Page 52 of Shattered Secrets

However, there was one person he knew he could always count on. Granted, he could count on Cade, too. But there truly was onlyoneperson who Matt swore could read his damn thoughts.

His phone rang, and he answered without looking at the display. It wasn’t necessary. “It seems our twin-telepathy shit is alive and well.”

“How ya doing, big brother?”

Matt chuckled. As in shape as he was—and he was in damn good shape—he still didn’t hold a candle to his “little” brother. They were identical twins, and Matt was eight minutes the elder, but Jake was definitely the bigger guy. “I’m doing okay. You?”

“Cut the shit, bro. What’s going on?”

He grinned. Yup, just like Jake to get to the point. “I’ve got fifteen minutes to kill before I need to head into a meeting, and I’m sitting in my damn truck thinking about the best fucking weekend I’ve had in forever.”

Jake whistled long and low. “I’m intrigued. Spill.”

Letting out a breath, he told his brother about Scarlet and Daisy. About being tongue-tied. About the break-in. About their breakfasts and visiting the cats and watching movies with M&M popcorn and playing at the playground. He ended with their very public lunch at the diner, and when he finished speaking, Jake remained quiet.

“Shit,” Matt groaned. “I bored you to fucking death, didn’t I?”

“Don’t be stupid. It’s just I . . .”

His eyes narrowed at the hesitancy in his brother’s voice. “You what?”

“You just sound... happy.” Jake cleared his throat. “I haven’t heard you sound like this in a really long fucking time, bro. You know I’m the sappier of the two of us, so you gotta give me a minute.” It was his brother’s turn to blow out a breath. “Carm and I have been so damn worried about you. You don’t understand what a relief it is to hear some excitement in your voice.”

Matt closed his eyes. He knew he’d been struggling this past year. Getting shot, being away from the force, and then the clusterfuck of his divorce... Life had been rough. He just hadn’t realized how much his misery had affected those around him. His throat grew tight. “I’m sorry, little brother. I didn’t know that?—”

“No, Matt. There’s nothing for you to apologize for. I’m just so damn thrilled to hear you happy. So what’s the problem?”

His forehead scrunched. “Why do you think there’s a problem?”

“Our twin-telepathy shit, remember? So, again, what’s the problem?”

“Scarlet,” he said in a growl.

“The same Scarlet whose name sounds like fucking rainbows shooting out of your mouth when you talk about her?ThatScarlet?”

He chuckled. He couldn’t help it. “Yes, asshole, that Scarlet.”

“Aaand?”

“And she’s young. A lot younger than me.”

“Holy shit, Matt. Is she legal?”

He scoffed. “Fuck you, dude. Of course she’s legal.” Barely.Fuck!

“How old is she? And how old’s her daughter?”

“She’s twenty-three. Daisy’s four.”

“Well...” Matt could practically hear Jake’s grimace. “I mean, it could be worse. Twenty-three is young, but she could be, like, nineteen.”

Matt sighed and dropped his head against the headrest. “Not helping, man.”

Jake laughed. “Dude, I’m just fucking with you. Look, you and I both know that age doesnotdetermine maturity. It doesn’t determine how kind someone is or whether you’re compatible with them. She’s an adult. You’re an adult. Period. Are you attracted to her?”

“Yeah.”Attractedwas an inadequate word for how drawn he felt to her. She was fucking beautiful, but truthfully, it wasn’t just her looks that pulled him in. She was so much more than her appearance...

“Okay, then. So she’s young. But you know what, big bro? I like how you sound when you talk about her.Thatis what matters to me.”

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