Page 105 of The Moment They Can't Forget

“Not happening,” Uncle Asher said. He was in uniform. “Your mom told me I needed to get here ASAP.”

“I bet she said ASAP too?” Brody said.

“Yup.” Uncle Asher disappeared back inside, and when he returned, he had two mugs of coffee. He handed one to Brody. “Okay, now start from the beginning.” He kissed the top of Birdie’s and Zoe’s heads, then went to lean on the railing.

Sawyer stayed silent, and Zoe didn’t want to tell them either.

“Someone talk because it’s upset my baby girl, and that makes me angry,” Brody said.

“About that, Brody. I’m sorry she saw me and JD fighting,” Sawyer said.

“You and JD went at it?” Brody whistled. “Ally will be okay. It’s not like she’s faced much of that kind of thing, even considering who her uncles are. We’ll talk it through. Now spill all of it.”

“He found me and JD kissing,” Zoe said, looking into her mug because she didn’t want to meet anyone’s eyes.

“Well, fuck,” Brody said, looking angry. “Did he force you?”

“What? No!” Zoe said, outraged.

“JD would never force a woman,” Birdie said, also outraged.

“I needed to ask,” Brody said.

“No, you didn’t, and you should know he’s an honorable, good man,” Zoe said looking at her family. All eyes were on her now.

“Yeah, you’re right, and I’m sorry. It just came out,” Brody said. “But he told us nothing was happening between you.”

“You think he’s an honorable guy, Zoe?” Uncle Asher asked.

She nodded.

“He is,” her uncle agreed, “but you knowing that is a good thing, because JD keeps himself to himself. Harder nut to crack than Sawyer. Believe me, I know. I’ve tried a few times.”

“So you saw them and got into it with your fists?” Brody asked.

“He deserved it. He was my friend,” Sawyer said, but the fight had left him. His words sounded sad to Zoe, and that hurt her.

“Was?” Birdie asked. “Because he kissed your sister, he is no longer your friend, but Zoe is still your sister?”

“What kind of question is that?” He glared at his girl.

“Come on, Sawyer. You’re not that much of an idiot,” Uncle Asher said. “You can’t take on protecting her and all your siblings all the time. You have to let them make mistakes and do stuff for themselves occasionally.”

Sawyer’s jaw clenched. “We have the pact.”

“Which you made as teenagers, and it was a damned fool thing even back then,” Uncle Asher added. “Bud, I love you as if you were my son, but you’ve got this wrong. JD is a good guy. He wouldn’t be your friend if he wasn’t. If he and your sister were kissing, then there’s some chemistry there, and maybe something more?” He looked at Zoe now.

“I don’t know what I feel for him,” she said softly, “but I think it’s something.”

“How long?” Sawyer demanded.

“Since your engagement party.” Her brothers closed their eyes. “It just happened?—”

“I do not want any clarification on the ‘it,’” Ryder said.

“And we both decided it couldn’t happen again because of Sawyer and because I was leaving. Neither of us was ready for a relationship.”

“But when someone gets to you, other than moving to another city, there’s not a whole hell of a lot you can do about it,” Birdie added.

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