Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
“Brady had never seen a catheter before,” I say.
“Whatever you boys need to tell yourselves, dear,” Mom says. “Okay, so we spoke to your doctor, and here’s the plan. After a few more days in here, you’ll be allowed to use a wheelchair and move around. Use crutches if you can manage it. But the best part is they said you can go back to Coronado to rehab it instead of staying here like they originally said. Isn’t that great?”
My face falls. “Is … is it an order that I have to go back to Cali?”
Mom’s brow pinches. “I thought that’s what you wanted? You spent most of this morning whining about being here.”
My gaze flits between Brady and Kit. “Yeah, but then these two asked me to be their boyfriend, and, well, I said yes. I want to stay here as long as I can so I can be with them.”
Mom touches her heart. “My boy’s first boyfriends.”
“Your parents remind me of my dads so much. It’s uncanny,” Brady says.
“Oh, so your parents are overbearing and intrusive too?”
“Plus sarcastic and embarrassing. I worry your parents and my parents could be soul mates.”
“Your dads?” Mom asks, right on cue.
“Ah, yeah. Dads. Plural.” Brady rubs the back of his neck. “They were kind of a big deal back in the day. First out NFL couple and all that jazz.” He waves his hand, trying to dismiss how big a deal his family is, but there’s no way he can hide it from—
“You’re Marcus Talon and Shane Miller’s son?” Dad asks. No, practically screams.
“But they don’t know about us yet,” I say for Brady’s sake. “No one really knows about Brady at all because of who his brother is.”
“You’re Peyton Miller’s brother?” Dad looks like he’s about to have a heart attack.
Mom pats Dad’s arm. “That’s usually how family trees work, dear.”
“That means you can’t tell anyone,” I say and glance at Brady.
“It’s okay.” He smiles down at me. “I’m going to tell my parents now that we’re official. I just … don’t know when. Or how any of us are going to handle the aftermath. Especially with you still serving in the navy and Kit’s job at the Pentagon. You guys really made a poor decision picking me—someone who’s been famous adjacent since I was born. I’m worried about disrupting your lives more than anything. Well, that and my brother’s life, but my uncle already told me to forget that attention whore.”
Mom and Dad laugh.
Kit doesn’t though. He slips seamlessly into reassurance mode as he stands and rounds the bed, taking Brady into his arms and reaching for my hand. “We’ll work it all out. I promise.”
I have no doubts about that. If anyone can make an impossible situation work, it’ll be Kit. Problem-solving is one of his many, many skills.
“You’re all so cute,” Mom says.
“So much like my dads,” Brady murmurs.
Mom practically bounces out of her skin. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
“And there’s your excuse to remain in the poly closet,” I say. “To avoid that disaster from happening.”
Brady nods. “Good plan.”
My mom pretends to be offended, but she’s not. I already know that she has accepted us. I can only hope Brady’s right about his parents being like mine because if they are, when he does eventually come out and introduce us, they’ll be as supportive as Brady needs them to be.
Real families don’t turn their backs on each other. And if they do hurt Brady, I know about a hundred different ways to kill a man. Prison would be worth it.
If Brady thought Kit’s and my protective streak was extreme before, it’s nothing compared to what we’ll be like now he’s officially ours.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
brady
Kit sits beside me on his couch, one arm wrapped around my shoulders, the other on my knee. “You can do this.”
“Can I though? I know I said my uncle was cool with the whole poly thing, but asking for the rest of the summer off might make him have a meltdown.”
“I thought you said he’d be cool?”
“Yeah, that was before I realized I’d have to actually ask for time off. And figure out a way to tell my dads. My brother. It’s too overwhelming.”
“Let’s focus on one thing at a time. The only pressing matter is your job. Because your uncle is expecting you home, and you don’t even have a flight booked.”
“You’re right. I can do this. The worst he’ll say is no and then force me to get on a plane, even if he has to come here himself to do it.” What if he forces me to come home? I can’t exactly quit. He’s my uncle.
I have to do this. If the three of us are going to give this relationship a real shot, we actually have to spend time together. Radical thought, but there it is. I hit Dial on Uncle Damon’s number and hold my breath.