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“And here’s a picture of Britt when she went to Max’s first Catfish game.” Vivianne flipped the phone in my direction, showing me a fresh-faced Britt whose smile lit up the room, even back then. She was just as beautiful as now and I wondered if we’d gone to the same high school, would she have noticed me? I had no doubts I’d be just as obsessed with her as I was now.

“Mom. Can we please stop showing Matty pictures now? I’m sure he’s bored,” Britt asked politely, even though there was a tense edge to it.

Too infatuated with the pictures on the screen, I raised my hand as her mom continued to swipe through pictures of Britt at the baseball game. “Don’t worry, Britt. I’m not bored.”

Her body deflated next to me, even our thighs brushing couldn’t take away my attention for the sweet girl on the screen.

A picture of Britt from behind, looking onto the baseball field caught my eye. “Wait. Stop there,” I said, grinning when I noticed Britt’s outfit. “Can you zoom in? That doesn’t look like it says Brennon on the back of your shirt.”

“That’s because it doesn’t. I was wearing a Sorenson jersey.” I turned my attention to the blonde beauty next to me, hiding my smirk as I was brought back to our first conversation. Thought she wasn’t a Sorenson fan?

“You wore a Sorenson jersey to your brother’s first game?”

She cleared her throat. “That wasn’t the intention. That’s one of Max’s old fan jerseys. He was supposed to bring us a couple with his name on the back before the game started, but he didn’t, so I stayed fully clothed as I didn’t want to get kicked out of the stadium.”

I filed away images of Britt peeling off said jersey to reveal her pert breasts and said, “Mm-hm… Wearing the wrong jersey seems to be a habit of yours, doesn’t it?”

Her lips parted, shocked that I’d go there in front of her family, but I had nothing to lose. They already thought we were dating. They’d find out soon enough how serious I was about her. This dinner only solidified how I wasn’t going to let her go.

“Oh, you’ll like this one, Matty.” Vivianne flashed me another picture of Britt in a pretty red dress with her hand resting on the chest of a tall, skinny guy. “This is her senior prom.”

I swallowed, staring too hard at the guy who was proudly standing beside her. Why did I have the urge to find out who he was and make sure he had nothing to do with Britt again?

“Who’s that?” I asked. Did I sound as possessive as I felt right now?

“Oh, that’s Nick. They were teammates back in high school,” Vivianne answered.

Nick… She’d never mentioned a Nick before, so I assumed that was a good thing, but it offered me little solace.

“Did you date Nick?” I asked, making Sam chortle. One of the first additions of the conversation he had tonight. He’d just been quietly assessing me, and I couldn’t blame him. He was protective over Britt, and I deserved a thorough vetting.

Sam plucked the phone out of his mother’s hands and turned the screen off. “Okay, Mom. I know you’re excited about meeting Britt’s boyfriend, but even I think Britt’s had enough torture for the night. You don’t want to scare him away, do you?”

“I’m not scaring you, am I, Matty?” Britt’s mom asked.

“Not at all.” I laughed. What I refused to say out loud was that I was having one of the best times of my life. Vivianne was warm, friendly, and treated me like I was one of her sons even though I’d only just met her. It almost felt like I had my mom back for a dinner, and I knew I’d remember this for the rest of my life. “Nothing could scare me away from Britt.”

Britt’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. I guessed that was a little too forward in front of her brother and mom. “You know what?” Britt said, clearing her throat. “I’m just going to head to the restroom.”

“Oh, I’ll join you,” her mother said, following, and as they walked away, Vivianne leaned into Britt, knocking her on the side as she whispered something. They were too far away for me to hear. Britt giggled, looking over her shoulder, and I smiled like a goofy teenager, unable to stop it.

“You know if the wind changes, your face is going to be stuck like that, and as much as Britt likes you now, I doubt she’d be willing to look at that expression for the rest of her life.” Sam’s low baritone voice brought me back to reality. His smile dropped as I met his gaze. Staring at me with a side grin, he took a swig of his beer. “That’s better. Now, what are your intentions with my sister?”

I had to admit, I was a little taken aback by Sam’s abruptness, but I tried not to show it.

“What do you mean?”

He pointed at me with his beer bottle. “Don’t play dumb with me. I’ve heard about you, and you’re too smart for that. Plus, I don’t have time for bullshit. Once my sister and mom are back, they aren’t going to give me a second to talk to you, and as her brother, it’s only right that I check you’re worthy enough of her time.”

I couldn’t fault him. If I had a sister, I’d do the same thing, and I was happy Britt had so many people around her who cared enough to ask. “I love her,” I confessed, and I had to admit, it felt good saying it out loud and to one of her family members, no less.

“And does she know that?”

“I think so.”

He raised a brow before shaking his head and taking another swig of his beer. “Unbelievable.”

“What?”

“She either knows or she doesn’t. If you aren’t sure, then she doesn’t know, trust me.”

“No. She does. I’m sure of it. I’ve told her enough times.”

“Mm-hm. Then why did she look like she wanted to hide away when you kissed her in front of everyone?”

I shook my head. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated, as in there are other girls involved, because if you’re thinking you can treat my sister as a side chick, then I’ve got a couple other brothers that would love to meet you.”

“She’s not my side chick.”

“You sure? Because I don’t think you know just how close Britt and I are. She tells me everything.” He looked at me pointedly. “I know more about you and your ‘situation’ than you think.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, you’re the kid who had a girlfriend with the ferret, correct?” He knew about Olana? Fuck. Did he know about the marriage too? No, surely not. I wouldn’t be walking straight if he had.

I gulped. “Yeah, but that’s over, and it has been over for a long time.”

Sam silently assessed my answer before leaning back on his chair. “I don’t want to get in the middle of anything, but I know my sister really likes you. She’s not good at hiding her emotions. Don’t break her heart.”

“I have no intention of doing that.”

“Good, because it’s important to remember that part of my off-season training with my brothers is yard work. We all know how to use a shovel and are great at keeping secrets.” He said it with a smile, but there was an obvious threat behind his words.

“Noted.”

The threat was real even if I had nothing to worry about. I wasn’t leaving Britt’s side anytime soon.

“What were you guys talking about?” Britt asked as she eased back into the booth next to me, her hand brushing against mine under the table. She shied away from holding it, but I took her hand anyway.

Sam smiled, taking a swig of his beer before looking at me and then to his sister. “Nothing. We were just talking about going to the next Catfish game together. Thought it might be a good time to meet Max.” Sam knocked my foot under the table, and I straightened my back, smiling. “Sounds like a good time, doesn’t it, Matty?”

“Yeah, I can’t wait,” I said. I probably didn’t sound convincing, but both Britt and her mom smiled back encouragingly. It might not have felt it, but it seemed like this was their way of welcoming me into the family. One I hoped I’d be part of for the rest of my life.