Page 115 of Love By Design

“I’m sure he just wants to get it out of the way,” Smith said, staring down into his wine. He was clearly still not in a good place about the new brother revelation, but I wasn’t sure how to help him. He looked to me for reassurance, looked to me as a model, but was also so resistant to advice in the times it didn’t suit him. I wasn’t one to ponder the sorts of sex or relationships my brothers had—we’d never been that close—but Smithwould do well with someone to drag him out of his head on nights like this.

“Either way. If that’s the case, we’ll have to change our reservation,” I said.

“I’d rather we meet him somewhere else,” Smith whispered.

I patted his thigh. “Adding him to the reservation once isn’t going to make this restaurant any less ours, Smith.”

“I hate to admit you’re right,” Finn agreed.

Hunter was still at it with his ring. I’d never seen him so nervous. He didn’t respond to either of us.

And for the first time, part of me didn’t want to meet Andrew. He had no interest in the Covington name, something my brothers and I were extremely proud to carry, issues with our father notwithstanding. And all he’d done since his arrival in our lives was cause nervousness and upset. It had always been my responsibility as the oldest to keep my three younger brothers safe, and Andrew’s existence made it very hard to do that.

“You know…” I paused, swishing some wine around in my mouth to make sure the idea still tasted like a good one. “We don’thaveto meet him.”

“What?” Finn’s eyes went wide, alight with amusement.

Hunter’s hand went still.

“We don’t have to,” I said. “It was different when we were younger…whenyouwere younger. But we’re all adults now, and we don’t have to welcome anyone else into our fold.”

Beside me, Smith went tense, his mouth tipping down into a very tight and miserable-looking frown. The twins were silent, and after a minute or two, Hunter began to tap away nervously at his ring again.

“I want to,” he said softly.

“So do I,” said Finn.

Smith shrugged one of his shoulders halfway toward his ear which felt like as much of a yes as I’d get in the moment.

“Okay,” I conceded. “I just wanted to remind you that we don’t have to if we don’t want to. All of you are not yourselves right now, and I’m not a fan of it.”

“And you are?” Hunter asked.

“Aren’t I?”

Finn snorted. “He’s just tangled up with that little boyfriend of his.”

“Am I?” I gestured to the table, to the restaurant. “Is he here right now? Or am I here with my three degenerate brothers instead?”

“Have you told him that you love him yet?” Finn asked.

He clearly meant it as a tease, the way he’d shifted to press his back against the wall, one leg bent at the knee and pulled up onto the bench of the booth, his bourbon held lazily in hand.

My face must have betrayed my answer because his eyes went wide in shock. More than he’d shown two weeks earlier when Hunter had told us all about our new brother.

“We haven’t even met him, Marshall,” Finn chided. “What if we don’t approve?”

“Smith has met him.”

Finn turned his attention toward Smith, that playful amusement continuing to dance across his face. Smith was still uncomfortable, but Ifeltthe way he was forcing himself to try and relax back into normalcy with us. Teasing me was something the three of them had always done, though in most instances they’d ribbed me about being single. My relationship with Silas gave them new material to work with, and I was happy to let myself be a distraction for them.

“What do you think about him?”

“He’s fine. A little clingy.”

Hunter was the one to laugh at that, looking at me curiously over the rim of his drink. “Is he now?”

“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying physical affection,” I said. “Sorry the three of you are absolutely touch-starved.”