Page 40 of The Way We Are

“Doesn’t make a difference,” Brax replies, his voice straight-up honest. “I love Savannah. She's a great girl. But she can’t keep both of you going at once. She has to pick, Ryan. You need to make her pick.”

“What if she chooses him?” I ask before I can stop my words, expressing the true reason I haven’t forced her to be upfront about her relationship with Axel.

Brax stares straight into my eyes before saying, “Then she's a fucking idiot.” He drags his eyes over my head, taking in my recently trimmed hair and shaved chin. “You don’t have two nickels to rub together, and you’ll most likely be bald by the time you're forty, but you’re gonna make something of yourself. I just know it. Despite your dad’s best efforts, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. Savannah knows this; she’s just too scared to admit it.”

The chance to reply to his unexpected praise is thrown out the window when the rusty hinges of my truck give out a squeak. Chris demands that Brax slide over with a jerk of his chin before he climbs inside.

“I’m not riding bitch,” Brax complains, clambering over Chris’s jean-covered thighs. “You sit in the middle. You want to get between us; well, here’s your shot.”

Chris slides into the middle seat without protest, proving Brax’s assumption is spot on. Laughing at his middle child antics despite being the oldest of his family, I pull my truck away from the curb and start our twenty-minute trip to Justine’s house, praying I’ll leave her party with more than just fond memories.

17

Ryan

“Do I look alright?”

Chris shoots me a suspicious stare before his eyes drift to Brax, who is fiddling with the collar of his shirt. He is wearing his favorite getup, a pair of light blue jeans, short-sleeve Henley shirt, and black boots. His face, which is generally hidden by a few days of scruff, is void of a single hair, and his wavy brown locks have been pulled into a low ponytail. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear he was dressed to impress.

“Justine,” I murmur under my breath, recalling their flirty behavior earlier today. “I thought you didn’t do relationships?”

Brax stops dead in his tracks. “Who the fuck said anything about a relationship?” he asks, mortified.

A bunch of college students skirt past us on the sidewalk before continuing their trek to Justine’s family home. With Justine’s party being hosted by her older brothers, the guest list is in the hundreds, meaning I not only had to park four blocks over, but the chances of getting Savannah alone for a minute will be virtually impossible. Justine’s house is impressive but will still have a hard time handling the stream of teens heading its way.

“The shaved chin, slicked-back hair. You’ve got relationship written all over your face,” Chris stirs, messing Brax’s hair with his knuckles.

Chris isn’t even five feet away from us when Brax jumps on his back to return the favor. “The only relationship I’m looking for is one that gets my dick nice and hard.”

“Don’t mention cocks while yours is rubbing my back. Get the fuck off me,” Chris demands, his horrified tone causing me to laugh.

By the time Brax finishes teasing his hair, Chris looks like he stuck his finger in a power socket. His mousy brown hair shoots in all directions, adding to the wild gleam in his eyes.

“Do you really think Justine is the type of girl to put out without a ring on her finger?” I ask Brax while Chris works on flattening his hair with his hand.

Brax continues strolling down the sidewalk. “Who knows? But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna try.” His eyes drift to me. “Someone ought to get some benefit from all the effort you’ve been putting in the past three weeks.”

“I’m not spending time with Savannah just to get in her panties.” I grit my teeth, loathing that my voice dipped at the mentioning of Savannah’s undergarments. “I like her.”A lot.

Chris glares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “So if given the chance to get into her panties tonight, you’d knock her back?”

“I didn’t say that. I just don’t see it being a possibility.”Not while she's with him.

I grow concerned I said my last sentence out loud when I’m subjected to worried looks from both Brax and Chris. With their focus on me instead of where they’re walking, they stumble into a group of giggling seniors taking selfies in the driveway of Justine’s house.

Instead of the accidental collision being handled with angry sneers and inappropriate words, it's an opener for batting eyelashes and flirty smiles. Anyone would swear they were members of a famous pop group from the girls’ excited response to their arrival.

Happy to leave them with the impressive ratio of four females to one male, I head for the front door of Justine’s residence. “I’m going to find Savannah. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

Brax raises his hand in the air, acknowledging he heard me. Chris is too busy sucking face with a random blonde to reply.

I’m granted access to the already swinging party by a jerk of Landon’s chin. Landon is one of Justine’s many brothers. I think he's brother number three, but don’t quote me on it. Although they are well-known around our parts, the Walsh boys are a few years older than me, so I’ve never paid much attention to their birth order.

“Have you seen Savannah?” I ask Landon after greeting him with a man hug. I keep my tone disinterested, confident his protectiveness of Savannah hasn’t waned over the years.

Savannah doesn’t have a drop of Walsh blood in her veins, but that hasn’t stopped Justine’s brothers from treating her like their little sister. Although annoyed at their line of questioning when I picked up Savannah for our primary school prom years ago, I took their interrogation in my stride.

I’m more than capable of taking care of Savannah without their help. I’m just glad their big brother vibe is so strong, I don’t see them as competition. They look at Savannah the same way they look at Justine—thank fuck.Savannah already has a boyfriend—I don’t need more competition.

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