Page 63 of Somebody to Save
Three days before Christmas, Andrew was in town for the holiday. I’d suggested that we all get together while we were in the same city. Especially since the last half of the year had been stressful for all of us. With Nathan opening Abditory, and Andrew and I working to open the new office and trying to identify who might be stealing from us, we all needed a break. At least we’d finally hired a forensic accountant and auditor. It was weighing on us both, and we wanted to keep it quiet until we had more answers.
But it was weighing most on my brother. I was equally as worried, but I had a little more experience handling similar situations. So, I worried about him.
“Yes,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I’m very serious. This is the first time in weeks I haven’t felt like I’m suffocating from stress.”
“What else do you need from me?” I asked immediately, but Andrew waved me off.
“Nothing. Right now, I don’t need a damn thing except for another drink.”
And like she heard the request, the waitress dropped our beers off and motioned to the menus in the center of the table.
I grabbed one for myself and shoved another one at Andrew. “You need to eat something.”
He took the menu and shot me a vulgar gesture. “Fine, Mr. Fix-it.”
While he perused the options, I looked over at Nathan.
“It’s been a while, man. How are you? Hopefully better than—” I glanced at Andrew with my eyes, and Nathan chuckled, setting his menu back in the center of the table. He spun his beer glass and slung his other arm over the back of his chair.
“I think we’re all doing better than Andrew,” he quipped.
“Fuck you,” Andrew eloquently added.
Nathan paid him no attention, though. “Businesses are going well. Abditory is doing better than I ever expected. You’ve gotta come back soon.”
“Yeah, we definitely will,” I said. The idea of taking Addison back to the club and spending another night in one of the rooms sounded perfect. Especially now that I was becoming an expert on her pleasure and all the ways she loved to be touched.
“We?” Nathan asked, his surprised smile widening. “Is this the blonde from Halloween night?”
“Yes,” Andrew answered for me. “Except she’s not blonde anymore. She has pink hair, but she’s still seventeen years younger than him.”
“You’re fucking joking,” Nathan scoffed. “I didn’t realize.” God, it had been a while since we’d caught up. Separate lives, separate, busy businesses—we couldn’t manage more than a check-in text most of the time. I felt bad, but we were good enough friends that we just picked up wherever we left off. “What’s her name?”
“A—” Andrew began, but I shot him a look that made him rethink his response.
Looking back at Nathan, I said, “Addison,” and took a sip of my beer.
He nodded with his eyebrows raised like he was both impressed and shocked. “It’s been a while since you’ve been in a relationship. Wait, is this official? Have you hadthetalk?”
Taking another long, much-needed sip of my beer, I felt Andrew’s eyes boring into the side of my face. He dropped his menu and was suddenly very interested in our conversation. I’d told my brother a lot about me and Addison, but I hadn’t shared our most recent revelations.
Setting the glass back down on the wood, high-top table, I nodded. “Yeah, we had the talk. Boyfriend and girlfriend feels a little juvenile, but that’s what it is.”
Nathan and Andrew traded shocked glances then whooped.Nathan leaned over and smacked my shoulder while Andrew threw me in a headlock, ruffling my hair.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered, shoving my brother away and elbowing him in the side. My reaction didn’t lessen his elation, though.
“I’m sorry,” Andrew laughed. “But I’m just so proud of my big brother.” Although he sounded like he was joking, I could see in his eyes the honesty and truth in his statement.
“Do you have a picture of her? I need to put a face to a name. Halloween night, opening night, was a long time ago and a little hectic, so I don’t entirely remember. Except for the blonde hair.”
Knowing I wouldn’t get away with lying, I flashed him my phone lock screen.
“Holy shit, thisisserious,” Nathan exclaimed. He grabbed my phone from my hand and peered down at the photo.
It was one I’d taken last week when we’d finally had that movie night we’d been talking about. She was cuddled up on my couch, a blanket wrapped around her, and a bucket of popcorn in her hands. She’d just looked so fucking adorable, I had to capture the moment. She’d smiled over at me when I’d asked, producing a picture that made me so fucking happy every time I saw it.
Andrew held his hand out for my phone, and Nathan gave it to him quickly.
