Page 3 of Just Our Secret

And as he carried the box toward the apartment, I totally didn’t look at the way the sleeves of his white tee stretched around his biceps. Or the way the muscles in his back were visible through the thin fabric. And definitely not the way his butt looked so deliciously tempting in a pair of blue jeans.

Why? Because Wade Baker was my brother’s best friend, making him off-limits. And this time—unlike last time—I was going to remember that.

TWO

WADE

Three hours into IKEA assembly, I’d sworn under my breath no fewer than twenty times to keep Liam from hearing me, and I’d kept my eyes off Andi’s long, tanned legs in her tiny little shorts.

So basically, as I’d joked earlier, I was absolutely qualified to be a superhero’s wingman.

“I’m going to see if I can get this big helper to sleep,” Andi said, holding a nearly passed-out Liam.

I dropped the hex bar I’d been tightening bolts on her bed with and jumped to my feet. Our eyes met, and my stomach did that same shitty swooping thing it always did when her green gaze hit me. I leaned to the side to find Liam blinking slow.

“Night night, Liam. Have good dreams, buddy.” I ruffled his hair just enough to show affection, but not enough to rile him up.

“Night night, Uncle Wade.” There would be no riling for that sleepy fellow.

Andi made a face at me, something that conveyedHe’s so cute it hurts, and I couldn’t help but nod. Liam Taylor was the cutest kid on the planet, bar none. I hadn’t seen him as much as I would’ve liked the last few years thanks to the distance between Grand U and our hometown. Those hours of driving should’ve put enough distance to give me the excuses I needed to get some space and get my act together. But did they?

No. I still ended up in Riverton at least once a month, sometimes more. I hitched rides with Connor or sometimes I went home under the guise of visiting my family too, but I always ended up with them. With sweet Liam, and sweeter Andi.

“I’ll be back in a few,” she whispered.

I nodded and winked.

What the hell?Yeah, I winked. It just… happened. And I couldn’t reverse time, so now I’d apparently become the kind of man who winked at a woman he’d been in lust with for six years and counting.Super.

I dropped back down to the floor to continue assembling the bed. I absolutely would not think about the fact that this was Andi’s bed. We’d put together all of Liam’s stuff first so his room was good to go by bedtime.

And now I was finishing up her bed while Connor set up her TV and other living room stuff. He’d helped with the main frame, but I was alone in here wrapping it up, and I would not think about her in this bed.

But shit, I’d had to keep my mind off Andi in every possible way for years. The quick visits I’d made with Connor to see Liam had done nothing to quell the torch I carried for her.

You’d think when she slept with our former best friend that the fire would’ve been doused, right? No dice. Because Chad had bolted like a jackass, and I’d been left with the undeniable reality that one, Andi had chosen Chad over me, and two, I could nevereverbe with Andi.

Not unless I wanted to lose Connor from my life forever.

And I couldn’t do that. Not for the most gorgeous pair of green eyes I’d ever seen. Not for the legs that’d only gotten more mouthwatering as she moved from fellow teen to woman—our birthdays were only sixteen months apart. And finally, most importantly, not for a heart that straight up sliced me open whenever I got a glimpse of it.

Nope. Because Chad was cut from Connor’s life—from mine, too.

“Thanks for this. I know it’s late.”

Andi’s voice startled me. I nodded in her direction without looking up because she’d see my cheeks burning like she’d caught me staring at her butt. And damn if I hadn’t had a few close calls on that front.

“Sure thing. We knew it’d take a while.” I cranked the screwdriver one last time to tighten the screw, then patted the side of the bed. “I think you’re good to go. Let’s get the mattress on, and you can make it up.”

We slipped the brand-new mattress out of its plastic, then slid it into place on top of a small box spring. She beamed at me and clapped. “It’s so pretty!”

I chuckled. God, she was cute. “Looks good. Sheets?”

“Let me run and grab them.”

I busied myself picking up spare pieces, instructions, and tools and promised myself I’d leave as soon as everything was assembled. I wouldn’t linger tonight, even though being around her felt like lazing by the dock of our favorite lake back home.

“Found them. But hey, you don’t have to help. Go home!”

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