Page 125 of Thoroughly Pucked

On that life lesson, I head out to meet my brother for dinner.

53

FAIRY GODBROTHER

Aubrey

The second Garrett arrives at the table, he sweeps his shrewd gaze to the left, then to the right, then to his watch. “Is there a warp in the time-space continuum?”

“Oh, shut up. I’m not normally late,” I say, patting the chair so he can sit down.

“But I’m always early,” he says. “Never have I ever arrived after you.”

This won’t be the only surprise he gets from me tonight. “Well, I plan to keep you on your toes,” I say.

He motions for me to stand, then wraps his arms around me. It’s nice, his brotherly hug. I’ve come to rely on it my whole entire life.

Garrett’s dependable, trustworthy, and good.

And as he hugs me, Iknow—I just know—that he won’t be the wrench in my love story.

But I still need to give him the news.

When he sits, he’s first to speak, older brother style and all. “Listen, I’ve got to head to New York tomorrow to work on some sponsorship deals. And I’ve got some VIP tickets to the Renegades game this weekend that I can’t use.”

“Say less,” I say, since I love football.

He’s laughing already. “I didn’t even offer them to you yet.”

I rub my fingers together. “But you were going to.”

Grinning, he drags a hand through his hair. “Fine, fine. Maybe I was.”

“You love me best,” I say with a sweet little sister smile.

He gives me a stern glare. “Don’t tell Claire.”

“I don’t have to. It’s obvious,” I say, but what’s obvious, too, is that if life is all about moments, I need to take this one, and I need to do it now before we become too comfortable with the teasing and the talking.

I asked my brother to dinner for a reason. Yes, I made a pact with the guys on our honeymoon. That pact was to keep our honeymoon times private, and I plan to stick to that.

Still, here goes. “I want to date your friends,” I say.

There. It’s that simple.

Garrett blinks. Several times. A line digs into his brow. He tilts his head. “I’m sorry. What?”

“Ledger and Dev,” I add, keeping my shoulders straight, my gaze locked on his.

He’s quiet, his lips parting like he’s trying to speak, but he’s a fish and no words come.

Which means it’s still my turn. Briefly, I flash backto some of the novels we’ve read in book club—romances where the heroines have to say the hard thing. That’s my life lesson I have to keep learning.

“I kind of fell for both of them,” I continue, and it’s not truly hard to say this. Itisnecessary. “And I want to see what’s there.”

“With both?” he repeats.

This isn’t a new concept to him. He lives in a city that’s home to a hell of a lot of sports throuples. But sometimes people need to adjust in their own time.

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