“I didn’t choose this!”
“You didn’t exactly say no, either!”
Elijah, without turning around, calls over his shoulder, “If you two are quite finished whisper-fighting, we need shallots.”
I blink. “Shallots?”
Elijah signs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fuck. Save me from these grown men who probably microwave toast.”
Levi grins. “You’re doing the Lord’s work, Elijah.”
Elijah waves him off. “I know. I’m basically a saint.” Then, with a smirk, he glances over his shoulder at me. “Are your brothers hot?”
I choke. “Excuse me?” I ask at the same time Levi nods his head aggressively.
“If I’m cooking an emotional support meal, the least you can do is provide eye candy and gossip,” he says, tossing a container of rosemary into the cart. “Single? Taken? Give me the rundown.”
I glare at him. “Does insufferable count?”
Levi, looking far too amused by all of this: “You’ll get something out of it, alright.”
Elijah wiggles his eyebrows. “Intriguing.”
I drag a hand down my face. “This was a mistake.”
“Please,” Elijah snaps, passing potatoes one by one to Levi to bag. “You accepted my help because you know I can salvage this disaster.” He levels me with a look. “Which means, deep down, you know this dinner is important.”
I roll my shoulders, swallowing down the truth in that.
Brothers I haven’t seen in decades are suddenly here. The Fates have dangled the alleged loophole in front of them. And now my carefully constructed world, the one I’ve only just started to feel like is mine, threatens to shift beneath my feet.
Elijah, either oblivious or spectacularly indifferent to my existential dread, points toward the checkout. “Alright, Funeral Guy, buck up. Your mysterious, angst-ridden family awaits. Let’s see if we can keep tonight from becomingStonevale Herald’s morning headline.”
I glare at Levi.
He just shrugs. “I mean…he’s not wrong.”
29
Levi
Elijah’s eyes arelocked shamelessly on Zane like he’s stumbled onto a priceless work of art casually lounging in my living room. “This feels illegal,” he declares dramatically, waving his wineglass in Zane’s general direction. “Is there some hotline I should be calling? Because someone clearly broke the laws of nature here.”
Zane, to his credit, looks absolutely delighted. He leans an elbow on the counter, his lips quirking. “If admiring me is a crime, I promise I won’t press charges.”
Elijah visibly blushes, sipping his wine like he’s contemplatingmanythings. “So, uh…how long exactly are you in town for?”
Dominic strolls out from the bathroom, wineglass in hand, catching Elijah mid-ogle. “Elijah, if you’re openly thirsting,” he says, letting out a delighted sigh, “at least invite me. Manners, babe.”
I groan.
Dominic ignores me, his eyes raking over Zane’s effortless charm, then Porter’s intricate sleeve tattoo, practically stroking itwith his eyes. “What exactly is happening here? Three devastatingly attractive brothers…andall threeare queer? Are we being punked right now?”
The spread is perfect. Or it would be if my friends weren’t acting like we’re hosting an audition for the world’s thirstiest reality show. The table glows, a last-minute bowl of white roses and rosemary sits in the center, and the wine…oh, the wine is definitely flowing. Too much, if Dominic’s flushed cheeks are any indicator.
Zane chuckles warmly, clearly enjoying Dominic’s bluntness. “Listen, life is too short to limit yourself, don’t you think?”
I’m pretty sure Zane is pushing the limits of Dominic’s self-control as we speak.
