Chapter 4: A Brother’s Approval

NADIA

The email Theo sent included the same places he had me look at when we were in the café, which meant he also included the one on the West Coast.

His email listed each one with a description.

~Place Number One: Lover’s Orchard~

~Located on the coast of Oregon. It’s small but has potential. It’s a nice little find with great prices. Time frame: one week.~

~Place Number Two: Ophelia’s Bed and Breakfast~

~Located in Iowa. They advertise a honeymoon package and a town festival as well as local attractions. Time frame: one week.~

~Place Number Three: The Dove~

~Located in Tennessee. Advertises that they are the place for love and honeymoons. They also have multiple local attractions. Time frame: one week.~

~Place Number Four: The Honeymoon Inn~

~Located in the mountains of West Virginia. They advertise a unique experience for newlywed couples. Time frame: one week.~

~Place Number Five: Stonebrook Bed and Breakfast~

~Located in New Hampshire. I just figured we should do one semi-local. Time frame: one week.~

Theo’s descriptions were short and made sense, but his time frames would keep me away from home for five weeks, and I couldn’t do that.

I couldn’t leave Nathan that long.

I emailed back, telling him I wanted to cut the one in Oregon and wanted to shorten the time at the others.

“What are you doing?” Nathan asked.

“I’m working. Did you finish your homework?” I looked up from my laptop.

“I did, so can I have some screen time?” he asked, bouncing on his toes.

“Yes, but dinner will be in an hour,” I said.

Nathan hugged me around my neck before skipping off to his room.

My brother was a good kid, and he deserved more than this.

His iPad was a gift from work that I gave to him, and he was so happy, and he took care of it like it was the best thing ever given to him.

I sat back, thinking about the money and if it was worth leaving him for a month.

I didn’t make as much as the other writers like Theo because I stayed local.

I wrote about what was going on here.

It wasn’t the most popular part of the business, but I liked it.

We got by, but the doctor visits and medicine made it hard sometimes.

Nathan seemed happy and didn’t ask for anything, but I thought it was because he knew we couldn’t afford it.

I took out my phone and sent Theo a message asking if we could meet in person.

***

Theo agreed to meet in person, and this time I was at the café before him.

I came up with an alternative, and I was hoping he agreed to it.

“Hey,” Theo greeted.

“Hey.”

Theo took a seat across from me, and we sat in silence.

“So, are we going to talk or just sit here?” he asked.

“Sorry, I’m a little nervous,” I confessed.

I took a deep breath before continuing. “I’m willing to compromise. We can keep all of the destinations if I can come back home for two days in between each place. I know I seem like I’m being difficult, but I need this.”

Theo let out a sigh. “I think that’s doable. I’m not sure the company will pay for the flight back every time,” he said.

“I have a credit card for that.”

“Can I ask you why you’re so set on being back as much as you can?” he asked.

~Should I tell him? Will he pity me or laugh at me for being so uptight?~

“I take care of my younger brother. It’s just us, and he has an autoimmune disease. He isn’t sick all the time, but when he does get sick, it can be bad. Sometimes it’s so bad he can’t get out of bed. I’m only doing this for extra money. It will allow us to afford to put money back for doctor visits and medication since he can’t be put on my insurance because he’s not a legal dependent of mine.”

“I’m sorry about being a dick yesterday. I had no idea. I thought you were being difficult and didn’t want to leave behind a dog or boyfriend,” Theo said.

“I should have been honest to begin with.”

“So, Bill is aware of the situation?” he asked.

“He is and has always worked with me on my assignments until this.”

“So will you be okay leaving next week?” Theo asked.

“Yes, that will give me enough time to get my brother situated with a friend.”

“I’ll book the flight to Oregon, and I’ll send you the information. I’d like to meet up one final time before we leave so we can go over some things and get to know the basics about each other,” he said.

“You can come over and have dinner with me and Nathan. That way we can take our time and not be rushed by waiters.”

“Sounds good. Text me the details and I’ll be there,” Theo replied.

My chest felt a bit lighter. This was a good compromise, right? We both kind of got what we wanted.

***

The days flew by, and soon enough, Friday showed up.

I had invited Theo over for dinner that day since we were leaving on Sunday.

I also had a talk with Nathan about me leaving for a while.

He took it pretty well, especially since he’d be staying with his best friends mostly.

I told him that if he needed me, I would leave and come home in a heartbeat.

He reassured me over and over, telling me that he was fine, but he needed to meet Theo to make sure he wouldn’t hurt me.

Just as I was setting the table, there was a knock on the front door.

I knew it would be Theo, so I quickly walked over to the door to let him in.

“Thanks for coming,” I said.

“Thanks for cooking, and I brought wine and cupcakes. The wine is for you and the cupcakes are for your brother.”

“Thank you, dinner is done. I was just setting the table.”

“Do you want help?”

“No, I’m about done, so just take a seat at the table.”

It took just another few minutes for me to get everything on the table and to call Nathan to the table for dinner.

I made chicken parm with garlic bread and a salad. It was inexpensive, and it could feed all of us easily.

“So, are you the guy that’s fake marrying my sister?” Nathan asked before he even sat down.

“I guess you could say we are getting fake married,” Theo replied.

“What’s in it for you?” Nathan asked.

“Nathan! Stop it.”

“The same things that are in it for her—money and a job,” Theo answered without missing a beat.

“Are you going to take care of her?” Nathan pressed.

“Of course. I’ll make sure she stays safe,” Theo said.

“How can I trust you?” Nathan asked.

“That’s enough, Nate.”

Theo chuckled. “It’s okay. I have siblings. I did the same thing when my sister started dating a family friend, but I threatened to beat him if he hurt her.”

“What happened?” I didn’t mean to ask that; it just slipped out.

“Well, they’re married and have two beautiful children now,” Theo said.

“So, are you saying you want to have kids with my sister?” Nathan asked.

“No. I’m nowhere near ready for children. I am not ready to settle down anytime soon,” Theo replied.

“Seriously, let’s change the subject.” Theo probably thought my brother was crazy now and probably thought that all I thought about was settling down.

Luckily, Nathan did change the subject. He switched to video games, and Theo was aware of the games Nate was talking about. It was nice to see my brother happily talking to someone.

“So, you really do play ~Island of the Dead~!”

“Sometimes.”

“That’s so cool. I play when I’m at my friend’s house. I don’t have a gaming console here.”

“I tell you what, how about I bring my gaming console here and you can take care of it while I’m gone? It needs to be with someone who appreciates it more than I do.”

“Really?”

“Really. I will bring it over when I pick your sister up for the airport on Sunday.”

Nathan turned and looked at me. “Theo is so cool, Nadia. You need to keep him around.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “Why don’t you go play your game in your room.”

Before heading to his room, Nathan cleared the table and put the food away. “It was nice meeting you, Theo.”

“It was nice meeting you too, Nathan.”

I turned to Theo. “I’m sorry, I know he can get excited easily.”

“There isn’t anything to apologize for. He seems like a cool kid,” Theo said.

“He is. He’s remarkable, strong, and smart.”

“And so are you. My parents passed away and left my brother Sterling to take care of everything. He struggled with Wren and Etta, and I know the rest of us didn’t make it easy for him, so just remember you’re strong for raising him.”

“I appreciate that. So obviously you have siblings—how many?” I asked.

“Five,” he said. “Four brothers and a sister.”

“And where do you fall into the mix?”

“I’m the fourth oldest. My parents also decided to give us all old names, hoping that it would give us a strong work ethic. Is Nathan your only sibling?” Theo asked.

“As far as I know. I never knew my father, so I could have siblings out there and not know it.”

“Is that why you’re raising Nathan?”

“It’s a complicated story, and I’d rather not talk about it right now.”

Our conversation kept flowing back and forth, and by the end of the night, I felt like I knew Theo—or should I say, Theodore Elijah.