AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ah, wait a sec,” he said hastily when Georgie went to move past him up the stairs. She turned, frowning a question at her brother. Flashing her a grin, he bounded up the stairs and into the house. Georgie looked at Ryan. He shrugged. He was none the wiser as to what Brandon was doing. But if he knew anything about Brandon Quinn, it was that he treasured his sister and everything he did was for her benefit. He came out a few moments later. “Alright, in you get.”
Georgie grabbed Ryan’s hand and they walked up the steps and through the door that Brandon was holding wide. She gasped when she stepped from the entrance hall into the main loungeroom. “Bran!”
“Thought you’d like it.” There was no mistaking the satisfied note in Brandon’s voice. Georgie’s eyes roved over the room. Brandon had stripped all of the plastic and wrapping from the furniture and laid it out about the room. “We had some trouble with the electrical, but it’s all fixed now,” he said, walking over and switching on the standing lamp Georgie had ordered. “So what are we moving?”
“Huh?”
“If I know you, you aren’t gonna want it exactly like I’ve done it. What are we moving?”
Georgie grinned and looked around some more. “Couch under the window?”
“Sure. I wasn’t sure because it’s closer to the fireplace like this.”
“So I’ll rearrange in Winter.”
“Ha,” Brandon said, waiting for Ryan to get on the other end of the heavy sofa and moving it across the room. “And you know who’s muscles you’ll be using for that.”
Georgie hastily moved the lamp aside for them. “Not my own,” she said, slapping him affectionately on the shoulder.
“Exactly.” He grinned at her when she flopped down on the sofa and folded her hands across her stomach, looking all around her.
Then she grew serious, taking a deep breath and looking up at Brandon. “Thank you, Brandon.” The world of emotion in her voice was unmistakable.
“It’s as much for me as it is for you.”
“That’s a nice thing to say.”
Ryan smiled at them both. “Well now, isn’t this lovely. You’ve saved us the hassle of unpacking the furniture and laying it out. Good lad. I don’t suppose you stocked the fridge?”
“You suppose wrong, because I did.”
“Oh, let me see the kitchen!” Georgie jumped up and dragged them both through to the kitchen. She moved to one of the lower cupboards, squealing when she opened it. “You’ve unpacked everything here too!”
“Of course.”
Pulling open a drawer she said, “No, but I mean,everything!The cutlery, crockery, saucepans—what the fuck is all this?” She stepped back and pointed at the cupboard.
Brandon shrugged. “Kitchen gadgets. I thought if you wanted to do a cook up for your birthday, we could have it here. Juniper told me which ones to get.” Georgie went completely still, just staring at the cupboard for the longest time. “George?” Brandon asked uncertainly.
When she finally turned her head to Brandon, Ryan saw that her eyes were brimming with tears. “My birthday. In my very own place.” She covered her face with her hands and Brandon stepped forward, pulling her into his arms. She leaned on him for a long moment, taking deep breaths to calm herself. She certainly wasn’t one for falling to pieces, Ryan thought. “Okay, I’m good. What’s for dinner?” she said, moving away from Brandon and flashing Ryan a smile.
“Well, we can make pizzas in the oven out the back, or—”
“I have a pizza oven?”
Brandon laughed at her. “You do.”
“Amazing. Okay, let’s do that.”
“Great, I’ll go and set it up. You get all the ingredients together. There’s beer and wine in the fridge.”
“Do you mind taking care of the wine while I put some food together?” Georgie asked Ryan after Brandon had gone out.
“Not at all.” As they moved about the kitchen, in perfect harmony, Ryan got a glimpse of what his future could look like. Playing house with Georgie for all of two minutes gave him a longing for something more lasting that hit him hard in the guts. Fuck. Maybe he’d lied to her when he’d said it didn’t have to change anything. Just saying the words I love you, out loud to her, made him want to say them again. And again. And again. Forever. He wanted for those to be the last words he spoke with his dying breath. I love you, Georgie May. I love you. I love you. I love you.
Georgie was chattering away as she chopped up the piles of pizza toppings she’d grabbed from the fridge. He poured her a glass of wine, trying to force himself to settle when he turned to hand it to her. She glanced up at him, a smile of thanks on her lips that died the instant their eyes met. He saw the slight, defensive stiffening of her shoulders. A little recoil. She’d felt the intensity of the feeling that had washed through him and she didn’t want to know about it.
His phone rang and they both jumped. Pulling it from his pocket, he checked the screen and swore. “I have to take this.”
