Page 87 of Taming You

“Do I have something on my face?” She grabs a napkin and wipes it.

I shake my head again. “You look perfect.”

“You know it’s rude to lie,” she says.

“Not a lie.”

“Whatever.”

I lean in close so only she hears me. “Zoey, I wouldn’t lie to you. You look perfect. You look like you just spent the day being selfless and took care of a sick baby who has grown so attached to you and loves you so much that you’re the only person he wanted. You look like when I called you worried out of my mind about my son being sick, you climbed out of bed and rushed over here. You look perfect.”

She avoids saying anything by shovelling another bite into her mouth. I sit back, and her brothers all seem to be in their own conversations, Henry’s eyes darting to Zo and I every once in a while.

“What do you want to do tonight, Zo?” I ask.

She looks at her brothers then back at me. “We were supposed to play board games tonight. We used to do it when I was a kid and our parents were having a bad night. Henry would round us all up, and we’d hide in his and Ezra’s room and play all night until they went to bed. We’ve tried to put a fun spin on it as adults.”

I brush my hand over the back of her head, hating that they had to do that as kids, but loving that she feels so comfortable telling me. “Board games it is.” I turn and face the guys. “Did you guys bring games with you, or should I raid my collection?”

John grins and reaches beside him and plops a bag on the table. “Of course, we brought games. No way could we have a sibling dinner and not play.”

“Okay, I’ll just get this cleaned up and then we can play,” I say, stacking plates.

Ezra pushes back in his seat and helps, following me into the kitchen.

As I start rinsing plates, Ezra says, “I know five older brothers can be a bit overwhelming, and trust me I know how Henry especially can be, but we just want to look out for Zo.”

“I get it. I have two younger sisters, and while we may not have grown up the way you guys did, I’ve always wanted to protect them.” I turn off the water and face him, crossing my arms over my chest. “I meant everything I said in there. I will do everything I can to take care of your sister.”

Zoey pokes her head out of the dining room, a large grin spread across her face. “Come on, guys, we’ve got it set up.”

I love seeing her like this. She has this way of being the reason people smile and laugh and enjoy themselves without even trying, just by being her. “Coming, Zo.”

“I believe you,” Ezra says before following Zoey to join their brothers. I quickly make Zoey a cup of tea, knowing she’s going to want one soon, and join them. Thankfully, Jayden must have exhausted himself because he doesn’t wake up, and we spend the entire night playing games.

CHAPTER 34

Zoey

Even though this was not the way I wanted to tell my brothers about dating Matt, I’m glad we had today. After spending the day with a sick Jayden, playing games with Matt and my brothers was exactly what I needed. I hope my brothers got to see just how happy I am with Matt.

As we finish our last game, I yawn, ready to climb into bed. We all pack up, and Matt and I follow the guys to the front door.

I hug each of them, and Henry asks, “Will I see you at home?”

I look over my shoulder at Matt and shake my head. “I want to be here when Jayden wakes up.”

He nods after a few seconds and offers Matt his hand, and they shake. I hug Henry one last time before he follows the boys outside.

I close the door, and Matt’s arms wrap around me and he kisses my cheek. “How are you feeling?”

I lean into him, loving being in his arms. “Tired.”

He kisses my cheek again and says, “Well, let’s get you in the shower and into bed.”

I make my way upstairs while Matt makes sure all the doors and windows are locked and turns the lights off. Matt joins me in the shower as I rinse the shampoo out of my hair. He reaches for the conditioner and massages it into the ends of my hair.

“I’m grateful for you,” he whispers, and my body warms. “You have done so much for me and Jayden, I’m not sure how I’ll ever repay you.”

---