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“Yeah, yeah. Stop yer fuckin’ gloatin’ already. I know I told yer arse that I don’t do the whole love thing.” He crossed his feet on top of the coffee table and swept a hand through his hair.
“And this is it? I mean, this a love thing?” Donovan probed.
Brennan took his time contemplating his brother’s question. It was a fair question, but not one to answer without giving it a good thought. The spare moments they’d spent before all went to hell had been hands down the best he’d ever experienced with a woman.
Sure, he’d had girlfriends in the past, but none of them challenged him like Errin. Come to think of it, they’d never argued about anything, preferring him in charge.
But not Errin. She was elusive, always just out of reach and trying to change the rules along the way. This ball-buster was evermore ready to take him on. It made him step up and take notice of every single thing that made up Errin.
Although she tried very hard to deter him from her, he wanted nothing more than to break down that armor surrounding her heart.
“It can be,” he finally offered.
“Then go after yer girl, man. Don’t let Pops, Keenan, or any other guy stop ye from gettin’ what ye deserve. And especially don’t let yerself get in between yous two.”
Brennan groaned, knowing what would come.
“Well, aren’t ye tellin’ yerself ye can’t be with her because she’s workin’ for ye?” Donovan asked as he quirked his brow.
“Well, fuck that. Ye ain’t nothin’ like Sean Jr.. Not in a million years. Ye don’t need to hold yerself to these damn high standards all the time. Nobody is ever goin’ to compare ye to our old man.”
Brennan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Fuck. Talking about their past still hurt. Even after twenty years, he still tried to put as much distance between him and his father as possible. If he didn’t love Pops as much as he did, he would have never even considered stepping one foot inside of Lucky.
The pub was part of the reason things had gone to shit between him and his dad. But it had also been the place where he first followed his grandfather around, watching his every move and mimicking him in his grumpy ways.
Pops would sit him on his lap to tell him the most intriguing stories that, he now realized, were made up from the beginning till the end. And later on, Pops was the only one who really listened to him, giving him advice about handling the boys, made him take no shit from no one.
Pops’ disappointment in him was another thing weighing him down the past week and a half. His grandfather warned him to never hurt his Bunny lass. And did he listen?
There was a soft knock at the door and Kate pushed it open. She bit her lip before she took a slight step into the doorway. The chocolate haired Walsh sister cleared her throat before greeting them.
How did such a sweet, shy girl end up with his brother, the all-time player of Austin, Texas? Though, he’d never seen a more perfect match in his life, surprisingly enough.
“Hi. How’s it going?” Brennan said.
“Uhm. Good, thanks. Eh, I… I figured we might go home?” she said to Don.
“What is it, Cupcake?” Donovan crossed the room and took her by the hand before leading her inside. She blushed, and Brennan couldn’t help but snicker at the contrast between her and her younger sister Errin.
Errin walked into a room like she not only owned the place but also bought the place right from under your nose and made a big profit out of it. He grinned.
“Is something wrong?” he asked Kate.
She looked over between Don and him and said, “Erm, it’s Errin. She’s… well, she’s celebrating, because you’ve paid three months rent for her…”, “Erm, it’s Errin. She’s… well, she’s celebrating, because you’ve paid three months rent for her…”
Brennan fastened the last shoelace while glancing over his shoulder. “You’ve paid her rent?”
“Well, I figured she hadn’t been planning on living alone in her apartment. Because Kate’s moving out was so last minute, I transferred the money this morning. But she more or less threw it in my face when I told her tonight.”
Kate shifted her balance. “She didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, Don. It’s because she doesn’t plan on staying in Austin. It’s a real possibility she’s leaving for Jersey next week.”
“What?!” Brennan roared.
“Um… there’s an audition in Jersey that seems to be a sure thing. The director called her agent—” But before the flustered Kate could elaborate, Brennan went downstairs to get his answers from the horse’s mouth.
Errin’s loud laughter traveled through the room when Brennan entered the pub. She sat at Pops’ table near the bar. With fuckin’ Keenan. A pitcher of beer stood between them on the tabletop, and several smaller shot glasses littered the rest of the table.
“Nah, Beautiful. Come on, don’t chicken out now.” Keenan poked Errin in the side.
