Page 115 of Play Pretend

“I’m Theo,” he purred, holding his hand out. A charming smile curved his lips, and Ronan rolled his eyes.

“Don’t hit on my girl.”

Warmth spread through me at the words—my girl. I tried to fight the smile pulling at my lips as I pressed closer to Ronan.

Theo ignored his brother as he grinned down at me. He looked like Ronan but was taller and with more lean muscle. His hair was lighter, somewhere between Trinity’s bright blonde and Ronan’s dark brown. A slight layer of stubble coated his square jaw, and his eyes were the brightest blue I’d ever seen. He was dressed casually in jeans and a button-down, but his clothes looked expensive.

“Willow.” I smiled, my palm sliding against his.

“I know. We’ve met before.” I blinked at the words, my mind racing. And then the memories all came rushing back.

“Oh! I remember,” I laughed. “You were dragging Ronan outside, yelling at him.”

“He’d been holed up in his house for days,” he explained. “And Mom called me because she was worried?—”

“Alright,” Ronan grumbled, but Theo ignored him.

“She was worried, so she called his big brother to come kick some sense in to him,” he teased, pinching Ronan’s cheek. “I dragged his ass to The Taphouse, but not before his feisty little neighbor nearly killed me.”

“Okay, in my defense, I thought you were kidnapping him,” I said, and he laughed. “I don’t know what I could’ve really done, but?—”

“It was cute to see you stick up for the big guy.” Theo ruffled his brother’s hair, and Ronan’s jaw tensed.

I’d stormed out of my house when I heard shouting, thinking these two men were about to start a brawl in the yard. I told Theo to leave Ronan alone, but when he started flirting with me, assuring me that he was his brother, I backed off. It wasn’t my place to intervene in family affairs.

It had been a quick interaction years ago, and I’d totally forgotten about it until right now.

Theo’s thumb stroked along my hand, and Ronan roughly cleared his throat. He threw his arm around my shoulders, and yanked me closer to him, his hold possessive.

“That’s enough,” he grumbled. “Leave her alone.”

“I’m just being friendly,” Theo said, winking at me.

“Ignore him.” Brynne gave me a quick hug before shooting Theo a look that I interpreted as,stop it. Her eyes raked over me, and heat rushed into my cheeks from being the center of attention. “You look gorgeous.”

“Doesn’t she?” Ronan’s arm tightened, and I peered up at him. We stared at each other, and just like it always did, everything melted away. His eyes held me captive, made me feel safe and grounded.

But then, Theo groaned, and I blinked.

“Oh god. Don’t tell me you’re one of those mushy couples.” Theo scrunched his nose, and I rolled my eyes.

“They so are,” Trinity laughed. “It’s cute.”

Ronan grumbled something under his breath, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Everything felt soeasy. It felt natural.

But then my gaze lifted and met his mother’s across the room. The older woman smiled at us, and I tried to keep my own smile from slipping away as nerves filled my body. No matter how hard I tried to force them away, they weren’t going anywhere. They’d taken root, and my stomach twisted painfully.

“What am I?” she teased, pulling Ronan’s attention. “Chopped liver?”

“Hey, Mom.” He laughed, directing us toward her. Her hair was loose around her face, and she wore an oversized white shirt with dark blue jeans—barefoot and bare-faced. Her style reminded me of a taller, blonde Ina Garten. She was gorgeous, and when I sneakily glanced toward Trinity, I realized she was a carbon-copy of her mother.

Ronan gathered his mother in a tight hug, and her eyes squeezed shut as if she were putting all of her love into that hug. When she pulled away, she rested her hands on his face and searched his eyes. His shoulders dropped a fraction before he turned toward me, resting his hand on the small of my back.

Gently, he tugged me toward her. My heart was in my throat as her eyes met mine—dark brown instead of blue—and smiled. It was full of warmth and love, and everything that should be in a mother’s smile.

“I hope you like to eat,” she said, the words catching me off guard. A laugh escaped me as I nodded.

“I love food,” I blurted.

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