Page 64 of These Pucking Boys: Part Two

You have no idea, brother.

“It’s very nice to meet you, June.” Cory starts by offering his hand, but June steps into his space and hugs him.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Cory.”

My brother’s face turns bright red. He always gets flustered around pretty girls. I just grin, wishing I had my phone out to take a picture.

June keeps the hug brief and steps back. “I’ve heard wonderful things about you.”

Cory arches a brow and looks at me. “Really? Ryan talked about me?”

“Why does that surprise you?” I ask.

“Because you never talk about your family.” He shrugs.

I open my mouth to retort, but I can’t think of anything to say. He isn’t wrong. I’m a clam when it comes to sharing personal shit.

“Should we sit down and order?” Jake chimes in. “Lachy is hungry.”

Lachy’s jaw drops. “Why did you single me out like that?”

Jake smirks. “Because you’re always hungry.”

We take our seats, and there’s a moment of quiet while we all scan the menu. A moment later, a waiter comes to take our orders. After June orders hers, she gets distracted by her phone. While everyone is turned toward the waiter, I notice her brows furrow.

I wait until the waiter is gone to ask, “Is everything okay, Peaches?”

Jake kicks me under the table. Fuck. It totally slipped my mind that I wasn’t supposed to use her nickname in front of Cody.

June looks up, startled. “Yeah, everything is fine.”

Jake glances quickly at her phone before she has a chance to put it away. I know he didn’t mean to invade her privacy, but whatever he saw on her screen, he didn’t like, if the deep V between his brows is any indication.

But instead of pressuring her to talk about it, he throws his arm around her shoulder and kisses her cheek. Now I’m dying to know what made them react that way.

Cody leans closer and whispers, “Do you have a thing for Jake’s girlfriend?”

Hell and damn.

“What? No.”

Jake’s brows shoot up, but he doesn’t ask what’s going on.

“Sure, you don’t,” my brother mutters.

I feel like an ass now for lying to him. But I’m not the exclusive owner of this secret. Besides, today is all about our mother, not my complicated love life.

CHAPTER 27

JUNE

Cory asked if Ryan wanted to ride with him to the hospital, and he said yes. So it’s only Jake, Lachy, and me in the SUV. It doesn’t take long for Jake to bring up the text he saw on my phone.

“That message was from your ex, wasn’t it, Junebug?”

“What message?” Lachy asks from the backseat.

“You shouldn’t have read it,” I retort, ignoring Lachy’s question.

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