Page 33 of Brooke's Bliss
“This is a huge misunderstanding,” Bay began, proving herright.And then his arm curled around her shoulders, and he stood beside her.“We didn’t plan to tell you this way but then you annoyed my baby here, and shecan only handle so much.You see we’ve been talking online for months.”
Max’s eyes were narrow, and he still had a damn piece ofbacon in his hand.“You have?Brooke didn’t mention it.”
Because it hadn’t happened.Well, she supposed they hadwatched her online since they knew way more about her business than theyshould.
“Auntie Brooke is getting married?”Paige’s eyes lit up.“Ican be the flower girl.I’m better at it than I was for the last one.I won’teven eat the rose petals.They didn’t taste good but Charlie said they did, andso I made him eat some, too.”
“Violently and in front of the entire congregation,” Ryeadded.“Honestly, I’m surprised Georgia decided to have kids after she saw whatthis one can do.”
Max waved it off.“He deserved it for trying to poison mybaby girl.I don’t trust those boys.They look too much like Zane.”
They didn’t.As they grew up, the twins looked so much likeNate Wright it hurt, but she wasn’t pointing that out.She was too floored thatBay’s arm was around her.Like he belonged there.
“We haven’t decided on how big the wedding’s going to be,”Bay hedged, and she realized he was giving her space.Good.He was allowingroom for them to get out of whatever this thing was she’d managed to get themall into.“We might elope.We’re not getting any younger, but Max wouldunderstand that… I’m sorry, sir.I shouldn’t have made a joke about youradvanced age.”
She kind of liked it when Bay was an asshole.
Max finished chewing his bacon and eyed Bay like he was theenemy he was about to take out.“You little… If your brother wasn’t so goodwith bacon, I would kill you myself.”He frowned Rye’s way.“It was goodbacon.”
“Why do you want to kill him, Daddy?”Paige had her hands onher hips, staring up at her most annoying father.“He’s going to be my uncle.You told me I couldn’t kill family even when Ethan breaks my toys.”
“And that also means she shouldn’t kick me in the shins.”Bay seemed way too pleased with himself.
Paige looked up at him like he’d said something terrible.“Then how will you know if I like you or not?”
“I could ask,” Bay offered.
Rye chuckled and put a hand on Paige’s head.“Baby girl,your aunt is playing a joke on us.Your Aunt Brooke is a good girl.She doesn’tdo this kind of thing.This is a practical joke and one your daddy and Iprobably deserve richly after all the pranks we pulled on her as a kid.”
Good girl.She’d been Bay and Shane’s good girl the nightbefore, and it had felt fabulous.
“She’s pulling your daddy’s leg, and he’s taking the bait,”Rye explained with a certainty that rankled.“Brooke is concentrating on hercareer.She’s smart and would never cause a scandal.”
A scandal?Where was she?This was Bliss.Sleeping with twomen at once was a tradition, not a freaking scandal.
They thought of her as some sexless work machine who smiledand never caused any trouble and never had a moment’s real heartache.They hadnever really seen her.Never knew who she was at her heart.She was in a box,and she was supposed to stay in it or it would be a scandal.
They had basically been her dads, and she’d never oncerebelled.
And why was it a scandal that she had sexual needs?Shewound an arm around Bay’s lean waist, the feel of warm skin bringing her somepower.“Scandal?I’ll tell you what a scandal is, Rye.It’s getting fired frommy job because I wouldn’t sleep with the boss after he stole my designs andcoming home with my tail between my legs because I’m going to have wasted sixyears of school, and the only thing that made me feel slightly better happenedon that table last night.”She nodded Max’s way.“Yes, that one, and I am nottalking about sharing late-night pizza rolls.That was not the snack those boysenjoyed at that table.You know, Max, the one you were just sitting at.”
“Babe,” Bay breathed.
Max had gone pale.“But we bought that table so you couldhave a place to eat breakfast.”
She stepped away from Bay, eyeing her brother.“I thoughtyou built this place so you had a sleeping station when you’re up late.”
Paige frowned at her fathers.“I thought we built this placebecause you said Auntie Brooke would need it one day’causeshe’s going to end up all alone and without a job’causefashion designerain’ta real job and it’s allfalling apart, but then you knew it would.Shouldn’t you have told AuntieBrooke?She seems real surprised.”
“Paige,” Rye said with a long-suffering sigh.
“Sorry,” Paige said with a wince.“I forgot.It’s becausebeing a fashion designer isn’t a real job.It sure cost a lot though.That’swhat Daddy says.I think itisa job.I don’t think these jeans madethemselves.That’s what Mama says.”
“This is my spinster house.”How dare they?And how had theyknown?
“Babe, we should talk,” Bay said quietly.“Like away fromyour parents.I mean brothers.”
He’d been right the first time.It definitely felt like shewas sitting in front of a set of dads who had way overstepped.“When did it goin?This house.How long has it been here?”
