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Fucking Greer. My dramatic little sister. She really does need some discipline. What she did to Austin, though, is fucking hilarious. He can be overbearing and unreasonable, and Greer isn’t the type to lie down and take it without a fight. And she always lets you know when you’ve pissed her off.
“I’ll talk to her,” I say.
He shakes his head. “Don’t bother. She’ll get over it. It’s not the first time I’ve pissed her off, and it won’t be the last. She’s a fucking brat, though. Needs her ass paddled.”
I raise an eyebrow and smirk. “Then maybe you should paddle it.”
A wrench falls from Austin’s hand with a loud clank as it lands on the floor. He spins around to look at me. His eyebrows are so high they’re nearly touching his hairline. It’s comical, actually. Boy, I’m enjoying today.
“Why do you look so surprised? I agree with you. She needs some discipline. I’m her brother, I can’t do it. So maybe you should. Bare her ass and turn it cherry red.”
His mouth opens, then closes, then opens again. It’s taking a lot of fucking strength not to laugh right now.
“I can’t just spank her, Dane.”
I lift a shoulder. “Of course not. You give her a warning first, so she knows if she’s naughty again she’s going to be in trouble. You’re a Daddy. You know the drill. She knows to use a safeword if she wants it to stop.”
It almost looks like he’s relieved. Like having my permission settles something inside him.
“You won’t be pissed at me?” he finally asks.
A loud laugh rumbles from my chest as I walk over to slap him on the back. “Are you kidding me? I’ll buy you a beer. I know you care for her, and you’d never hurt her. Maybe some discipline is what she needs. It might help her with her depression and anxiety.”
“I’ll think about it,” he murmurs.
“Sounds good. Hey, listen, I’m going to take the next few days off. Think you can handle the garage alone for the rest of the week?”
Austin nods. “Of course. What’s going on with you?”
“I need to spend some time with Summer and see if we can get her mom to see some specialists.”
“Right. Sure. Helping out a friend. I get it.” He’s smug as hell, and I kind of want to punch him.
“She’s more than a friend,” I admit.
His smirk turns into a genuine grin, and he slaps me on the back this time. “It’s about time, Dane. Can’t deny it any longer, huh?”
Warmth spreads from my heart through my entire body. No. I can’t deny what I feel for her any longer. I did it once, and I’ve regretted it for two decades. I’ll always hate myself a little for robbing us of all that time together, but I won’t do it anymore. She’s mine. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make it work between us.
17
SUMMER
“Summer, can you open this?”
I look up from the sink of dishes I’m doing and smile. “Of course, Mom.”
She leans against the counter and watches as I open the jar of olives she handed me.
It’s been a good day. There have been moments of forgetfulness, but she’s remembered who I am since we sat down for lunch. I think part of it is because of Dane and the way he took care of me last night, but I feel so much lighter. Like a major weight has been lifted.
He’s texted me multiple times throughout the day to check on me and told me he’ll come over when he gets off work. We haven’t made any plans other than that, but I can hardly wait until I can be in his arms again.
“What would you like for dinner tonight, Mom? I can make your favorite. Chicken Alfredo.”
Her eyes light up, and she pops an olive in her mouth. Watching her eat them feels nostalgic. They were always her favorite snack.
“With extra cheese?” she asks.
