Page 92 of Echoes of You

Holt grinnedat me as I crossed the parking lot at the ranger station on the outskirts of town. It wasn’t a normal smile. This one made him look like the Joker.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

Holt’s grin only widened. “I’m happy. Is there something wrong with that?”

I studied him carefully. “You look like a rabid clown.”

He slapped me on the back. “I can’t be overjoyed that my brother finally got his shit together and made a move on the woman he’s always loved?”

I let out a low growl. I should’ve known Lawson couldn’t keep his trap shut. “Law is a gossip who’s going to get shanked one of these days.”

Holt barked out a laugh. “What would you do without your interfering siblings?”

“Live a peaceful, relaxing life.”

Holt only laughed harder. “I’m happy for you, man. Truly.”

“Happy about what?” Caden asked, walking up.

I sent Holt a look that told him to bite his tongue upon penalty of death.

Of course, he didn’t heed that warning. “Just reveling in the news that Nash finally pulled his head out of his ass. It might’ve taken him over two decades, but he got the girl in the end.”

Caden’s eyes widened. “No shit?”

I shuffled my feet, needing some sort of movement. I was getting twitchy. “Why are you two suddenly so interested in my dating life?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because we’ve had to watch you pretend not to be in love with Maddie for two decades,” Lawson answered helpfully as he strode up.

Grae bounded behind him, her gaze seesawing between the two of us. “You and Maddie finally got together?”

I glared at Lawson. “You have a big mouth.”

He gave me his best innocent smile. “Was this supposed to be a secret or something?”

Grae scowled at me. “You’d better not be keeping Maddie a secret.”

“I’m not keeping anyone a secret. But I also don’t think I need to put an announcement in the town paper.”

Caden chuckled. “Oh, you won’t need that. Gigi will take care of that for you in no time.”

Grae’s scowl turned a few shades colder as she glanced in Caden’s direction. “What’shedoing here?”

“Come on. I know you missed me, Gigi. You don’t have to pretend.”

I swore Caden used that childhood nickname just to piss my sister off more.

“I missed you like I’d miss a bad case of hemorrhoids,” she shot back.

Lawson choked on a laugh. “Didn’t you hear, G? Caden moved back and is requalifying for SAR.”

Grae’s face paled, and something niggled at me. This wasn’t the kind of reaction you had to a surrogate older brother who annoyed you. This was something more. My gaze narrowed on my sister’s face. But as quickly as the panic had appeared in her expression, it was gone.

She straightened her spine and turned to Holt. “Just do me a favor and don’t pair me with that moron. I’d prefer not to get dead because he tries to pull some Superman stunt.”

Caden’s jaw hardened, a muscle along it fluttering like crazy. But he didn’t say a word.

Holt looked between the two of them. “Is this going to be an issue?”

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