Page 103 of Control Freak

“So, Holden tells me you’re like a grandfather to him?” Shiloh said as he stepped back.

Jose harrumphed. “More like a second father. Maybe an older brother?”

Shiloh laughed. “Ah, yes, much more likely.”

“And you’re his cariño, hmm? Make sure he treats you right. I raised him to be a gentleman.”

“Oh, so that’s where he gets it, huh?” Shiloh teased. “I guess I owe you a thank-you, then. You did good with this one.”

“I’m just doing my best to appreciate my guy,” I said.

I might not be able to give Shiloh everything his former boyfriends had, but I could sure as hell treat him ten times better.

“Don’t encourage them,” Bailey said. “They’re already so sappy it’s tough to live with.”

“Oh, you’re suffering, huh?” Jose laughed and wrapped an arm around Bailey’s shoulders, giving him a playful shake. “Youbetter just get used to it because your brother deserves to be happy. He’s waited a long time for this.”

“I know,” Bailey said with a grin. “It’s my job to be a brat.”

“Oh, is it?” Gray asked. “I didn’t know that came with a paycheck now. Bailey works so hard at it, he’s probably due for a bonus.”

I snorted. “Probably.”

“Oh, sign me up,” Shiloh joked. “I’d make afantasticbrat.”

Too true. Bratty behavior came naturally to him when he was feeling saucy. I’d seen it a little less since we started working on my haphephobia. I really wanted him to feel comfortable enough to tease and flirt the way he did before we began tiptoeing around my boundaries to add physical intimacy.

After a few minutes, Shiloh excused himself to check on Banshee and let us all catch up. Bailey had taken charge of Enrique, holding him up to peer into the engine of a car, while Flynn pointed at parts and explained what they did.

Jose and Gray followed me into my office, and we all took a seat.

“So, it looks like things are going great around here,” Jose said. “It’s enough to make a man feel unneeded.”

“It’s been tight,” Gray said. “But we’re getting by.”

I nodded. “I was just banging my head against the wall this morning because we’ve got expenses eating into the bottom line.”

“That hydraulic lift replacement didn’t help,” Gray said.

“That and our suppliers keep raising prices. I can pass some of that on to customers, but too much, and I’ll lose their business.”

“It’s a balancing act,” Jose agreed.

“How did you and Dad make it look so easy when we were younger?” I asked.

There was a time, before Mom’s death, when the auto shop ran like a smoothly oiled machine. Dad used to whistle while he worked on cars. Helovedteaching us about mechanics. I remembered how proud he was of Gray when he took to it and how disappointed he was that it didn’t come naturally to me.

It hurt to remember those days because Icaredso damn much what he thought of me. The Forresters were the only parents I’d known after mine, and I’d damn near worshipped them for their simple choice not to hit me. It didn’t entirely take away the fear that they eventually would, though. And after our mom died and the old man spiraled into drinking, he did hit Axel once.

I was away at college at the time, but when I heard about it later, I confronted the old man and told him I’d never live with abuse in my family again. If he ever lifted a hand to any of my brothers, I’d call the sheriff and get him tossed into jail.

He never hit any of us again, but things were never the same. The trust was gone.

“I don’t know that running the shop was ever easy,” Jose said, “but the county contract sure helped.”

“You serviced the county vehicles? I don’t remember that.”

“Oh yeah,” Gray said. “I remember a patrol car being serviced in the shop a few times.”