Page 26 of When We Breathe
“You okay, little one?” he asks me.
“I’m great, just missed you.” I squeeze him once more and pull away from him. “I haven’t seen you in a bit.”
“Only a couple of weeks, but we’re having dinner tomorrow night at our place. You’ll come.”
“Family dinner on a Tuesday?” I ask.
“It’s when Charlie’s available,” Millie says. Makes sense. Our baby sister is the most sought-after wedding planner in the county, and we’re in the heart of wedding season.
“Ah, gotcha.” I nod and gratefully accept the iced coffee from Millie and take a sip. “No one makes better coffee thanyou do.”
“Duh.” Millie winks at me. “What are you up to today?”
“I thought I’d set up a workstation in here or next door in the bookstore for the morning. I just dropped my car off to Brooks.”
“What’s wrong with your car?” Holden wants to know.
“Who knows? That’s why I dropped it off.” I smirk when Holden tugs on my hair.
“You’re not too old for me to spank.”
“You’ve never laid a hand on me in my life,” I remind him, and his blue eyes fill with love as he smiles at me. “What can I bring to dinner tomorrow night?”
“Oh, do you want to make your baked beans?” Millie asks. “They’re thebest.”
It’s my mom’s recipe. I found it in the box of all of her recipes that I rescued from our childhood home before Holden burned it to the ground.
Best thing he ever did.
“Sure, I can do that. Anything else?”
“Just yourself.”
The door opens behind me, and a rush of tourists walks in. That’s my cue to move on.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night then,” I reply, hitching my bag on my shoulder. Millie moves to greet her customers, and Holden follows me toward the opening that leads to the bookstore.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asks me.
“I’m great.”I’m so not going to tell you that I had the best sex of my life with two men this weekend, big brother.“It’s just hot as fuck outside, and I hate summer. Aside from that, all is well. How are you?”
“It doesn’t matter?—”
“Stop that.” I roll my eyes, and Holden lifts an eyebrow. “It matters how you are, Holden. I’m not six. I love you, you’re one of my very best friends, and I want to know how you are.”
“I’m great,” he says. “Do you need anything? I’ll pay for your car to get fixed.”
I shake my head. “I’m fine. I don’t need anything.”
No way in hell will I tell him that my apartment is too hot. He’d make me move in with him and Millie, and as much as I love them, that’s a hard pass for me.
“Call me if anything comes up,” he says.
“Always.”
He kisses my forehead, and I walk into the bookstore, where it’s quieter. I’m shocked when I see Billie working today.
“Why are you here?” I demand as I walk to the counter where she’s typing away on her computer.
