By the Time the Evening Wind Came

When I got home, only one lamp was on in the living room. The moment Liam Jordan heard the door, he raised a finger to his lips.

"Keep it down," he whispered from the couch. "Sophie took the day off to help with your wedding dress fitting today, and her boss gave her hell for it. She came home crying. She only just managed to fall asleep, so don't wake her."

I stood in the entryway, listening to the concern in his voice, and suddenly remembered what had happened the year before.

A brutal cold snap had hit Cedarford, and what started as a cold had turned into pneumonia. I was home recovering, feverish and so weak I could barely move, while Liam kept asking me how to pay the water bill and how much detergent to put in the washing machine.

Eventually, I pulled the covers over my head, desperate for a little peace.

He yanked them off and shook me awake.

"Stop sleeping! We're short a player. Get on and join us!"

Yet now, for Sophie Lawson, he had somehow learned to be quiet and considerate.

The coffee table was covered with things she'd left half-finished: imported strawberries, mille-crepe cake, and taro-ball milk tea. They were all from a members-only warehouse store twelve miles from our place. Liam had obviously gone out of his way to pick them up for her.

While my thoughts churned, he walked over on silent feet with a plate of cold potstickers from the food stand downstairs.

"You haven't had dinner, right? Have something first."

Before I could turn him down, he seemed to remember something else and lowered his voice even further.

"Last week's dinner came to 562. Your share is 187.30. I'll cover Sophie's."

I looked down at the cold, stiff potsickers, gave a bitter little smile, and sent him the money. I couldn't even put a name to what I was feeling.

Liam kept talking in the same hushed voice.

"Sophie's such a kid. I just sent her two thousand last week, and she's almost spent it all already."

The words sounded like a complaint, but he was smiling. The affection in his voice was impossible to miss.

"She's young, though. Nothing wrong with spoiling her a little."

In all the years we'd lived together, Liam had always been meticulous about money with me. Seeing how freely he spent it on another woman, I swallowed the tightness in my throat and forced a smile.

"You really do treat Sophie well."

Liam smiled easily, as though the answer were obvious.

"That's because of you. She's your little sister. Of course I should look out for her."

It was the perfect answer, polished enough to leave me nothing to argue with.

Except the way he favored her had crossed every boundary a long time ago.

Whenever we went out to eat, if I was in the mood for Italian, Liam would immediately object.

"Sophie likes everything spicy. Let's get Mexican instead."

So he'd order everything as hot as possible, while I spent the entire meal making do with plain rice and whatever sides I could eat.

When we traveled, I wanted to walk along the beach beneath the palms.

"Sophie hates being out in the sun. Let's just stay at the hotel."

I'd gotten angry about it before. Every time, Liam coaxed me into letting it go, saying Sophie was younger and I should give way to her.

Was I supposed to give way even at my own wedding?

I'd originally chosen a soft, understated setup. Sophie casually remarked that it looked too plain, and just like that, it was replaced with the flashy sequin backdrop she liked.

The favors, the table decor, even the way guests would be welcomed, Liam went with Sophie's ideas. He didn't seem to care at all that I had spent six months staying up late, coordinating every detail myself.

In the end, even the wedding dress I'd stayed up late to reserve was handed over to Sophie to try on.

I stood there quietly, watching him for a long time.

At last, I decided I was going to tell him I wanted to call off the wedding.

My stare must have made him uneasy, because before I could say anything, he abruptly got to his feet and started looking for something to do.