Page 10 of Shattered Hearts

“Yeah, and honestly, it’s a little rude.”

Macie’s head tilts, and I feel as though I have been backed into a corner. A grown man at six-foot-four is being cornered by a barely five-foot girl. “So, you want to know about what we have to do when we—”

I shove my fingers in my ear and make noises to keep myself from hearing.

She giggles, going back to her coffee as I pour milk into mine.

“It’s still not fair. You know that, right?”

“Like you and your brothers don’t all share secrets and guyish things together,” she retorts with a snort.

“Ah-ha!” I point an accusatory finger at her. “So there are secrets…”

Macie might be shaking her head, but her smile means that I’m onto something, and I will get to the bottom of this eventually.

“There might be, but you won’t be hearing them from me.”

“We’ll see about that.” I poke my tongue out at her.

The back door opens and Reid steps inside. He smiles at Macie, who almost melts into a puddle at the sight of him. Still makes me want to puke a bit. “Good, you haven’t left yet.”

“You caught me just in time,” she says giddily, moving around the bench and pulling him into a hug.

The corner of my lip lifts as I turn around. They might be officially dating as of yesterday, but I’m still getting used to seeing my brother and one of my best friends in love. As much as I love them and want them to be happy, it still hurts my brain seeing them this way.

“Didn’t you both just spend all night together?” I groan. “You sleep in the same house now.”

Peeking over my shoulder to see if the coast is clear, I spin around.

Reid’s face scrunches, wrinkles pooling in the corners of his eyes. “No. Macie didn’t get home until well after—”

Macie’s elbow digs into his ribs, making him huff. My eyebrows crease as she gives Reid a glare of daggers before taking her bag off the bench. “Well, I need to go to work.”

“Wait, why so late?” I ask, stepping to block her from leaving.

Her chin rises, gaze meeting mine, and I can see the playfulness in them. But there’s also a heaviness. Something is pulling her down, and I don’t know if it’s one of these secrets or something else entirely.

“We had a lot to talk about…” Macie drawls, clearing her throat. Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, and my stomach flips a little. “And Laynie also is feeling a little under the weather.” She must see the widening of my eyes, because her hands are on my shoulders, squeezing them gently. “But it’s nothing to worry about. I think she’s just… run down.”

I don’t miss the beat of hesitation when her hands fall away.

Reid steers her towards the front door. “All right, you’re officially late now.”

She turns to peck his cheek. “And you’re still a bit of a stickler when it comes to being on time.”

“I like being punctual,” Reid admits swiftly.

Macie smiles before kissing him goodbye and disappearing. I just stare at the door.

Reid shoves his hands in his pocket and returns to my side, polishing off the remainder of Macie’s coffee. “Stop overthinking, or you’re going to turn into me.”

I groan at that. “I guess that’s why Laynie hasn’t responded to my texts.”

“Were they important?”

My head shakes.

Reid’s mouth tightens before clapping me on the back. “She’ll be fine. Macie wouldn’t lie. If something was really wrong, I’m sure you would have heard about it.”