Page 82 of Borrowing My Bestie's Brothers

“Work’s fine,” I replied shortly.

“Do you use those pink tools we bought you?” Dave, one of my other brothers, said, ruffling my hair, forcing me to jerk out of his way. The tools were utterly useless pieces of shit made in China from cheap alloy, then sprayed with a pink floral finish, and they were my Christmas present from the guys last year. I shook my head slowly. If any of the guys at work talked to me like this, I would’ve nut punched them in seconds, but my brothers? Any reaction would just encourage them.

“What about those pink overalls?” Millie didn’t know how good she had it, because Steve and Dave were on a roll, chortling like idiots now. “Do you prance around the workshop in them, getting the real mechanics coffee or something?”

Hayden stepped forward then, seeming to sense he needed to deflect their attention.

“Jamie’s a damn good mechanic,” he said, which was exactly the wrong thing to say. The two of them were like sharks, scenting blood in the water. They glanced at each other and then grinned before turning back to me, ready to go in for the kill.

“Yeah?” Steve asked, straightening up, but I was forced to smile when my brother had to look up slightly to meet Hayden’s eyes. “And who the hell are you, mate?”

“Hayden McDonald,” Dave answered for him, then nodded before stepping forward to offer him his hand. Hayden shook it and his small wince told me Dave was playing stupid dominance games. Hayden smiled, twisting his grip slightly, his knuckles going white as his fingers bit down into Dave’s. My brother smiled, then flicked his fingers as he released his grip.

“You know him?” Steve asked, looking Hayden over.

“He’s Brock’s McDonald’s brother,” Dave said, crossing his arms and making clear what he thought about this. He couldn’t have given off worse piss-the-fuck-off vibes. Steve and Dave were older than me and so remembered Brock from school.

“Brother?” We turned around to see that Dad had appeared, several beers in his hands. “What’s going on, Jamie?”

Hayden wrapped his arm around my shoulders, as if that would save us from the firing squad.

“We’ve been trying to get your daughter’s attention for some time, and finally she’s decided to give us all a chance. Jamie’s currently dating all three of us McDonald boys.”

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit, shit.

I watched my dad’s eyes narrow as his nostrils began to flare.

“That right? Pretty sure the girls need some help in the kitchen, Jamie.”

“Dad—”

“Now, love.”

That last little term of endearment was tacked on at the end, as if that could soften his tone. I shook my head, trying to remember that I was an adult, an independent woman, but none of that mattered here. Not what I did or what I’d achieved, nothing, because as soon as I walked into this backyard, I was shoved back into an old role. Daughter, sister, child, I shook my head again, wanting to reject that, but Dad and my brothers just stared me down.

“It’s alright, babe.” Hayden’s pet name felt weird, like a brand new pair of shoes or something. Not necessarily bad or ill fitting, but… different. “I’ve got this.”

He stared into my eyes and that confidence there? It felt misplaced and ill informed, but this is why I’d brought Hayden here. I nodded and then leaned in, doing something I’d never dared before. I kissed him first, just a closed mouth, chaste thing, but his eyes widened and then his hands slapped down on my hips, drawing me closer to string it out. When we finally pulled away, we both blinked. The best lies were ones that were mainly true and that made this situation easier to sell to my family, because right now I wanted to go back for another kiss.

But I couldn’t.

“Go easy,” I ordered my family, stabbing a finger in their direction.

“Hey, as long as he’s not as big a dickhead as the last one, there’ll be no problems here,” Steve said. “What was his name? Rohan?”

“Rohan, Martin, Greg…” Dave looked at Hayden with a smirk. “None of them last long.”

“I know exactly who Jamie’s exes are,” Hayden replied with steely calm. “I also know none of them were the right guy for her.”

“But you are?” Steve’s eyebrow rose slowly.

“That’s to be established.” Dad’s voice cut through all conversation, silencing everyone. “Jamie?—”

“Go and help in the kitchen,” I sighed, giving Hayden’s hand one more squeeze before I pulled away. “If they get too full on?—”

“There’s nothing your family can throw at me that’d have me running.”

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