Page 17

“Haven’t you got nieces and nephews?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You don’t want to ask your brother?”

I shook my head. “Not yet, I’m going to wait until twelve weeks is over.”

“Okay, then what else is there?” He took the laptop and flicked back to the Amazon store. “There’s one here for dads, definitely get that one. The Expectant Father . Adding that. What’s a doula?”

Dropping my head onto the couch cushion, I closed my eyes, though I could still see all the books floating in front of me. I had so much to learn. “I don’t know.”

“Here’s one, Pregnant by my Best Friend’s Dad …hmm, this looks interesting. I’ll add it to the cart just in case,” he added with a snicker.

“What?” Snatching back the laptop, I found the book he’d added—the front cover of which featured a woman with massive tits and a shirt four sizes too small—and swiftly removed it. “What the fuck was that?”

“What the fuck was what?”

I glanced up to find Parker padding into the kitchen, pajama pants in danger of falling off. Since his accident, he’d been so obsessed with staying game fit, that he’d started wandering around the apartment practically naked. Why? I have no fucking clue.

“We’re shopping for books, but there’s some very interesting literature about some girls who want to get pregnant by their best friend’s dads, and”—as Ace glanced back at the screen, his eyes bulged—“ milked …ewww, what the fuck is that? Milked?”

“Now we know why Weston spends so much time in the bookstore.” He barked out a laugh only to be silenced by a shirt being hurled in his face.

“Put some fucking clothes on. You’re not injured anymore, your balls are fine. New house rule, and I can’t believe I have to state this , no naked breakfasts.”

Parker rolled his eyes. “Someone’s grumpy. Isn’t Millie supposed to be the one with the mood swings? Or are these sympathy mood swings? Do we all have to have them? Because I, for one, am in the best mood ever.”

Ignoring his really annoying grin, I picked up the nearest thing I could find, which happened to be this month’s edition of Cosmo —and threw it at him, only for it to flap in the air and fall to the floor.

He picked it up and placed it on the coffee table by the couch, as the intercom rang out from the concierge desk.

“Why don’t you and your cheerful mood make yourself useful and answer that. ”

Parker was still grinning when he picked it up, and he listened for a second. “Hang on…Tan, there are two guys downstairs for you.”

“Who?”

He repeated my question to whoever had called up. “They’re from Congressman Field’s office. They showed ID.”

One quick glance at Ace and Lux, and neither of them had the answer I was looking for. “Who the fuck is Congressman Field?”

“I don’t know and I’m not your secretary,” replied Parker.

“Then ask what their names are.”

I watched him, and instead of relaying whatever answer he’d been given, his grin pulled even wider. “Yeah, send them up.”

“Dude, what the fuck? Who have you just let up?”

“One Joshua and Matthew Robinson.” He picked up the shirt Lux had tossed him and pulled it over his head.

“Who the fuck are—” I slammed the laptop shut, Ace whipping his fingers out just in time. “Oh shiiit .”

Lux stopped cracking eggs into a bowl and stared at me. “Isn’t Millie’s last name Robinson?”

“Yes.” It came out in a croaky whisper. I didn’t have time to strangle Parker, I didn’t have time to do anything before the bell to the elevator sounded, and we heard the doors open.

No one moved. Not as we heard the first footstep out, not as two guys walked around the wide pillar that blocked the entrance to the elevator.

Two guys the size of linebackers. I wasn’t small by any stretch of the imagination, but I wasn’t the size of these two. Millie must have taken after her mom.

Parker did the honors. “Gentlemen, how can we help you?”

They didn’t answer as their eyes scanned around the space, narrowing in exactly the same way Millie narrowed hers when she was mad.

They were so intent on finding me they didn’t even stop to pause at the incredible view that usually had everyone pausing.

I mean, it was the whole southwest of Manhattan stretching across the Hudson to Jersey. Stunning. It deserved a pause.

But not these guys. That was my first clue this wasn’t going to go well.

“You.” The taller and wider one who could have doubled as Hulk jabbed a fat finger at me. I was tempted to jump behind the couch, but he’d only follow me. Each one of his large strides seemed to shake the apartment.

Thankfully, Parker, with his I’m-game-day-ready-and-no-longer-injured attitude, stepped in front of them. “Um, what do you think you’re doing?”

“We’ve come to have a little chat with Tanner Simpson.”

Lux stepped in next to Parker, adding another block to their path. At six-five, Lux towered over most people but not these guys. “You can chat from here, if it’s all the same to you.”

“What are you? His security?”

“If we need to be.” Lux crossed his arms over his chest. “Now sit the fuck down on that step, and don’t move.”

After a long, intense period of glaring, where the boys sensibly decided they were outnumbered, they sat down .

“Thank you,” Lux conceded. “Now we were about to have breakfast, would you like to join us.”

The scowl I leveled on Lux was the same one the smaller Hulk leveled on him too. The smaller Hulk I decided was the older brother, Josh. He looked a little more put together than the other one, Matty, who was currently yawning and made me wonder if he’d only just woken up.

“No, we’re not here to eat.”

“Actually…” started Matty. “I’m kind of hungry. I’ll take some breakfast. Thank you.” His eyes sliced over to me. “But that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it, and it doesn’t make us buddies. I just gotta keep my strength up before training camp begins.”

“You want a protein shake?” offered Parker, like these two hadn’t come to kill me, and two angry guys storming into the apartment was an everyday occurrence.

“Sure, thanks. Sounds good.”

“So, you guys play football or what?”

“Yeah, going into my final year at Notre Dame. Hoping to get an invite to the Combine,” replied Matty with a nod.

“Good luck with that.”

Everyone— okay, me and Josh—were watching this conversation play out with a fuck load of confusion.

Only the look on his face made me think this wasn’t part of any plan they had to lure me into a false sense of security before punching me on the nose.

Ace was holding onto the laptop and didn’t appear to be in any hurry to go and join in this bizarre situation playing out in front of us.

I pushed out of the couch and slowly walked over, though made sure I stayed out of reaching distance. They eyed me like a predator would eye prey .

“Hi. I’m Tanner, but I guess you already know that.” They nodded slowly but didn’t offer up anything else. “And I guess you’re here because Millie told you about us having a baby.”

“You’re better at guessing than you are at catching,” snapped Matty.

“Okay.” I nodded, so that’s how it was going to be. “I’ll let that one slide. But that’s the only one. So d’you wanna say what you came here to say?”

Matty opened his mouth to respond but closed it again after Josh rammed him in the ribs with his elbow. “We came to make sure you’re going to live up to your responsibility as a father.”

“Does Millie know you’re here?”

“Fuck no.” Matty’s eyes bulged, and they scanned around the apartment. “She’s not here, is she?”

I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. They might be her brothers, but from the looks of it, they were also just as scared of her as I was. Sometimes.

“No, she’s not here,” I replied, perching on one of the kitchen stools. “And in answer to your question, yes, of course I am.”

“Then would you care to tell us how you’re planning on doing that?

How are you going to treat our sister any differently from all the other girls you hook up with?

I play football, man, I know how it is.” He narrowed his eyes with all the wisdom of someone who played D1 football.

I wasn’t going to tell him the major leagues were way, way worse.

Behind me, Lux was pouring batter into the waffle maker; every time it hit the griddle, a loud hiss let out.

The scent of sugar and cooking filled the air; it was far too sweet for the level of aggression aimed at me right now.

Even if I did understand the place they were coming from.

I had two sisters—granted, they’d already proven many times over they were more than capable of taking care of themselves, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to be protective.

And Holiday was more well known than I was.

“First off, Millie is not some girl I hooked up with?—”

“Yeah, this guy’s been in love with her since the day he first met her.” Parker slapped a hand on my shoulder as he passed Matty the protein shake.

“What!?” Josh blurted. “You’re in love with our sister?”

“I mean…” I stopped talking. I’d never really thought about the love part of my feelings for Millie, mostly because it was hard to fall in love with someone who snarled at you 99 percent of the time, but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility either. “I’m not sure I’d use that word?—”

“What word would you use? Are you saying our sister isn’t loveable?”

“Dude,” Parker snorted a laugh, “have you met your sister? She has his balls in a vice grip most of the time.”

Matty put down the protein shake. “Please don’t talk about our sister and his balls.”

“Can we get back on track, please?” I rubbed along my brow, which felt way more tense than it had thirty minutes ago. “I’m not saying she’s not loveable, but I’m not telling all you dickheads I love Millie before I tell her.”

“So, you do love her?”