I head back to my office and back to the stack of files that need to be taken care of. Rosie, our administrative assistant, smiles and waves as I walk past her desk. I glance at the framed photo of her with her husband and their furbabies and smile. Across the bottom of the wooden frame in perfect script is the word Family.
There’s no perfect description of the word, no box for it to fit in. For some it’s a soul mate and a ball of fur. For others it’s Sunday dinners gathered around the table and passing the gravy. For a lot of us, it’s those people who come into our lives by chance and not by blood. But for everyone, family is everything.
There’s no doubt Levi is the brother Blaze was talking about last night when he told me about his nanny. I can’t help but wonder why he never mentioned Blaze or if he knows what happened with Liam and the brewery. What will Blaze say when I tell him I met his brother? Will he already know? Is he the reason Levi is here?
Or does family mean something completely different for the two of them?
The next day, two hours before my shift begins, I’m walking through the door at HoH. It’s eerily quiet when I enter the living room. Then, here it comes. Two steps in and it’s raining Nerf bullets. Little Styrofoam darts fly through the air and across the room from all directions. Some hit me in the chest. Some miss me entirely. Brody appears from behind the wall leading up the stairs and fires off a round of about ten bullets into the kitchen. I catch Zeke duck behind the kitchen island and Ryder bolt from the living room into the half bath in the hallway.
Great.
I’ve stepped into a war zone, and our next biggest sponsor will be here in a few short hours.
“Cease fire,” I yell out, holding one hand over my face because I just saw Jacob peek around a corner with one of those guns that shoots the little yellow balls. I know from experience that one shot in the face with those things will have you saying words that would make a sailor blush.
“Hey, look who’s here early,” Brody says, breathless as he comes into the living room from the stairway. “What happened? You miss me?” He drops his gun to his side then lifts his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. That must have been one intense Nerf war.
I set my keys and cell phone on the console table by the front door. “We have a company coming for dinner.” I hold up the handful of plastic grocery bags I’m carrying in my other hand.
“So, you didn’t miss me?”
I shove his shoulder with my hand and roll my eyes. “If I say yes, will you help me clean?”
He shrugs. “Maybe.”
“Okay, then yes. I missed you.”
He tosses the Nerf gun onto the sofa then cups my face with both hands. “I knew it.”
“It smells like sweaty socks and fart in here.”
Brody lets go of my face and sniffs his armpits. “Nope. Not me.” He glances across the room at Zeke. “You been rolling around in the dirty laundry again?”
Zeke laughs and shakes his head.
“Not him either. You must be imagining things, babe. Now, tell me about this company we’re supposed to be having.”
I walk to the kitchen to grab the lighter for a candle. “Kai invited Levi Abbott to visit the house tonight. He’s going to be our new sponsor.”
He follows me like a kid waiting for a snack. “Levi Abbott? As in NASCAR driver Levi Abbott? As in the best fucking legend to ever sit behind a steering wheel Levi Abbott?”
I slap my hand over his mouth and cut my eyes toward the hallway. “Language.”
Brody licks the palm of my hand, making me jerk it away from his mouth. Nasty fucker.
He smirks. “They hear worse language on YouTube.”
Worse than “fucking”?
I open a drawer and grab two cleaning cloths. “Well then someone needs to monitor what they watch on YouTube.”
“Levi Abbott is really coming here? Tonight?”
“Yes. He’s really coming here.” I toss one of the cloths at his chest then open the cabinet with the cleaning supplies. “You start upstairs. I’ll work down here.”
An hour and a half later, the house is as clean as it’s going to be for now. The candle I lit earlier fills the whole downstairs area with the warm scent of caramel and vanilla. The main parts are spotless—toilets, kitchen, and living room. The boys cleaned their rooms, and everyone has showered. That’s all that matters. I doubt Levi will be walking through here with a white glove anyway.
Brody grabs a bottle of water from the fridge while I cut up the rotisserie chicken I picked up on the way here. “Wait, so, you’re cooking too?” He steals a chunk of meat and shoves it in his mouth. “Jack-fucking-pot.”
“You didn’t think I was going to let him think we ordered pizza every night, did you?”
“Hey! I don’t always order pizza.” He winks. “Sometimes we have grilled cheese.”
I whisk the mixture of condensed milk and ranch dressing mix currently boiling on the stove and glance at him side-eye. “Did your parents have you on purpose?”
He brings his hand to his chest the way someone would if they’d just been shot in the heart. “Ouch, Addy. I thought we were friends.”
“We are friends. Best friends.” I grab a package of bacon from the fridge. Brody is leaning against the counter, watching me whirl around the kitchen like a woman on a mission. No, Brody, I don’t need any help. Thank you. “That’s why I can ask you things.”
“I feel something heavy coming.”
“How do you feel about casual sex?”
He pushes off the counter and stands directly in front of me, grabbing me by a belt loop and pulling me toward him. “I mean, we’d have to set some ground rules like no fucking in the house when the boys are home, but I’m down if you are.”
Did I say we’re best friends out loud? Because if not, I’m totally taking that shit back ASAP.
I shove at his chest and roll my eyes. “Not with me, you dimwit. In general. Have you ever just had sex with someone and nothing more?”
Why am I even asking him? He’s wearing calf-high white socks, baby blue shorts, a white tee, and black Crocs with tropical flowers on them for fuck’s sake. It’s a wonder he gets laid at all.
“Like a one-night-stand?” he asks.
“Something like that.”
“Why?” Suddenly, his expression turns serious. He’s in big brother mode now.
“Just answer the question.”
“Are you thinking about fucking Jake?” His eyes grow wide as he slams his hand down on the granite countertop. “Holy shit, you’re going to fuck Jake.”
“You think you could yell that a bit louder? I don’t think the neighbors heard.” I coat the bottom of a glass pan with the milk/ranch mixture. “And no. I’m not fucking Jake.”
The doorbell rings. “Shit, he’s early.” The chicken crack lasagna still has a good twenty-five minutes before it’s ready to eat. I haven’t even put it in the oven yet. We agreed on six o’clock. It’s five thirty. I’m buying Kai a watch for Christmas. “Make sure the boys are ready. I’ll get the door.”
“This conversation isn’t over.” He leans in and taps my chin with his fingertip. A slow smile spreads across his face. “But I can tell you this. Sex is never casual. Understand that, and you have your answer.” Then he disappears up the staircase.