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Jaxon started coughing, choking on what she’d just said because he’d had nothing real in his life, and Brad knew it.
Brad was silent for a long moment, reaching up to yank off his sunglasses and step fully into the living room. He closed the door softly behind him and turned back to face them. There was a long, tense moment before, thankfully, he broke into a grin. “It’s a good thing I caught you, then, because you’d be waiting forever for something real with Jaxon, Teags.”
Jaxon’s arm was finally at that painful pins and needles stage that meant he could move it, but with great difficulty, nonetheless, he pulled up his trousers and fastened them, something stinging more than the circulation returning to his arm.
What Brad had said was the truth, but for whatever reason, it almost hurt his feelings. Or it would have if this scenario had any truth to it at all. But to Brad, it did, so it still hurt.
“You’re not… angry?” Teagan asked, and Jaxon thought it was a great acting job, honestly. Mostly because she wasn’t completely acting. There was a very real chance Brad could have kickedhisass for fooling around with his sister.
“Angry? Not at all. I’m surprised. Because I thought you two… You honestly hid it really well. I must commend you.”
“Well, I mean—” Jaxon began.
“Honestly, Teags. I thought you were running ‘round with that Eric fellow, and I have to say, I’m vastly relieved to discover you and Jaxon are running round instead. The McKinnons are a bad lot.”
“I agree,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.
“I would, however, like to talk to Jaxon sometime. No reason. Not about this. Just about something else. Alone.” Brad pressed his lips together in the worst semblance of a smile Jaxon had ever seen, and it gave him pause.
Shea quickly reached out and grabbed Teagan’s arm. “Come on, let’s go grab breakfast.”
“It’s well after midday, though…” Teagan objected, shooting a look of alarm back at Jaxon.
It was touching. She was trying to keep him from either receiving an ass-kicking or from hearing Brad’s pound-of-flesh talk.
He’d prefer the latter, and judging by Brad’s bloodshot eyes and dark under-eye circles, he wasn’t feeling up to kicking Jaxon’s ass yet. So this was likely just the pound-of-flesh talk he gave to all of his sisters’ boyfriends.
“I could eat,” Jaxon replied, nodding slightly as Shea dragged Teagan from the room, leaving him there alone with Brad.
He took a deep breath and gestured to the sofa. “Would you like to sit down?”
“I would.” Brad sat down with a deep sigh that made Jaxon feel bad for springing this on him when he was obviously hungover. And then he snapped himself back to reality because this had been sprung on Jaxon as much as it had Brad. He’d have to have a talk with Teagan when he saw her again.
He was surprised that he wasn’t angry His life was a little too humdrum anyway, wasn’t it? In fact, he hadn’t had a woman over in a few weeks, so this could be believable. And call him an old softie, but he knew Teagan would have to come clean at some point. It didn’t hurt him at all to help her out for the time being.
Jaxon sat down on the opposite end of the sofa from Brad, waiting for him to speak.
“I honestly never thought you and Teagan would ever…” Brad chuckled a little and shook his head. “I mean, I guess we all saw the chemistry, but we never thought you’d get your shit together and actually… well done.”
“What?” Jaxon blinked, taken aback. “I, uh… well done?”
“Yeah… I mean. I thought it would be after she graduated, but if the universe wants it now, I guess—”
“Wait, you saw this coming?” Jaxon asked, raising his eyebrows so high they damn near flew off his face. “Because she’s your sister, man.”
“Yeah. And you had a crush on her when we were younger. High school for sure, and after that.”
“I didnot,” Jaxon snapped.
“You don’t have to hide anymore. I might have been a little angry about it back then, but now, I’ve made my peace with it.”
“Made your peace with itnothing. You’re going to punch me right here and we’re not going to talk about it anymore.”
Brad laughed and clapped his hand on Jaxon’s back. “No, no. I won’t be doing that. Not unless you hurt her.” He gripped a little more tightly. “If you hurt her like Josh did, or that McKinnon guy would have, I’ll feed you the gravel in your driveway.” His voice took on a very serious tone when he was threatening someone’s life.
Joshua’s name felt like someone hit him in the head with a cold bag of ice. Jaxon hadn’t thought about that little shit in a long time, and he didn’t want to ever again.
“I’d never…” he shook his head rapidly. “Not like Josh, or Eric, or–”
