Page 32 of Brooke's Bliss
She’d learned that Ms.Leal—who could do a shot of tequilawith the best of them—was considered an actual saint in the Harper house.Brooke was surprised there wasn’t a halo-around-her-head,eyes-tilted-toward-heaven portrait of Sabrina hung in a prominent place intheir house.
Paige’s nose wrinkled.“They’re my best friends, and I donot want to listen to anyone speak poorly of them.See, I can say it right.Ijust don’t want to.”
“You give ’emhell, baby girl.”
Brooke let out a yelp and fell on her ass because she wasnot expecting that voice.She stopped and stared at Bay, who gave her a weaksmile.
“Your brother’s here,” Bay explained in a whisper.“Heshowed up as Shane was finishing breakfast.We were about to wake you up, butthen he took all the bacon and the kid thinks I’m going to eat all the cerealbecause she has not gotten to the portion of her education where she learnsabout homophones.”
“What?”her brother asked.
She turned, and he was sitting at her tiny bistro table.Well, his, technically, but it was supposed to be her haven while she was here.“Two words that sound alike but have different meanings.Is Rachel on a truecrime kick?Good, because it will teach her where to bury your body.You arenot supposed to eat that bacon, Mr.Cholesterol.”
Max sat back, his eyes narrowing.“Well, Missy, I don’tthink you were supposed to have guests overnight.”
Bay had gone stiff beside her.“I did not realize that was arule, Mr.Harper.”
Max frowned.“Don’t you Mr.Harper me, you little shit.Thatmakes me sound like a dad.”
He was so annoying.She pointed to Paige, who had gone backto her previous occupation of whirling dervish being held back by a masculinehand.Bay was good with her.He proved he could multitask.And that he waswilling to kiss ass.Which was not cool.
How many cowboys would properly point out how to use theword homophone?He was so weird, and yet it did something for her.Something hehadn’t done when she’d viewed him as a frat boy version of a cowboy.She didn’tbother to look at the man she’d spent the night with.Well, one of them.Shechose to put all her feminine rage into the stare she sent her brother’s way.“You don’t apologize to him, Bay.I need Shane here because my brother isacting like we’re in Regency England, and I might have ruined my chances for anadvantageous marriage.”
“Wait.”Max looked confused for a moment and then slightlyoutraged.“You were planning on marrying them?Girl, what is going through yourhead?”There was a knock from the outside and without missing a beat, Maxpicked up a piece of what looked like beautifully cooked bacon and then shovedit out the open window.It disappeared, and Max kept going.“I did not send youto that godawful expensive school so you could marry two down-on-their-luckcowpokes.”
“There is no marriage,” Bay said as he sighed and held backPaige, who seemed to think this was the most fun a kid ever had.
It was annoying, and somewhere deep inside she knew what shewas about to say next was more about all the shit she’d been through in thelast couple of weeks than it was a mad desire to walk down the aisle.She wasso sick of being told what to do and what was and wasn’t cool and what to eatif she wanted people to take her seriously and how to wear her damn hair, andit was too much.
She kind of wanted to burn it all down.Or at least havesomeone look at her like she wasn’t the most pathetic thing to walk the earth.
How often had her brothers called her practically an angel?Who never did anything wrong.Who didn’t seem to have an interest in boys, andwasn’t that a good thing.She was so into her studies.So ambitious, and shewas going to do all the right things to succeed in life.
Well, she’d done them, and this was what she got.
She crossed her arms under her breasts and turned to Bay.“That’s not what you said last night.”
There was a pause as even Paige seemed to realize somethingwas wrong.And then another knock on the window.
“Not right now, Rye.”Max had gone pale.“Our baby sister ispulling the worst practical joke of all time.”
So Rye was sneaking bacon, too.She walked the whole foursteps it took to get to the door and threw it open.“You might as well join us.Or are you the lookout?You know when you tell your wife, who’s given you fourkids in seven years, that you’re going to take your diet seriously and then yourun all over town hiding the fact that you’re eating fried everything, it’scheating.”
Sometimes their antics got to her because she felt forRachel.She knew her brothers were playing around but Rachel was worried, andthis would make her feel like her worry was foolish.
Rye’s eyes had widened.He was the brother who never gotcaught because all he ever had to do was stand behind Max and people forgot hecould be annoying, too.“What the hell is going on, Brooke?”
This was when Bay ran.He was probably panicking andwondering why the hell Shane wasn’t back because it looked like his getawaywould have to be on foot.
This was how she paid back all the men who annoyed her, andmaybe that wasn’t fair because she’d had a nice night with Bay and Shane, butnone of this would have happened if they had done what they were supposed to doand gone home early this morning.Then she wouldn’t be dealing with herbrothers being nosy and waking her up way too early.And thinking less of herbecause she had perfectly human needs.
This was stupid.She should own up to her dumbass mistake.It wasn’t like they’d never had a wild night.
Of course, they probably hadn’t done it on their sibling’sproperty, where their three and an almost kid were hanging around and askingtons of questions.
“Mr.Harper.”Bay greeted her other brother.
She was sure he was about to tell him how this had all beena mistake.
