Page 83 of Winning Brynn

He's allowed to have friends, connections, even a girlfriend if he wants one.

Whereas, in his mind, I'm only allowed to have him.

"Sweetheart, you're scowling," Mom says quietly, the game beginning on the grass below us.

I wiggle my forehead to shake free the frown. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I'm just wondering why you look like you're trying to kill your brother with your eyes."

Shrugging my shoulder, I plaster on a fake smile. "He irritates me."

"Of course he does." She chuckles, tendrils of moonshine hair swirling in the wind. "That's nothing new, but this is more.”

"We got into it a little last night, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

She sighs, facing away from the game so she can look me directly in the eye. "Honey, I know you love to pretend to be a ray of sunshine who never sees the rain, but you don't have to do that with me."

She strokes her fingers over my hand, her gentleness almost bringing me to tears. Goddamn it, I've missed my mom.

"Tell me what happened," she urges.

"Honestly, it's not even that bad." My eyes fall to Salem lying in my lap, dark eyelashes fluttering on her cheeks as her eyes droop with tiredness. It's almost naptime, and my girl has the magic gift of being able to fall asleep anywhere. "Just his usual protective bullshit."

She nods in understanding, hearing words I haven't said out loud. "You feel suffocated."

"Pretty much," I admit. "It's just kind of confining. He doesn't like any of my friends because he sees danger that isn't there. He doesn't like me dating. He thinks my relationship with Ivy at the children's home is unhealthy. He loses his shit if one of his teammates considers me attractive. That's not even mentioning how much he's gonna lose his shit when he finds out about Leo—" My lips slam shut as I realize my mistake.

"Ah." Her wise eyes sparkle with knowing. "It's about a boy."

"Alex doesn't know," I whisper. "Please don't tell him."

She wraps her arm around me, tugging me until my head drops to her shoulder. "I won't, but you need to. And you need to talk to him about how you're feeling too, draw some boundaries."

"It would break his heart."

"Maybe," she says, simply and to the point, "but carrying on the way you are is breaking yours."

The crowd cheering pulls our attention to the field just as Leo strikes the soccer ball with his right foot before sending it soaring into the top left corner of the net. Around us, Seattle Strikers fans erupt, causing Salem to jolt awake with a cry.

My father lets loose a rare grin, cheering for the man whose body I now know like the back of my hand—not that Dad needs to know that. Even if I have gotten the green light to go into the porn industry, I don't think he'd appreciate such specific insight into my sex life.

It feels nice, though, my dad celebrating Leo.

On the big screen, I watch as Leo lifts his head to look into the family suite, his gaze instantly finding me and Salem. I'm expecting his usual post-goal celebration, the kiss he always blows to his daughter. Except, it's different this time, because he double taps his lips.

He isn't just blowing one kiss...he's blowing two.

Mom squeezes my shoulder, catching the moment maximized on the big screen. "If Alex doesn't already know what's happening between you two, then I need to book him an appointment at the optometrist."

But my heart is beating too hard to focus on her words.

Because my brother's best friend is right there, gazing up at me with a sparkle of something in his expression that feels like it's just for me. Even with the thousands of people in the stadium watching him watch us—probably assuming the affection in his eyes is directed at only his daughter—it feels like a secret shared between only us.

It feels like a promise.

Of what, though, I don't know.

"Daddy Sully and the bros" group chat

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