Page 123 of The Winslow Brothers

“Well…I’m twenty-eight. I run an event planning business. I have two sisters, one of whom is my identical twin, Belle. And, yeah, I don’t know. That’s about it, I guess.” I shrug and take a sip of my iced tea. “I’m kind of devastatingly boring when I think about it.”

“Now, that’s not true,” Jude chimes in, and when I look over at him, his eyes spark with the kind of mischievousness that I’ve come to know as trouble. “Youlovethings like playing Texas Hold’em andthe Girl Scouts,and you always tell the best damn prison stories.”

My eyes might as well be flying saucers when those words leave his lips, but Jude’s mouth just keeps chugging along, his lips far too amused with what he’s currently telling his sister about me.

“You’re fun to grab a drink with at The Champagne Bar. Have a great sense of fashion. So much so that a lot of people would probably want tostealyour clothes,” he says and wraps his arm around the back of my chair, squeezing my shoulders playfully. “Honestly, sis, she’s outright lying. Soph is the opposite of boring.”

I take a long blink and move my gaze back to Winnie. The furrow in her brow says it all and spurs the need for me to explain.

“I hope you realize that half of the things he just said are total crap.”

“Oh, I know.” Her laugh makes her neck elongate in the most elegant way. “Trust me, I have over three decades’ worth of experience with this jackwagon. But I’m thrilled that he now has you to call him out on his bullshit. It’s a relief, to be honest.”

Jude just grins, and when Winnie’s focus gets pulled to the other end of the table, I reach out and discreetly pinch my fingers into the meat of his muscular thigh.

Ouch, he mouths, and his fingers find their way into the sensitive spot just below my armpit that heknowsmakes me giggle.

Which I do, and then, I shove him away from me before we cause a scene. Or I piss my pants. Or both.

“Stop being crazy,” I whisper toward him. “Or else you’re going to make me look crazy in front of your family.”

His arm is back around my shoulders again, and he leans over to whisper into my ear, “Oh, baby, you have nothing to worry about because everyone at this table is fucking nuts. Especially,” he adds and nods purposefully toward his three brothers, who sit a few seats down. “Those bastards right there.”

“You got something to say, bro?” Ty retorts with narrowed but teasing eyes. “Because if you’ve got beef, I have no problems settling it promptly.”

“Hey now, boys,” Jude’s mom announces on a sigh. “If you make a scene at my favorite steakhouse in this city, I won’t hesitate to make you pay.”

“Make us pay?” Ty questions through a jokester’s smile. “What’s that mean, Ma?”

“It means you don’t want to know.”

“Uh oh, Wendy is getting pisssssed, Ty,” Jude comments on a chuckle. “You better shut your trap.”

“When I said boys, I meantboth of you,” Wendy snaps back, and when she meets my eyes, an exasperated but happy smile lifts her mouth. “Sophie, I’m sorry my sons are idiots. We’ll all understand if you decide to leave Jude before they even bring the food.”

Ty bursts into laughter.

Remy and Flynn just grin from over their menus.

And Jude coughs out a laugh. “Damn, Ma. That was harsh.”

But she just blows him a kiss in response. “Love you, honey.”

It’s all pretty damn hilarious, and the more time I spend with Jude’s family, the more I find myself happy to be with them.

They’re fun, that’s for sure. And they never seem to stop cutting up on one another. Never stop teasing and joking and just…laughing. When the Winslow family is together, laughter is never in short supply.

In a way, it kind of reminds me of my own family and how close-knit we are. My parents might be in Miami and my sister Katelynn might not always be around because of her busy life, but when we’re together, we’re thicker than thieves.

And I’m surprised with how well I get along with all of them. His sister Winnie and his brother-in-law Wes are so laid-back and easy to talk to.

His mom and Ty are a hoot. Remy is chill, but welcoming.

And Flynn is nice, even though I don’t miss the way his eyes observe me closely. His perceptiveness is a little disconcerting, to be honest. It’s like he knows more than what’s on the surface.

Like how you’ve caught feelings?

I wish I could deny it, but I can’t. Ihavecaught feelings.And your eyes are already starting to get filled with ideas of weddings and marriage and babies.

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