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“I couldn’t agree more.” I heard someone call my name, and I sighed. “Until then, I guess we should pay attention to the guests.”
She grinned. “Most of them anyway.”
I kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m going to go get something to drink and talk to Arella for a second.”
“I would join you, but I need to take a bathroom break.” She kissed my chin then released me. “Go talk to the hottie actress girl. I’ll see you in a few.”
I watched her head for our room before forcing myself to move. I didn’t see Arella anywhere and figured she was in the kitchen. Which was where Cannon had disappeared with Smith. Clenching my jaw, I worked my way through the crowd and into the kitchen.
As I entered, I heard Arella laugh and found her leaning against the counter by the fridge with a plate in her hand. Cannon stood in front of her, flirting like always when it came to either of the older two Stevenson sisters. Palmer and Smith were standing at the kitchen island talking, but I saw Palmer shooting Cannon a glare even as she spoke to the drummer.
Even though Palmer wasn’t out, I suspected she was a lesbian and that she was in love with Arella. But I knew my little cousin wasn’t into girls. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Arella was half in love with my sister’s best friend. Jordan could deny it all he wanted, but Mia and I both knew he was more than a little in love with Arella too.
“Ah, there’s the man of the hour,” Arella said when she spotted me. Contriteness crossed her face. “Sorry if I interrupted something when I got here. Things seemed a little tense. Is Shaw pissed at you?”
“You didn’t interrupt. And thankfully, Shaw isn’t upset.” Whether or not she stayed that way was still to be determined. When I reached Arella, I took hold of her elbow and guided her away from Cannon. I didn’t want him around any of the women I loved, and that included all of my female cousins.
Bending my head, I kissed her cheek then whispered close to her ear so only she could hear me. “Do me a solid. I need to talk to this asshole and don’t want Shaw to get pissed at me. Think you can clear this room and then keep my girl entertained while I deal with her brother?”
Her blue-gray gaze went back to Cannon, who was standing where he’d been when I’d walked in, before nodding. “No problem.” She headed for the door. “Palmer, Smith. Keep me company while I speak to my sister.”
Palmer didn’t even hesitate to follow, but when Smith opened his mouth to argue, I shot him a look to listen to the pretty girl. Snapping his mouth shut, he grabbed his plate and rushed after them.
I waited until the door swung shut behind them before turning back to the guy who’d saved my ass but still had the power to make all my dreams come crashing down around my head.
“Thank you for not saying anything earlier,” I gritted out.
“Dude, you looked like you were about to have a heart attack. I was kind of worried you were going to die then and there.” He laughed and lifted his soda to take a thirsty drink. “I didn’t want Little Em to see her uncle bite the dust. It would scar the poor kid for life.”
I scrubbed my hands through my hair. “I might have if Shaw found out about Dana.” I turned pleading eyes on him. “She can’t know. Things are finally going in the right direction with us.”
His brows pulled together. “So, don’t tell her.”
“Does that mean you won’t tell her either?” On the inside, I was mentally begging, Gods, please don’t tell her. Don’t ruin the happiness I have with Shaw.
He leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. His blue eyes, so like his sister’s, assessed me for a few moments, as if he could see that I was clawing at the walls of my sanity, scared that he was going to fuck up my relationship with Shaw. After a while, he grinned. “Depends.”
Fuck. I should have known his silence would come at a price. “On what?”
“This place is pretty big. Reminds me of all those times we talked about getting an apartment together. If I remember correctly, there is a second bedroom that isn’t much smaller than the master. Has its own bathroom and everything.”
“No fucking way,” I growled. Not only did I not want to be that close to this asshole, but Shaw would lose her shit if Cannon moved in here. I’d already promised her that his being back wouldn’t change anything between us. If he became my roommate, it might mess up everything.
He shrugged. “Huh. Well, I guess if I’m living at my parents’, I might let it slip about sweet, juicy Dana. Damn, she was something else, wasn’t she? Had the tightest ass—”
“Okay,” I exploded, then sucked in a calming breath. “Just keep your fucking mouth shut, and you can have the extra bedroom.”
He laughed and rubbed his hands together. “Perfect. I’ll just go get my shit.”
“Not so fast.” I grabbed his arm when he would have walked past me, stopping him from leaving. “You can move in, but not tonight. Give me a few days to tell Shaw. She’s going to be pissed enough at me. If you move in tonight, she won’t understand.”
He rolled his eyes. “Big deal. She’s always pissed about something. Girl has constant PMS or some shit.”
“Shut the fuck up!” I snarled at him. “You’re not going to speak to or about her like that. Just because you’re going to be living here doesn’t mean you and I are friends again. And I sure as hell won’t stand by and let you treat her like that.”
He jerked his arm out of my hold. “Her being pissed isn’t my problem. But whatever, man. I’ll wait and move in on Monday.” He smirked. “Make sure and get me an extra key made. See ya later, fucker.”
As he walked away, I stabbed my fingers through my hair and muttered a curse. I didn’t know how I was going to explain this to Shaw without upsetting her, but I had to find a way.
