Leo jumped in and explained, “But Riggs was chosen, Piper.”
Confusion littered her features. “Chosen for what?” she asked.
“The photo shoot,” he replied.
Piper’s eyes widened in surprise. “No way!” she gasped.
“Yes,” Sam confirmed. “This coming Sunday Riggs is going to be romancing a sweetheart.”
“Eden!!” Piper shouted.
Not a moment later, the baby of the family and our youngest sister, Eden, came out from where she’d been working with Piper.
“What? What’s wrong?” she worried as she ran out and saw the five of us standing there.
“It worked,” Piper told her.
Eden cocked an eyebrow and repeated it as a question, “It worked?”
“Riggs was selected to do the stranger photo shoot this coming Sunday.”
Eden’s shocked face turned to mine. My baby sister was a true romantic at heart. There was no doubt in my mind that she was already seeing a fairy tale come together in her head. Eden’s shock quickly turned to excitement. Her face softened as she moved closer to me.
“Aw, Riggs. You’re going to fall in love,” she declared. “I promise to bake you the best wedding cake the world has ever seen.”
I rolled my eyes as I shook my head.
I loved my family; I really did. But they were all certifiably crazy.
“Eden, don’t get yourself all worked up,” I warned her. “I’m not going to want to see the look of disappointment and despair on your face when you realize that this isn’t going to go how you envisioned it.”
“But it is already going exactly how we planned it,” Piper chimed in.
“What does that mean?” I asked. “You didn’t have anything to do with this.”
She let out a laugh.
“Do you honestly think that Leo, Sam, and Layne came up with this idea?” she scoffed. “This was all Eden and me.”
Now I was the one standing there with wide eyes. My neck snapped in the opposite direction as I glared at my brothers. They returned smug grins.
“You guys are assholes,” I declared. “Bringing Piper and Eden in on this was purely evil. You all better prepare yourselves for my retaliation.”
Despite my warning, my brothers weren’t even remotely fazed. In fact, Layne took it so far as to taunt me. “What’s the big deal, Riggs? Are you worried about the shoot? Afraid you might get cold feet?”
I shook my head. “Nope,” I deadpanned.
He gave me a look that said he doubted my honesty.
I didn’t care. It was the truth. I’d do the shoot, hope it went well, and once again prove that I wasn’t afraid of any challenge.
“Do we know anything about the girl that’s been chosen?” Eden asked.
Leo shook his head. “No. This is going to be a surprise for all of us.”
“Oh, I can’t wait,” she squealed.
“Me too,” Piper added.
“You guys are getting in way too deep on this,” I started, feeling a desperate need to turn down the excitement over it. The last thing I needed was anyone making a big deal about it. “I’m going to go to this photo session, do what I have to do, and go home.”
“But maybe she’ll be really pretty,” Eden said.
“And sweet,” Sam added.
“Maybe she’ll be smart,” Piper declared.
“If that’s the case, then she’ll know that this whole thing is just as silly as I think it is,” I reasoned.
Leo laughed and remarked, “Yeah, let’s face it. It won’t matter how pretty or sweet she is. If she’s smart, she’ll take one look at Riggs and walk away.”
Even though I knew he was teasing, I twisted my head in his direction and narrowed my eyes at him.
“That’s not true,” Eden argued. “If Riggs ever decides to get the ball rolling and settle down, he’s going to be a great catch.”
“Thanks, Eden,” I said gently. “Even still, this is getting out of hand. This woman could be all of the things you guys just said, and it won’t matter one bit. We’re right at the beginning of the fall season, which means winter isn’t far behind. We’ll have shorter days eventually, but the next few months are crazy for us around here. Between all the work we’re normally doing and the fall festival that starts next weekend I’ll remind all of you, there wouldn’t be time now to devote to a relationship anyway.”
“For the right woman, you’d find the time,” Piper insisted.
“And if this woman happens to be someone you’re interested in pursuing,” Eden started. “The rest of us will pick up the slack so you could have some extra time with her. Right, guys?”
My brothers looked at Eden like they wanted to strangle her for suggesting something so ridiculous since it meant that they’d be the ones picking up the slack, but it was the hopeful look on her face and the optimism in her tone that had them agreeing. If there was one thing my brothers and I couldn’t do, it was to crush Eden’s confident spirit.
“Alright, relax,” I ordered. “It’s only Tuesday. I’ve got to get through the rest of the week before I can even think about this.
“I’m just still in shock that Riggs won and is going to go through with it,” Layne commented.
“Why wouldn’t I do this?” I asked.
He shot me a devious grin. “Because as the week wears on, you’re not going to hear the end of it,” he promised.
Wonderful.
Just what I needed right before one of our busiest seasons hit.
“I can’t wait to see the pictures,” Eden bubbled.
“I can’t wait to see the girl,” Leo muttered.
I pinned my eyes on my sisters. “Just so you know, you’re both fair game now.”
Unlike my brothers, Piper and Eden didn’t let my warning roll off their shoulders. Eden looked slightly worried. Piper, like my brothers, wasn’t fazed in the least. But she didn’t remain silent like they did. She knew exactly what she was doing when she challenged, “So, you’re going to find a way to get Eden and me each set up with a guy? I’m totally down for that.”
“Oooh, now I’m even more excited,” Eden interrupted.
Damn it. That was definitely not going to happen.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Leo interrupted, not liking where the conversation was heading. “Let’s not get too crazy here. Nobody is setting Piper or Eden up with anyone.”
“What?” Eden moaned. “That’s not fair.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Sam said. “I think it’s a fair assumption that Riggs is never going to dare either of you to do something that involves another guy, especially one we don’t know. And I can promise you that you aren’t going to see Leo, Layne, or me doing it either.”
That was an accurate assessment. I’d sit and tease my sisters all day long, but when it came right down to it, I’d protect them with everything I had in me. My brothers and I always would. Willingly putting our sisters into a position where they could end up hurt wasn’t something any of us would do.
Of course, my brothers and I weren’t stupid. We weren’t the kind of guys that thought Piper and Eden would never end up dating or getting serious with someone eventually. They were beautiful, hardworking women with hearts of pure gold. We knew they’d each make someone very happy one day. It was just that Leo, Layne, Sam, and I would never be the ones to step in and encourage it.