Page 5 of Summer Redemption

If I’ve caught whatever love bug my brothers have, I’m going to be pissed.

There’s no way I want to put my heart on the line. Why would I? Sure, Fletcher got Eden back, but that shit took years. Fine, they are happier now than they ever were and Fletcher loves Macklin, Eden’s son, like he’s blood. But the years it took to get to their happily ever after were rough as hell.

“What’s going on with you?” Fletcher’s question is filled with concern.

“Nothing,” I try and deflect instead of snapping at him because I haven’t even set the new beers down before he’s questioning me.

“Something,” Noel pushes.

I shoot twin glares at my brothers. “Nothing is wrong,” I insist. “I was just thinking that there might be someone here tonight I can have a good night with.”

Lies.

I was thinking the exact opposite, but my brothers don’t need to know that.

Fletcher rolls his eyes, displeasure written all over his face. Even after everything went south with Eden, he wasn’t the kind of man to run around hooking up with just anyone. Noel would from time to time, but being the skirt chaser was always my thing.

And I’ve never felt the need to apologize for it.

“Don’t be jealous,” I tease Fletcher. I wave a hand around the room. “You know these ladies always wanted the younger and handsomer Burns brother anyway.”

Fletcher barks out a laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “You think I wanted that?”

He shares a weighted look with Noel, who has also fallen head over heels for a woman now. Who knew that the equine therapy program he wanted to start would bring him the love of his life. Delaney is perfect for Noel, and they share a passion for how horses can help people heal. Delaney also came with a ready-made little brother for us. Her little brother, August, has fit right into the family.

“You don’t know this, but being with one woman, when she’s the right one, is so much better than meaningless hook-ups,” Fletcher informs me like he’s my damn life coach or some shit.

“Maybe you were doing it wrong,” I goad him with my head tilted to the side.

He flips me off before shoving my shoulder with a condescending as fuck smile on his face. The laugh that comes out of him, as well as the satisfaction that bubbles up in my chest, is a holdover from when my brother needed me to be the comic relief in his life.

While he doesn’t need it the same way anymore, especially with Macklin around who is adorable and funny, old habits die hard.

I’m not sure who I am without the need to lighten up my oldest brother’s moods. It’s a strategy I employed for far longer than I want to think about at this point. Isn’t this just who I am now?

“He’s right,” Noel adds in while nodding at Fletcher. When his eyes meet mine, they’re intense in a way that makes me want to squirm or run away screaming about cooties and how girls are gross. “Being with Delaney,” he sighs like a fucking woman, all sweetness and softness, “is better than even the best I had before her. Until you meet the woman you’re meant to be with, the one you know was put on this earth just for you, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

For some reason, a face from my past, a face I haven’t seen in years, pops into my head. I have no idea what she looks like now. Is her hair the same caramel color it was back then? Is it still a little too frizzy? What about the glasses, does she still wear them, or has she gotten contacts?

While swallowing hard, I push thoughts of her away. Not many people leave Wintervale and then come back. I’m not sure she has a reason to either. She only had one friend. I didn’t help with that either. Once people caught wind of the way I made fun of her, others joined in.

My stomach cramps as memories wash over me. Someone should have kicked my ass. But no one did.

It wasn’t right. I was just a stupid kid who didn’t know how to like a girl because I was used to girls chasing me. But not her. She never chased me. I’m not sure she even looked at me other than when I was saying stupid shit to her, which only made me want to do it more.

Fuck, I was an idiot. I’m not sure that I’ll ever get the chance to make it right either.

“I wasn’t aware that I needed to bring maxi pads to the bar tonight while spending time with my brothers,” I mock them ruthlessly.

Noel punches me in the shoulder and the man can fucking punch. I wince as I rub the aching area while shooting him a death glare.

I bark, “What the fuck? That hurt.”

“It was supposed to,” he informs me without a hint of an apology in his tone.

“Whatever,” I mumble sullenly.

“Maybe,” Fletcher sounds tentative which has me looking at him, “it’s time to consider that you might get more out of settling down than hooking up with random women. Maybe, you’re ready for a real connection.”

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