17. Will
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Will
The house is eerily quiet this morning. Owen’s truck is out front, so I know he made it home at some point last night. Both his and Miles’s rooms were vacant this morning, though.
I have a feeling I know where they both are, but I’m trying not to think about it. I’m trying even harder not to focus on why I don’t want to contemplate where they both slept last night.
I’m not jealous. I can’t be. How can someone be jealous of something they don’t know for sure happened?
Bullshit.
I groan, searching the fridge for something to make for breakfast. I don’t have long before I need to leave for work, so I decide to make scrambled eggs and toast.
The front door swings open. Owen walks in, wearing his same clothes from last night. His duffle bag is slung over his shoulder.
Something about him seems lighter. I can’t pinpoint exactly how I know this because on the outside everything looks the same. It just seems like the weight of everything is a little less of a burden on him this morning.
He nods at me in greeting before moving up the stairs.
Miles saunters in, wearing only a pair of black boxers.
What the fuck? Where are his clothes? The whisk I’m mixing the eggs with freezes mid-air.
He gives me a shit-eating grin. “Morning,” he says, like there’s rainbows shooting out of his ass. Then, without another word, he jogs up the stairs.
I have so many questions, yet I don’t really know if I want the answers to any of them. Shaking my head, I go about getting the eggs into a frying pan.
“Good morning,” Avery says, stepping up beside me as I stir the eggs.
I tilt my head down to look at her. Why does she have to be so damn beautiful?
This would all be a hell of a lot easier if I wasn’t so attracted to her.
“I can finish up with breakfast, if you want to go get ready,” she says, reaching for the spatula in my hand.
Her fingertips slide against mine, and we both freeze. Our eyes stay locked on each other for several silent seconds before I land back in reality.
I pull my hand away, wiping my palm against my jeans.
“Okay,” I say, backing out of the kitchen. “I’ll make sure Lyla’s up and around while I’m up there.”
She gives me a small smile over her shoulder. Then she turns back to the stove. I hear her humming softly as she drags the spatula through the eggs.
Avery may not be acting like anything is different, but I have a feeling a lot of things changed last night.
Miles and I step out of our rooms at the same time, meeting at the top of the stairs.
“What the hell happened last night?” I ask in a hushed voice.
His smile widens, like he has absolutely no control over it whatsoever. He shrugs his shoulder. “Fun. That’s what happened.”
My eyes narrow. “All three of you?”
“I’m not one to kiss and tell,” he says. His voice is dripping with fake innocence, which has my mind immediately screaming bullshit.
“Yeah, sure.” I groan, running my hand over my stubbled jaw. “Don’t fuck everything up. Avery is great with Lyla. I don’t want to find another nanny.”
He rolls his eyes, like he’s the eight-year-old in this house and not his niece. “We’re not going to fuck anything up.”
“I think this is a horrible idea,” I say just as Owen walks toward us.
Miles shrugs again. “Maybe, but… what’s life without a little risk?”
“Reliable. Dependable. Normal,” I say.
“Boring,” Miles says, dragging the word out.
My fist clenches at my side as I fight the urge to use it against his face.
He chuckles. “What? It’s true. Live a little, brother.” With that, he jogs down the stairs.
With a heavy exhale, I turn to look at my middle brother. “I’m honestly not surprised he’s doing this,” I say, pointing toward where Miles disappeared, “but I’m surprised you’re okay with it.”
He stands there silently for a minute. “It’s her,” he says, then makes his way down the stairs.
I might not agree with what they’re doing, but I do understand that.
It’s her.
There’s just something about Avery Davis. She’s been burrowing her way under my skin since the first moment I saw her.
Even if my brothers have found a way to make something work with her in the short term, I can’t do the same. I just can’t.
I can’t.
“Aren’t you going to be late?” Lyla asks, shoving another bite of her jellied toast into her mouth.
I shake my head. “No. Things will be just fine without me there for a few minutes.”
She gives me a sly look but thankfully keeps her mouth closed as she continues to chew.
I might be eating breakfast at home more often than I ever did before. It’s just because I want to spend time with Lyla while she’s on summer break.
There’s no other reason.
Avery stands from her chair. She reaches for my plate, but somehow, she stumbles and winds up splayed across my lap. One of my hands is on the small of her back. The other is at the top of her thigh.
“Shit,” she murmurs, trying to balance the plate in her hand. I move my hand from her back, grabbing the plate and setting it on the table.
“You okay?” I ask.
She shuffles up into more of a sitting position, which causes my thumb to slide up under her denim shorts. I should move my hand, but I can’t find the will to do so.
Her intake of breath is shaky, eyes looking downward.
I expect her to push my hand away. I mean, she has something going with my brothers. She obviously wouldn’t want me touching her, too.
Why do I even care?
I don’t.
She’s Avery, though, so all she does is slowly drag her eyes back up to meet mine. Then she just about kills me when her teeth latch on to her bottom lip.
Fuck me. If she sits on me for much longer, especially biting her lip like that, my dick is going to try to fuck her despite the layers of clothes between us.
A devilish smirk ghosts her lips as she starts to maneuver herself off my lap. I try to mask a gasp when her hand grips my thigh, much in the same way I’m still touching her.
She squeezes my denim-covered leg, making my cock twitch against my zipper. My hand falls to my side when she stands. As much as I wish I didn’t, I immediately want to be touching her again.
Avery grabs both of our plates, walking into the kitchen. “You don’t need to clean up,” I call after her.
“I don’t mind,” she says, glancing at me over her shoulder.
I hired her to take care of Lyla this summer, not to do all the cooking and cleaning around here. She seems bound and determined to prove me wrong.
Whether it’s because she genuinely wants to do it or it’s to spite me, I’m not certain.
With a grunt, I push back from the table. Both of my brothers are staring right at me. Owen just shakes his head, a hint of a smile peeking through. Miles tilts his head as if to say, “See? You’re no better than us.”
Luckily Lyla is busy flipping through an animal book while she finishes her breakfast, so she’s clueless to everything.
Whatever this is…
Stepping in beside her, I gently grab Avery’s wrist to stop her as she loads dishes into the dishwasher. “You really don’t need to do all of this.”
She shrugs. “I promise. I don’t mind.”
She looks down. Her demeanor shifts. When her eyes look back up, there’s a vulnerability to them that I didn’t expect. I’ve seen it lurking in the distance with everyone else in this house, but never with me.
“It’s kind of nice to have people to take care of again.” She swallows. “I didn’t realize how much I’d miss it.”
We haven’t talked about it a lot, but I know she did a lot to take care of her dad over the last several years.
Her sorrow hits me right in the heart. I can’t help myself from pulling her in against me. Her arms wrap around me, and her forehead rests in the middle of my chest.
Wanting to give her any small comfort I can, I slide my hands up and down her back. When I turn my head to the left, Owen is staring at me with a burning intensity.
“What’s wrong?” he mouths.
“Her dad,” I mouth back.
He nods once, and his eyes glance down to Avery. He looks like he wants to rip her away from me and cocoon her in his hold.
He doesn’t. His heavy boots clomp against the hardwood and out the front door.
There’s a clatter in the sink behind us, then Lyla is staring up at me with worried eyes.
“Aves, are you okay?” she asks.
Avery turns her head so she can look down at Lyla. “Yeah, Lyles. I’m okay now. I was just missing my dad.”
Their new nicknames for each other are adorable, even though I’ll never tell anyone I think such a thing.
Lyla nods with an understanding I wish she didn’t possess. “Uncle Will gives the best hugs. They help when I miss my mom.”
I damn near melt into a puddle on the floor. I’ve done everything in my power to be anything and everything that little girl could need.
She’s had enough sadness in her life. She won’t be facing any more if I have anything to say about it.
Avery tilts her head back to look up at me. “Yeah, it’s pretty great.”
Fuck. Now my heart’s melting for a completely different reason. This woman…
Her eyes stay locked on me as she steps back. Finally, she looks down at Lyla. “Let’s go get you ready so we can go to the library.”
The two of them disappear up the stairs, and I’m left standing in the kitchen. My hands hang limply at my sides, now that she’s no longer here to hold onto.
Miles’s voice startles me. “And we’re the ones being dumbasses,” he laughs.