Page 67 of For the Promise

“Alan’s an asshole. Can we prank him?” Kai asks.

“Or beat the shit out of him?” Miles adds.

“Whoa!” I hold up my hands. “Nobody’s beating the shit out of anybody. It won’t help the lawsuit. Speaking of lawsuit.” I glare at my brothers. “If you tell anyone about it, I will unleash pranking skills the likes you have never seen before on you.”

Kai frowns. “But I’m the prank champion.”

“And I have a degree in chemistry.”

Eli shivers. “You don’t want a person who has a degree in chemistry coming after you. Trust me. I know.”

Rhett bumps his shoulder. “You love it when Paisley pranks you.”

Eli grins. “I can get really inventive with my punishments.”

My stomach sours. I want what he has. A woman who loves me. A woman who will stick by my side no matter what. But Blossom isn’t that woman. We’re too different. I can’t take a chance on a woman who will end up leaving me the second she gets bored.

“If you’re done invading my personal life, I’m going for a swim.” I don’t wait for a response, I march toward the water.

I don’t make it far. Rhett steps in front of me and the rest of my interfering brothers surround me.

“Are you going to give this relationship with Blossom a chance?” Rhett asks.

I frown. “I married Blossom to force her ex to drop the lawsuit. This isn’t a relationship. It’s an arrangement.”

“It wasn’t an arrangement last night.” Eli nods to the marks on my shoulders.

“We agreed it would be a one time thing.”

“Let’s vote,” Miles says. “Who votes for Jaxon to give Blossom a chance?”

I roll my eyes when all of my brothers raise their hands.

“Too bad you don’t get a vote in my relationship status.” I try to push past Rhett but he doesn’t budge. “What now?"

“I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy. I have a job I love and a family who drives me crazy.”

Eli squeezes my shoulder. “What about a woman you love?”

My heart skips a beat. I don’t love Blossom. Loving her would be a sure way to get my heart broken when she decides to move on.

“I told you. Blossom isn’t the woman for me.”

“Oh god. He’s going to dump Blossom and go back to dating Melanie types again.” Miles groans. “They’re so boring.”

“We prefer Blossom to Melanies,” Kai says.

“What part of you don’t get a vote, do you not understand?” I ask.

“The part where we’re forced to pretend to like Melanies at family meals,” Zane says.

I huff. “There was only one Melanie.”

“Was there?” Zane asks. “All of the women you date are the same.”

“Bor-ing!” Kai and Miles shout in unison before high-fiving each other.

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