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“The night I arrived in Hartson’s Creek. I saw her atChairs.” A little boy ran into the coffee shop, heading straight for the chocolate milk section, followed by a harassed man – his father – looking like he needed more than coffee to wake him up.
“You’ve been seeing her for a year without knowing you were related?” Josh shook his head. “Hard to believe.”
“She figured out who I was after our night in New York. Disappeared on me. I didn’t see her again until I came back to Hartson’s Creek.”
Josh shook his head. “So you know she’s your cousin and you’re still sleeping with her?”
“She’s not my cousin.” He looked up at him. “Notourcousin. Not by blood.”
“So why are you hiding it, then?” Josh asked, lifting a brow.
“Because we both know that everybody would react the same way you are. And we don’t want to cause that kind of strife. Especially at the beginning, when things are so new.”
“She’s young.” Josh shook his head. “Too young.”
“I know that.” He’d thought exactly the same thing when they first met. “But I can’t help it.”
“Are you in love with her?” Josh asked.
“Halfway there.” That was all he was willing to admit to his brother. He hadn’t told Grace how he felt about her and she deserved to hear it first. But he knew he was. Everything about her felt right. From the way she made him sing like a freaking banshee to the way they laughed every time they were together until their humor dissolved into kisses and lust.
She was perfect. And he wanted her.
“Shit.” Josh sat back in his chair, staring off into the distance. “What a fucking mess.”
“You could say that.” Michael took a sip of his coffee.
“Do you think she knows what she’s doing?” Josh asked him. “She’s a kid.”
“She’s twenty-six. A grown woman. She has a job, a house, she’s lived abroad for years. I think she’s old enough to know what she wants.”
“Old enough to know that this is gonna blow up in both of your faces,” Josh muttered. “God, I wish I hadn’t seen either of you. I should have stayed in damn bed.”
“I wish you hadn’t, either. But you have.” Michael caught his eye. “And I need your assurance that you won’t tell anybody.”
There was a moment’s silence. Josh pressed his lips together, their gazes still connected.
All those times Michael had protected him when they were kids. Tried to step in the way of the harsh realities, stopping them from piercing his kid brother the way they’d hurt Michael.
And now here he was, asking for his help, to hide things from those he loved the most. He felt like a piece of shit.
“Of course I won’t tell anybody. I’m not stupid, Mike. Mom’s sick. This is the last thing she needs.”
“I know that.”
“So why are you doing this? If I found out, other people will too. Her parents…” Josh sighed heavily. “You’re closer to their age than you are to Grace’s. Her dad’s gonna fucking kill you.”
“I know that too.”
“And that will kill mom. Aunt Becca’s one of her best friends. They’ll both choose sides.”
Michael looked at him pointedly, and Josh sighed. “You’re really doing this, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
“So what are you gonna do about it? How will you make it work long term?” Josh folded his arms across his chest.
“That’s the one thing I don’t know.”
