Page 20 of Turbulent Fires

“I haven’t been on a date with her yet, so if I get her to say yes, I win,” I tell him, feeling confident. I know she’s close to saying yes. It’s going to happen; it’s just a matter of when.

“I think you should have to try to get a date with a local,” Maverick says.

I immediately shake my head. “Nope. I’m out then,” I quickly reply, making all of the men laugh.

“Come on, it will build character,” Drake says.

“You aren’t getting out of this. You’re the one who’s practically monogamous now so that makes you the contestant to beat,” Cooper says.

“I agree. You’re the wild card, the player with a soul,” Maverick says with a flutter of his lashes that makes me laugh. These men might drive me nuts half the time, but I honestly am glad to have them in my life. Friendships like this don’t come often enough for most people. But this isn’t what I say.

I shake my head. “You guys suck.”

“But you love us,” Jayden says.

“That is, unfortunately, true,” I admit. I look up and see a familiar face sitting at the bar looking at us, and swallow. Uh oh. “Who in the heck invited Joseph Anderson?”

Everyone laughs. “You know you can’t keep Joseph away when he wants to go somewhere,” Maverick says. Joseph, the most famous meddler of all, is sitting at the bar next to Sherman, one of his partners in crime, who happens to be the uncle of the Armstrong men sitting with me.

I know the look in his eyes as he gazes at me. I’ve seen it more times than I can count, and I’m well aware that when this man meddles, wedding bells seem to chime not much later. My heartbeat picks up its pace, and my throat closes slightly. I grab a tequila shot and down it.

The two men move toward us now that they’ve been spotted. All of the guys are grinning at me, knowing what I’m in store for. I want to punch each one of their smug smiles away. I’m trying to figure this out, and Joseph’s meddling won’t help at all.

“So, I hear love is in the air, Captain Young,” Joseph says.

I try to give a cocky grin like I’m carefree and not even thinking of love. “Don’t you have an empire to run?” I quickly ask.

He ignores me. “Sherman and I were chatting, and it seems like a waste for a promising romance not to get the spark it needs to ignite.”

“No sparks are needed,” I assure him.

“Oh, don’t be foolish, boy.” He smiles with far too much innocence, while his eyes show his true intentions. “Sometimes you young’uns simply need a little nudge or two.”

Sherman chuckles. “You know how we feel about happy endings.”

“There’s more than one kind of happy ending,” Jayden says with a laugh. Sherman gives him a stern look that makes my brother gaze into his beer glass as if it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

“I don’t need any interference,” I warn the men.

Joseph laughs. “We’d never think of interfering. However, helping out a friend is something we’d never think of turning our backs on.”

I turn to the men at my table with pleading eyes. They laugh and shrug as if to tell me there’s no help for me once Joseph and Sherman get their hooks into me. They aren’t risking those two turning their sights on them.

“Who invited Joseph and Sherman?” I whisper again, determined to find out and make that person pay.

Nick raises his hand. “It was me,” he says gleefully. I owe him a big payback for this, and he’s not going to like it.

“Traitor,” I mutter.

“They like coming here. Besides, they bought our first round,” Nick says with a shrug. I roll my eyes. There isn’t a single thing any of us can’t afford so that’s no excuse.

Joseph isn’t fazed by me not wanting him here. He’s confident in who he is and knows he’s loved by the world. He leans close. “Just remember that sometimes fate needs a little help.” He pauses as his smile grows. “You’re lucky we’re very good at helping.”

My throat closes again as Joseph and Sherman turn and walk out of the bar. I wonder if I could have them kidnapped and hidden away for the next couple of months. Yeah, that’s not going to happen without WWIII breaking out. Joseph has far too many friends and family, not to mention a team of special ops men at his beck and call, to ever get kidnapped. It looks like I’m truly screwed.

The topic quickly changes, much to my relief, and soon we’re talking about things we normally discuss on boys’ night. Things like who grills the best, who can handle the most shots, and who’s the better pilot. Of course, there’s zero agreement on any of these topics as we’re all incredibly confident men who think we’re the best at all we do.

I manage to step away for a few minutes and walk down the street to look out at the calm waters of Avalon Bay. I lean back and take a few breaths as I look up at the stars gleaming like a box of spilled diamonds. This place truly is a haven I’m incredibly grateful to have... even if it means taking a lot of crap from my friends and brothers. I pull out my phone.

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