Page 36 of A Bossy Surprise

Instead of using this day to relax or be productive, I’m in an Uber on my way to talk to Lucas because his highness is finally ready.

He’s been brooding for the past three weeks. Although I think his recent behavior has been absolutely absurd, everyone has told me to give him space. So that’s what I did.

If it were up to me, I would have gone in guns blazing. Anyway, I guess they were right, because he’s the one who reached out to me and invited me over.

The elevator doors slides open and I walk into my brother’s hotel suite.

It’s gorgeous. It has an open floor plan. From where I’m standing, I can see the living area, the dining area, the kitchen, and the bedroom.

Just looking at the peach, white, and brown linen and sheets, I can tell they are of high quality. I’ve never thought of leatheras particularly warm or inviting, but the beige leather couches in the living room look soft, like somewhere I would want to curl up with a book. The dining set on the other hand is huge and imposing with ornately crafted wooden chairs and a dominating table.

The kitchen, where Lucas has his laptop and various papers scattered all over the island, has marble everywhere and top-of-the-line appliances.

I walk over and the sound of my heels against the tile forces my brother to look up from his computer.

He takes off his glasses as I come and stand across the island from him. “Hey, sorry. I was distracted. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“It’s all right.” I place my bag on the island.

“Can I get you something to drink?” He starts to get up.

I stop him with a raised hand. “No, I’m good.”

He settles back into his seat.

I gesture around. “Swanky digs, huh?”

“Yeah, since I’m going to be here for a while, I thought I might as well splurge.”

He chuckles, then we stare at each other.

I’m guessing, like me, Lucas doesn’t know how to jump into why I am actually here. So, I bite the bullet and dive in head-first.

“So, are you done being an asshole about this whole thing?”

He sighs. “I’m not being an asshole. I have a legitimate reason to be upset.”

“Maybe, but you’re taking it overboard. You’re so angry that you’ve been in town for three weeks and haven’t come to see your nephew. Brady overheard me talking to Mom on the phone the other day and heard that you were in town. He can’t understand why you haven’t come to see him.”

Lucas runs a hand down his face. “Yes, I concede that maybe I took it a little too far in that regard, but otherwise, I think my reaction is justified.”

I groan. “Yes, I understand you being upset because your best friend broke a promise, but to be fair, you had no business asking that of him.”

“Kay, do you even remember how he was in high school? Adam was horrible with girls.”

“If that was the case, why were you even his friend?”

Lucas exhales. “He is my best friend, and I believe he really is a great guy, but no one is perfect. His blind spot is women. He’s never known how to treat them. Even now he struggles.”

“I don’t know how true that is, but I really don’t care, and to be honest I’m surprised that you would even force him to promise to stay away from me.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve never been the type of guy to want to curate or police his sisters’ love lives.”

He throws his hands up. “It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with Adam. I don’t care who you hook up with. I never have. The one person I wanted you to steer clear of was Adam, for the reasons I’ve explained.”

“My point is that even if Adam is the antichrist, you should let me make my own decisions.” Lucas begins to speak but I stop him. “I see us going back-and-forth on this. So I’m just going to say what I came here to say. You should put this behind you and move forward. All this drama isn’t doing anyone any favors.”