Page 63 of Let’s Be Real

“What was that?”

“Kissing.” Samantha rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you’ve done it once or twice.”

“Why are you kissing my brother?” He turned to me. “Why are you kissing Sammie?”

She hooked her arm around mine. “He’s my boyfriend, remember?” Her eyes rounded as if trying to silently tell him he was supposed to be playing along.

His eyes narrowed. “I never expected to have to witness…that. You’re extremely convincing actors.”

She waved him off. “Kissing Nate isn’t exactly a hardship. His breath is perpetually minty, and his lips are super soft.”

Adrian dragged his fingers through his hair, his face pinched. “This is funny to you, isn’t it?”

Sucking her lips in to hold back a grin, she nodded. “You’re funny to me, buddy. So dramatic over nothing. Get a grip.”

“Who needs a grip?” Ben called as he jogged by. “If it’s Ade, I agree.”

Adrian threw out his arms, exasperated. “What is this, Pick-on-Adrian Day?”

Ben stopped, reversed, and grabbed Adrian in a headlock, rubbing the top of his head. “My birthday party is what it is. I can do what I want.”

The kids saw the grown-ups wrestling, and soon they were on them. Adrian let Ben take him down to the ground so Katty and Jonah could trample them both.

It was so unlike Adrian—hearing his raucous laughter and joyful squeals when the kids pounced and Ben helped them pin him. For once, he let down his defenses, staying fully in the moment.

Before I knew what I was doing, I joined in, unable to help myself. Probably ruining my shirt with grass stains, but who the hell cared? It’d been a long time since I’d wrestled with my brothers on the ground. When Ben landed on top of me, I almost remembered why, but I was laughing too hard to give a damn about my lungs being compressed and the dirt matting my hair.

Katty squeezed my cheeks. “I got you, Uncle Nate!”

I grabbed her body light as a feather as it landed on my chest. “No, I’ve got you!”

Her tiny pink glasses were crooked, cheeks flushed as she squirmed and giggled.

This was it. This was life.

The kids, my brothers, the blue sky and warm sun.

Samantha egging us on. Shira telling us to be careful. Mazzy and Kelly giggling like old friends even though they’d just met.

It struck me in my chest, but not as deeply as it should have—as deeply as I wanted it to. This joy sat on the surface, unable to sink in. It was okay. It was all right. Normally, it would have been fine. But for the first time since my conversation with Louise, I had to ask myself if it was enough.

Maybe it was time for me to figure out how to survive in a setting beyond neutral.

Chapter Twenty-three

Nate

I’d been home long enough to shower and ponder whether I wanted to bother making a late dinner when a light knock tapped on my door. My stomach clenched with anticipation on my way to answer it. There were only a handful of people who could have been on the other side, and I knew the one I wanted it to be.

Samantha was even prettier than she had been when I’d found her on my brother’s porch this afternoon. Her cheeks colored from a day in the sun. Her hair was a little mussed from the breeze. She was leaning against the doorframe, casual and assessing.

“You never said if you wanted me here.” She bit her bottom lip and slowly released it. “I came anyway.”

I hooked my finger around her belt loop and tugged her into my condo, kicking the door shut behind her. She stumbled into my chest, her arms looping around my shoulders.

“Seems like a yes.” She laughed.

“It is,” I confirmed, brushing my mouth over hers.