Page 73 of Luck of the Draw

“Well, maybe not. But those are lovely traditional southern names.” She paused. “I really like Savannah though.”

“Savannah is a great name.” He glanced at her, offering a quick smile before pulling out the last cookie and halving it for them. “Savannah from New Orleans. I don’t think it gets much more southern than that.”

“Nope.”

And in this shitty situation, it didn’t get much better than cookies with one of his best friends while he basked in her happiness and wondered if he’d ever have anything like that in his own life to be so happy about. If history was any indicator, he wouldn’t.

17

ALGIERS POINT, NEW ORLEANS

Late, late that evening, Brennan was avoiding going to bed like a thirty-one-year-old toddler, and his lovingly-intrusive best friends insisted upon staying up with him. He was nearing the bottom of his third glass of scotch, staring at the TV and not really paying attention to an episode of Game of Thrones, which they had all seen already and turned on mostly to distract Brennan from everything.

A tiny, sleepy, female-sounding snort pierced the subdued atmosphere. Brennan glanced away from the screen to look at Connor and Liza, who were snuggled up on the couch across from where he was sitting in an armchair. Liza was completely passed out—that first trimester was apparently a real ass-kicker—and lying with her head on a throw pillow that she’d set in Connor’s lap. She snorted again as she shifted and curled up on her side, facing Connor’s torso and pulling a throw blanket tightly around her.

Connor pressed his eyes shut and brought his fist to his mouth as though stifling laughter. “She’s startedsnoring, bruh,” Connor said quietly, meeting Brennan’s gaze for a second before he looked down at Liza, gently stroking her hair and then slowly rubbing circles on her back. “She’s never snored before. It’s kinda friggin’ hilarious. And adorable.”

Brennan chuckled under his breath. “That is funny. And totally cute.” He jerked his chin at Connor. “Bet it’s nowhere near as bad as your snoring.”

“I don’t fuckin’ snore, Riley.”

“Yeah, you do.”

Connor cocked his head. “I’m sorry, when the fuck have you slept with me?”

“A fuckinglot, Sarge.” Brennan brought the glass to his lips again. “You just don’t remember because you were black-out drunk most of the time. I had to make sure you were sleeping on your side in case you vomited, soyeah, I’ve slept with you a lot.” He raised his eyebrows in a gesture at their bedroom door. “Or there was that time we put that bed together and passed out on it at three in the morning all beer buzzed and pissed at each other. You got a lot of sleep that night. I didn’t.” He saluted Connor with his glass. “Because you snore. Loudly.”

“Hey, you know what? Fuck you.”

Brennan offered a snarky grin. “She really is a saint for agreeing to share a bed with you for the rest of her life.”

“I know that, but fuck you just the same.”

They both snickered like a couple of pre-pubescent boys getting into mischief, turning their attention back to the TV. It was basically the end of the episode, and Brennan had already decided he was going to pour drink number four and watch another one.

He started to push out of the chair when Connor quietly clipped, “Sit your ass back down, Riley.”

Nerves twisted Brennan’s stomach. Connor’s tone sounded like he was about to repeat that same conversation.

Are you in love with her?

Brennan considered the idea that his secret anxiety over this would never go away. He knew stress could kill people, and he wondered if he could realisticallydiefrom the stress over that lasting for his entire life.

He kept his neutral posture and arched a brow. “Are you going to carry her to the kitchen while you grab that scotch for me?”

“Ha,” Conner huffed, stroking Liza’s hair. “I think you’re good for the night.”

Brennan offered a patronizing smile. “Oh, you think so?”

“Yeah, I do.”

They stared at each other, and Brennan’s heart palpitated.

“Riley,” Connor said after a pause.

Brennan just continued to look at him stoically.

“My therapist is really good,” Connor said matter-of-factly.

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