Page 27 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

“You’re welcome?” I scrunch up my face and shrug. To my delight, Duncan’s eyes dance.

“Come on,” he says as he slips the apron over his head. “We need to tell David and Scarlett that we’re a ‘couple.’ ” He puts air quotes around the word couple. Then points to my car, “Is this yours?”

Nodding, I unlock the car and watch him slide his massive body into the passenger seat of my white BMW sedan. He looks like a sardine squished in there.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?” There’s a glint in his green eyes, and for a moment, I can’t move, completely smitten. “Ava, come on! In case you didn’t notice, this car is a bit small for me.”

“Oh yeah, sorry,.” I say, shaking myself out of my stupor, and begin walking around the front of my car. After getting in, I fire up the ignition. “Let’s go tell our family the news…Dunky.”

Putting the car in drive, I feel Duncan’s eyes on me. To my surprise, he laughs, and a wry grin splits my lips.

Rubbing his hand up and down his face, he groans. “If you ever call me that in public, I can’t be held responsible for what I do.”

Tension from my encounter with Nathan drains from my body, and I feel relaxed. But a new tension rises, one that takes me by surprise.

WhatwouldDuncan do if I called him that in public? A smirk replaces the grin.

I may need to test it out.

Chapter Thirteen

Duncan

Ifeellikeanidiot sitting in Ava's Beemer. Driving my SUV would’ve been smart, but I didn’t think it was safe for Ava to be in the car alone. Wewillbe taking my Acadia from now on.

We.

That one little word has my gut clenching and my heart jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean. ‘We’ is never a word I thought would apply to me and Ava. Now that it does, at least until everything with Nathan blows over, I feel…Anxious? Excited?

Yes, yes, and yes to all of those and more. But it’s themorethat concerns me.

I’ve dated on and off over the last ten years, but none of those relationships went anywhere. Not because I didn’t want a relationship; I did, and I do. There just wasn’t a connection. And with Ava sitting next to me as my ‘girlfriend,’ I now know why.

Ava parks in front of David’s house, and the engine goes silent. She fiddles with the keys, not making any attempt to get out of the car. Turning her body to face me, her hesitant gaze meets mine. “Are you sure you want to do this? The two of us together will cause a massive stir, and the press will be out of control.”

Her blue eyes hold a myriad of emotions. Uncertainty? Relief? Hope?

Hope? No. That can’t be right. I need to be careful about letting myself read into anything where ‘we’ are concerned. This entire situation is fabricated. Ava needs to be protected, and I’m the man for the job.

End of story. Finito. Nothing else to see here, folks.

“I deal with the press frequently; it’s part of being a professional athlete and isn’t foreign to me. Besides, do you really think there would be any chance I would let you handle this by yourself?”

She pulls in her bottom lip, drawing my eyes to it. My heart stops, and all the air feels sucked from the vehicle. I slowly drag my gaze to Ava’s, only to be startled by a loud banging noise from the car window.

“Ouch,” I grumble, rubbing my head after slamming it into the top of her car.

“Are you okay?” She asks with a chuckle, placing her hand on top of my head and rubbing gently. When her hand touches me, I freeze—a strong current moves down my body.

“Uncle Dunky! I thought you said you weren’t coming to dinner.” Scarlett pulls open the door and drags me out of the car, causing me to bang my head again.

Did I say how much I hate small cars?

When she grins at me and lifts her arms so I can pick her up, a grin slides across my face. As per usual she smothers me by squeezing my neck too tight, and I love every minute of it. There is nothing I love more than her little arms wrapped around me.

Done with the hug, she starts squirming and I put her down. The next thing I know, she’s grabbing my hand and dragging me to the house.

“Did you bring the treat dough? What are you doing here? I’m so glad to see you! Aunt Ava, are you coming?!” I turn my head toward Ava and see her just outside the car door watching us, the corner of her lips lifted.

---