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“So you admit you liked it even though you stormed off in righteous indignation,” I say, hearing the smile in my voice.
“Of course I did.” I can practically hear her rolling her eyes through the line. “And then you had to go and be all sweet and sexy and . . . well, you only have yourself to blame for me going mushy on you.”
My heart squeezes. “I’ll take a mushy Brynn as long as I still get the feisty one.”
“You can have any side of me you want.”
I arch a brow and laugh. “Is that a promise?”
“Depends. At least come for dinner tonight. My parents love you, so you know they won’t mind.”
I groan, knowing she won’t let up until I accept. “I know they won’tmind, but they’d probably like some time with just you and Teagan before I come barging in. Your sisters probably want to hang with you, too.”
I’ve been inserting myself into their family for years, so I’m not sure why the idea of doing so now feels like an intrusion, but it does.
Maybe because you’re banging Brynn and keeping it from them?
“It’s not like that, and you know it,” Brynn says.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, unsure.
“Besides,Iwant you here. Doesn’t that count for something? Come for me if not for yourself.Please?”
I sigh and bring a hand up to the tight spot in my chest because I can’t resist a pleading Brynn. “Okay. I’ll come for dinner and then we’ll see.” I hang up after promising I’ll be over in an hour and exhale a lungful of air.
Ready or not, it’s time to face Teagan. I only hope I can look him in the eye, knowing I’m lying straight to his face.
CHAPTER 33
JACE
The minute I pullinto the Nichols’ driveway, my phone pings.
BRYNN: Hurry up and get in here! I wanted to run to greet you at the car, but I thought that might be suspect.
I chuckle under my breath, then step out of my car with a groan.
Pretending this girl doesn't completely own me in every way is going to be the death of me.
I head toward the side of the house where I usually enter without knocking, but I find myself pausing by the door, struck with a stab of awkwardness.
Just because Brynn and I are hiding our relationship doesn’t mean I need to feel weird around the Nichols now.
Shoving it aside, I enter to the scent of whatever Nikki is cooking, and kick off my shoes on the worn rug in the mudroom.The Nichols’ home is smaller than mine, and infinitely homier, with framed family photos gracing nearly every wall, fluffy mismatched pillows on the couches in the living room, soft throw blankets, and scrapes on the wooden floors, probably a result of lots of rough and tumbling when we were kids. If Nikki is at home, there’s guaranteed to be a candle burning on the chunky coffee table, and more often than not, music’s playing when some sort of sporting event isn’t on the television. Homemade cookies or baked treats are almost always pushed on you the moment you walk through the door. It’s all of these things and more that I love so much about being here, and as I move past the washer and dryer and walk through the big barn slider door into the kitchen, it dawns on me just how much I’ve missed it.
Brynn’s wide smile is the first thing I see when I enter the brightly lit kitchen and I match it with one of my own before my gaze shifts to find Teagan, one brow raised as he glances between us. “Hey, man, I thought you said you weren’t coming?” He heads for me and claps me on the back.
“What’s up, man?” I tilt my chin. “It’s been a while,” I say, trying to tell my racing heart to calm the fuck down. I didn’t even think about the fact Teagan wasn’t expecting me before I rushed over here. Normally, I would’ve texted him first. “Uh, yeah.” I shrug, trying to act natural. “You know my folks.”
“Ah, Elizabeth and Donald strike again, huh? Where they off to this time? Belize? Santorini? The Galapagos?”
“Teagan,” Brynn scolds.
My gaze darts to her at the same time Teagan’s brow creases, and butterflies swarm my chest. Defending me is not something old Brynn would do.
“Worse,” I say with a roll of the eyes, then worry I’m trying too hard. “Denmark. Like they haven’t been there before.”
Teagan grunts.
