Page 33 of Stay for Me
“I love it.”
“You love their constant shit talking?” Devney asks with a raised brow.
I shrug. “I was an only child, so our house was very... quiet. We didn’t have constant laughter and our family dinners were just the three of us. This is so much fun.”
Jacob laughs. “I think the four of us would’ve traded places with you when we were kids.”
“That’s because you didn’t know what solitary childhood was like.”
He raises his hands. “Easy, Doc.”
I roll my eyes. “That wasn’t me as a psychologist, it was me as a person.”
Sean nudges Jacob. “Be careful, you might end up as her next test patient.”
“Me?”
“You’re the most in need of therapy,” Declan says with a chuckle.
Sydney snorts. “That’s debatable.”
Jacob glares at him. “I’ve already illuminated you jackasses on how superior I am in my thinking.”
“Really?” I say, unable to help myself.
The three brothers laugh.
“Here we go,” Sean says while rubbing his hands together.
Jacob turns back to me. “Do you think I need help?”
“We all need help, but I’m wondering if you might need it more.”
Connor walks around and fills all the girls’ cups again—except for Devney’s as she shakes her head. “He needs it more than anyone. I’d bet my house on it.”
Jacob flips him off. “Says the douche canoe who is afraid of ducks. And I’ll take your bet if that means you’re in the tiny house.”
“I was six when I was afraid of the duck.” He ignores my second comment about the house.
Sydney clears her throat. “Sixteen.”
“You’re a liar, Sydney Arrowood,” Connor says with a huff.
“There’s a story here,” I say, curious as to where this is going.
Connor shakes his head. “We can get to me later, let’s stay on the topic, Doc. My brother Jacob here has some issues. Deep-seated issues. Things that . . . I don’t know if anyone can actually help the poor bastard get through them.”
“The only issue is that I’d like to beat all three of my brothers until they cry,” Jacob says through his teeth.
The brothers all laugh. “Anger management might be a good place to start.”
“I’ve known them since they were all small, trust me, there’s no shortage of issues here,” Devney informs the group. “However, Jacob has the most hope between all these boys.”
“Why is that?” I ask.
Devney smiles. “He loves the deepest and has the biggest heart.”
My eyes move to him, and his gaze is cast toward the fire, unwilling to look at anyone. Jacob has shown that his heart is definitely big. Offering to work with teenagers when you’re a Hollywood superstar shows it.
