Page 30 of My Brother's Best Friends

Oscar chuckles, low and dry. “Or we just elbow Bryan into doing what we wanted in the first place, and he goes along because he’s a good guy.”

After the waitress collects our orders, the conversation drifts from topic to topic yet somehow always circles back to Makayla. Everyone is fascinated by her winery project, and we hang on every word as she shares her plans and daydreams.

I’ll give Makayla credit. She dreams big and she dreams smart.

The entire time she talks, I watch her—half tempted to scoop her up and carry her back to our suite, half savoring the slow-burn anticipation stacking between us, brick by brick.

Spotting a tiny piece of fuzz attached to her sweater, I pick it off without thinking. She glances over and flashes the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen.

“Where have you been all my life?” The words slip out before I can stop them.

Oscar clears his throat.

Reluctantly, I tear my gaze from the vision beside me and face my brother. He’s looking at me as if I’m about to pull a gun. I sigh, reaching for my water glass instead. I respect his protectiveness, but I’ll follow my heart. And the vibes I’m getting from Makayla tell me that she’s on the same page.

I sneak a glance in her direction and find her looking at Oscar. She gives him the same warm smile she gave me, and a quiet cheer rises in my chest. She’s the missing element. Oscar won’t be able to resist her forever.

12

OSCAR

“How’s your salmon?” Alex asks, halfway through the second course.

“It’s fantastic,” I tell him.

He stares at my plate with a mixture of doubt and confusion. Not that I can blame him. Molecular gastronomy plays with textures and flavors alike, so my dish doesn’t look anything like salmon except its characteristic pink hue.

“You sure that’s salmon, brother?” Alex asks.

“My taste buds don’t lie.”

I know he’s teasing, and the mood around the table is relaxed, but I’m still uncomfortable—and it feels like everyone knows it. Kellan and Alex keep shooting me sidelong glances—ones I do my best to ignore. While I am aware of the insane chemistry between us and Makayla, I need to make sure that my brothers want her for the long term. Our relationship history doesn’t speak in our favor, and I don’t want Makayla to suffer later down the road.

“My cream soup is incredible,” Makayla says, savoring every spoonful. She offers me a spoonful. “Want to try?”

“It might muddle what the chef’s doing with this salmon,” I say, shaking my head.

“Let me try,” Kellan says to her, giving me a sideways look.

I ignore him, spearing a toasted rice cup harder than necessary.

“Honestly, I had my doubts about the Jamón Ibérico element, but they nailed it,” Makayla says, licking honey glaze from the tip of her fork.

I swallow heavily. Watching her tongue flick out to chase that glaze sends tingles skittering down my spine. I don’t know if she’s doing it on purpose, but my mind plunges straight into the gutter. I can’t tear my gaze away until Kellan nudges my knee under the table.

Looking up, I find him grinning like the devil.

He caught me.

Bryan’s watch pings and he glances down at it. “Oh, shoot.”

“What is it?” Callie asks.

“Jan is flying to Ottawa tomorrow. We can’t reschedule this afternoon. Looks like I’ll have to hold the meeting, after all.”

“Can’t you postpone it for next week, at least? You could do it on Zoom or something,” Callie protests.

“No, I’m sorry, I can’t. But it’s okay,” he assures her, kissing her cheek. “You go on without me.”

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