Page 74 of Release Me

Tracy lets out a soft laugh from the other couch as Brandon’s jaw drops, his glass paused halfway to his mouth. “Oh man, she’s good,” he says, turning to me. “Like really good.”

With a grin, I pull Zoey closer to me. “No, she’s amazing,” I tell him.

Brandon takes a sip of his drink, nodding. “Yeah, well you should, you know…” he trails off, hitting me with a pointed look that I know is in regard to our earlier conversation in the kitchen, before he turns back to Zoey. “Thank you, Zoey, we seriously couldn’t have done this without you.”

She lifts a shoulder in a shrug. “You’re welcome,” she says. “But you should really consider what I said about the signage. It’s a smart move.”

Brandon laughs now, nodding as he glances at me. “You’ve taught her well,” he teases, before continuing. “You have any pictures of this place, so I can see what we’re working with?”

Zoey nods, just as Tracy holds up a hand and says, “Whoa, no! No more work talk! At least not until after dinner. Besides, you’ll have plenty of time for that stuff later if…well, can I tell them, babe?” she asks, turning to Brandon.

“Sure,” he says with a grin.

Tracy turns back to us, a huge smile on her face as she says, “We bought a house in Tahoe!”

Zoey lets out a squeal as she holds her glass up in celebration. Laughing I turn to Brandon, a questioning look on my face because I only looked at that house for him a couple of weeks ago and it was supposed to be a secret.

Brandon chuckles, shrugging as he says, “I couldn’t wait. Trace was already scoping places online, so when you said this place was good, I sent it to her and asked what she thought.”

“I loved it!” Tracy says, pulling her phone from her bag. “Have you seen it?” she now asks Zoey.

Zoey shakes her head, moving to the other couch to sit beside Tracy as she pulls up the house on her phone. I turn to Brandon who’s smiling as he jerks a thumb toward the outdoor barbecue area and says, “Should we start grilling?”

I nod, standing from the couch even though I know this is just an excuse for him to question me about Zoey some more. After I top up Tracy and Zoey’s glasses, Brandon and I head outside with the ribeye steaks, grabbing a couple of beers from the built-in bar fridge.

“So, what do you think about keeping the signage?” I ask, as I turn on the grill. “It’s actually pretty cool, very retro and—”

“Yeah, nah, we’re not talking work right now,” Brandon says with a laugh. “I think we need to talk about you and Zoey and how fucking perfect you two are together.”

I smile, shaking my head a little at his directness. I shouldn’t be surprised, he’s always been like this, ever since high school. “Yeah, I know we are,” I say, taking a sip of beer.

“It’s been going on for a bit now. You still keeping things quiet?” he asks, leaning back against the counter as we wait for the grill to heat.

I nod. “We are. I want to make sure it’s right for her,” I say. “She’s all that matters to me, and I don’t want her getting any shit at work, especially with this new deal we’ve got happening.”

Brandon chuckles. “Yeah, I can see that,” he says. “Not sure I’ve ever seen you like this before.”

Now it’s me laughing. “That’s because I’ve never felt like this before,” I admit.

“So youdolove her?” he asks, finally bringing up the question I didn’t answer earlier.

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I realize the admission I’m about to make out loud. It’s not even to the person who matters the most, but it still feels huge just saying it. “Yeah, I do,” I confirm. “Very much.”

Brandon smiles, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Cool, that’s really cool. And for the record, Zoey is amazing and it’s really good to see you so happy.”

“Thanks,” I say, smiling over at him as I throw the steaks on to cook, the meat sizzling on the heat.

“Which sorta makes what I’m about to say suck a little,” he now says, scrunching up his nose.

“What is it?” I ask, having no clue what Brandon could possibly say that could ruin any of this, not with me and Zo, not with he and I being partners again and now with them buying a house in Tahoe.

“Declan knows about this,” he says, gesturing between us, his teeth clenched.

“Ah, fuck, really? How’d he find out?”

Brandon shakes his head. “I legit have no idea, Ethan. It certainly didn’t come from me or Tracy,” he says. “I promise you on that.” He gives me an apologetic look as he continues. “I’m sorry, I know it’s probably the last thing you wanted him to know about, especially given—”

“Don’t worry about it, honestly,” I say, waving a hand in dismissal. “You know I don’t give a shit about that and he was bound to find out sooner or later.”

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