Page 58 of Making Home with You

Beck shakes his head.“Do you think maybe you need to get yourself a lawyer?”

I start the water, squeezing some detergent into the sink so I can start washing dishes.“I don’t think it’s at that stage,” I reply, having no idea if that’s true.“What did he want to speak to you about?”

Beck stacks dishes beside the sink before grabbing a dishtowel and moving around to dry.“He asked me what I knew about Carla, about what had happened between you two that night at the party.Anything that had happened since.”

“And what did you tell him?”I ask, still not looking at my brother.

“I told him the truth, Finn,” he says, hand on my arm.I glance up and find Beck watching me, a hurt look on his face.“What the hell did you think I’d tell him?”

I let out a long exhale, suddenly completely exhausted.“Sorry,” I say, meeting my brother’s stare.“I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

“I know,” Beck says, squeezing my arm before letting go.“But I’m worried about you, about what this is doing to you.”

“I’ll be alright,” I say, rinsing a pot and handing it to him.“I’m sure it will all just blow over eventually,” I add, knowing that the chances of that happening are pretty much slim to none.

I might not know Carla that well, especially now, but I do know she’s pretty relentless when it comes to getting what she wants.Her behavior toward me is evidence enough of that, even when we were back in high school.A part of me wishes I could somehow go back in time and tell myself not to go into that bedroom with her that night, that it was only going to lead to trouble.

But I can’t, all I can do is try and deal with the situation now, all the while trying to limit the fall out and the impact on those around me.

“The detective asked me about you and Sarah too,” Beck says, surprising me.“Whether I thought that could be the reason for Carla suddenly making these accusations against you.”

“And?”I ask.

“And I told him yes, that that’s exactly what I thought.”

I nod, not saying anything.

“You’re really serious about her, aren’t you?”he asks, nudging me.

I glance out into the living room, at Sarah and Kelsey talking with Pop, the three of them laughing and seemingly totally at home and comfortable with each other.It makes my heart flip, seeing how easy this all is, how well Sarah slots into my life and how much I love the idea of having her around.

“Yeah,” I eventually murmur, the word catching in my throat.

“It’s good to see, bro, seriously,” Beck says.“It’s good to see you this happy, despite all the shit you’re dealing with.”

“Yeah,” I repeat, my eyes still on Sarah as I realize how true Beck’s words are, how much Sarah does make me happy and how now, more than anything, I want to take her home and show her.

“So don’t let this fuck things up with her, okay?”

An hour or so later, we say our goodbyes and head back to my place.I don’t even bother asking Sarah if she’s staying the night.Right now, I’m needing it to be a yes, because of how much I’m needing her.

“That was a fun night,” she says as we head inside.

“Hmmm,” I murmur, closing the front door and backing her up against it.Sarah giggles as I start kissing her neck, her head falling backward against the door.“Night’s not over yet,” I add, sliding a hand up and under her sweater until I reach her breast.

Sarah lets out a gasp, her hands moving to my hips as she steadies herself.“Is that so, Chief?”she asks, and for a second, I still as I wonder how much longer she might be able to call me that.

Shaking my head, I refuse to entertain the thought, not when I have Sarah and her gorgeous body in front of me.

“That’s right,” I growl, nibbling my way up to her jaw.“Come with me.”

Grabbing her hand, I pull her back toward my bedroom, my lips never leaving hers as we stumble our way back there.By the time we do, her sweater is gone, her bra unhooked and my jeans are halfway down my legs.

“These need to come off,” I whisper, unbuttoning her jeans and pushing them over her hips.

Sarah takes a step backward, eyes on mine as she pushes them down her legs, kicking them to the side as she stands in front of me now, her panties the only piece of clothing left.

“And these?”she asks, a teasing grin on her face as she slips her fingers into the side of her panties.