Page 100 of Heartbreaker
“Ah-ah,” she tsks, and a blush immediately flushes his cheeks.
“Laine.” Brooks corrects himself, and she nods, patting his arm.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starving,” Blake says, rubbing his stomach for added effect. His twin does the same to get the point across.
“When are you not?” I ask.
“When are you not?” They both mock me, and we go back and forth three more times before Crew smacks our little brothers on the backs of their heads.
“Could you at least try and behave?” Crew asks before he pushes them to the side.
“Well, should we get a picture?” Papá asks, and that’s our cue to shuffle into our places.
Brooks stands behind the photographer, and part of me wants to invite him back into the picture, but the better part of me knows I shouldn’t. Before I can make the decision, Mamá does it for me. She calls out to him, inviting him to join us. Inviting is a nice way to put it because she leaves no room for rejection.
“Oh no, Laine, it’s okay. This is a family photo and—”
“And you’re family,” Mamá says without hesitation. Her words put a stop to his protests, and my heart. My breath catches in my lungs, and I stare straight at him. Did she really just say that?
Mamá flexes her hand again, motioning for him to join us before she makes room between the two of us. Slowly, Brooks takes the steps forward and fills in the space left for him. When the gaps begin to fill again, his arm reaches around my waist, tugging me close. It feels right, it feels…normal. And without a second thought, I let my head fall against this shoulder.
From the corner of my eye, I can see a twitch in my second-oldest brother’s mouth beside me, an amused breath escaping his lips. I feel the gentle weight of his hand patting Brooks’s back. We get a few normal photos in before my twin brothers jump out of position and land on their knees in front of the group to get at least one silly photo.
“I hope you guys have a marvelous weekend,” Brooks says when we get back to the safety of backstage a few minutes later. Mamá gives him one final squeeze, thanking him again. He gives me a brief smile, says he’ll see me tomorrow for our photo session, and walks toward the labyrinth of passages leading outside.
“Okay, I’m with Blake and Bodhi. Can we get something to eat now?” Nash whines.
And while I agree because I’m starving, my focus never leaves the man walking down the hallway. I can’t let him walk away. I shouldn’t. He should be with us. I know he’s busy, we both are, but he’s the one who made sure my family got here and had everything they needed. He should at least get to spend a little bit of time with them, too.
“I’ll be right back,” I say to my mother just as Brooks disappears around the corner. I run down the hallway, ready to call out his name, but it gets caught in my throat as soon as I make the turn.
“Oh, Savannah!” Chelsea’s voice bounces off the walls. “I was just asking about you.”
“Chelsea,” I say, offering her a tight smile before doing the same to the man by her side. “Xander.”
What are they doing here?
“I was just telling Brooks that after that promo you guys gave with Austin and Viviana last night, Amos wants to shake things up a bit. We’re going to make the match a title match.”
“A title match?” I glance at Brooks, and his reaction tells me he already knows the outcome. I ask anyway. “And who’s coming out champion?”
Xander answers, “Austin.”
“You mean, we have to lose?” I scoff.
“Sav,” Brooks warns, but I ignore him. I don’t care. This is bullshit. This is not what I came back for.
“You brought me back to help boost this story, to helpBrooks Taylorwin, and now you want to change your mind and—”
I’m not sure what actually makes my words falter—Brooks’s firm squeeze on my shoulder or the height of Chelsea’s brow that only seems to get higher as I speak.
“Thank you,” Brooks says, looking between them, and maintains his grip on me. “We’ll speak with Austin and Vee to coordinate.”
“Be sure that you do,” Chelsea says. She only offers a tight smile to Brooks before her steely blue eyes glare down at me.
They turn to leave without another word, but Xander pauses mid-step. He looks over his shoulder to say, “Oh, and Savannah, Amos wanted me to remind you that he wants an answer by Monday.”
My only response is a glare.
