Page 21 of Already Callin’ You Mine

“You weren’t even there,” I retort, not ready for all my brothers to jump on this same bandwagon.

“But I was, and I felt the ice,” Anton comments, hot on Hux’s heels.

Looks like I’m not going to get a choice.

“Or maybe it was heat…” Anton pushes. As the instigator of the family, he’s always ready and willing to push whatever button he can find. And right now, it’s easy to tell that he thinks he’s found mine. “Because maybe what y’all need is to take a page from little sister’s book…”

“Who’s doing what to my book?” Willa asks.

“Jace and Presley Callahan,” Hux answers.

“Ohhhh,” Willa draws out of the word, cocking her hip to one side and waggling her eyebrows. A former Miss Georgia—just like our mama—Willa is all poise and grace on the outside. But as her brothers, we know better. She’s a spitfire if there ever was one, and she will cut you like a razor and walk away before you even realize you’re bleeding. “I heard y’all ran into each other.”

“She wasn’t watching her kid and he ran off,” I comment, against my better judgment. I shouldn’t give them any ammunition, but the need to defend myself is taking over. “She’s lucky I’m the one who found him and not some creeper.”

“Did she reward you with a kiss?” Anton asks, fluttering his eyelashes as he sinks into the seat next to me.

“Fuck off.”

“See, that’s what I think maybe you need to do,” Hux says, joining us. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s what you wanted back in high school.”

Oh, he’s a dead man…

“I definitely recommend hate sex,” Willa adds.

“Willa Mae…” My father sighs, his voice more that of a man about to interject wisdom rather than scold. “I’m not sure we need to advise anyone to take your route to forever.”

Willa shrugs, accepting the comment and turning to make her plate. She’s fully aware that she and her now husband, Nash, took a…nontraditional, shall we say, approach to finding their happily ever after. One that included sneaking around for more than a decade, a pregnancy scare, and convincing the entire town they hated each other the entire time, all while harboring secret feelings for the other.

I’m with Auggie on this—not a recommended course of action. And absolutely not one I’m going to take.

No matter how pretty Presley Callahan is.

“Serious question though,” Anton chimes in, the smirk on his face growing, clueing me in that he is anything but serious. “Does it count as a meet-cute if you already know each other? Or is it a re-meet-cute?”

That didn’t take long…

I groan internally. It was only a matter of time until one of them busted out this line of inquiry. My choice of reading material is often a subject of teasing, but it’s a badge I wear with honor. I maintain this lot could learn a thing or two from my books.

“I think the better question is what trope they would be,” Milo interjects, walking in behind Gus and Ewan.

I throw him a look. “How do you know what a trope is?”

He shrugs, taking a plate from baby brother. “Brenna reads.”

That doesn’t fully answer my question, but I accept it. Because with the addition of the three of them, then the gang’s all here. We can get this show on the road.

“If you’re looking for a place to catch up with each other, may I suggest Pour Decisions? First drink is on me,” he adds, winking at me.

“Second is on me,” Ewan tacks on.

Or they could all gang up on me. Fuck me…

As the family introvert, Ewan’s a man of few words. He was also a year behind Presley and me in high school and watched the whole thing play out years ago. I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s all in with giving me shit.

Presley and I will not be having drinks at my brother’s taproom to play catch-up. Or anywhere else.

“They need a more family-friendly place than Pour Decisions,” Anton says. “The kid really took to Jace.”