Page 19 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

Liam sighs heavily and stares at me silently for a moment. “I’m fine now, Jess,” he says. “That’s all that matters.”

“We all miss you,” I tell him. “So much. You’re always in our hearts, and we can’t wait for you to return home.”

“I can’t wait to be home, either,” he laughs. “Why’s everyone gathered? Now I’m jealous.”

“We’re celebrating Sean.” I roll my eyes, and Liam arches his brows.

“You and Sean still going at it?” He asks. “It’s been years, come on guys.”

“I’ll let it go when he grows up,” I tell Liam. “He’s still the same old Sean.”

Before Liam can respond, the phone is snatched out of my hand. I look up to see Jamie waving at Liam through the screen. Sean sits across from me, and our gazes meet briefly before he turns away. I’m grateful for Liam’s call taking the attention off me and my love life—or lack thereof. I know how much his family misses him and it’s obvious they are relieved to hear from him and to know that he’s safe.

Chapter 9

Sean

“Holy heavens, it’s already eleven!” Lenny Stewart exclaims, eyeing the huge clock on the wall. “I didn’t know it was so late; I’ve had such a wonderful time.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” My mother chuckles.

John Stewart rises to his feet, grabbing his wife’s hand and taking her up with him. The rest of us take this as a cue to get up, too. Lenny walks to my mom and hugs her tightly. “It was so nice of you to invite us over,” she says sweetly. “Reminds me of old times; we should do this more often.”

“You’re right.” Mom nods. “Thank you for coming. It’s always a pleasure having all of you here.”

After exchanging handshakes with my dad, John briefly hugs my mother before stepping back with Lenny.

“Thank you for having me,” Jessica says sweetly, walking up to my mom. Whenever she’s like this, I just want to squeeze her; she’s so adorable. I’m in awe of how one woman could have different personalities and still be cute in all of them. After exchanging pleasantries and saying goodbye to my parents, Jamie and Jessica start to walk out the door.

“I’ll see you soon, Mom.” I kiss my mother’s cheek, then embrace my dad. “Goodnight, Pops.”

“Goodnight, Sean.” They wave me goodbye.

I walk outside the house to see Jessica and Evelyn giggling by the door while Jamie helps his parents into their car.

“Don’t forget to drive your sister home and ensure she’s safe. Okay?” John tells Jamie.

“Okay, Dad. Don’t worry about it.”

Before I can stop myself, I blurt, “Jamie doesn’t need to drive Jessica home. I will. We’re neighbors.”

“Really?” John and Lenny chorus. “That’s wonderful.”

“How so?” Jessica snaps, coming to stand beside me. “Thank you for your offer, but my brother will drive me home.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I frown at her. “Jamie lives in the opposite direction of us. You want him to drive you home, then have to double back when I can literally drop you off next door?”

She opens her mouth and shuts it immediately. For the first time, I’ve managed to leave Jessica speechless, and I feel like I’m on top of the world. I return my attention to John and Lenny, who are staring at us with interest.

“Don’t worry,” I assure them. “I’ll make sure she gets home safe.”

“Thank you. Goodbye, Jess.” They wave at their daughter before driving away.

I walk toward my car and hold the door open for Jessica. “My Lady.”

She stays still for a moment, and I can see the battle in her eyes as she watches me. I’m sure if it were a little earlier, she’d have opted to walk. With a defeated sigh, she marches toward me and slips into the passenger seat. Laughing, I gently shut the door and walk around the front of the car to the driver’s seat. Jamie doesn’t look like he’s ready to leave just yet, and I can’t help but notice that Evelyn is still outside, too. For the second time tonight, I feel that they are up to something.

“Bye, Jamie.” I wave at my friend and wink at my sister. “Bye, Evie. I’ll see you soon.”

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