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Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “He looks like a kid not getting to eat dessert when he loses.”
All of us laugh. “You’ve got that right.”
“Are you talking about dessert?” Nolan pipes up from behind me, which makes us laugh harder. He frowns. “What? What are you laughing at?”
Matthew slaps him on the shoulder, moving our little circle further into the living room. “Nothing, little brother. Don’t worry about it.”
“I fucking hate it when you guys do that. Why am I the one who’s always left out?” Nolan gripes.
“Because you’re the baby. You got away with so much shit we never would’ve gotten away with. We have to make sure you remember your place every now and then,” Adam says.
“Assholes,” he grumbles.
We pile into the living room as Sara and Ben join us. Natalie comes waddling in, as well, with Noah behind her, carrying a water glass as carefully as his six-year-old hands can.
When she sits down, Noah sets the glass next to her. “Do you need anything else, Mommy?”
Natalie rubs her very pregnant belly and gives Noah a soft smile. “No, darling boy. Thank you.”
“Okay, I’m gonna help Grandma in the kitchen.” He turns and runs back the way he came.
“How you feelin’, Mama?” Sara reaches out to rub Natalie’s belly. She’s due in August, and the whole family is overjoyed about it. I can’t wait to have another little nephew to spoil.
“Large, swollen, and totally pampered by my boys.” Her smile is wide and happy.
“Sam and Tucker on shift today?” Adam asks.
Natalie and I both nod. I’m still finding it strange that I’m dating someone my family has met in the capacity of my boyfriend. I also wish he could be here for dinner, which is even stranger.
I pull out my phone because not only am I dying to tell him about my conversation with Nolan, but I’m also missing him.
Me
Nolan just asked me how he could tell if he was bisexual.
I tuck my phone away, not expecting an answer right away. Matthew and Adam are asking Ben about his foundation to help people in need with their pet’s medical bills. Ben and Sara run the Sonoma Animal Clinic together. Ben is a veterinarian, and Sara is a vet tech.
“Things have been good. I’m going to need someone to run the foundation for me soon. The amount of paperwork is starting to get overwhelming.”
“I could help if you want,” Tilly says in a quiet voice.
“Really? It’s not complicated, and honestly, I don’t think it would be forever. Just until we can catch back up again.” Sara grins at Tilly.
“It would be nice to have something to do instead of moping around Matthew’s house.” Tilly shrugs as if her moping is something silly.
“I might kiss you, Tills. Thank you! We can chat next week if you want.” Sara bounces with excitement.
“Back off. She’s mine.” Matthew wraps his arm around her shoulder and kisses her temple. Tilly laughs, but then she snuggles deeper into Matthew’s hold. I wonder if Matthew read something in her body language and knew she needed an out.
“Any updates on the break-in, Carter?” Adam asks.
I shake my head. “Unfortunately not. My security guys got everything set up yesterday, so I’m back in my house now. It’s some high-tech shit, too.”
“Good. Let’s hope it’s a deterrent in case the assholes decide to come back.”
I’m still working on getting all my stuff replaced. Of course, I made sure my office was back up and running first thing. I couldn’t really afford to take the time off, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I’m back now and more determined to get back to my regular work days. I decided I wasn’t going to throw myself into finding out why the database was so wrong in the first place. If I’ve got extra time, I’ll work on it, but I’d rather spend my time with Sam instead of killing myself on a project only I care about.
“Okay, kids! Come gather ‘round the table. Dinner is ready,” Mom shouts from the dining room.
