Page 46 of Unmoored

“Okay,” I cheerily agree. “Just bring him along.”

There’s a pause, and then a collective intake of breath. Murph hasn’t shaken his head. In fact, he’s pausing like he’s gearing up to say something.

“Oh, shit,” I exclaim, sitting up straight. “Areyou bringing him along?”

There’s not like, a rule about it or anything, but none of us have introduced a new guy to this group before we were serious about him. So far, the formula is on a winning streak:meet the Brothers and you’re in.Hell, it was only a couple of weeks ago that Kieran and Gage got engaged.

Everyone’s holding their breath for the answer. Murph glances around and clears his throat. “Well, uh… if you guys are okay with it… the bathtub race party this weekend.”

There’s a sudden clamour of voices and noise, and Murph almost falls clean over onto this back on the rocks at the sound.

“Holy shit. The boyfriend intro!” Carter slaps his knee. “Murph, man, you’ve been holding out!”

“Murph’s got aloverboy,” Zach drawls.

“He’s not a—” Murph protests.

But Kieran raises both hands overhead. “Barge party!” he yells, loud enough that I’m pretty sure Maple Island can hear.

“What better way to break in the new guy?” I say with a grin.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Murph glares suspiciously at me, then the rest of the group. “Nobody’s breaking him in. And stop calling him that.”

The protective little glint in his eye makes me grin even more obnoxiously. “Amour,” I sigh, pretending to be starstruck. “Beau. Suitor. Dearest darling?—”

Even Murph relents, cracking up with the rest of us. “Fine. God. You’re all assholes. I can’t stop you. Just… go easy on him, yeah? Nobody give him a hard time.”

The worry on his face is sweet as hell, but nobody’s making a peep. I trade grins with Zach as Carter elbows me, and even Alph pokes Murph until he sighs and swats his hand away.

“Speak now, or forever hold your peace,” I can’t help piping up. “Too soon, loverboy?”

“You, Drew. You’re a bigger asshole than the rest of them put together,” Murph waves his beer bottle in my direction.

“Hey, you’re not wrong,” I shrug. “Butyou’rethe one catching feeeeeelings?—”

Murph groans and rubs his hand over his face, staring up like he’s asking for patience. But he can’t hide it, either. He’s too fidgety about our teasing, smiling so much easier than usual. He just looks and feels light in a way we’ve never quite seen before.

“Fuck me,” Murph groans. “Brothers. Who’d have them?”

“Yeah. How’s your liver doing, Prometheus?” Ronan asks, his eyes sparkling as we all burst out laughing. Before we’ve caught our breath, I make a cawing sound, clutching my stomach.

However much I want to make fun of him, the way he looks all worried and protective… it’s too sweet to keep going. He’ll get enough ribbing from all of us soon enough.

“We just wanna meet him,” I promise at last. “It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?”

Murph licks his lips nervously, glancing sideways at me, like he knows what I’m really trying to ask. The rest of the guys go quiet, watching him for an answer.

This is as serious as we’re all thinking, right?

“Yeah,” Murph finally says, his voice hoarse. “Yeah, man.”

The emotion in my chest makes it hard to breathe. Sure, it leaves me as one of the last singletons in our group. But if anyone deserves to get swept off his feet by love… it’s this guy.

And it looks good on him. Real good.

I’m half-expecting tittering and jabs from the peanut gallery, but everyone else is going all soft and fuzzy about it like me.

“Man. If I didn’t have a lap full of chips, I’d hug you,” I finally say, before the moment gets too serious.

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