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“Careful, baby girl,” he says, gently scooping her up. “You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”
“I’m a fast recover-er,” she announces, throwing her arms around him.
Dan grins. “I can see that.”
“Are you gonna eat Dad’s pizza?”
Dan glances over at Stefan, mulish expression in place. “Yeah,” he mutters.
“I helped make it.”
Dan—my big, annoying, giant of a brother—chills, face softening as he carefully maneuvers Rox to his shoulders and takes off for the kitchen. “Well then, I’m definitely going to eat that pizza. I bet it’s extra delicious because you helped.”
“I put lots and lots of pineapple.”
Dan freezes, glancing over his shoulder at me, brows lifted.
“Not my fault,” I tell her. “Blame…” I name a famous YouTuber whose recipes Rox loves to try out.
He makes a face, but his tone is even. “Well, it’s a good thing that I love pineapple, isn’t it?”
“Just not on pizza,” Stefan whispers.
I still, tilt my head up, eyes meeting his.
He brushes a hand over my cheek. “We’ll talk later,” he murmurs. A tilt of his head toward the kitchen. “Go be with your brother. I’ll get the guest room ready for him.”
The guest room where he’d been staying.
“You’re going home?” I ask, oddly disappointed.
Fingers sliding into my ponytail, tilting my head back, brushing his mouth over mine.
“No, baby,” he murmurs. “I’m moving back in.”
Thirty-One
Stefan
“Can you grab down the glasses?” Brit asks early the next morning, nodding toward the top shelf of the cabinet.
“How much are you planning on drinking?” I tease, moving close to her and reaching up, snagging the wine glasses down one by one. “Was the bottle you finished off last night not enough?”
While she and Dan, Rox and I all stayed up way too late.
Eating pizza—well, Dan had eaten it anyway, the rest of us had warm cookies that Brit made from some refrigerated dough she threw in the oven.
Drinking—wine for Brit, beer for Dan and me, orange juice with a little sparkling apple cider mixed in for Rox.
Catching up—over kid appropriate board games and then, when Rox had finally passed out and I tucked her back into bed, over a brutal matchup of Ticket to Ride.
Dan was the champion.
We were all slightly buzzed.
And sleep had taken us the moment our heads hit the pillows—or at least it had taken Brit and me.
Now we’re up, Rox and Dan have gone off on an Uncle Adventure, according to the note Brit’s brother had left on the counter.
