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“Are you really gonna insult my housekeeping right now?”
“No, sorry.” She sighed. “The truth is, I don’t want Mom and Dad to know. I can’t handle another I-told-you-so. They’ve never liked Colt.”
“Carol seems to like him fine,” I countered.
I’d never been able to call her Mom. Not when it felt as if I’d be betraying my mother’s memory. She’d died from an undiagnosed heart defect when Andi was still in kindergarten, so in a way Carol was the only mom she knew. It hadn’t been the same for me. I was twelve then, and sixteen by the time Dad married Carol.
“Yeah, but she likes everyone,” Andi said. “Dad doesn’t like him, and neither do you or Beck.”
“We just want someone who is good for you, Andi.”
The tears had dried up, and now she glared at me. “Well, that’s for me to decide, and if it doesn’t work out, I don’t want to be judged for it! You love who you love, right?”
Well, hell, I wasn’t in a position to argue that point. I wondered what Dad would say if he knew the full truth about me and Beck? I had a feelingI told you sowould be the furthest thing from his vocabulary then. Maybe over my dead body. If he was threatening to withhold the business from us over what he believed to be a prank, he’d really blow his top over a real marriage.
“I’m not judging you, Andi.” I pulled her into a hug, and she clung to me tightly enough I knew she was really hurting.
The door opened and Beckett walked in, pausing at the sight of us. “What’s going on?”
“Colt,” I said as Andi pulled out of my arms.
“Aw, shit,” Beck said, stepping forward to hug Andi. “I’m sorry, hon. Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
As usual, he said all the things I should have. That was why I needed him here by my side. He was the sensitive one.
“Thanks.” Andi turned her big Bambi eyes on him. “Do you think I could stay here? Just for a few days. I know it’s inconvenient, but if I go anywhere else, everyone will know. I can’t take everyone judging us while we try to figure out our shit.”
“You’re not ready to give up, huh?”
“Not yet,” she whispered. “Is that stupid?”
We exchanged a look. Neither of us liked Colt. Andi could do way better. But after she’d called me out for being judgmental about her choices, I wasn’t about to say that. “You love who you love,” I said instead.
Beckett’s gaze was searching. Probably wondering if that was directed at him. I hadn’t meant it that way, but it wasn’t far from the truth. I couldn’t really say I was in love with Beck, but I’d loved him for ages, and with sex thrown in the mix, my feelings were muddled. The boundaries between friendship and romantic love had blurred.
“So, can I stay here then?” Andi asked, directing her gaze to Beckett. “I won’t stay long. I could take Wes’s bed, and—”
“No,” Beckett said. “Take my room. You know he’s a pig.”
“Hey,” I protested. “I’m not that bad.”
They both glanced at my mess.
“I was going to clean that up,” I argued.
Andi grinned. “It’s okay, Wes. You’ve got other charming qualities. Cleanliness is just not one of them.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly.
“Let me just pack up some of my clothes from my room,” Beckett said. “Then it’s all yours for however long you need.”
That was awfully generous. I was kind of surprised he wasn’t resisting. Andi’s presence meant sharing a bed with me because without a couch and little floor space, there really weren’t any other good spots to bed down for the night. Could it be that he’d decided he wanted to be closer?
My heart skipped, arousal unfurling. To have Beck in my bed, willing? Well, that was the stuff of my ongoing fantasies.
While Beckett packed up some clothes, I went into my room to clean up the worst of my mess. I was trying to force my closet door shut, clothes, shoes, and clutter all piled inside, when Beckett spoke from the doorway.
“What are you doing?”
