Page 7 of Love Me

“You got it, boss.”

Turning back to Sawyer, he looks genuinely offended, and I can’t help but laugh at him. He’s a large fucker at six feet tall and built like a damn brick house with how often he works out. Still, he’s smaller in stature than Liam, but there was definitely something in the water when these boys were procreated.

“You’ll be fine. Buck up. Here for muffins?”

“Fine. Yeah, she’s craving them. You got a dozen?”

“Dude, where does Ivy put them? How are you going through so many?”

He shrugs and takes a seat at a table to wait for me to pack up his order.

The rest of the morning goes by in a blur and like every other day, I’m racing to close up and get Charlie from school. I’m exhausted, but I’ve got this. I live for this little shop and my daughter. Nothing is going to take either one of them away from me.

CHAPTER 3

liam

Sundays are spent at my parents’house for mandatory family dinners. We’ve been doing it since we were kids, and as we all trickled out of the house to live on our own, my mom made it a very strict rule that every Sunday is the day dedicated to each other. She may be a sweet little thing, but she’s fierce, and none of us want to cross her. My mood only got worse as the week went on. Sitting on this information and keeping it from Hannah is eating me alive. But I can’t bring myself to tell her yet. Every time I think the time is right, I fucking panic. I don’t know how to help her through this mess, and it’s eating me alive.

My tires crunch over the packed snow as I pull around the back of Bean Haven to pick Hannah and Charlie up for dinner. She’s so in tune that I know she feels my anxiety, but no matter how hard she pushes, I’m just not ready to talk and blow her life to pieces, at least not until I can find a way to help her first.

Before I even put my truck in park, my phone starts to vibrate from the console next to me, going off withrapid-fire text messages that can be from none other than my sibling group chat. Groaning, I pick up the phone and unlock it, and sure as shit, the assholes are rambling.

Carter: Who’s going to dinner?

Kins: Uh? All of us?

Dallas: Wait, since when do we have a choice?

Sawyer: You don’t, dickhead.

Dallas: Sounds like we do…

Carter: Wait, is dinner mandatory?

Kins: Oh for fuck’s sake

Sawyer: You’ve been in this family your entire life, wtf do you mean is it mandatory?

Dallas: Someone smack this idiot

Me: What do you think you’ve been doing all these years?

Carter: Have you fuckers been tasting Mom’s food? I wouldn’t miss that shit. I go for her food. I thought you all were doing the same

Kins: Holy shit

Sawyer: Are you fucking with us right now?

Carter: Yup. Sad how stupid you assholes think I am. Who is everyone bringing?

Sawyer: Holy fuck. Lose my number will you, lover boy?

Me: I don’t think I’m actually related to any of you

Kins: Hey! Rude!

Dallas: You’re not. Didn’t Mom tell you? Why do you think we’re so close in age?

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