Page 82 of Long Road Home

“I don’t even want to know what you two were talking about with that look on your face.” Rebecca grinned, and pointed in my direction, circling her finger.

“Well you see, sis,” Jordan drawled, turning and smirking at her. “When a man is with his woman—”

Cooper held up a hand. “Stop. Right there. Go any further and I’ll hit you with a one-two punch of why your sister and I are late.”

“Please.” Rebecca slid into the booth across from us, settled her purse next to her on the booth. “The goats got out. Someone” —she pointed her thumb in Cooper’s direction— “keeps forgetting to lock the gate.”

“And goat is a euphemism for…” Cooper grinned. Winked at his soon-to-be-wife. … “Not a goat.”

I bit back a laugh.

Jordan groaned and took a large swallow of his drink. “Knock it off, man.”

“You started it.”

Rebecca laughed. “And now that we’ve deteriorated into being twelve-year-old boys, I need a drink and food. I’m famished.”

Cooper flashed a grin at Jordan. “Because being with all thosegoatsmakes her work up an appetite.”

“Swear to Christ, man—”

“Ow!” Cooper flinched, right as Rebecca’s hand smacked him at the side of his head. She moved so quick I barely saw it coming before he was rubbing his head and playfully glaring at his wife.

“Food. Now. I’m hangry.”

“Your wish is my command, m’lady.”

He said it with such a sweetly spoken French accent, one I knew he’d had to learn for a movie, both Rebecca and I gawked at him, caught up in the act, the sweet tilt of his voice and those eyes on hers. He was playing a role, but damn he was good at it, and for a brief moment, I remembered that movie, the way he’d taken off his shirt, button by button, revealing the planes of his chest when warm breath hit my ear, and a hand curled around my shoulder.

“Know what you’re thinking. It’s plastered on your face so clearly the entire fucking bar can probably tell, but I’m warning you, Des. Stop fucking gawking at him.”

A heat so fierce and quick rushed to my cheeks, making my lips feel like they were burning. I rolled them together and looked at Jordan, his blue eyes so clear I was almost sucked into them, even though they swirled with jealousy. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying.”

Full, beautiful lips curved into a smile. “I know. I get it. But the only man I want you looking at like that is, me, got it?”

“I’ll do my best, I promise.” I leaned forward, pressed my lips to his and pulled back. And when I did, Rebecca was smiling at me, so sweetly.

She flashed me a wink. A happy one. And that happy little wink she gave me was probably the best thing she’d ever done for me.

It was the strangest thing…that we could be friends? I’d always thought it impossible, but somehow things were changing, I was changing, growing. Understood that others did, too.

And maybe, once our plans were finalized, I hoped with all my might that we could really do this. Jordan and I. Rebecca. Toby.

We could be a family, but better than that, we could all be friends who actually liked each other, too.

I relaxed into Jordan’s arm wrapped around my shoulder, took a sip of my iced tea and ducked my head toward the menu even though I already knew what I was going to order.

It was Friday. Steak night. There was no other option.

“Y’all ready to order?” A girl stopped at the table, pad of paper in her hand, pen ready to scribble. She looked bored out of her mind, tired on her feet, younger than us, but by the look on her face, she’d already asked that question a thousand times and she was bored out of her brain.

Cooper glanced around the table and we all nodded. “Yup. We’re ready, Katie.”

“Great,” she drawled. “What can I getcha?”

We gave our orders, she disappeared. Ten minutes later she came back with steaks and potatoes and salads for all of us, and we tucked into our food, talking about life, the ranch, Toby.

It was the best dinner I’d ever had. And while I’d wanted to tell Jordan what Toby and I were planning when we were alone, and honor Toby’s request to be there, I figured it was the best time to do it now, with his family surrounding us.

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