Page 110 of Truck Off

The growl that comes out of me causes Liam to take a step back. His brows furrow as he studies me.

I regain the distance he put between us and then some. I don’t stop until my arms bump into his chest. “When do I ever bring a girl to the house? Let alone to breakfast. With. My. Family.”

“You don’t.” He huffs. “But this was before, and I just assumed—”

“That’s your problem.” I cut him off. “Don’t make assumptions. Ever. She’s my girl, and I’ll take care of her. So when I tell you, or anyone else in this family, that I’ve got it covered, then that means I do. No exceptions. Is that clear?”

I expect Liam to fight back—to give me shit for being so aggressive with him—but he doesn’t. Instead, he smiles.

“Wow. Look at you putting aside the smiles and jokes and being commanding and serious.” He pats my arm and steps around me. “It’s good to see you take such a strong stand about something.”

My eyes narrow. “I take lots of things seriously.”

“Let me rephrase that then,” he starts, but movement from the garage draws my attention away from him.

“Is that …?” I point behind him. My frown fades, and I forget all my angry thoughts.

“Are you two done arguing so you can give your big brother a hug?” Warren smiles at me from the doorway.

“Well, hell. When did you get here?” I rush past Liam and give my brother a hug. He so rarely comes home for a visit. Seeing him here now is such a surprise.

“Just this morning. Drove through the night.” He pats my back before we release from the hug. All signs of the smile from moments ago are gone. “It was time to come home.”

The way he says that causes me to pause. “Wait. Do you mean …?”

He chuckles, but there’s no humor in it. “Yeah. I’m moving home to stay.” He glances past me at Liam. “That is, if it’s okay with everyone.”

Liam gives him a slight nod but doesn’t smile. Maybe with Warren moving home, those two can finally settle whatever difference they had that drove them apart. Neither will talk about it when we ask. We all speculate that whatever falling out they had is the reason Warren moved away. Maybe now we’ll finally learn the truth.

“Well I think it’s fucking fantastic,” I say. “It’s about time you came home. Lord knows the racing team could use your expertise.”

He nods but doesn’t exactly look too pleased about that idea. “Yeah, maybe. I think I’ll be taking some time off before I jump right into work.”

“A break?” I raise my brow. “Since when does Dr. Mutter take a break from work? I thought work was your life.”

He shrugs. “It was, and now it’s not.”

He turns and disappears through the door before I can ask him what that means. I look at Liam and frown. “Does that have anything to do with the fight you two have been in for more years than I care to count?”

He shakes his head. “I have nothing to do with that. But whatever it is, it has him messed up. I’ve caught him staring at the void like his mind is trapped multiple times and he’s only been home for a few hours. Something is weighing heavily on him.”

“Did anyone bother to ask him what it is?”

Liam sighs and starts for the door. “You know that’s pointless. None of us talk until we want to, no matter how much we bug the shit out of each other. He’ll talk when he’s ready and not a moment sooner.”

He’s not wrong about that. Their silence on why Warren left in the first place is proof that no one can make them talk. But that doesn’t mean I won’t keep asking.

For now, I’ll try to be content with the fact that all my brothers are finally home. That’s something we’ve all wanted for a long time.

“Hey, Liam,” I rush after him. He stops and turns to face me. “For the record, Lina and I are serious. Not sure where this will go, but if I have a say in it, she’s going to be around for a very long time.”

He gives me a smile and nods. “Good. I like you two together. Sorry I didn’t take it more seriously when she came by. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Thanks.”

Without another word, he heads deeper into the garage to check on the progress of a car Sophia is working on. I glance around, suddenly missing coming into the garage every day after I finish up on the farm. This is the first summer I’ve not worked alongside my brothers every day and it feels weird. I needed the break in my schedule, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss it.

With a heavy sigh, I head for the side door and make my way back to the stables. I’ve got a long list of work to get done before I can call it quits.

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