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Not only were Celia, Shelby, and Merit now pissed off at the both of them, but Loyal wasn’t happy with him, either. His brother had gone for a long run when they got back to Asher’s place and was currently in the shower, while Asher was doing his best to distract himself with work.
To no avail. He set his laptop on the coffee table and paced from his living room to the kitchen. On the ride back, Loyal had voiced the possibility of their parents following through on the divorce they’d averted all those years ago. Asher shut him up. It was way too soon to even be thinking they might go that route, and yet since the thought had been planted, it niggled annoying little wormholes in the back of his mind. He couldn’t imagine their parents calling it quits after thirty-five years.
Restless energy had him pulling a fork from the silverware drawer. He lifted the cover on the chocolate cake, but after two bites, he tossed the fork in the sink and headed back to the living room. It was still the best cake he’d ever had, but it was no substitute for what he really wanted.
Maybe he should go for a bike ride. Exercise it out like Loyal. Standing in front of the window, he raked a hand through his hair and gripped the back of his neck. Screw the bike ride.
What he really wanted to do was go across the street and be with Honor. Despite the earlier teasing about cake, he’d settle for simply being in the same room as her. Even when sexual awareness had his entire body humming, something about her presence calmed his spirit in a way he craved more than her actual cake right now.
Problem was, it had dawned on him earlier that she hadn’t actually answered if it was okay for him to stop by. He didn’t want to push too hard and drive her away. Grimacing, he returned to the couch and picked up his computer again.
Done with his shower, Loyal tapped the back cushion on his way to the kitchen. “Beer?”
“Sure.”
He came back with two bottles, then sat on the opposite end of the couch and pulled out his own laptop. Silence reigned as they drank and worked—or Asher pretended to work in between morose stares over the top edge of his screen.
“Are you lusting after the girl or her frosting?”
Loyal’s question jerked his gaze sideways.
His brother’s mouth quirked at the corners as he pointed his beer at him. “I’m guessing the girl since you already have her frosting on that cake you’re selfishly hoarding.”
“Can you blame me?”
“No. The one bite I had was fucking awesome.”
His choice of words sparked a reluctant smile. “I was talking about the girl, though I do agree on the cake.” He met his brother’s gaze as he finished off his beer. “She could be the one.”
What’s with the could? She is the one.
Loyal’s expression remained impassive as he stared at him for a long moment. “Did you learn nothing from Brianna?”
“Yeah,” he snapped. “That she wasn’t the one.”
“And some chick who doesn’t believe in love is?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Thought you didn’t believe a word Roxanna says?”
“You know what? Forget it.” He slammed his computer shut and surged to his feet to swipe up Asher’s empty bottle. “Be an idiot,” he muttered on his way to the kitchen. “But don’t say I
didn’t warn you. Just look at Mom and Dad.”
Jaw clenched, Asher locked his gaze on his laptop screen. “They’ll work things out.”
“You don’t know that. None of us know that, and clearly, thirty-five years is no guarantee.”
Because of his brother’s sore past, nothing he said would change the direction of the discussion, so he dropped the subject. When Loyal offered a second beer, he declined and reached for his phone instead.
A few minutes later, his brother groused, “You’ve got nothing to eat around here besides that damn cake.”
“There’s a bar not far from here that has good burgers. We can order take out.”
“Or just eat there.”
He didn’t feel like going out, but sitting here wasn’t any more appealing. “Yeah. Fine. Let’s go.”
Down at Nick’s Pub, they squeezed in at the corner of the bar where Loyal ordered a beer and Asher requested a soda while they waited to order their food. His brother scoped out the place while he took out his phone to send Honor a text asking if she’d eaten dinner yet. Her reply came less than a minute later.
