Page 14 of Her Brother's Best Friend

Luke pulls me in close. His mouth hovers over mine. “Don’t you know by now I’d walk through fire if you were on the other side?”

I melt at the look in his eyes right before his mouth drops to mine, and I’m home, in Luke’s arms.

Right where I’m meant to be.

Luke

Christ, Cass feels so good in my arms. I want to throw her over one shoulder, carry her off to my bike, and take her home where I can show her more appropriately how her’s I really am. But, Kyle is watching, and so is Joe’s father, Fred, who has a standing appointment to bring his hog into the shop next week for a tune up on the house.

It cuts me to the bone, but after tasting Cass and letting her know everything is okay, I pull away and let her go. Kyle is still at her back, and we need to cut the crap and put an end to this debate once and for all.

Cass is saying her goodbyes to her roommate, and Kyle and I step out to the front of the house.

“Thanks for coming, man. I was worried when Joe called in the family, but once I told Big Fred what his son did to my girl, I didn’t have to worry. They all wanted a piece of him.”

Kyle shakes his head. “You’re girl?”

“That’s what she is. Cass has been my girl since the first day I saw her. If you want me out of the shop, we’ll work something out, but now that I have her, I’m not giving her up.”

Kyle’s quiet. I’ve known him long enough to know he’s thinking things over. The front door opens and Cass steps out. She reaches for my arms and I wrap her up against my chest. I’m not letting her go ever again. If you make me choose. I’m going to pick her.”

“What about you, Cass,” Kyle asks after a long silence. “You’re going to go with this big lug over your own brother?”

She presses her palm against my chest, easing my anxiety. “Only if you make me choose.”

Kyle ponders for a minute before turning toward his bike. He walks halfway down the sidewalk before stopping and calling over his shoulder. “See you in the shop tomorrow. And Cass, invite Luke to dinner and mom at dad’s next Sunday. It’s about time they knew you two were a thing.”

I can’t stop grinning when Cass wraps her arms around my back and looks up at me with her big brown eyes. “We’ll see you there,” she says before standing on her tiptoes to kiss me.

Cass is mine. All mine. We’re back to being one big happy family, and I couldn’t be happier. I slide my arm under her legs and lift her to my chest. My mouth is on hers the whole way to my bike.

“We have years to make up for,” I say when I’m finally about to break away from her sweet mouth.

She smiles at me, her arm still wrapped around my neck. “We’ve got the time,” she says, and for the first time in my life, I’m home.

Epilogue

Cass

I’m not sure what I’m doing here.

Kyle had me working in the shop all day today, and now Luke has asked me to meet him at a restaurant downtown last minute. I barely have time to change into something nicer than my work polo and jeans and curl my hair before I’m on the subway heading into town.

Six months have passed since Luke confronted Joe, and together we faced Kyle. In that time, the shops business has doubled with Frank Luna now recommending it to his friends, and Kyle has gotten used to his best friend and sister as a couple. Although, I know Kyle wants me working in his shop again to keep a close eye on things.

Luke’s been nothing but perfect so Kyle has had little to fuss over. Even my parents are elated with the relationship. The night we had dinner together as a family to share the news, they told Luke he has always been a part of our family, and now he always will be. Even if that statement was jumping the gun a bit.

Walking down the sidewalk in the direction of the little Italian place Luke took me to on our first real date, I’m surprised to find Kyle standing outside the front door in his version of a suit and tie. It’s really a tie and suit vest over his dark washed jeans, but it’s as formal as Kyle gets.

“Did Luke as you here?” I ask when I reach him.

Kyle would fail miserably at a game of poker. He smiles when he’s nervous, and I spot the twitch in his cheek from forcing his lips flat. “You’ll soon find out.”

This whole day has been like an episode of the twilight zone. Kyle called me in on my day off, saying he was going out of town to a bike show, and he needed an extra set of hands. Then I didn’t see Kyle at all after lunch, followed by the text to meet for dinner.

When Kyle opens the door to the small restaurant, all the pieces begin to fall into place. My parents are inside, along with our next-door neighbors, Luke’s adoptive parents. Everyone from the shop is here and a few of my closest friends. The whole place is nothing but people I know, and they are all smiling at me.

Is it possible I’ve forgotten my own birthday, and this is a surprise party? Surely not, but it feels that way.

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