Page 2 of Just Our Secret

“Done.”

“What’s this about a thirty rack?” Wade asked, dropping the truck’s ramp on the ground at his feet.

“That’s what Andi’s paying me to put together her furniture after we unload. You want in?” Connor asked him.

Wade turned his blue eyes on me and the corner of his mouth quirked up. “I don’t know, I might have a busy night ahead of me.”

“What are you doing?” Liam asked.

“Oh, you know,” Wade said, stooping and putting his hands on his knees so he was at Liam’s level, “I have to be free unless the Bat Phone rings.”

Liam’s eyes bulged. “The Bat Phone?”

“Yeah, you know, the special phone that rings when Batman needs my help saving the day. You don’t have a Bat Phone?”

“No,” Liam said, shaking his head. “But I want one.”

“You do? Well, we can probably arrange that.” Wade stood and pointed at me. “You know how to get one for him right?”

I widened my eyes at Wade, hating that he put me on the spot without telling me what the right answer was. “Uh, totally. I’ll put it on your Christmas list, buddy.”

“Sweet!” That was always enough for Liam, and he ran up to Connor and started telling him all about what else was on his Christmas list. It was a long list, most of which he’d hopefully forget about by the time the holidays came around, but it was a great way to say no to things without actually saying no.

Wade and I stood there, him with his hands jammed in the pockets of his jeans and me fidgeting with the rings on my right hand. Finally, he gave me a tight smile. “I was just kidding, by the way.”

“About what?”

“Not helping Connor build the furniture. I’ll help. But I am on call tonight, so I’ll skip the beer.”

I swallowed. “Cool, thanks.”

“So, you ready for the big time?”

“The big time?”

“Yeah, you know.” He shrugged. “Going to Grand U. Having your own place for the first time.”

“Oh, right.”

I’d been going to community college while living at home with my parents—and Liam—for the last two years, and now it was time for me to join my big brother at Grand University. We grew up about an hour away from here, so the change in schools had also made for a change in residence. It really would be the first time Liam and I were on our own, so yeah, I guessed it really was the big time.

“Thank you again for helping,” I said, gesturing to the moving truck.

“No sweat. I’m happy for you guys.”

My heart squeezed in my chest as I registered the total sincerity behind his eyes. He really was happy for us. Wade had always been Connor’s sweetest friend. He was a great pseudo-uncle to Liam and a friend to our family. And the Bat Phone was actually a real thing for him because he was a firefighter, currently taking classes at Grand University to get his Bachelor’s in Fire Science so he could move up the ranks. As if all of that wasn’t enough, he was also hot as hell with his strong jaw and dark brown hair that contrasted so nicely with his bright-blue eyes. Basically, he was perfect. The total opposite of the former third leg of their best friend tripod, Chad.

And yet, even though I’d always known that, I still slept with Chad when I was sixteen and wound up pregnant with Liam. A fact that broke up the lifelong friendship between the three of them since Chad bailed on me the moment he heard the news. He hadn’t even pretended to consider being a stand-up guy, which was a line in the sand as far as my brother was concerned. And four years later, Connor still wasn’t over it because Chad still wasn’t around.

“Thanks, Wade,” I said. Then shook my head to clear it, turning to where Liam and Connor were taking light things out of the back of the truck. “Good helping, bud! You’re so strong!”

“Thank you,” Connor shot back at me with a cheesy grin.

“She was talking to me, Uncle Connor,” Liam said with a roll of his big brown eyes.

“Oh, my bad.” My brother pouted and hung his head, then turned to Wade. “Here, I’m gonna pass you some of the bigger stuff. Let’s get this unloaded. The number of Ikea boxes in here is scaring me.”

“Sure thing,” Wade said with a laugh, taking the box Connor passed down to him.

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