Page 92 of Rosie and the Beast Next Door

“He meant your art,” I said out loud, and sternly.

But I might have watched the video on a steady loop while I finished putting in orders, until my brain finally shut up.

The restaurant was asbusy as I expected it to be for the night of the PHL finals.

What I didn’t expect was my brothers, Haydn, Bennett, and Jules, to be sitting at one of the high tables. They were bent over a tablet, all three of them focused on the screen. Jules jotted something down with the e-pen, and that set off a heated discussion.

I took a deep, shuddering breath as a wave of emotional overwhelm nearly took me off my feet. They were overprotective and had a boring group chat and didn’t always take me seriously and smelled bad and had terrible taste in movies, but they were mine. And they werehere.

“Do you have a secret sibling chat I don’t know about?” I asked them as I approached the table. I slung one arm around Jules’s shoulders and the other around Haydn’s. My eyes were spilling over with tears and probably ruining my mascara, but I didn’t care.

Jules turned toward me and pulled me into a tight bear hug. “We did this fancy thing called a group phone call.”

“Never heard of it,” I said into his shoulder.

“How are you?”

“Surviving,” I said.

“I think we can do better than that,” he said. I sniffled, and he pulled back. “Did you just wipe your nose on me?”

“What of it? You make me cry, that’s the punishment.”

Haydn pulled me in for a hug next. I hadn’t seen him in person in months. He looked different. Older. And he smelled like fancy cologne. Of all my brothers, he’d been most like a dad to me since I was a kid. Maybe because he was the oldest, or because that was the roll he decided to take. Just having him here made me feel like I didn’t have to figure out everything on my own.

I was going to have to tell him about Dad. The secrets were too heavy. But not yet. I wanted one good night with them before I imploded everything. “Joining the facial hair train, I see.”

He gave me a sheepish grin as he pulled back. “Lia likes it.”

“Me too. It hides half of your dog face.”

Jules and Bennett howled at the joke, and Haydn went in for the kill-shot at my side with his hand—the tickle spot that never failed to bring me down. I squealed and cried uncle. “You’re the handsomest Forrester. Which isn’t saying much, but—”

I jumped out of the way when he went to tickle me again.

Bennett pulled me into a hug last, still smelling like sweat, salt, and fish. His hair was stiff from the wind and sea spray, and his facial hair was borderline wild man. “Got off my boat this afternoon to a million text messages about your shop and a phone call to pick these two up from the airport.”

“I could have picked you up,” I said to them.

“And ruin the surprise?” Haydn said.

My soul was so full, it could burst. “How long are you in town? Where are you staying?”

“Where areyoustaying?” Haydn countered. “Get someone to cover your shifts and come to the cabin with us.”

“I can’t.” I probably could, but, well … Dylan. I didn’t want to leave him.

Even though he’ll leave you?My brain was at it again. It was pretty much immune to fun, which was why I ignored it half the time. “What are you three working on?”

“Ways to get under Dylan Savage’s skin if he breaks your heart,” Jules said.

“Shut up.” I peered over his shoulder to see a document that was indeed labeled: TORTURE THE BEAST. Item number one was: Haydn will purchase Peaks’ rink-side season tickets for next season, and we’ll fly in to heckle him loudly at every game.

The intricacy. The expense. The length of retribution. I was almost proud.

“I’m rubbing off on you.” I wiped away some fake tears. “But you’re wasting your time. Dylan and I aren’t really dating. It’s all fake for views, remember?”

“For his views.” Bennett nodded his head to where Max sat with his sister and her family, his nephew on his lap. I unsuccessfully tried to muster up some excitement at seeing Max. Whoa. I suddenly felt unmoored from reality.Maxwas the plan.

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