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“I can hear you,” Romeo said dryly.
“When are you coming home, Romeo?”
“Tomorrow,” he answered quickly. “They’re letting me crash here for the night, and then I’ll head home. I’ve got to get back to work.”
“I think the gym can survive without you for a few days. I’m so bummed I’m missing this sleepover tonight.Hashtag sibling goals.”
“Tia, I think you and I are going to get along really well.” Brinkley smiled.
“Me, too. So, we’ll figure out a time to get together soon. I can’t wait to meet you both. Thanks for looking out for Romeo.”
“Annnd I think we’re done here. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” Romeo said as I handed him the phone back.
“Goodnight, brother dearest. I love you.”
“Yep. Love you.” He ended the call.
“You two are close, huh?” I asked.
“Yeah. She’s a pain in my ass, but I love her.”
We sat there quietly for a minute. “You want to see the gym here? It’s pretty badass.”
“Hell, yeah. Now you’re speaking my language.”
We took him on a quick tour of the house, and after a lengthy argument, with him insisting on sleeping on the couch, he agreed to stay in the guest room, as there were four empty bedrooms in this place.
When we got to the gym, he took it in and didn’t hide his surprise. “Damn. This is top-notch. What I wouldn’t give to have a home fucking gym like this.”
“We’ll be getting up early to work out tomorrow. How about you stick around a little longer, and you can join us?” Brinkley asked.
Romeo glanced around, taking a minute to think it over. “I could do that. Remember, I’m younger than you, so you might not be able to keep up, old man.”
I smirked. “We’ll see about that.”
And just like that, I was falling into a rhythm with my new brother.
* * *
Romeo ended up staying over a second night, and we’d worked out two mornings in a row together. The dude was a badass. There were very few people who could manage to do both my cardio and my strength training workout. But this guy challenged me every step of the way.
He’d grabbed a quick shower and enjoyed the breakfast Brinkley had made for us before insisting he had to get back home to work.
He waited until Brinkley stepped away to use the restroom, and he turned to face me. The envelope was in his hand. “Are you going to stop being a pussy and read the damn letter?”
“Fuck off. I’m not being a pussy,” I said, snatching it from his hand and smirking. “It’s just… I know he’s your dad, but I don’t know the guy. So, I’m not sure how I feel about reading a letter from a dude that I never knew, who is no longer here.”
“Well, you never knew me before, and now you’re a bit of a clingy motherfucker.” He laughed. “Listen. The man wasn’t perfect, but he was a good guy, Lincoln. He made some mistakes, and they haunted him. I don’t know what the fucking letter says, but he wanted you to have it. He sure as fuck didn’t leave a letter for me and Tia.”
I nodded. “All right. I’ll read it, just not right now. And don’t ever call me clingy again.”
A wide grin spread across his face. He’d been doing that a lot this morning. There was a comfort there now, and we’d gotten past the awkward stage. It was crazy to think we’d only known one another for forty-eight hours, but somehow, it felt like I’d known the guy all my life.
“Dude, you’re about to get really well acquainted with clingy. But remember, you gave Tia your number, not me. The girl has no boundaries. She’ll be so far in your business, you won’t know what hit you.”
Tia had texted me three times this morning, and she’d texted Brinkley far more than that. Neither of us minded.
“It’ll be fine. I want to talk to you about something.”
