Page 9 of Just This Once (Stone Family #2)

Taryn

I ’ve been meeting my brothers for coffee every other week for the last…

ten years or so. Ever since that one random afternoon when I dissolved into a puddle of tears at Griffin’s feet.

He stopped at my house back when I was married and miserable and needed help.

He asked me “What’s up?” and I completely broke down.

Ian took it upon himself then to make sure nothing like that ever happened again, so here we are.

Ian’s already seated when I enter Cuppa Jo. He nods at me from our regular booth with my regular order of full caf, lots of sugar and milk. When I sit opposite him, he tilts his head, and I cut off the question before he can speak. “No. Let’s wait. I’m not going to explain it twice.”

“Fair.” He retrieves his cell phone from his back pocket to check the time. “Don’t know where Cap is.”

“Yes, you do,” I say after a sip of my coffee.

Ever since Griffin and Andi—the former nanny to his twins—got together, he’s almost always late.

Griffin is ten months older than me, and I’ve only ever known him to be stringent, from the way he folds his clothes to his daily schedule planned out to the second. Until Andi came roaring into his life.

Now, he’s more relaxed. And for that, I’m grateful to the woman. He deserved to have some of the weight of responsibility taken off his shoulders. He’s had enough of it from his previous career as a SEAL and now a firefighter.

Ian, on the other hand, has built up his tattoo business from nothing and lives a life of flexibility. I think because he’s always had to be the one taking care of everyone else, he requires an adaptable lifestyle. He’s used to the curve balls of life, excellent at swinging away.

Ian’s got a big heart, much more forgiving than me, and everything a girl could ask for in a big brother and father figure.

Almost ten years older than me, he helped to take care of us—Griffin, me, and Roman—after Dad split when we were little kids.

Ian would give someone the shirt off his back if needed.

But he also lives to give us—his siblings—lots of shit.

“Probably fucking his girl.”

I splutter on a gulp of my drink. “Can you not? I’d prefer not to think about my brother’s sex life.”

He blinks in innocence. “You were the one who told us you fucked your construction guy.”

I grab a napkin from the holder, ignoring his curious stare. “I told you, I’m not explaining it twice.”

“Well, you’re in luck,” Ian says a moment before I hear, “Sorry I’m late.”

Griffin scoots into the booth next to me, gently elbowing me in greeting before taking his coffee from the middle of the table.

“Right on time, actually.” Ian motions to me. “Tar was about to explain what’s up with the young buck.”

Griffin takes a swallow of his coffee then settles his attention on my face, his words biting. “You’re really going to work with him?”

Since my brothers were there to meet Dante, I gave them the barest of information, that we had slept together, not knowing who the other was.

And now it’s time to face the music. But I won’t go down without a fight.

I scowl in Griffin’s direction. “Funny you ask since you were sleeping with your nanny.”

Ian nods, wagging his finger. “Facts.”

Griffin rolls his eyes and chooses to quietly sip his drink instead of continuing with me, and I blow out a breath, mentally sorting out the information they need to know.

“We met when I went out for drinks with Marianne and Clara. He was apparently really good friends with Clara in high school, and… It was only one night. One time, that’s it. ”

My brothers both nod in understanding. For as close as we are, I don’t know much about their personal lives in terms of who, what, where, when, or why. Sure, we help and support one another, but my brothers are my brothers. Not my gossiping girlfriends.

Really, this was all Clara’s fault.

“So, what? You never spoke with him when you made arrangements with the construction company?” Griffin asks, and I shake my head.

“Apparently, it’s a family business, and Dante is the project manager. I never spoke to him before.”

“And now you’re his boss for all intents and purposes,” Ian fills in like a smug bastard. “Yikes.”

“Yikes,” I agree, sighing.

“What are you going to do?”

“Nothing. I handled it.”

“You handled it?” Ian and Griffin both say at the same time.

I divide my attention between them. “I told him that it’s never happening again and he needs to remain completely professional.”

Ian runs his hand over his beard. “ He needs to remain professional?”

“Yes. He .”

Griffin lifts his cup to his mouth. “What about you? Never seen you act like that before when he walked in.”

“Because I was surprised.”

“You dropped your coffee all over the floor,” Ian says, as if I don’t know.

As if my brain hadn’t come to a complete and total stop when Dante sauntered into The Nest. As if I hadn’t been thinking about his callused hands on my thighs and his wicked smirk when he told me to feed him my breasts.

As if I didn’t remember him spitting on me.

Good god.

I couldn’t stop thinking about him the whole weekend, and then he appeared as if by black magic. All charming smiles and muscles on display.

What an asshole.

“It’s fine,” I tell my brothers. “I’ll be fine.”

I know they don’t believe me with their dubious stares, but I change the subject. “Andi’s going back to California soon?”

Griffin’s shoulders rise on a deep breath. “Yeah, she leaves the first week of November, but it’s only for two weeks.”

Andi is a songwriter and worked on her best friend’s album this past spring. I don’t know much about the business, but after living in Los Angeles for a long time, she’s finally made some good connections and is getting her work out there. “Let me know if you need help with the kids.”

Griffin’s twins, Logan and Grace, are in sixth grade and are good friends with my daughter, Maddie, since she’s only a year older.

My son, Jake, is in high school, and while he’ll always choose his friends over spending time with the twins and his sister, they all get along.

And I’m happy to help Griffin out since his schedule is irregular.

“Thanks,” Griffin says with a nod then looks to Ian. “We were actually thinking of coming in to get something done.”

“You and Andi and matching tattoos? You sure? Ink is more permanent than a wedding ring.”

Don’t I know it. Ian, too. Both of us divorced.

“That’s why I want it.”

Ian sets his elbows on the table, wiping his teasing smile away. “I knew it was serious. But that serious?”

Griffin doesn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Honestly, I’m jealous. Of my brother for finding love like that.

Of Andi being so lucky to have a man who would answer so immediately and securely.

I thought I had that, but I was confused at the time.

It took me a long while to realize genuine love didn’t come with expectations or conditions.

I assumed Craig’s control of me was love.

I hoped it meant he wanted to take care of me.

Naively, I thought if I was perfect enough, if I pleased him enough, then it would get better. It never did.

And I’d rather be single and struggle than married and unhappily kept.

“You going to get down on one knee soon?” I ask, leaning my elbow on the table, angling my body to face Griffin.

“Eventually,” he says confidently, “but not right now. We need to see how her career’s going to play out. We’re in no rush.”

“As long as she has your name tattooed on her skin,” Ian adds, and Griffin doesn’t disagree.

“Such cavemen,” I mumble with a shake of my head. I have one tattoo, for my mother. My brothers have many more.

“So you’re not going to be asking me to put a construction hat on your shoulder anytime soon?” Ian asks after a sip of coffee, and I toss a sugar packet at him.

“I told you. It. Was. One. Time.”

He nods sarcastically, and when I turn to my formerly favorite brother, he shrugs. “Kind of hard to believe, that’s all.”

I let out a frustrated growl and comb my fingers through my hair, tugging slightly, earning a snicker from Ian. I aim a glare at him. “You were the one giving me shit about it the other day. How he’s so young. Now suddenly, you want me to jump him?”

“No. Not saying that. But if you’re thinking about it…seems like you don’t need much pushing.”

“No. Not happening, and you can shut your fucking mouth about it.”

“Touchy,” he murmurs like it’s all a big joke, but he relents and updates us on his daughter, Juniper, who has started dating someone.

Ian has three kids with his ex-wife—Jasper, Jaybird, and Juniper—but there’re also a few stragglers he’s collected along the way too.

They all work in his tattoo shop and are practically part of the family now. Exactly how Ian wants it.

I suspect the need to keep everyone together comes from our childhood and his divorce. How he couldn’t make our father or his wife stay, so he’ll do it now. A hero in his own right, in how fiercely he protects his family.

Though, I doubt he’d see it that way since he calls Griffin Captain America. With Griffin’s traditional good looks and his chosen career paths, he’s a poster boy superhero.

Then there’s Roman. The baby. The one who couldn’t give a shit about anything or anyone. The one I don’t have the time or patience to deal with. While Griffin and I are close, so are Ian and Roman. Or, were.

Since the guy hasn’t been around in years, too busy doing whatever-the-hell, he hasn’t responded much to anyone, including Ian, who argues that we should give him another chance. That he’ll be back. That he’s simply sorting himself out.

Okay.

Sure.

I’ve got enough on my plate without holding my breath for my baby brother to stop acting like such a baby.

Griffin receives a call and tells us he has to get to the firehouse for an emergency.

He’s off after a quick goodbye, so Ian and I decide to take our time strolling around downtown.

Ian’s shop is right in the middle of Aster Street, sandwiched between a bakery with the best cinnamon buns and a bookstore, run by a woman who cuts us off before we reach Stone Ink.

She smiles at both of us, holding up a pile of mail in her hands. “Special delivery.”

“Hey, Nic,” Ian says quietly, accepting the envelopes from her.

My brother, all six foot three inches and two hundred and some pounds of him, practically melts.

He’s pure muscle, covered in tattoos, with shoulder-length hair and beard, but the quiet bookshop girl never fails to bring him from bear to cub. And I don’t think she has any idea.

She smiles at me. “Hi, Taryn. How’re you doing?”

“Good. You?”

“Fine, thanks.” She motions to the mail, her attention back on my brother. “I was just dropping these off on my way to grab lunch.”

“It’s two o’clock,” Ian says, checking the time on his phone. “Why didn’t you eat yet?”

“Got busy stocking and…”

Ian grunts like the animal he is, but Nicole merely lifts a shoulder. “Anyway. I’ll see you later.”

I watch my brother watch her cross the street toward the sushi place, and I’m not sure how these two have worked next to each other all these years without ever realizing what’s going on between them.

But what do I know? I accidentally slept with my thirty-year-old project manager.

And I don’t want to meddle, especially when Nicole is married.

“So,” I start, stealing Ian’s focus, “I’m going to get back to work.”

He squeezes my shoulder affectionately. “See you later, boss.”

I head toward The Nest with a wave, taking my time, enjoying the fifteen-minute walk. Being a working single mom of two teenagers doesn’t leave me a lot of time to myself, but my therapist makes sure I always schedule daily walks and weekly pottery sessions to release the stress.

Which ratchets up when I step inside the B&B, noticing Dante in the back, talking with one of the contractors. It’s his third day on the job, and fortunately for the bottom line, he is impressively efficient and knowledgeable.

Unfortunately for me, I can’t stop instinctively finding his lips. They’re wide and constantly curled up into a smile. I don’t know how he is always always smiling.

But suddenly, I’m thinking about how he made me smile last weekend.

How he pressed those lips to the soft and tender flesh between my legs and ate me up like I was his favorite flavor.

As if he can see inside my head and the memories scrolling like a movie, he flashes me his grin, licking those torturous lips of his.

I can’t deal with this right now.

And I power walk in the opposite direction.