“Yeah?”
I nod. “Yeah. You make the most amazing little mewling sounds when you’re eating something you like.”
“Oh,” she says. “That’s kind of embarrassing.”
“Not as embarrassing as walking around with a boner because I was watching you eat a cupcake.”
She laughs as I divide the food between two plates. “You do not.”
I set one plate in front of her, then climb on the stool next to hers. “Yeah. Yesterday was a close thing. Your brother walked in while you were eating your cupcake and it was embarrassing. There I was thinking about getting you naked and your brother’s talking to me. It was weird.”
She smiles. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes I would watch you frosting a cupcake and I’d get aroused.”
“Yeah, like how?”
“Let’s just say that it wasn’t that cold out, but you couldn’t tell that by looking at my nipples. Also, I had to change my panties.”
It surprises a laugh out of me. Allison isn’t a prude, that’s for sure.
She cuts into her French toast with her fork. She slips it between her plump lips and hums…HUMS…and then sighs. Fuck, that is the sexiest thing I’ve seen. Well, it ranks up there in the top five moments where Allison almost made me come in my pants. She notices me watching her eat. “What?”
My body is primed, ready to drag her back into the bedroom and show her just what that moan does to me. Jesus, the woman is going to kill me.
“Just, eat.”
Her eyes widen and then a slow smile curves her full lips. She says nothing but digs back into her food. And there, with the quietness of the Sunday morning, we eat and talk like I don’t want to do so many horrible things that involve her and frosting.
We clean the kitchen up together. I never thought I would find something as easy as rinsing dishes and washing griddles romantic, but then, I never had Allison before. She laughs over a story about one of their pet therapy dogs and she’s snorting and…this is heaven. Surely. I never had a regular life before I entered the military. Morning routines shouldn’t be so damned sweet, but the late morning light is pouring into the kitchen and her eyes are sparkling up at me and I can’t stop myself.
I pull my hands out of the soapy water and cup her face. I ignore the fact that suds are slipping down my hands and onto the shirt she’s wearing. She does too.
“Do you know how special you are?”
She shakes her head. “Ed…”
“You are. I’ve never known another person who is so happy. You make every room you walk into shine like it’s the middle of a June day—even if it’s midnight.”
“You’re making me blush, Ed.”
I shake my head because I realize that she still doesn’t understand what she means to me. “You know that Harry says you’re the reason he held it together when your mother had breast cancer?”
She shakes her head and I see tears start to fill her eyes. Usually, I run away from a crying woman. Cowardly I know, but they make me feel completely useless. Now, though, I know that she’s more important that anyone else in my life has been.
“He has always said that. And we would have never opened the store without your help. Your suggestions and your connections…you really give everything to the people you care about. It makes you special.”
She opens her mouth, but she never gets to speak. Instead, another voice cuts into our idyllic morning.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
We both turn and find Harry standing in the doorway. Fuck.
Chapter Eleven
I hate my brother. Loathe him. In fact, I’m contemplating a discussion with my parents to get them to disown him. I think they would do it if I told them they could have Ed instead. He’s better looking, and he can bake. Also, Ed might give them a chance at grandchildren. Not that I’m rushing into anything or expecting a proposal. Just that I would love to have a bunch of redheaded boys running around my house. If Harry loses out to Ed, we would be much better off without him around.
Said idiot brother—yeah, I called him an idiot, because he is—is wearing the same clothes he wore last night. Which means, he didn’t go home. Which means, he slept with someone’s sister and/or daughter. He has some nerve showing up here and judging Ed and me. See, like I said, idiot.
Harry’s striding toward Ed and me like he’s going to be able to take Ed down. They are about the same size, but I know Ed’s tougher. Ed steps forward and shoves me behind him as if Harry would hurt me. It’s kind of sweet that he thinks he needs to protect me from my brother. Interrupting my Sunday fun time with Ed—Harry will be lucky if he’s able to have babies when I’m done with him.
“You want to tell me what’s going on here, Cooper?”
“I think you need to watch your tone,” Ed says, which makes me laugh because his tone is pretty damned mean at that moment.
“Allison, I think you need to go get dressed,” Harry says. Like he has a say in the matter. Have I mentioned that he’s an idiot? Well, he is.
“Why?”
“You’re indecent.”
I gasp, but before I can charge my brother and tackle the butthead, Ed intervenes. “You might want to get dressed since I think I hear Fritz coming through the front door.”
Damn. “Fine,” I say stepping around him, but he grabs me and pulls me closer.
He leans down, his mouth so close to my ear I feel his breath brush against it. “I’ll handle your brother, but I’ll wait until you get back.”
“I can take care of myself.”
He chuckles. The sound warms my soul. “I know you can, Sunshine. If you want to beat the shit out of him, I’ll hold him while you do it.”
And, like that, my heart lightens. I can’t fight the smile curving my lips. Is it any wonder I love this man? Big, tough, bakes cupcakes, and he’s sweet. Plus, he’s okay with me taking the lead.
“Oh, hey, did Ed find her…” Fritz says as he takes in the scene. “Whoa.” But unlike my dumbass brother, he smiles. Then, when I step around the island, he claps his hands over his eyes. “My virgin eyes! Ugh, go away.”
I ignore Fritz and step up to my brother. “If you’re mean to Ed, I’ll call Mom and tell her that you’re ready to settle down and you want a sweet girl to do it with. Also, you want her help.”
“That’s mean,” Fritz says, his hands still over his eyes.
“Bradleys are mean and we never fight fair. Remember that, idiot.”
With that, I stomp out of the kitchen, then down the hallway to my bedroom. I can’t believe he did that. Like Ed isn’t good enough for me or something. Or that I am a virgin. Which I am not. Haven’t been in almost ten years. I sigh and sink down on my bed.
It’s just like Harry to show up right when Ed was about to say something. It was there in the depths of his blue gaze. It was as if he might offer me the world. Then my dumbass brother shows up and acts like the dumbass Ape that he is.
I glance at my phone and see I’ve missed some calls and texts. As I scroll through the messages and notices, I realize I missed a couple of calls and a bazillion texts from Harry. That’s why he showed up. Like I sit here waiting for him to call. Then, another few text messages from EJ and Savannah, mostly about Savannah’s impending death.
Me: All of the shit has hit the preverbal fan.
EJ: What happened?
Savannah: Your text is still too loud. Stop.
EJ: I thought you were dead so shut up.
Me: My brother showed up.
EJ: So?
It’s then that I realize I had forgotten to text them about Ed. I was a little busy this morning.
Me: I was wearing nothing but a big t-shirt, and Ed had his hands on me. Also, he was about to kiss me. Harry lost it.
Savannah: Did you take pictures of Harry getting his ass kicked? Actually, I would prefer video. It would make up for you and EJ interrupting my death.
Me: No. Because I had to get dressed. And Fritz showed
up, but he doesn’t seem that upset.
EJ: Is there any shouting?
Me: No.
Savannah: That’s scarier.
Panic surges through me. She’s right. Loud noises are scary, but the quiet moments right before the fight might mean worse things are coming. I drop my phone on the bed and rush to get dressed. I yank off my t-shirt, grab another shirt that actually fits me, then I pull on a pair of shorts. My phone keeps pinging, so I grab it.
EJ: You didn’t tell us Ed spent the night.
Savannah: Yeah.
Savannah: Wait, did he show up at the restaurant last night?
EJ: He did. Then he…ohhhhhhhh :smiley face: :thumbs up: :winkyface: So you slept together last night?
Me: No. This morning.
EJ: I want details.
Savannah: Me too.
Me: Shut up, you’re dead.
EJ: I’m alive and alone in my bed so I need the details.
That doesn’t make sense. I know EJ and she’s probably already throwing clothes on because she doesn’t like missing the drama. Or, Ed’s cooking. She’s probably hoping for some breakfast and, knowing Ed, he’ll cook for her. I roll my eyes.
Me: You’re not. More than likely, you’re getting dressed and coming over here.
EJ: DEVIL WOMAN. Stop using your magic mindreading.
I roll my eyes.
Me: Just get your ass over here because I might be administering first aid to my brother after Ed kicks his ass.
Savannah: Like I said, record that shit.
I would usually smile at the comment, but I’m too worried about Ed and my brother. I know that Ed can handle his own, but I will not have Harry treating Ed as if he isn’t good enough for me. Also, any fighting could ruin everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve with Camos and Cupcakes. I hurry down the hall hoping I can mediate between the two of them.
Chapter Twelve
I watch Allison walk out of the room, my heart going with her. I want to go back to our happy morning where it is just the two of us and not having a confrontation with her brother. Life never gives you good times without difficulty. I cross my arms over my chest and stare at Harry.
“So, what’s new with you two?” Fritz asks as he grabs a mug. “Wait, who made the coffee?”
“I did,” I say without taking my gaze from Harry.
“Good.”
Harry wants to smile. I can see it in his gaze and the way his lips twitch. Everyone knows that Allison makes the shittiest coffee. Still, we’re having a stare down like we’re dumbass kids fighting on the playground. We’re in our thirties for fuck’s sake.
Fritz joins us, looking from one to the other. “Again, what’s new with everyone?”
“Our former best friend here took advantage of my sister last night.”
The fact that Harry would think that sends a shard of ice to my chest. Besides Fritz, he’s the only brother I have on earth. We might not be related by blood, but they are my family. We went to hell and back. I know that I can call on them for help, just like they know I am here for them. The idea that he thinks I would sleep with a drunk Allison just…
“Ah, fuck, Harry get the stick out of your ass,” Fritz says. He looks at me. “You didn’t do that, did you?”
I shake my head.
“Then what the fuck are you doing here?” Harry mutters.
“I stayed the night to make sure she was okay.” I leave out the part where she propositioned me and that I actually slept in her bed. “She was pretty drunk last night, and I worried she might need some help.”
“See, not an asshole,” Fritz says.
“Then why did you have your hands on her? Why were you kissing her?”
“Ohhh, you were kissing her? What was that about?”
“Fritz, if you don’t shut the hell up, I’m going to punch you in the throat,” Harry says.
“How rude,” Fritz says as he hoists himself up on one of the barstools.
“So, I repeat, what the fuck were you doing touching my sister?” This time the words are barely above a whisper; because Harry’s teeth are clenched so tight, I’m amazed he doesn’t crack a tooth.
“I’m not sure that’s any of your business.” Because it isn’t. Not really. Granted, Allison and Harry are close, but Harry has no right to say anything to me. Harry grinds his teeth together, so I decide another approach might work. “By the way, are those the same clothes you wore on your date?”
“Why?”
“Just asking.”
His eyes narrow as he studies me. He knows what I’m getting at and he doesn’t like it one bit.
“Oh, he has you there, Harry,” Fritz says as he sips his coffee. “Tell me the sex was at least good.”
“Fuck off,” Harry says to him.
Fritz snickers and I know he’s about to say something that will sidetrack the conversation, so I give him a look to shut him up. His eyes dance with amusement, but he says nothing else.
I look back at Harry, who is now staring at me as if I’m scum of the earth again. I have to fight the urge to rub my hand over my chest to ease the pain there.
“I still can’t believe you’re fucking around with my sister.”
It takes every bit of my control not to punch the bastard. Mainly because that whole having each other’s back happened and it was Harry saving my ass on deployment. And Allison. As mad as she is, she doesn’t really want Harry hurt. Now if she asked me to hurt him, I would do it in a minute without a thought.
“Hey, you made French toast? Really? Why didn’t you save any for me?” Fritz says.
“You weren’t invited over, asshole,” I say, even though I’m thinking about cooking for him. “And I’m not fucking around with your sister.”
“What the fuck would you call it, asshole?” Harry bites out as he flexes his hands, then fists them. The bastard has a mean right hook. I don’t answer because I am trying to decide how mad Allison will be when I kick her brother’s ass. “Aren’t you going to answer me?”
I look at him, a man I think of as a brother, a man I would go into battle with—have done before and would do again without thinking—and the anger I see in his eyes. I should have never touched her, but I couldn’t stop myself. Not last night. Not this morning. Not for the rest of our days.
I know that I should back off. She’s definitely too good for me, but now that I’ve had her, there will be no way for me to ever retreat. She’s that sunshine I need in my world. I just can’t go back into that role of friend. Not now. Not ever. So, I decide I have no choice but to tell him the truth. It’s time I laid my soul bare to him, because I need him to understand what she means to me.
“I love her.”
His eyes widen. “What the fuck?”
“Love, Harry. Like when I wake up, I can’t think of anything else. All day long she’s there, on my mind, in my soul. When I fall asleep, she’s still there. All. Fucking. Day.”
The silence that fills the kitchen almost deafens me. Fritz is unusually quiet, and I want to look at him, but refuse to look away from Harry. The silence ticks on for a few seconds before Harry responds.
“How long?” he demands, his facial expression giving nothing away.
I blink. “What?”
“How long has this been going on?”
“This morning.”
He rolls his eyes. “No. How long have you felt this way?’
“Oh.” It takes me a minute to gather the courage to admit it, but there’s no going back now. “Since we moved to San Antonio.”
He studies me. There’s a look in his eyes I can’t decipher.
“Like love?” he asks. “Real love?”
I nod, my patience wearing thin. I want them gone. I want to go back to my quiet morning of great sex with the woman I love.
“Ed,” he says, and I can tell he’s about to argue with me, like I’m not worthy of love or something. Panic forces me to lay my cards down on the table.
“I. Love. Her. Like put
a ring on it, have a ton of babies, until we perish kind of love.”
Again, silence descends on the kitchen as we continue to stare each other.
Fritz clears his throat. I look up and see Allison standing there, her face is pale, and her eyes are wet. Dammit, this wasn’t the way I wanted to let her know how I feel. She should have been told first, and that had been my plan right before Harry found us.
“Fucking Harry,” I mutter.
“Is that what you were going to say to me when Harry ruined everything?”
“Hey,” her brother says, but I hear the laughter in his voice. I don’t look at him. I only look at her, the whole reason I exist. The woman who is now crying in her kitchen.
I walk toward her, cup her face and wipe her tears away with my thumbs. “Don’t cry, Sunshine.”
“Tell me,” she says, wrapping her delicate fingers around my wrists.
“I love you.”
There is a second or two of silence, then her mouth curves and a fresh set of tears spill from her eyes. “Good, because I love you too.”
I dip my head and kiss her. She slips her hands up over my shoulders, then behind my neck.
“Ack, that’s gross,” Harry says, which causes us both to start laughing.
I slip my arm over her shoulders. “No longer going to kick my ass?”
Harry shakes his head. “Can’t. I’m afraid of Allison.”
She laughs. “You should be. Loser.”
“Yeah, yeah, love and crap. The important question is…when am I getting some French toast?” Fritz asks. “And, just so you know, EJ is expecting some. Savannah’s text says she’s dead and that her funeral is Wednesday.”
“What’s that about?” I ask.
“She had about two or three margaritas more than we had. And at least three more shots. Besides, she has to work today.”
“No wonder Austin was freaking out last night.”
She nods. Fritz’s phone pings again.
“Again, EJ wants confirmation of French toast or she’s going to run by Whataburger for taquitos.”
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