“ANY CHANCE you could pause the game and actually look at me while we’re talking?” I tease.
My brother doesn’t even bother to look away from his gaming screen when he rolls his eyes.
I’m running late for work, but I couldn’t leave home without checking in. Not after all the panicked messages my mom left last night. According to Ethan, she’s out picking up breakfast now.
When he answered, I immediately put it on FaceTime so I could see him for myself. While he’s barely looked at the screen, I can tell by his posture and his tone that he’s feeling good. To anyone else, he looks like a typical twelve-year-old boy who’s more interested in the game he’s playing on his Nintendo Switch than in what his big sister has to say.
He licks his lips and leans in closer to his screen. “Sorry, Sar. Just need to block this puck.”
My brother has a crazy obsession with hockey, and because of his multiple sclerosis, this is probably the closest he’ll ever get to the ice.
He hisses a yes, then finally turns his attention to me. “You look tired.”
I snort a laugh. “Thanks. Appreciate the brutal honesty.”
“Hey.” The grin that splits his face is blinding. “Someone’s gotta tell you the truth.”
“You feeling okay?”
His expression sours, and his eyes go dull. “I’m fine.”
“Mom sounded—”
“Like Mom,” he interrupts. “I’m fine, Sara. Seriously. You know how dramatic she is.”
He’s not wrong. My mother sent me a dozen messages last night, each one more panicked than the last. When I got home and picked up the phone I’d forgotten to take with me that morning, my stomach had plummeted.
I never go anywhere without my work phone since I handle the majority of social media requests for the team, but I often forget my personal device.
It was late, so rather than immediately calling my mother back and potentially waking her up, I listened to her messages, figuring they’d make it clear whether I should. By the time I got to the last one, I knew everything was fine.
My brother’s reaction to his new trial medication was normal, according to the doctor, and a sign that it was working. Pediatric MS, while a devastating diagnosis, is manageable. As long as I can pay for treatments, Ethan’s medical team is hopeful that he’ll go on to live a long life.
I study my brother, his posture and expression, the light in his eyes, discerning whether he’s really okay or downplaying his pain and other symptoms to keep me from worrying. It’s tempting to hop on the next flight home so I can see for myself, but the airfare is stupid expensive, and my credit card is officially maxed out.
I could go to Beckett for a loan. Or Liv. They’ve been nothing but generous, and over the last several months, they’ve become more than my bosses. They’re my friends. But it’s too damn embarrassing to admit that even with my extravagant salary and the free apartment, I’m unable to handle my bills.
Besides, the team is headed to North Carolina in a few weeks, so I’ll see him then.
“Fine. But don’t be too hard on her. She’s only dramatic because she loves you.”
Like a typical twelve-year-old boy, Ethan rolls his eyes and huffs. He knows it, even if she drives him crazy.
I lean closer to my screen and pause until I’m sure he’s looking at me. “And I love you.”
He gives me a half smile. “Course you do. What’s not to love?”
This kid. I can’t help but laugh. “All right, I’ve got to head to work. Tell Mom I called.”
“Will do.” Without waiting for me to disconnect the call, he picks up his Switch. That little bit of normalcy forces some of the tension still plaguing me to ebb. He’s going to be fine.
Exhausted and late, I hustle to the employee entrance of the office building at Langfield Corp. Before I reach the doors, Beckett, Liv, and Gavin stroll out. Beckett is holding a leash, and Deogi is traipsing after them.
“Perfect timing,” Liv croons. Her cheeks are rosy and her eyes are bright. She’s wearing her hair down today. For the first several months I worked for Langfield Corp, I never saw her without it pulled up into a bun. Now, with the way it falls in soft waves around her face and paired with the black leggings and an oversized burgundy sweater, she’s the epitome of relaxed.
“Where are you headed?” I crouch so I can greet their pet too. “Hi, Dog. How you doing, buddy?”
Beckett lets out a gruff sigh. “It’s not Dog. It’s Deogi. Say it with me. Deee-oh-giii.”
Beside him, Gavin snorts, his eyes twinkling.
Still scratching behind the pup’s ears, I peer up at Beckett. Despite his ridiculousness, he’s wearing his signature serious face. The man isn’t messing with me. No, Beckett Langfield doesn’t joke around.
“Why the duck are you looking at me like that?”
Gavin laughs harder and grasps my upper arm to help me to my feet. “We’re on our way to the shelter. When you weren’t at your desk, I figured you’d already headed over with Brooks.”
Shit. Even after our talk with War last night, I’d forgotten about the event. My brain is officially scrambled. At least I decided on pants today rather than a skirt.
It’s mayhem when the Langfields’ limo pulls up to the event. Once we’ve all exited, Beckett looks at every other animal as if it’s inferior to Deogi, and Liv rolls her eyes the whole way into the building because her husband is so absurd. I adore them.
Before Beckett married Liv, I feared the man. He was constantly grumpy and snapped at his employees regularly.
It’s obvious now that he was a hungry dog, and Liv was a treat dangled just out of his reach day in and day out.
Now that he can touch her and kiss her any time he wants, it’s like he’s getting a steady stream of dopamine.
“I really think it’d be better if you took Deogi back to the house,” Liv says gently, trying to coax her husband to leave. “This is a lot for him.”
Giving her the kind of warm smile that still surprises me coming from him, he presses a kiss to her forehead. Then he grabs a chair from against the wall and drags it over to us. “Just sit here with him and make it look like you’re the happiest woman in the world. Show all the people here what they’re missing out on because they don’t have a dog.”
Liv bites back her smile, and I giggle. The man is completely serious.
“Okay, baby,” she says, placating him. “I can do that.”
Gavin nudges me. “Looks like your boyfriend and his dog have quite the line.”
I follow his line of sight until I spot Brooks and Aiden crouched down in front of a group of kids. His long brown hair is pulled back, and a green sweater stretches across his muscles, making his emerald irises pop. The dark jeans he’s got on are worn perfectly in all the right places and molded to his thick thighs. Damn, I can’t keep my eyes off my fake boyfriend. When he scoops a tan and white boxer into his arms, my chest warms and butterflies take flight in my belly.
“Man, I have no idea how I missed it,” Gavin says beside me, though it sounds like he’s speaking from inside a fishbowl.
“What?” I ask, but I don’t turn to look at him. I’m fixated on the genuine smile on Brooks’s face. And when he laughs with the kids surrounding him and his eyes crinkle, it’s like a shot to the heart.
“We all knew he had a crush on you, but until now, I never noticed that you look at him in the same way.”
That snags my attention. I whip around and gape at Gavin. That’s the second time one of Brooks’s family members has mentioned him having a crush.
“It’s a good thing.” Gavin gives me an encouraging smile, like maybe he senses my confusion. “There’s no one better. Seriously. You’re in good hands.”
He’s right about that. There is no one on earth as kind and caring as Brooks. Allowing that thought to settle me, I nod and turn back to the show the hockey players are putting on by simply existing.
Ava is hugging her clipboard to her chest and glaring down at War, who’s sitting cross-legged on the ground with an oversized mutt in his lap, commanding the attention of half the room. The man is pretty, that’s for damn sure. And every time he peeks over at Ava, his blue eyes dance with mirth. He loves pissing her off.
McGreevey is chatting with fans, along with Parker, whose wife is with him. When the tiny woman with dark hair cut in an asymmetrical style spots Liv, she heads our way. She’s one of Liv’s former brownstone roommates, and the two have been friends since college. After I give her a quick hug, I head toward Brooks and Aiden.
“You guys having fun?” I open my arms and angle in to give Aiden a squeeze hello, but I’m stopped when large hands find my hips and pull me back. “Excuse me!” With a huff, I whip around and glower at my giant of a best friend.
Brooks doesn’t let go of me, even after I’ve maneuvered around to face him. “Believe me,” he chuckles, “I’m doing you a favor.”
Aiden shakes his head and drops to his haunches to love on his dog some more.
With my hands on his biceps, I step in and tilt my head back. “Want me all to yourself, secret lover?”
His chest shakes with silent laughter. “No. My brother stinks. I’m seriously protecting you.”
I peer over my shoulder at Aiden, then turn back to face Brooks. He cups my jaw and rubs his thumbs over the apples of my cheeks, taking me in and cataloging every inch of my face. “You sleep okay?”
Nuzzling into his hands, I tilt my face down to hide the dark circles under my eyes. “Just tossed and turned for a bit. How are the adoptions going?” I step in close, and when he releases his hold on my face, I lean my cheek against his chest and listen to his steady heartbeat. God, if I stayed like this, I’d probably fall asleep. He’s so warm. Somehow, he manages to be both firm and soft, and he smells so damn good.
“Pretty good.” He tugs at my ponytail. “Although Aiden’s scaring people away. Maybe I should keep you by my side. You’re pretty and you smell like fall.” His voice is pure affection.
Forcing my eyes open, I tip my face up to take him in, eager for a glimpse of the smile I know he’s wearing, and am greeted with a kiss to my forehead. It’s innocent. Something I’m sure he’s done before. But this time it feels like more than just a friendly kiss. The rumble in his chest makes it feel possessive.
That thought has me scanning the room for Seb. But as far as I can tell, he isn’t here.
I shake off the thought. Brooks is just a friendly guy, and like I said, he’s probably kissed my forehead a dozen times or more since we met. That move wasn’t out of the ordinary.
For the next three hours, we work the lines of people and play with dogs of all ages. When my phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out to find my mother’s name flashing on the screen, I sneak outside to take the call. Unfortunately, service is terrible, so when I answer, I get nothing but silence. I immediately call her back, but it goes straight to voicemail.
Slumped against the brick building, I curse my stupid phone service.
“Come on, Livy. It’s Friday. You know what that means,” Beckett says as he and Liv walk out of the building, hand in hand, with Deogi trotting along beside them, tail wagging and tongue lolling out of his mouth.
I raise my hand, ready to call out to them, but snap my mouth shut when Liv says, “You’re not putting it in the butt tonight, Mr. Langfield.”
Holy fuck. I really wish I’d made a damn noise the second they stepped outside. Holding my breath, I press back against the bricks and will myself to become one with the wall. I even close my eyes. If I can’t see them, then they won’t see me, right?
“You know what you calling me Mr. Langfield does,” he purrs.
He fucking purrs. I swear.
Ermygod.
When I hear the sound of a car door opening, I let out the breath burning my lungs, hopeful that I’m in the clear. Except before I can open my eyes, a heavy weight settles over my shoulders.
“Can the two of you stop talking about butt stuff? You’re freaking out the head of my PR team.”
Cringing, I pry one eye open and peer up. Gavin is giddy as he grins down at me.
Groaning, I whack him in the stomach with the back of my hand. He makes a loud humph, but an instant later, he falls into a fit of laughter.
“Don’t worry. They were already in the car when I yelled that.” He straightens and smooths out his suit jacket. “But seriously, can they get a room?”
I drop my head back against the brick, ignoring the way it tugs at my hair, and blow out a breath. How do these things keep happening to me? First I’m poked in the eye by Brooks’s cock, and then I make a scene at the bar. Now I’ve accidentally become a voyeur while a married couple talk dirty to one another. The Langfields are going to think I’m a pervert with really weird fetishes.
Like really weird.
The door beside us opens again, and this time Brooks and Aiden appear.
“Want to do something for dinner?” Aiden is asking as they step out onto the sidewalk.
“No, I have plans.” Brooks’s face lights up when he spots us, but in an instant, his jaw goes rigid and his eyes narrow on where Gavin’s arm is still draped over me.
Oblivious to his brother’s sudden shift in mood, Aiden continues, “I’ll just hang at your place, then.”
Brooks stomps our way, his expression getting harder with every step he takes. “Don’t you have somewhere you can go?” he asks Aiden, his tone gruffer than I thought he was capable of.
Beside me, my boss shakes with laughter, then steps away. “God, you’re so easy to rile up.” He slides his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “Aiden, why don’t we leave the lovebirds to themselves? You can have dinner with me.”
Brooks slides a palm down his face. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I can’t in good conscience let him go with you. The man fucking reeks.”
Aiden glares at Brooks and stomps his foot like a little boy.
Gavin laughs, moving closer to his baby brother. “So go home and shower, you idiot.”
“Jill kicked me out.” The poor guy hangs his head, and my heart aches. It’s rare to see the silliest of the Langfield brothers anything but chipper.
Gavin holds up his hands and quickly changes direction, backing up toward the street. “I’m not touching that with a ten-foot pole. Aiden,” he commands, pointing a finger, “break up with Jill. She sucks.” Then he turns his attention our way. “Brooks, I swear I wasn’t hitting on your woman. Sara, great job today. No more butt stuff, okay?”
With a wink at me, he spins on his heel and practically skips down the block, probably reveling in the knowledge that he just kicked up a full-blown shitstorm.
“Butt stuff?” Aiden hisses.
“Dude, read the room and go the fuck away,” Brooks snaps in a way I rarely witness. The man is always so easygoing, but apparently his vast well of patience has run temporarily dry.
“I swear I didn’t offer to have anal sex with your brother.”
It takes everything in me not to smack myself when those words are the ones my brain has chosen to spit out.
And from the scowl he shoots me, he doesn’t appreciate them either.
“Or any kind of sex,” I explain, because obviously that elaboration is so much better. “Not even oral.”
“Oh my God,” Aiden mumbles, dropping his head into one hand. “Stop while you’re ahead.”
I really, really should. The smelly man is right. But the blank stare on Brooks’s face is freaking me the fuck out, and when I’m freaked out, I can’t control the words that spew from my lips. “Not that I’m opposed to butt stuff. It’s just—I wouldn’t do that with your brother. Obviously.” I let out an exasperated breath, trying to convey how ridiculous that would be.
Brooks only blinks. Shit.
Aiden at least has the courtesy to grumble. “Any chance you can teach me how to use the washing machine?”
I bite my lip and look between the two men. “Um, sure.”
“We’re busy,” Brooks grits out. “Stop making plans with my brothers.”
With an awkward laugh, I grasp his wrist and tug. “I never made plans to do butt stuff with Gavin. I swear it.”
Brooks slides a palm down his face and groans. “Please stop saying butt stuff.”
“It’s a totally normal thing to do, Brooks.”
Shoulders slumping, he peeks at me from between his fingers, but he doesn’t respond.
I hold up my hands. “Fine. No more butt stuff. Aiden, meet me in the laundry room in thirty minutes.”
