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I put my phone down on my desk and lean back in my chair. No one has ever doubted my family’s strong bond. We may be a tad overbearing, particularly my mom, but her unwavering love for her kids is heartwarming—Everly included.
I sit up straight when I hear Carol’s voice from outside my office.
“You can go right in,” she says brightly. “I’m sure he will welcome the interruption.”
There’s only one person she would let into my office without checking with me first, and if I’m right, this conversion will not end well.
I am seriously considering hiding under the desk when Theo steps inside my office. He’s dressed casually in jeans and a white T-shirt, but his murderous expression is all business. The vein in his forehead looks ready to burst.
I should have made myself scarce while I still had the chance.
“Tell me this is one of your Stafford pranks and that you did not marry my sister.” He slams a photocopy of theAspen Grove Gazetteon my desk, staring at me accusingly with deep brown eyes the same shade as Everly’s.
“Where did you get that?” I ask calmly, maintaining my composure. Not my best response, but I’m caught off guard by the bitterness in his voice.
Theo has every right to be furious, and I figured Everly and I would break the news to him together to ease the tension. Why is it that she’s conveniently absent whenever I tell another person that we got married in Vegas?
“Dylan forwarded it to me this morning with the subject lineWelcome to the family,” Theo fumes, running a hand through his dark hair.
Shit.
This reeks of one of Dylan and Harrison’s practical jokes, and the timing couldn’t be worse.
We’ve pulled a lot of incredible pranks on each other, our family, and our friends. Like when Presley brought Jack back to Aspen Grove, and we had him arrested for trespassing. Or when Dylan was training Waffles, and Harrison and I tied a treat to his tail so he wouldn’t obey when Dylan gave him a command.However, I don’t find this particular prank very funny when my life is on the line.
“Is this why I haven’t heard from you or Everly since last week? I should have known something was up when you didn’t text me back,” Theo says.
He’s my best friend and I’m afraid of how this will affect our relationship. He’s privy to every detail of my checkered past and has been my wingman since we were eighteen. There’s no way he will let me off easy for marrying his sister, and that’s why I ghosted him over the weekend. Everly is the most important person in his life, and he’ll see it as a betrayal, especially since he made it clear she was off-limits years ago.
“We should wait to have this discussion when Everly can join us,” I hedge, subtly sliding my chair away from where he’s standing.
As kids, Everly was the only one who could reason with Theo when he lost his temper.
“Oh, now you’re dependent on my sister to fight your battles?” he growls. “You better tell me what the hell is going on before I lose my patience,” he demands.
I think we’ve moved past that already.
I may be in good shape, but my workouts focus on cardio and moderate weightlifting whereas Theo prefers heavy lifting and boxing. I wouldn’t stand a chance against him in a ring, let alone here in my office.
I’m totally screwed.
“Four months ago, you fucked a model you met in France, and the month before that, an actress in LA.” He sneers in disgust. “And now, out of the blue, you’re married to my sweet and fragile sister?”
Everly sweet and fragile? Try fierce and unyielding.
“For the record, I haven’t slept with anyone since the model in France. Including Everly,” I add before he can makeassumptions. “I’m not claiming to have changed overnight, but she makes me want to be a better man.”
That’s the truth. Every minute I spend with her ignites the longing to be her knight in shining armor. She deserves someone who will stand beside her, ready to help her conquer her dragons.
“When are you going to get to the part where youmarriedmy sister without telling me?” Theo jabs his finger at the news article on my desk, then recoils. “Have you been seeing her behind my back?”
I vehemently shake my head. “No. We ran into each other in Vegas. Funny how you conveniently never mentioned she’d be there.”
“You haven’t seen her in years. I didn’t think you’d care.”
“Of course I would. It’s a good thing I was there because a guy with wandering hands was accosting her.” I frown at the memory of his meaty paw digging into Everly’s smooth skin.
Theo’s anger morphs into unadulterated rage. “Tell me you roughed him up.”