Page 102 of Suddenly Entwined

“We’re, uh, not really here tonight in a working sort of way.”

He stuffs his phone in his back pocket, looking up. “Huh?”

When I rest my hand on Berg’s bicep, my brother’s eyes dart to it immediately.

“Remember when you brought Anna for supper the night I got home?” I ask, remembering how weird it was to show up to see that my brother actually brought someone home to meet Mom and Dad.

He scratches his chest. “Yeah…I remember.”

“This is sort of like that.”

Berg clears his throat. “Chris, I really care about her.”

My brother rubs his eyes with the heels of his hand.

“So, you’re dating? I just want to figure this out.”

Berg answers for me. “Well, we’ve been spending so much time together. Yeah. We’re a couple.” He turns to me, sincerity in his eyes. “It’s serious.”

I tuck my hair behind my ear. There’s no hiding the bright blush of my cheeks. Serious has never sounded so sexy.

“My sister. My little sister.”

I pipe up before my brother can work himself up about this. “Okay, um, first, I’m right here.”

Chris falls back on the couch, elbows on his knees as he leans forward and squints at me.

“Second,” I also sit, jerking my head at Berg when he doesn’t follow suit. “I understand that in terms of birth order, I will always be your little sister, but I’m not a child, Chris. Not even close.”

“I know that,” he mumbles.

Mom peeks her head out of the kitchen, apron around her neck.

“Hi, honey! Berg.” She wiggles her fingers at him.

Chris twists in his seat, and when he sees the beaming smile on our mother’s face he groans again.

“Oh, lovely. She knows. I’m the only goddamn person who didn’t know, right?”

I suck air between my teeth. “Kinda?”

Berg nods along next to me.

“Anna?”

“Literally everyone, man.”

Mom calls out from the kitchen. “It’s really obvious, honey.”

“Well, like,” Chris fiddles with the hem of his shorts. “I’m really happy for you guys, or whatever.”

I have to laugh behind my hand because his sullen expression is the farthest thing from happy.

I stand, walking around the coffee table and plopping myself down on his knee.

“What are you doing?” He groans, holding his arms out awkwardly like a bird attempting its first flight.

“Hugging my big brother.”

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