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“Is there anything going on between you and Heath, or are you just friends?”
We hadn’t discussed talking about us, so I wasn’t sure what to say. “Friends, I think.”
Her face fell. “I was hoping for more, but I’m not going to give up yet. I want all the Monroe brothers to be in love. They’re much easier to manage that way.”
I laughed as she stood and came around the desk. I wouldn’t normally be this honest with anyone, but Ireland felt like a true friend. “I’m more than a little curious to see the farm at Christmas.”
She beamed. “We can make that happen.”
Sixteen
Heath
“What are you doing holed up in your cabin with Marley?” Emmett asked as we stood on the deck with beers in our hands.
“It’s not a snowed-in kind of situation,” I teased right back.
“What’s the difference? She’s sleeping under your roof. It doesn’t mean you’re not taking advantage of the situation.”
“She’s free to leave at any time, and I wouldn’t do that to her. She’s Aiden’s little sister.” That felt like the lie it was. I wanted to tell my brothers the truth, but I wasn’t ready to share everything yet.
Knox tipped his bottle to his lips. “There’s an energy between you.”
“We’re old friends,” I insisted, taking a swig of my beer.
“Old friends who hooked up?” Emmett teased, probably not realizing how close to the truth he was.
“I never went that far,” I protested, realizing too late what I’d revealed.
Knox turned his assessing gaze on me. “But there was something going on between you two?”
I wanted to talk to someone about this. “We weren’t public with it. I was friends with her brother, Aiden, and I didn’t feel right about it, so I broke things off before I could do something I’d regret.”
Knox gave me a pointed look. “Have you done something you regret now?”
I cleared my throat as the all-too familiar guilt trickled down my spine. “We’re adults.”
“That’s a yes,” Emmett mumbled into his beer.
I shook my head. “You hooked up with a runaway bride. She’d just broken up with someone.”
Emmett’s lips twisted. “We all know what an asshole her ex was. She deserved better.”
“Doesn’t she deserve better than you?” I teased.
Emmett punched me in the arm before I could process what he was doing. I rubbed my shoulder. He moved quickly for a guy who was so large.
Emmett stepped back, still cradling his beer in his hand. “Of course, she’s too good for me. Just like Marley is too good for you. It doesn’t mean we don’t deserve them.”
I opened my mouth and then closed it, a little surprised by Emmett’s wisdom. He wasn’t one to talk about his feelings, much less say something like that.
“He has a point. I never expected to find Sarah and Addy. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, much less a single mom. But as soon as I saw them, I knew they were special. I felt the same feelings of inadequacy, but at the end of the day, we’re all worthy of love. It’s how we go about the relationship that defines us.”
I had to know what they thought of my broken promise. “I promised Aiden I’d protect her while he was gone.”
Knox slowly lowered his bottle from his mouth. “Are you saying that you can’t date Marley because of a promise you made to her brother—how long ago was that?”
“It was right before he enlisted. He almost didn’t go because he was so worried about her. You know how her parents were. He needed to leave. It was the best thing for him at the time. There was nothing for him here, and he didn’t feel like college was the right fit for him.”
