Page 25 of All It Takes

ChapterEighteen

WES

“Hey, man,” a voice said from behind me just as a hand clapped my shoulder.

Glancing back, I found Chase Mills, Tiffany’s older brother, behind me in line with his fiancée, Hallie.

“Hey,” I said, my mind immediately flashing to the feel of Tiffany's soft, warm, and bare-naked skin against me. I fiercely kicked those thoughts to the curb. I didnotneed to think about my friend’s little sister right now. Fuck my life. What wasn’t supposed to be complicated was becomingfarmore complicated than I’d anticipated.

I worked with Chase and liked the guy. He was solid, dependable, and just an all-around decent guy. He’d probably kick my fucking ass if he knew what I’d been doing with his sister last night.

I glanced at Hallie with a smile. Her soft brown hair fell in a swingy bob around her shoulders. She lifted her hand, pressing the center of her glasses up on her nose. “Hi, Wes. How are things?”

“Good,” I replied. “How are you?” I could do this. I had good manners and could handle a basic conversation with them. Tiffany’s brotherneverneeded to know what happened.

Chase slid his arm around Hallie’s shoulders. “Pretty good,” she was saying. “The baby keeps us busy.”

“I hear babies do that,” I quipped.

She laughed. “They do. But I get to have coffee now that I’ve had the baby, so that’s a win.”

I chuckled. “I would miss coffee.”

“You’re family now,” Hallie commented next.

“I am?”

Chase flashed an easy grin. “You and Tiffany are taking care of Ross. Family is what you make it.”

Archer Cannon approached with his wife, Phoebe. He heard the tail end of Chase’s comment and grinned. “It is.” Archer glanced at me. “Did you know we were cousins?” He thumbed toward Chase.

“Uh, can’t say I knew that,” I replied.

Chase chuckled. “We are. It’s a long story.”

“You can explain over dinner,” Hallie chimed in.

“Are we planning a dinner?” Phoebe asked. “We can host at our place.”

The next thing I knew, I was invited to dinner with Chase, Hallie, Archer, and Phoebe. Just then, the bell chimed at the café, and Tiffany came walking in with Ross. The second my eyes collided with hers, I felt the force of our connection viscerally, a jolting vibration through my entire system.

Tiffany stopped beside Chase and Hallie. “Hey.” Ross looked amongst the faces. He had already met Chase.

Chase was great, rounding to the other side of him and lifting his hand to give him a high five. “Hey, dude. How’s Nilla?”

Ross smiled. “Good, I think.”

Chase glanced toward me before his eyes bounced to Tiffany. “You should bring them out to our place. Nilla can meet Jasper.”

“Who’s Jasper?” Ross asked.

“My dog,” Chase replied with a grin.

“You have a dog too?” Ross’s eyes widened.

“I do.”

Hallie smiled down at Ross. “He’s technically Chase’s dog, but I love him too.”

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