Page 19 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men (Mountain Men Why Choose #3)

“ S ophie, I better not see you messing with the table!” I call out while stirring the contents of the pot lightly. Then, I move toward the oven to check how much time the loaf of bread still needs to bake.

“I’m not doing anything!” I hear her whining back. One thing about Sophie is that mischief follows her around, and she doesn’t bother holding back.

I peer at the dinner table to check on her for myself. She’s putting down the forks and then rearranging them, a pout visible on her lips.

The corners of my lips rise as I observe her cute, little face.

“When are the brothers coming?” she asks when she spots me looking at her.

“Any time now, Soph. Patience is a virtue, remember?”

Right then, a knock comes from the front door.

Sophie gasps excitedly, and her eyes light up at what it means. “They’re here! They’re here!”

Going to unlock the door to let the brothers in, I can’t help but laugh when she starts doing a happy dance.

Against the darkness of the night, the three of them look dashing.

Brody’s hair is swept back, exposing his forehead, while the stud earring Tanner usually wears is swapped for a small, silver hoop. Aiden smiles at me before hugging me, which is soon followed by Tanner and Brody doing the same.

“You guys are right on time. Sophie was going a bit stir-crazy without you three to entertain her,” I joke as Sophie comes bounding up to say hi.

“Tanner! Aiden! Brody!” she yells as she throws herself at them. They crouch down to match her height, and there are similar, besotted grins on all of their faces.

“How’s our favorite girl?” Tanner asks affectionately as Aiden ruffles her hair. She gawks and tries to swat at the latter, grumbling as she fixes her hair.

“You guys are late,” she complains. Tanner humors her by looking chastised while Aiden’s grin stays pasted on his face.

“Do you need help with anything?” Brody asks me, diverting my attention from the scene. He is looking at me intensely, his eyes roving over my body a few times.

“No.” I shake my head softly. The strands of hair that line my face brush against my cheeks. “Everything is ready. You guys wash up, and I’ll plate the food.”

“I’ll help you with it,” he says finally and moves further into the house.

I sigh fondly at his insistence and usher everyone else into the dining room.

Aiden and Tanner keep Sophie busy, listening to her antics with the utmost concentration.

They humor her with gasps and laugh at appropriate times.

Sophie is animated and in her element. There had only been a handful of times I had seen her like that, so open and carefree, before coming to Whitefish.

She was quieter and a bit timid, then. To see her be her true self, all with the help of consistent care and love, makes my heart feel extremely full.

“Thank you, Brody,” I murmur to him as I take the banana bread I baked out of the oven.

Brody waves me off from where he is chopping up cilantro for a garnish.

“No, not for this,” I clarify, “for everything else. And I have to thank your brothers, too. Without the three of you, I don’t think I would have ever seen this part of Sophie again.”

He glances at me for a moment without stopping his chopping. “What part?”

I bite my lip after taking off my oven mitts.

“Sophie was…a quiet kid. From a very young age, she was kind of anti-social and mostly kept to herself, preferring not to interact with kids her own age. She was only comfortable around me, but even then, she would only say what she really needed to. There was little to no playfulness to her. It worried me, but I justified it by thinking that she was just a quiet kid.”

I take a deep breath, gripping the oven mitts tightly.

“But with you guys, she has opened up so much in just such a short time. She whines and resists, complains, and shows verbal displeasure and joy. The best thing is seeing her light up like I never have before. It’s the biggest gift I’ve ever gotten, and I have you three to thank you for it. ”

Brody has stopped chopping now to look at me with soft eyes.

“You don’t have to thank us, Lena. I’m not good at words, so all I can say is thank you for giving us the chance to prove ourselves and to take care of her. And you. With how great of a mother you are, I am sure Sophie would have opened up exactly like this in Whitefish, even without our presence.”

A knot forms in my throat at his sweet and kind words. Somehow, he knew that I was doubting my ability to be a good mother because Sophie had never behaved the way she does now, and he’s reassured me.

“You really wanna make me cry before dinner?” I croak, throwing in a weak laugh to lighten the mood.

“Don’t cry,” he says abruptly, with such comical panic painted on his face that I let out a heartier laugh this time.

“I won’t, I won’t,” I say, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. “Right, let’s take dinner out before Sophie starts yelling at us for our incompetency.”

Brody and I take the food out to the dining area. Sophie squeals when she sees us, then takes a seat between Aiden and Tanner. That leaves Brody and me to sit next to each other.

It’s roasted chicken and stir-fried rice, with a few vegetables I know she’ll eat as side dishes. I made some custard as well as banana bread for dessert. The brothers have brought a pack of beer, too, so it becomes a mini feast.

Tanner cracks his usual jokes at dinner, which are so funny that my beer nearly goes up my nose. That sets Aiden off, and soon, the whole table is a riot.

“And then, this man, Aiden, my boy, right here, tells her that he doesn’t care about the mechanics of the car.” Tanner chuckles as he finishes the tale of how Aiden ruined his chances with a pretty girl, all because he couldn’t take a hint.

“No!” I gasp theatrically. “Aiden! She was trying to make conversation with you!”

Aiden raises his hands up defensively, his face curled into a pout. “By telling me that if I paid twice for an exhaust pipe, it would give me two exhaust pipes? Come on now! I thought she had to be poking fun at me!”

Even Brody snorts at that, shaking his head as he tears away at his chicken.

Tanner and I burst out laughing, Tanner slapping his knee as we look at Aiden’s disgruntled face.

“Man, those were the days,” Tanner says as we calm down, wiping a tear from his eye.

“What about Brody?” I ask Tanner curiously, winking at the brother in question as he glances up at me. “Are there any funny stories about him and his interaction with women? I wouldn’t think he would have any problems, though. He has this whole rugged, roguish vibe to him.”

“Brody is scary,” Sophie puts in her two cents, wrinkling her nose.

Aiden snorts as he nods, but Brody stares at her, affronted, his spoon suspended mid-bite in the air.

“I mean, he’s not scary to me because I’m brave, and I beat him at arm wrestling,” she continues innocently while pushing her peas around with a fork.

“Yes, of course.” Brody nods diligently as I hide my smile behind my beer bottle.

“Brody was too busy getting his ass toasted in the plains of Syria and Uzbekistan,” Tanner responds playfully.

Aiden smiles at that, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Brody inhales quietly, not even bothering with a smirk or anything.

The temperature of the room cools a bit as I glance between the three brothers, but there is nothing obvious enough for me to put a finger on.

Aiden makes small attempts to restore the banter, and I engage with him to try to restore the good mood of everyone else. Soon enough, our attempts pay off, and we’re back to laughing like normal. Only, this time, Sophie takes the lead with her silly stories.

It’s the best and heartiest dinner I’ve had, until it isn’t.

“Tanner, did you find out more about that guy who got to you in the market that day?” Brody asks all of a sudden.

Tanner is sipping his beer when Brody asks him, and he pauses a bit. He swallows another gulp, then sets the bottle down on the table.

“No, not yet. I will, though.”

“You’re sure they didn’t follow you here?” Brody’s eyes are locked on his brother.

Tanner tilts his head, the mirth slowly fading from his face. “You’re questioning me? You think I would be putting you all in danger? You doubt my capabilities that much?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve forgotten to be careful,” Brody responds back in a calm tone.

“Are you trying to insinuate something?” Tanner asks and tilts his head. His mouth turns into a neutral line.

“I’m not insinuating anything. It’s just that I found a letter written to me, on my doorstep last year, warning that they would kill me and chop me into pieces if I didn’t make my brother pay them back.

The Lalita gang, if I recall the name signed at the end of the letter.

You had assured me that you had dealt with it back then, too.

Made me wonder how sharp and vigilant you really were when you said you made sure they didn’t track you back here. ”

Brody’s words send a chill down my spine, and I put down my beer. Aiden has straightened up also, all traces of amusement gone from his face. Tanner’s face is completely blank, and there are no emotions in his eyes.

“They sent you a letter?”

“That’s not the point, is it, Tanner?” Brody says simply, not raising his voice, nor softening it. “You’ve put all of us in danger, the one thing you swore on your life that you would never do.”

“And that’s why I told you four to book it as soon as I was spotted,” Tanner defends himself, though he does raise his voice. “I tried the best I could.”

“Your best wasn’t enough, then. Can I ever trust you to take anything seriously?” Brody’s words are as sharp as a blade, cutting through the air violently.

“Don’t act all high and mighty like our fucking dad, Brody. I don’t know what high horse you’re talking from if they could easily pin you down as my brother. What happened to all your military training? Gone soft now?” Tanner taunts.

“Guys, let’s not do this right now,” I intervene nervously, looking at Aiden for support. The latter looks indifferent, his arms crossed with a blank face. It’s like he’s watching a show, completely detached from the scene taking place before his eyes.

“Don’t pin your shit on me. If you’re as irresponsible as you were before and nothing has changed, just say it. Admit it, then, instead of acting like a little—”

“I told you I’m working things out! Everyone makes mistakes, Brody. At least our mistakes don’t cost people their lives.”

Tanner’s words strike a chord in Brody because the latter gets up. The table shakes with the force of his movements, causing Sophie to jump back and grab onto Aiden’s shoulder.

Brody storms out, leaving his food half-finished. The door slams behind him, and his departure creates an uncomfortable silence.

“Man, fuck this,” Tanner mutters under his breath and gets up, too, not looking at anyone else as he leaves as well. The door shuts behind him, but not as loudly as it did when Brody left.

The three of us sit and take in whatever just happened. Aiden breaks the silence after what feels like an eternity and apologizes, “Lena, I’m really sorry about this.”

“Don’t be, it isn’t your fault,” I say automatically, my brain trying to digest the entire scene that just took place.