Page 55 of Perfect Scandal
“I’m glad. But you two really do need to tell Holden and Kaden, and soon. Before they figure it out on their own.”
“Figure what out?” Kaden’s voice carries from the front entrance of the big, open-concept house. “That you showed up without telling anyone? I kinda guessed when I saw your car in the driveway.” He flashes a wide grin, and I give a grateful, albeit nervous, laugh.
“Damn. And here I thought I hid it so well.”
With Ben in tow, he comes to the kitchen and tugs my ponytail on his way to the sink to wash his hands. “To what do we owe the honor this time? Did you finally realize it’s nicer here than Boulder?”
“Actually, you’re not that far off base.” I give him an abbreviated version of my troubles at work, and by the time I’m done, he’s fuming.
“Why the hell am I just hearing about this? If someone’s giving you shit, you need to tell us, Tessa. That’s what we’re friggin’ here for.”
“I told Holden in Vegas. Dean, too.”
“Dean?” he scoffs.
“We were at the same wedding, remember? Spencer was there, too, and he got handsy at the reception. Dean stepped in and set him straight.”
“Really.” He narrows his eyes skeptically.
“Yes. Maybe you should thank him instead of getting pissy about it.”
“I must’ve missed the memo about the wedding. You know his cousin?”
“T.J. and his wife are two of my best friends. We went to college together.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Small world, isn’t it?”
“Very. So, you saw Langston in Vegas.” He sticks his tongue in his cheek. “Surprised he didn’t mention it.”
“I had breakfast with him, Holden, and Alana, too.” With the ink on our marriage certification still wet. “Scandalous, isn’t it?”
His jaw tightens, and his lips twitch like he’s about to chastise me for being a smartass, but Charlotte clears her throat first.
“Lunch is ready, boys. Dig in.”
* * *
When Kaden and Ben return to work and Dean still hasn’t come in to eat, I venture outside to find him. My guess is he’s avoiding me to make my unexpected visit more believable. And while Ididoriginally ask him to play along with me, I don’t want to lie anymore.
I’m tired of pretending I don’t care about him, and I’m tired of my brothers thinking they have any control over who I date or who I fall in love with.
“Hey, handsome,” I say when I find him in the cattle barn, cleaning stalls. “You missed lunch.”
“Damn, did I really?” He glances at his watch. “Guess I’ve been having more fun with this cow shit than I thought.”
I giggle as I tuck my hands into my pockets. “I thought maybe you were avoiding me.”
“Why would I do that, sweetness?” He leans down for a quick kiss, but smartly keeps his filthy hands to himself. “You look beautiful, by the way. Did in my bed this morning, too.”
My cheeks warm at the compliment. “Thank you. Any chance I can talk you into a break? I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“Spencer?”
“That, too. Come and sit.” I tip my head toward a couple of hay bales and tell him everything. “Lori, the HR Director, was livid. I was surprised she didn’t fire Jeff on the spot, but in hindsight, there’s probably a process.”
“That little shit took pictures of us at the wedding?” Dean growls. “That’s stalker behavior, babe. We need to get you a restraining order.”
