Page 49 of The Irresistible Distraction

“It sells out quickly. Getting commercial kitchen space is on the list of things I need to do.” And that I keep changing the priority of. As the movie continues, my eyelids droop.

I don’t mean to, because Sebastian hates it when I fall asleep during movies he chooses, but . . . I’m just so exhausted.

I wake to hear Sebastian complaining, “She slept through the best ending ever. She always does this.”

“Not always,” I mumble, trying to rub my eyes awake.

“You can make her watch the ending another time. You already own the DVD. We can give her some grace here, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, we talked about this,” I hear Brody say before he asks where my bedroom is.

“Yes, okay.”

He picks me up easily, carrying me the short distance down the hallway to my bedroom. I’m already falling back asleep as he tucks me in, and so I’m not completely positive if I imagine Brody’s kiss on my forehead.

Dream Brody whispers in my ear, “And I thought I was going to have to work to get invited to your bedroom.”

14

BORINGLY ALPHA ABOUT IT

Iget a text from Maggie at three in the morning.

MAGGIE: Everything’s fine, sex injury wise.

MAGGIE: But I’m really not feeling well.

MAGGIE: Tyler’s being boringly alpha about it, and I don’t think I can come in.

By the time I see it, it’s already five in the morning. I’d planned on sleeping in and am grateful for my overactive internal alarm. I rub furiously at my eyes while yelling for Sebastian to wake up. Then I race through a cold shower—because there’s no time to wait for the water heater to catch up.

Seba doesn’t stir, and when I go into his room, he burrows into the blankets. It’s now quarter past five, meaning I need to get out of here to let Mario in. Need to remember to get Mario new keys since he lost his a couple months ago.

That’s how long I’ve put off that chore. Months.

I call Brody, who, thankfully, picks up right away.

“Maggie’s fine but can’t work—I have to go in. Mario lost his keys and Sebastian’s refusing to wake up.”

“No problem. I’ll just come over?”

With Vera, I’ve always forced Sebastian to get up and walk over, knowing she liked to potter around the kitchen, to sometimes paint and have her own space. But this is⁠—

“Thank you.”

Brody’s here within two minutes, and despite seeing the rush I’m in, he sneaks in a quick kiss that I’m completely unprepared for. It is rushed but more demanding than anything else we’ve done, since . . .

“I haven’t told Sebastian,” I whisper-hiss at him.

“He’s asleep.”

I shake my head because Brody will always have a quick retort.

I’ve barely pulled out of the garage when he calls.

“What’s wrong?” Because of course this is where my mom brain goes right away. When Sebastian was younger, he often got bronchitis that would then evolve into pneumonia. He seemed fine last night, but . . .