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“I don’t know if that’s compelling enough for me to want to help you.”
Leaning in, I stare down Harlow’s older brother. “Were you in death-do-us-part love with Keeley after knowing her for five days?”
Beside him, Griff snickers. “No, he was still in the phase where he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to strangle Keeley or just fuck her to death.”
Maxon whirls on him with a scowl. “You’re full of shit. Of course I wanted to fuck her way more. Most of the time.”
Griff gestures to his brother. “See what I mean?”
“And what about you?” I ask to keep them on track. “Five days after knowing Britta?”
“I hadn’t even touched her yet.”
Somehow, I manage to hold in my sigh of exasperation. “Five days after you had?”
He bobs his head. “Yeah, I was still in the phase where I thought it was all about sex.”
Maxon scowls. “You thought that for the better part of a year.”
“That’s my point.” I lean in. “I’m not sure yet that I’m spending the rest of my life with Harlow, but what Idoknow? I’m intrigued and I’m not ready to give up on her. But she’s frustrating the shit out of me. She barely admits she has feelings, much less discusses them with me. Can you either shed some light or give us a little space so I can figure her out and decide where we’re going from here?”
The men exchange a long, silent glance full of bro-speak.
Finally, Maxon turns to me with a sigh. “We don’t know what’s up with Harlow. We’ve been wondering ourselves.”
“And worrying,” Griff adds. “Since my brother and I both got married, I thought we’d gotten closer to her.”
“What he means is that since we both pulled our heads out of our asses and figured out this love thing is actually real, we’ve grown closer to Harlow. So when she burned Butler at their wedding so epically, it was great…but it was a total shock.”
“The fact that she didn’t tell us in advance and hasn’t spoken to us about it since except to say that she’s fine troubles us a lot,” Griff puts in. “Sorry if we came off hostile. When you were just a guy who wanted to use her while she was hurting, I was ready to be a major pain in your ass. But if you’re all about finding out where Harlow’s head is and trying to help her work through it, count me in.”
Maxon is already nodding before his brother even finishes speaking. “That’s where I’m coming from, too.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. I managed an important conversation with Harlow’s brothers without going mute. I’m calling that a huge win. The question is, how do I morph this into a meaningful victory that will help me unravel the mystery of Harlow?
* * *
“How do you think that went?” Harlow asks as she eases into the passenger seat beside me and I put the SUV in reverse.
“Good.” I back out of the driveway, feeling exhilarated. It was actually far better than I expected. No, I don’t have all the answers, but I have less pressure and more information than I had before. “What about you?”
“It was nice to see everyone. They seemed like they were in a good mood. And my brothers didn’t murder you when you three disappeared for some bro-time.”
“Nope. I was surprised too, especially when they mentioned that they used to be complete assholes.”
“Oh, my god. Everyone hated them. You would have, too. They even stopped speaking to each other for three years over a stupid misunderstanding because they’re both so stubborn and competitive.”
“Seriously?” I would never have guessed that. They seem really tight. “What changed?”
“Keeley.” At my confused glance, Harlow laughs. “Long story. But if not for her, I suspect my brothers would still be rivals.”
I’m going to have to hear this whole story sometime. I also want to know how Griff didn’t know he had a son for years. That sounds as if it involved a whole lot of hurt. And mule-headedness.
I’ll bet it runs in the family, and I’m up against even thicker barriers than I imagined.
“Your sisters-in-law must have shitloads of patience and spines of steel.”
“Yeah, they’re badass. They’ve learned not to flinch, thank god. I can’t imagine living with either of my brothers. They can be single-minded and unbending as hell.”
