“I know he’s in love with her,” Jared answered nonchalantly. “I’m just not certain he knows it yet. It’s pretty evident to Grady, Dante, and me because we’ve been where he is right now. After the way he stuck his nose into my relationship with you, I shouldn’t feel sorry for the asshole, but I do.”
Mara turned and punched him lightly in the stomach. “That’s a terrible thing to say. You love Evan and you know it.”
“I love you more,” he answered promptly. “I love you more and more every single day.”
Mara’s heart melted. There wasn’t a single day that Jared didn’t declare that he loved her more today than yesterday. “You love your siblings, too.”
Jared shrugged. “I do love them, and yes, Evan saved my life. But I’m not going to meddle in his business.”
Mara smiled, knowing that Jared would absolutely intervene with Evan if necessary, as she took a final look at herself in the mirror and stood up. She didn’t look bad for a plain, ordinary woman. She’d never be a stunner like Randi, or as eye-catching as Sarah, but the way that Jared looked at her was all that mattered.
Jared whistled as he caught her around the waist. “You’re gorgeous.”
Mara wrapped her arms around his neck. “You don’t look so bad yourself, handsome.” She paused before looking up at him, meeting his gaze. “You know you will interfere if Evan is miserable. He deserves to be happy.”
Jared’s expression changed to one of regret as he answered, “I owe Evan my life and my happiness now. But I don’t think anyone knows what to do. None of us really knows how Randi feels, and Evan holds everything in a place where no one can see that he’s suffering. I’m hoping they’ll resolve this on their own.”
“She loves him,” Mara said confidently. “She wouldn’t be sleeping with him if she didn’t. She hasn’t been with anyone since college. I tried to pry some information out of her during our lunch today, but she wasn’t talking.”
Randi had arrived to their women-only lunch late that day, after the others had finished talking about how concerned they were for Evan.
Mara was just as concerned about Randi. If she loved Evan, which Mara was pretty sure she did, his departure was going to break her heart. Randi had been through so much in her life. She deserved to be loved by a good man.
“She’s sleeping with him?” Jared asked with a false tone of shock.
Mara rolled her eyes. Her husband knew damn well that Randi and Evan had been hot and heavy with each other. “I don’t know what to do, either. Randi lost Joan so recently; I don’t think she’s quite recovered from that. Her relationship with Evan could hurt her badly.”
Jared stroked her cheek and said softly, “Hey, sweetheart, don’t worry so much. We don’t know that they won’t work everything out for themselves.”
“I don’t have a good feeling about it,” Mara replied sadly. “Evan hasn’t been here long enough to completely lose his guard, and he went through such a lot. I guess I’m worried he’ll leave before he realizes how he really feels.”
“He’s learning fast.” Jared wrapped his arms around her waist again and stroked her back. “Dante pressed him just a little about whether or not he was interested. He told Evan if it wasn’t serious, he wanted to introduce Randi to some friends of his at the station. I thought Evan was going to have a heart attack or a stroke.”
Mara raised an eyebrow. “So Dante was baiting him just like Evan did to you?”
“That was different. Evan did it personally,” Jared grumbled.
Mara laughed. “Why do I have a feeling you enjoyed it just a little?” she asked as she recovered.
“I did,” Jared admitted unabashedly. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see him happy. Hell, I feel guilty about not knowing about his problems. I feel like a selfish bastard. I know Hope, Grady, and Dante do, too.”
Mara lifted her palm to Jared’s cheek gently. He’d suffered enough guilt in his past, and she didn’t want him taking on blame that he didn’t need to carry. “You didn’t know. Nobody did. Evan wanted it that way. You know he’s protective of all of you in his own way.” The eldest Sinclair was hyperprotective, but he’d probably never admit it.
“I wish I would have known, but I know it isn’t my fault. Because of you, Mara, I’m done carrying baggage,” he told her fiercely. “If I need to, I’ll do what I have to do to make my stubborn brother face his own ghosts from the past and learn how much better it is to be happy.”