But He's My Grumpy Neighbor (But He's a Carter Brother #1)

by Annah Conwell

I gape at him behind his back. Why does he have to like tea? He’s gorgeous, dresses like the men on my fantasy life Pinterest boards, has antique furniture, and likes tea. If he wasn’t so ornery, I’d think he was my future husband.

She laughs and it’s like the first day of spring after a harsh

Being around Juliette is like keeping a candy jar on your desk: you know you shouldn’t reach for more, but it’s right there, taunting you.

Growing up in a home full of chaos and uncertainty will do that to you. Suddenly you know your mother’s emotions by the way she grips her coffee cup, and your father’s mood by the sound of his footsteps on the stairs. When no one communicates effectively, you pick up other methods of discernment. And I used that knowledge to make myself as small of a target as possible.

It was usually only to pull me to another room to yell at me, but it still left a mark on my mind, even though my body is free of scars.

“But one of the best parts of life is that you can start over each day. My mom always said that.”

“Because running quiets the mind, which it sounds like you need. And it makes us even because I’m sure whatever lesson you’ve got planned is going to be torturous.”

“I know it’s not fun, but you should have been able to focus on the movement and have your mind quieted.”

My heart is barely healed from childhood, I shouldn’t have opened up to more pain. At least when I was lonely I didn’t feel like this.

She’s like a cup of cinnamon tea, capable of warming the most frigid of hearts. The kind of woman you build a life around.

“I’m sorry,” I choke out, swiping tears away. “I-I’m just a little overwhelmed that they would do all this for me.” “Why wouldn’t we? You’re a part of the family,” Grayson says and I have to bite back a sob.

He said drive safe, but my heart heard: you matter.

Your kindness and gracefulness are boundless. But I’ve come to accept the fact that while I can’t be who you deserve, neither can any other man. So, I’m asking for permission to fail you.

I don’t believe that a man is capable of saving me from my struggles, not even one as wonderful as Adrian. But I do believe that he’s helping nurse my bruised and battered heart back to health.

I breathe in Juliette’s cinnamon sugar scent as my eyelids begin to feel heavy. Everything is warm and peaceful. The last time I was this comfortable was when Juliette was in my bed. I fall asleep thinking of a life where I spend every morning this way.

“My mom. She said she didn’t want any of her kids unable to take care of themselves. All of us learned to cook from a young age.”

“Darcy had a soft heart all along, if you recall. So I’m not changing you, just exposing what’s already here.”

Sebastian isn’t as vivacious as Grayson, but he has a similar talent of pulling smiles out of people. It’s good that they’re both here today. I’m sure people will need those smiles.

“She let us be kids,” MJ adds, brushing Maddie’s hair back from her forehead as the young girl rests in her lap. “Raising Maddie has shown me even more how great Mom was at that. We didn’t grow up any faster than we needed to, even with her diagnosis.”

“Then you can’t blame yourself for having feelings you can’t control.” He stares into my eyes. “Jules, you said you’d stay here all night for me, well I’m telling you I’d leave for you. Because I love you.”

The gentle yet fierce way he holds me breaks the dam on my tears. But it’s not too much for him. No, he brushes away each droplet with his lips and turns our kiss into a salty-sweet mix. It tastes like love, the raw and real kind that sacrifices.

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” -Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

“We loved with a love that was more than love.” -Annabel Lee, Edgar Allen Poe

“Jules, you are everything to me. Your soul is made up of sunshine and sugar and silk. Being with you these past few months has been the greatest joy of my life. I don’t have the words to express how beautiful and utterly amazing you are. If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”

We walk in a peaceful silence that I’ve grown accustomed to over the past few months. Being around Adrian has taught me that silence isn’t bad. I grew up in a home where silence usually felt like the calm before the storm. But with him, it’s just calm. True serenity.

After spending most of my life lonely and afraid, I finally get to experience true love. I’m never going to let this go. I’ll carry it like a torch and pass it down to our kids and grandkids. They’ll know the love I didn't have as a child, and it’ll be in part because of the man holding me in his arms. The man who called me worthy when I didn’t feel it. The one I’ll spend the rest of my days with. My future husband, Adrian Carter.