Page 52 of I Choose You

“Just sort of happened? What does that mean? Like a one-night stand?”

“Jesus, no.”

“Then how did you go from friends to what I walked into?”

I quirk a brow because it sounds like he wants me to point a finger and give fault. “Remember when Layla dared Mason to kiss me?”

It takes him a second but realization dawns when he recalls the night. His shoulders slump. “No.”

My lips flatten into a line, and I nod. “Yep.”

“We were wasted.”

“You were wasted. You and Layla, but I remember it all. Mason does, too. Obviously, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.” I lower my elbows to the counter and fiddle with my fingers.

He repeatedly blinks in an attempt to put together the missing pieces, then looks at me. “What about Halloween guy?”

I shake my head and offer a small smile. “It didn’t work out.”

He runs his hands from his cheeks to his ears, still weary. “So, what is this, then? With my brother. Are you two together now?”

“I don’t have an answer to that question,” I say quietly.

“That’s great,” he mutters sarcastically. “What do you think will happen when he leaves for Texas, Kenz? That’s halfway across the damn country. You two going to play house?”

I lift from the counter and cross my arms. My voice turns cold from the sudden irritation he’s triggering. “No one is playing house, Luke,” I snap. “We’re exploring something. That’s all. Stop acting like it’s a crime.”

“Shit, I’m sorry,” he apologizes, his face falling at my outburst. “It…fucks me up knowing we all grew up together, and now you two are fucking—”

“We’re not having sex, Luke!” I whisper-yell because embarrassment will consume me if Mason picks up what I’m saying from the porch. I cover my face and spin away from him. “Oh, my God.”

He flattens his palms on the counter and leans forward as I twist back around. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Nothing! Just be supportive. Jumping down our throats isn’t going to make matters better,” I breathe out as my eyes soften. “We don’t need your approval, Luke. We love you, but you don’t have to act like an ass over walking in on your brother kissing me. It’s a kiss. Not a goddamn orgy.”

He ignores the comment and goes back to Mason’s move. “What are you going to do when he leaves?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Not really something I’ve been thinking about.”

“Don’t you think you should?”

Yes, probably.

“I don’t want to see you hurt, Kenz. I meant it when I said you’re like a sister to me. Hell, you should know that by now. If he hurts you, I’m going to beat the fuck out of him.” He leans back in the chair. “If you’re okay with that, then I guess I’m okay with you two…getting handsy in the kitchen.”

My brows lower, “You’re going to beat the crap out of your twin brother? You’re ridiculous. You know that?”

“You call it being ridiculous; I call it standing up for my family.”

“He is your family.”

He stands, lightly knocking his fist off the countertop. “You are, too.”

24

Mason

I’m cornered, but not by the person I want to be detained by. There’s no simple escape down here. Our basement is dark, mildly eerie, and the only way out—besides the stairs—is by lifting the cellar doors that lead to the backyard. They’re too heavy for the getaway to be worth it.

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