“I’ll have you know, I’m strong as shit, Mr. Lancaster.”
“Sweetheart, don’tmisterme. It makes me feel old.” He continues into the living room, and I smile as I head into the kitchen to see if Tisha needs any help.
She’s dancing around to soft classical music, pulling a glass dish from the oven the second I walk in. She looks up and her lips stretch into a smile. “Perfect! And did I hear the boys get back just now too?”
“You did.” I nod, looking around the table as she sets the glass down. “Is anyone else coming for breakfast?”
She waves me off with a laugh. “I know it’s a lot, but it’sbeen a few months since I’ve gotten to make my baby breakfast. Besides, you guys can always take the leftovers back with you tomorrow. Have you heard from your parents? Did they make it okay?”
I sigh, taking a seat when she points at the chairs. “Yes, they sent me a picture of them drinking mimosas out of coconuts this morning.”
Tisha smiles, taking a few coffee cups down, and starts filling them.
“Only two, Mama.” Brady’s voice reaches me, and just as his mom turns around, a frown on her face, a paper cup is set down in front of me.
I tip my head back, looking upside down at Brady behind me.
“It’s not Caramel Cookie Crumble with extra cookie and extra crumble,” he says. “But it is a Cookie Butter latte with extra caramel.”
I blink up at him. “You know my drink from Bebe’s Brews?”
“You thought not?”
“I haven’t ordered one of these with you around since, what, the day we left for summer after senior year?”
He holds my gaze and I squash my lips to one side to hide a smile, but he sees it. Slowly, a grin makes its way across his handsome face. He winks and moves around the table, and call me Michael Myers because I stalk him all the way. I just can’t look away.
He steps up to his mom, kissing her on the cheek as he steals a piece of bacon and makes a dash for it. As he clearly suspected she’d try, her arm darts out to smack him, but she misses…because her eyes are on me, a gentle heat stirring within me at the tenderness there.
“Well, okay then,” she says quietly, her smile soft as she passes the other coffee mug to her husband, the two sharing a look before she turns to the fridge.
Brady drops beside me, looking down at my outfit. “That’s the hoodie I got at camp the summer before we left for Avix.”
“Mine now.” I lift a shoulder, and he rolls his eyes playfully.
“Course it is. You’re becoming a regular thief over there.”
“Get used to it.”
“Oh, I’m happy to.”
I grin and he grins back. And then I remember there are others in the room and do my damnedest not to blush, but I really feel like I might. It’s ridiculous but it’s true.
I clear my throat. “You know, you guys were gone at camps way too much. You missed weeks of summer every year.”
“Had the boys not gone to that particular camp, you girls never could have gotten away with sneaking off to Tampa that summer without them finding out.” Tisha laughs. “They would have had a massive fit if they knew you girls were out there without them to watch over you.”
“Oh yeah.” Ben looks over. “Didn’t your dad tell me something about a guy you met out there ending up being on the team with Brady?”
A stiffness curls along my shoulders, and for some reason, I peek at Brady. “Yeah, Trey Donovan.” I nod, unease settling over me, though I’m not sure I understand why. I’ve never minded talking about him before, so why does it feel sort of wrong to do so right now? “He’s…gone now, though. Drafted last year, like Noah.”
“Impressive.” Ben nods, taking the seat across from me, his wife settling beside him.
Brady clears his throat, reaching out to take a drink of water, and I wait to catch his eye.
“Thanks for this. You didn’t have to make a stop just for me.”
He shrugs, looking away as quick as possible. “We passed it on the way home. No big deal.”