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One more week.
One more week before Sam had to look his best friend in the eye and try to convince him he was worthy of his baby sister.
Something Sam wasn’t at all sure that he could do. Not because he was afraid to face Liam.
But because he was afraid he wasn’t worthy.
Knowing that he wasn’t good enough for Riley McKenna was painful enough without having to hear his best friend say it to his face.
Skippy came trotting over, carefully positioning the stuffed rabbit in his mouth over Sam’s work boot before beginning to squeak the toy wildly.
“Mom says you haven’t been at dinner lately,” Liam said.
Sam listened for any hidden accusations but heard only idle curiosity, likely fueled by Erin’s demand that Liam “bring Sam back around.”
“Been pretty busy here,” Sam said, gesturing at the casks. “Finally getting to the point that I’m producing a steady supply.”
Liam broke into a wide smile. “Fuck yeah. So, ready to sell, then?”
Sam looked away. “I said I had a steady supply. I didn’t say it was good.”
“You’re drinking the same shit as me, right? It’s fantastic, and you know it.”
He did. But if he was wrong …
Just one more thing to add to his list of fuckups.
“I’m still figuring out what to do.”
Liam shrugged in a suit-yourself gesture. “You got any food? That’s the shitty part of you being way up here. No decent food places nearby.”
Sam picked up Skippy’s toy and sent it sailing across the room, watching Skippy’s awkward puppy run as he chased it down. “Clearly you haven’t tried the Mexican place a couple blocks up.”
“Nope. Walked by it though. Will definitely hit it up if I ever have an E. coli craving.”
“Frozen pizza?” Sam asked, heading toward the back living area and silently hoping none of Riley’s skimpy undergarments were around. He’d had the foresight to call and tell her he was busy tonight the second he’d heard from Liam, but he was out of practice with disguising the presence of a woman in his bedroom.
Not since high school had he had to worry about someone spotting a rogue pair of panties where they shouldn’t be. Not that his mother would have cared much. Or even noticed.
And normally Sam wouldn’t have given a shit if Liam found out he’d been getting some. But there was no way Sam could let his best friend spot his sister’s bra by accident, even if Liam wouldn’t know it was his sister’s.
For all of their sakes, he really hoped that shit was out of sight.
Skippy misgauged his stopping distance and careened into the back of his calf before happily bouncing back up and prancing in front of them.
The little guy loved pizza.
“I guess I should be more careful about leaving you on your own,” Liam said as he settled at the small table and watched Sam dig out a frozen pizza.
“How’s that?”
“Well, I was gone for what … two weeks? I come back and you’ve got yourself a girlfriend and a freaking dog?”
Sam froze in the process of heating the oven. Had Liam talked to Riley? And even if he had, surely she had the good sense not to mention their little fling?
They’d agreed not to tell her family until they knew where it was going. Erin McKenna would be knitting baby booties before their first-month anniversary, and Liam …
Well, Liam would kill him.
