Page 8 of The Right Woman

Growling through the phone, I slam the truck into park. “She’snota fucking teenager yet, Em. Will you just go to her room and make sure she’s there?” Before my question is finished, her breathing picks up like she’s making her way upstairs.

The sound of a door creaking sounds through the speakers, and she sighs. “Yep. Asleep.” More panting and then a pause. “And your son is up playing his game. Want to talk to him?”

“Will you tell him I love him? Sorry to bother you.”

“You’re not?—”

I press the button to end the call before she’s done telling me what I’m not. When I hop down from the cab, I grab my bag from the back and head inside. Eli’s hogging the squat rack in the corner and gives me a slight nod in the mirror.

One earbud in, I turn up some jazz, then make my way over to him. I drop my bag next to his at the station, and he pauses his rep to wipe some sweat from his forehead with a nearby towel.

“Hey. Where were you last night?” I try not to sound like I did when I was eighteen and had to become his guardian fast. But I can’t help my worried tone.

Defensiveness creeps across his tense trap muscles as he scoffs and shrugs. “I was out. Why?”

I know my brother. He’s not going to tell me something directly. Especially not about pussy he’s fucking. Pretending to busy myself by grabbing my weightlifting gloves out of the bag, I Velcro them to my hands and stand.

Casually, I toss out, “Ah, just curious. Rhodes says you haven’t been staying at your place. Is it not comfortable?”

Like a kid, but now larger than even me, he kicks out his foot and shakes his head. His mannerisms are in such contrast to how big of a man he’s become. “I’m seeing someone, okay? I have a girlfriend.”

His eyes are steady, not bloodshot and…if I think about it, he lookshappy. All I can do is grunt a reply. I pick up my bag to turn around, thinking he won’t answer more, but I pause, deciding to give it another go. “Where’d you meet her?”

Through some tight lips, he gives me, “Bookstore.”

Well now,that’sa fucking lie. “Okay. How old is she?”

If I’d punched him, he would look less pissed. A deep furrow forms between his eyebrows as he snaps back at me, “Why? What the fuck does it matter?”

I take two steps closer and lower my voice. “Eli, is she at least eighteen?”

A beefy shoulder hits my sternum as he shoves me away from him. “Fuck you. Yes.God, do you think so little of me?”

Ignoring the last question, I clarify. “So she’s eighteen.”

His chest expands with his deep breath, and he puts his headphones back on. I could really lose him here. If this girl means something to him, and it seems she does, I should probably get to know her. Make sure she’s not going to sway him into doing stupid high school shit. “Why don’t you bring her to the shop?”

Slipping his fingers from the squat bar, he blinks at me several times. “You serious?”

My hand grips his shoulder. “Yeah. I’d like to meet her. Bring her by sometime.”

He nods slightly, but seems quite uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. “O-okay. I’ll ask her when the time’s right.” As he returns to his weights, he tilts his head toward me. “Thanks, Adon.”

The heavy dumbbell weighs as much as the guilt settling on my back. It’s my fault. I should have done things differently. If I could have gone to prison for him, I would have. But it’s time to do things right. For everyone.

I need to set a good example and be the big brother they expect of me.

And that involves not showing up to fuck young women at the club on Friday nights.

Chapter

Four

PIPER

If someone askedme about my ex-crush, I’d say, “Tarin who?”

Honestly, what was I thinking? She’s not even that cute. I hadn’t given her another thought after waking up from my haze. It’sgoodshe blocked me. I’m over her.

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