Page 88 of Cursed Love
“Rye, this is Andrea. She’s my best friend and sister-in-law. She’s married to James, the baby holding his stomach.”
Andrea smacked down his hand and laughed. “Nope, I want a hug.”
Her warmth was welcoming, and he understood why she was Brandy’s best friend immediately. He had heard a few stories about the woman, but meeting her was another thing. She squeezed him tightly before grabbing his chin and narrowing her eyes.
“Hurt her, and the police won’t find the body.”
Ryan glanced up when he heard a chuckle and found James beaming with pride. Ignoring him, Ryan gave Andrea his most charming smile. “I see why you two are friends.” He pulled Brandy back against his side and poured all the sincerity he had into his next words. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her and—”
“Thanks, Andrea!” Brandy said, cutting him off.
“Don’t forget we asked Junior to keep his mouth shut about the baby. They don’t know yet!”Brandy said, reminding him.
“They’re going to learn sooner rather than later,”he said.
Andrea narrowed her eyes, and he watched them move from him to Brandy. “What’s going on?”
Junior chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, what’s going on, you two?”
“Let’s just pull off the damn Band-Aid so they can kick my ass only one time,”he said.
“They’ll do no such thing!” she snapped.
He waved his hand in front of them. “Are you sure?” Turning to give them a once over, Ryan did not miss the mixture of frowns and confusion.
Ethan patted him on the back. “Y’all suck at this. Just saying.”
“What the hell is going on?” one brother asked.
“That’s Max. He’s a veterinarian,”Brandy said.
Ryan studied him a moment and sighed as he released Brandy.
“What are you doing?” she asked, but he only responded by kissing the top of her head.
He moved across the room toward Max.
“Rye?” she called.
“Ryan Palfrey. Nice to meet you, Max,” he said and offered his hand. Max stared at it for a moment before shaking it. Ryan felt a pulse of magic and smirked while Max’s frown deepened.
“Carter is to your right. He’s a doctor,”Brandy said.
“Nice to meet you, Carter,” Ryan told the next man after taking two steps to his side. Once again, magic vibrated between their hands, and Carter’s eyes widened briefly.
Ryan tipped his head at Junior as he passed the oldest of the Brodericks. “Good to see you again, Junior.” Chuckling at Junior’s answering grunt, he stepped up to the next brother.
This time, he did not need Brandy’s help with a name. “You’re Andrea’s husband. Nice meeting you, James.” Their hands connected in a firm handshake, and when the magic touched Ryan, he watched James’s gaze fly to an empty corner of the room.
Ryan made a mental note of the oddity and faced the last brother. “Which means you’re Edward, the owner of the café.” Once again, Ryan received a disapproving look that deepened with confusion the moment their hands shook.
He took his time returning to Brandy’s side and winked at her. “Sweetheart, why don’t you go say hello to your brothers.”
A few angry grunts sounded in the room as Junior snapped, “She doesn’t need your permission!”
“Trust me,”he said and kissed her temple when he returned to her side. It did not matter that only a few minutes had passed since he’d kissed or touched her. The easy affection grounded him and soothed his spirit.
“What’s up?” Ethan murmured as the others converged on Brandy. “What the—”
