't be mad, Jules. I'll find something soon."

But when he looked down and kept eating, the corner of his mouth was raised.

I knew he was brushing me off because there was not a trace of embarrassment or shame on his face.

When I came home from working late that afternoon, the garment rack in the guest room was gone.

My clothes had been folded into several piles and left on the bed.

"Jules, put those clothes into storage boxes for now," Marcus called from the study.

"Tyler brought his girlfriend over. She has a lot of things, so we need to make room for her in the guest room."

I stood in the half-emptied room, my fingers whitening around the strap of my purse.

"His girlfriend is moving in too?"

"Only for a few days."

"How many days?"

"Jules..."

"Marcus Caldwell."

I interrupted him, my voice so calm it sounded unfamiliar even to me.

"I contributed $260,000 toward the down payment.

"I paid another $75,000 for the renovation.

"You contributed $140,000 toward the down payment and nothing toward the renovation.

"Now your mother sleeps in the primary bedroom, while I sleep in the guest room.

"And your brother's girlfriend is moving in too.

"I've put more than $335,000 into this home, yet I can't even sleep in the primary bedroom.

"Does that seem reasonable to you?"

Marcus leaned against the study doorframe and remained silent for several seconds.

Then he said the words that finally extinguished something inside me.

"Jules, you keep too careful a score.

"That isn't how people build a life together.

"If you're like this, who would dare spend the rest of his life with you?"