Page 95 of Wish You Were Mine

“Good morning,” I replied cautiously, glancing around the room. Toby and Max were sitting on the sofa. Max met my eyes and didn’t glare. Off to a good start. Liam and Nate occupied the armchairs, and Connor was leaning against the far wall, his chin lowered, expression unreadable.

Heather’s kind face creased in a smile. “Before I go, I just wanted you to know that I’m happy for you.”

I was so stunned it took me a moment to respond. “Thank you.”

She clasped my shoulder and squeezed. “Don’t let these knuckleheads scare you away.”

She left the room, and I couldn’t help but wish she’d stayed. Now I was alone with the Braddock brothers, and I didn’t know whether any of them would support me, even if I could be reasonably confident that Max wouldn’t let anyone permanently injure me.

Where was Eugene when I needed him? I’d been counting on his presence.

“What about the rest of you?” I asked, not sitting.

Liam didn’t make any move to respond. He didn’t look thrilled, but he hadn’t punched me or sworn at me, and I was willing to celebrate the small wins.

Toby leaned forward, his forearms on his thighs. “As long as you treat Summer right, you and I won’t have a problem.”

The band around my chest loosened slightly. “Thanks, Tobes.”

He grinned. “No problem. I’m going to have so much ammunition to tease Summer with after this.”

Poor Summer.

“Don’t fuck it up,” Connor said.“I don’t care what else is going on in your life, she comes first, no matter what.”

I met his dark, steady gaze. “Agreed. I won’t fuck it up.”

At least, I’d do my best not to.

“Good.” The corners of his mouth twitched. “Because if you do—if you let her down—I know all the best places to hide a body.”

A prickle of apprehension zapped down my spine. If I didn’t know Connor well, that might genuinely frighten me. As it was, I was one of the few lucky enough to have realized that his bark was usually worse than his bite. Usually. Connor might grump and growl, but he had the softest heart. Not that anyone would dare say so to his face.

“I’ll help dig the hole,” Nate warned.“Even I know she used to have a thing for you. If the two of you don’t work out, it’ll hurt her more than you, so I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“This isn’t temporary. It’s the real deal.” At least, I desperately wanted it to be. I turned to Max. “Do you have any threats to add?”

He shook his head. “I’m not surprised you’re dating. I always thought something might happen between you.”

I blinked at him, caught off guard. “You’re more perceptive than me then, because I didn’t see it coming.”

“You are taking this seriously though?” Nate demanded, his eyes narrowed.

“Yes.” I tried to hold his gaze without giving the impression I was staring him down. “I told you that, and I meant it. I wouldn’t mess with the status quo if I didn’t legitimately think our relationship could go somewhere long term. We’ve been testing the waters, but it’s still very new. I can’t say it’s forever, but there’s a possibility it could be.”

Nate nodded and stopped glaring. “I did wonder whether something was going on when Summer was at your place after you called about the broken window. I didn’t ask though, because I hoped you’d come clean on your own. I don’t like the fact you were pushed into it.”

“We had plans to speak to Liam this weekend, and we intended to break the news to everyone else after that,” I told him. “It wouldn’t have been a secret for much longer.”

Speaking of Liam, he was the only person present who’d yet to say anything.

I knelt beside him. “Are we okay?”

He scowled. “I don’t know yet.”

My jaw tightened. “Okay, then. I won’t push.”

I wanted to. God, how I wanted to tell him to just hit me and get it over with. Or to yell at me about how selfish I was. If he told me all the reasons he didn’t think I was good enough for his sister, at least I’d have the chance to argue. This silence gave me nothing to work with.

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