“I think you made too much.” I pick up the bowl of penne in vodka sauce, grunting a little as I heft the weight to the table.
My mother shoots me a look, like she can’t believe I’m questioning her grasp on serving quantities. “You’re going to take all the leftovers to Titus and Mariah on your way home.”
I shoot Tucker a smirk. “Because I’m the favorite uncle.”
“No.” My mother picks up a platter of roasted broccolini, her eyes not going near any of my brothers. “Because you have Brooke, and I’m sure she’ll want to see Mariah and the babies.” Her eyes slide past the three men who’ve been doing everything they can to stay beneath her radar. “Especially since she’s the favorite aunt.”
Tucker, in a move I’m sure he’s going to regret the second his lips close, pipes up way too loudly, “She’s theironlyaunt.”
My mother gives him a slow smile. “She is, isn’t she?” Her eyes move over him. “We’ll have to do something about that, won’t we?”
Tucker’s skin pales a little as he realizes what he’s done.
And what could come of it.
When the driveway sensor goes off, he wastes zero time turning and running from the room, calling back over one shoulder, “I’ll see who’s here.”
My mother perks up immediately, shoving the prepared vegetables at Trevor before going to collect more plates andsilverware. “Maybe Mariah and Titus decided they felt like getting out after all.”
But the noise coming from the entryway doesn’t sound like Tucker talking to our brother and his wife.
It sounds a lot like Tucker starting a fight.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” My baby brother’s words get louder, like he’s coming our way.
Quickly.
I have a split second to react before Tucker and a man I’ve never seen before come barreling into the kitchen. On instinct, I step directly in front of Brooke. And thank God I do. Because the overly-polished, suit-wearing intruder locks in on her location immediately.
His bleary eyes narrow on where she stands at my back and he sneers, “You fucking bitch.”
I scan the island beside me, hoping my mother left a knife out. She didn’t, which is probably for the best, because I would have used it.
Since there aren’t any easily obtainable weapons, I guess that means I’ll get to feel Matt’s facial bones break against my knuckles. I’m straightening to my full height, shifting my feet so I have a steady base to start throwing punches from, when Tucker makes a move, beating me to the literal punch.
As the baby—and smallest of us until recently—Tucker had to learn to fight dirty unless he always wanted to lose. And Tucker doesn’t like to lose.
He’s kicked Matt’s feet out from under him and has him on the floor before I can blink. Once they’re down, the strength difference between the two men becomes real pronounced, real fast. Matt is working hard to get loose from my baby brother's hold. Unfortunately for him, Tucker is not only faster, but also stronger than he is, and it’s not longbefore he’s got Matt in an arm bar, looking ready to break a bone.
“Stop.” Brooke steps around me, her heels clicking against the floor in the suddenly silent room. “He’s not worth getting in trouble over.” Her expression is hard as she stares down at the man who tried so hard to break her. “And he loves filing frivolous lawsuits, so hurting him will also end up costing you money.”
Tucker tips his head from side to side like he’s weighing his options, squeezing Matt’s arm a little tighter. “I’ve got some money to spare.”
“We’re not doing this.” My dad once again steps in to take control of a spiraling situation. “Let him go, Tuck.”
Tucker sighs, rolling his eyes. “Fine.” He does as my father asks, but not gently, giving Matt a shove and possibly a kick with his steel toed boots as he gets to his feet.
Matt coughs, taking a second before managing to get upright. Once that happens, he finds himself face-to-face with Ted Bradshaw. And while it takes a lot to piss my dad off, once he’s there, the best thing you can do is run like hell.
And I’m pretty sure Matt can’t walk in a straight line, let alone run in one. If he’s not drunk, the guy should probably go to the hospital, because the way his body is swaying from side to side isn’t normal.
“Now.” My dad stares Matt down. “What thefuckare you doing in my house?”
I don’t think I have ever heard that word come out of my father’s mouth, and it stuns me almost as much as Matt’s unwanted appearance.
“I came to talk to my fiancée.” He leans to look around my dad, but barely gets his eyes on Brooke before my father steps right back into his path.
“There’s nobody in this house that is youranything.” He points toward the door. “The best thing you can do now, is go home, sober up, and figure yourself out.”
