Page 6

She’s quiet, giving me a half smile and turning to look out the passenger window.

I want to pull this truck over to the side of the road and make her see that she’s not a burden.

She’ll never be a burden to Landry. It’s not my place, so I let my words settle between us until the quiet becomes too much.

“So, how’s the job hunt going? Landry mentioned you had applied to several local places?”

She clears her throat and turns toward me. I watch her out of the corner of my eye as she nods. “Yeah, I’ve applied for a few locally. I’m hoping to be able to stay close to Landry, but if something doesn’t come through soon, then I’ll have to start looking outside of the Nashville area.”

“I’m sure something will come up.” I hope I’m right. It would crush Landry if she moved away. They’re the only family each other has, and I know he wants her close. Hell, all he’s talked about the last few months is that Corie, his baby sister, is finally coming home to stay.

“Hopefully,” she says, and I can hear that hope in her voice. She wants to be close to her brother, but doesn’t want to feel like he’s supporting her. I get it, but I also know it’s pennies to Landry, but I won’t say anything about it unless she does.

“So, there are seven of us total. That card of your brother’s is going to be smoking,” I tease as I pull into a parking spot in front of the bakery.

“Landry will be disappointed if not. I know how he eats, and I imagine the rest of you do the same.” She grins before hopping out of the truck.

Rushing to follow her, I grab my keys and phone.

I race to meet her at the door and pull it open as we enter the small bakery.

There’s a man and his son at the counter, and when the little boy, who appears to be maybe seven or eight years old, looks over at me, his eyes widen.

I smile and wave, and he tugs on his dad’s shirt.

“Dad,” he says. “That’s Knox Beckett.”

The dad stops talking and turns to look at me, and his mouth drops open.

“Morning,” I say, nodding at him.

“Good morning.”

“You’re Knox Beckett!” The little boy bounces on the balls of his feet.

I crouch down so we’re at eye level, and he inches toward me. “I am. What’s your name?”

“I’m Zac.” He’s vibrating with excitement.

I offer him my hand, and he slips his much smaller one in mine, and we shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Zac. Are you a Rampage fan?”

“Yeah!” he cheers.

His dad laughs, seeming to be over his shock, and places his hands on his son’s shoulders to calm the hopping he’s doing. “He’s a Knox Beckett fan,” the dad says with a chuckle.

I stand and offer him my hand just as I did his son. “Nice to meet you.”

“Miller. Nice to meet you, as well.”

“Can we take a picture? My friends are never going to believe this,” Zac says, with awe in his voice.

“Sure.” I crouch back down, and he turns to face his dad.

“Wait.” He holds up his hand and turns to look at Corie. “Aren’t you going to get in the picture, too?” he asks her.

“Oh, no, you go ahead.” She smiles kindly.

“But my dad says we have to treat the ladies special.” He reaches out for her hand, and I can see her melt at his words as she takes his hand and allows him to pull her into the picture.

I adjust my stance and make room for her, because if she’s going to be in this, she’ll be next to me. She’s not mine, but that doesn’t matter. Miller takes a few pictures and thanks us before grabbing their bag of goodies and practically pulling his son out the door with him.

“That was nice of you,” Corie says, leaning her shoulder into mine.

“I was that kid. I loved the sport and can’t even imagine what it would have been like to meet my favorite player when I was his age.”

“Knox Beckett, you’re a big ole softie,” she teases.

I wrap my arm around her waist and lean close, placing my lips next to her ear. “Not always.” She sucks in a breath, and goose bumps break out across her skin. I have to force myself to release her.

She’s not mine.

She’s your best friend’s little sister.

Let her go.

I release her and step up to the counter. I order a ton of food, making sure to add some of the healthy shit Landry hates for me, and then turn to Corie. “What do you want?”

“Um, is that not enough?” She laughs.

“Nope. You should order something for yourself and Sloane, or anything else you think they might want. Big brother’s paying, remember?” I wink at her. I can see her hesitation, not wanting to spend Landry’s money excessively, and it’s endearing.

“I’d like to add a cinnamon roll croissant, please,” Corie tells the lady behind the counter. She then hands over Landry’s black card and pays for the obscene amount of food we just ordered.

It takes no time for our order to be ready. We both have two large bags as we return to my truck.

“This is a lot,” Corie says, placing her bags in the back seat.

“It is, but I promise, they’ll devour it all. Besides, if they don’t, that will give Landry something to snack on later.” She shrugs and gives me a look, letting me know she’s not so sure. She’ll see.

We make small talk on the way back to the house, and as soon as we pull into the driveway, the front door opens, and Foster is there, looking rumpled and more than willing to take a couple of bags out of our hands.

“Finally,” Landry complains. “I was dying of hunger. That took forever,” he says dramatically.

“Oh, hush,” Corie scolds him. “It took us just enough time. We weren’t in the bakery very long. Besides, I had Knox take us to your favorite, so you’re welcome, princess,” she says, sticking her tongue out at him.

“Because you’re the best. Gimme.” He holds his hands out, and Corie places a breakfast sandwich into his hand. He immediately unwraps it and takes a massive bite.

Sloane reaches for a pastry and moans at the first bite. That’s all the encouragement the guys need to dig in while I search for Corie’s food and hand it to her.

“Thank you, Knox.”

I wink at her and unwrap my egg-white English muffin. The guys and I talk about the upcoming season while Corie and Sloane just seem to sit back and listen as they eat their breakfast.

“Wow,” she says once she’s finished eating. “I really thought we were getting too much food.”

Reid stands and pulls up his T-shirt, slapping his abs. “We’re growing boys, baby Reynolds.”

Corie wrinkles her nose, making us all laugh. She’s cute as hell. I definitely have to keep my distance from her.