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“You mean like pretending to be your twin brother just to get a date?” Lina deadpans.

I turn my grin on her and wrap my arm around her waist. “Yeah. Exactly like that.”

Then I plant a kiss on her lips. I expect her to recoil at the affection, but she doesn’t. Instead, she kisses me back. My girl is full of surprises today.

“Aw!” Clara sighs. “You two are so cute.”

Lina rolls her eyes and scoffs while I laugh.

“Alright, I’m outta here.” Lina pats my chest and extracts her hand from mine. “I’m gonna get started on painting.”

Before she escapes my reach, I give her ass a playful slap. She turns her glare on me, making Clara laugh along with me. Her eyes may be narrowed and her lips turned down in a frown, but I see the gleam in her eyes. She can pretend all she wants, but she likes all forms of my affection.

Once she’s out of earshot, Clara says, “Glad to see you two finally figured things out.”

“Yeah, me too. She’s not made it easy on me, but she’s worth the fight.”

“Lina’s got a huge heart under that tough exterior. You just got to chisel your way through to get to it. It takes a lot to earn her trust and very little to lose it, so be careful.”

I turn my gaze to Clara. “Since when did you become an expert on Lina?”

“Knitting night.” She shrugs. “I’ve gotten to know a bit about her since I started going. I like her, and I like her for you. I think I like you for her even more. She needs someone with your light-hearted personality and Mr. Fix-It mentality.”

I snort. “Light-hearted? That’s not exactly how I’d describe myself.”

“Okay, how about a playful personality? She’s always so serious. She needs someone who’s going to make her smile.”

I wrap my arm around her shoulder and give her a side hug. “That I can do.”

“I don’t doubt it. You are always the life of the party.” She lets out a wistful sigh like she’s thinking about something else rather than the conversation we’re having.

“You okay?” I ask.

She shrugs. “Just thinking it’s time I put myself out there. Seeing you and Mac, and even Garret, dating has me wanting more for my life.”

I watch her for a moment, knowing who she’s really thinking about. Clara’s crush for Ash runs deep and long. I don’t think she’s ever even considered another man before in her life. And Ash is a damn fool for not seeing it years ago like the rest of us.

“He doesn’t deserve you or your loyalty,” I say, catching her off-guard.

Her eyes snap to mine, all wide with surprise. “Who?”

I tighten my hold on her, wanting her to know how much she means to our family despite my dumbass brother. “Ash. He doesn’t see what the rest of us see. He’s an idiot.”

“What? … I …” She lets out a long breath and drops her face into her hands. “Is it that obvious?”

I chuckle. “Yeah. At least to me and everyone else who isn’t Ash.”

She lets out a low groan and peeks at me through her fingers. “Just tell me he doesn’t know. Please.”

I shake my head. “I wish he did and would do something about it. You’re practically family already, and we’d love it if you were our sister-in-law. But …” I trail off, searching for the right words.

“But what?” She drops her hands with a look of panic on her face.

“You’ve been pining over him your entire life. I can’t recall you ever dating anyone. Not even when you went to college.”

She shakes her head, and her eyes glisten behind her dark-rimmed glasses. The last thing I want to do is make her cry. But she shakes it off and takes a deep breath.

“It’s never been easy for me to make friends, let alone find a boyfriend. I’m too awkward and nerdy. Hiding behind a book is easier than talking to people.”

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