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Once we exited the car and piled up on Cole’s porch, Liam knocked and then the door swung open.
“Hi guys!” Nora said, welcoming us in. She wore an off-the-shoulder shirt that managed to match her eyes. Eyes which bounced from me to Liam, with a small smile curving her lips. I knew what she was thinking, and she was right, but I had no idea if I was allowed to tell her.
“Hey, thank you for having us over,” I said, stepping inside once Nora moved aside.
My brother was in a pair of dark denim and a heather gray shirt. His eyes went soft the second he took me in.
“Hey…”
I smiled. “Hey.”
I tried not to act awkward now that he knew about me and Liam, but it wasn’t easy. Colson had just recently accepted being my older brother, and while I appreciated that he cared, it didn’t automatically give him the right to have an opinion on my dating life. Not that he’d said anything to me about it, and I wasn’t sure he would. But I didn’t love that he had given Liam a hard time about it.
“Can I take that pie for you?” he offered, stepping forward.
The others filed in, and the girls ran to their toy room. Nora headed for the kitchen, busying herself behind Cole.
“Sure.” I handed it over with the potholders still attached.
“That smells so good, Haley,” Nora groaned from over her shoulder.
Taking a seat on the stool, and ignoring wherever Liam slipped off to, I decided to focus on the conversation in front of me.
“Thanks. I’ve never made marionberry pie before, so I have no idea how it will taste.”
Cole waved me off, moving to dice up a few carrots. “You make great food, it’ll taste great.”
I smiled and then there was an awkward stretch of silence. Thankfully Liam rejoined us, and when I assumed he’d pull up the stool next to me, he chose one further down, putting an empty stool in between us.
Trying not to let my confusion show, I leaned forward and snagged a carrot from Colson’s cutting board. My brother and Liam began to talk about the gym, and work.
Bored by their exchange, I walked over and decided to help Nora.
“What can I do?”
She pointed at wine glasses, “Would you mind pouring?”
I found the opened bottle and lined up four glasses. As soon as I finished pouring the three, Liam piped up from behind me.
“You’re not old enough for that.”
I spun on my sock, totally shocked that he’d just said that. Out loud, no less.
Cole’s eyes burned, bouncing from Liam to me, that same confused expression dulling his face with crowded brows and a downturned smile.
“I’m twenty-one.” My voice became frosty as I added, “Did you forget?”
Liam’s eyes widened the smallest bit before a smidge of red colored his cheeks.
“Shit. I’m so sorry…” he muttered, hanging his head.
“It was just a few weeks ago, Haley…give the man a break,” My brother joked, keeping any emotion out of his voice.
I turned back to the glasses to hide my reddening face. Why was it okay for him to fuck me in every position he could imagine, degrade me when it fit his sexual needs, then suddenly have an opinion on my drinking age?
Fuck that.
Not to mention he forgot I even had a birthday!Jerk.
