Chapter 12 #3
Gio chuckled. Kayden was a good friend, and he knew them well. As such, her brother understood exactly how much they hated making these videos.
“Yeah. Gio said the same thing, but Joey’s not exactly available. He’s busy making his own show.” She glared at them playfully. “And no doubt he’ll be a huge success because at least he tries.”
She was quiet again, and then she said, “Nope. No dates lately. I’ve…
” She paused as she looked in their direction.
“I’ve been too busy with the inn videos.
” Pause. “Okay, I will.” Pause. “I’ll tell them.
” Pause. “Love you too. Have a good time—and stay off Find My Friends or I swear to God I’ll stop sharing my loc—” Keeley sighed heavily.
She’d made that same threat a million times, so she should know exactly how much it panicked her overprotective, seen-some-terrible-shit cop brother.
“You know I won’t—” Keeley rolled her eyes.
“He’s right here.” She handed the phone to Gio. “He wants to talk to you.”
Gio took her cell. “Hey, Kayden. Sounds like you’re having a great trip.”
“Yeah, it’s been incredible. I can’t tell you how good it is to get away. I feel about a thousand pounds lighter. No stress, no work, no rushing from here to there,” Kayden replied, sounding more relaxed than Gio had ever heard him.
“Good for you.”
“Listen, I know you’re probably hating every second of that video shit Keeley’s making you do, but do you think you and Rafe could keep playing along with it for the next couple weeks?
It seems to be keeping her off the dating apps.
I can’t tell you how relieved I am every time I pull up Find My Friends and see that she’s with you guys. ”
“Sure, man. No problem,” Gio reassured him. “We’re not going to let anything happen to her.”
Keeley closed her eyes and shook her head. “Jesus,” she muttered.
“Thanks, Gio. Okay, Aldo’s finally out of the shower. My turn. I’ve been dreaming of hot water for eight days, so the bastard better have left me some.”
Gio chuckled.
“Say hello to Rafe and give Keeley a big hug from me, and tell her to behave.”
“Will do. Talk to you soon, Kay,” Gio said. He hung up and handed Keeley her phone back.
“What did he say?” she asked.
Gio looked at Rafe. “Kayden says hi.”
Rafe nodded.
Then Gio walked over to Keeley. “He also told me to give you this.” He wrapped her up in a big hug, loving the way Keeley’s arms slid around his waist, holding him just as tightly as he held her. “And to tell you to behave.”
“Of course he did,” she replied, her voice muffled against his chest. He stole a quick kiss before letting her go, then grinned.
“He also wants us to ‘play along’,” Gio finger-quoted, “with the renovation videos until he gets home because it’s keeping Keeley off the dating apps.”
“Shit,” she muttered. “On the one hand, I want to be annoyed as hell at that request. On the other, he’s given me a great way to ensure you star in my videos. Because…my profile is still live on all the dating apps.”
Gio narrowed his eyes. “Take it down. Get yourself off those things. You don’t need them anymore.”
Keeley studied him for a second, and he could see he’d gone too far with that declaration. Not that he had a problem with it. As far as he was concerned, she was spoken for and off the market. Forever, if he had his way.
It was just…Rafe was being too quiet.
“I’ll hide my profile,” Keeley said.
Hide, not delete. Gio noticed the difference. He wondered if Rafe did as well.
They were tromping through a minefield here, so Gio returned to his work. He expected Rafe to do the same, but he didn’t.
“I noticed you didn’t tell Kayden about us,” Rafe observed.
“I…” Keeley paused, then apparently rethought what she wanted to say. “We haven’t discussed it yet, haven’t decided what we’re telling people, or if we’re telling them anything at all. In the past, you’ve kept these affairs a secret, right?”
“We have,” Rafe answered simply.
“So the same is true for us?”
Gio held his breath, awaiting Rafe’s response.
When it came, it offered absolutely none of the insight Gio was hoping for.
“It’s only been a week. Why don’t we let the dust settle?” Rafe said. “Kayden doesn’t get home for a couple more weeks. We’ll discuss what to tell people then. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get sick of us before that and there won’t be anything to tell.”
“That—” Keeley started to say something but stopped almost immediately.
That was when Gio realized he wasn’t the only one tiptoeing.
Rafe had made his feelings about love and commitment very clear.
He’d also basically told her point-blank their menage would end the moment she decided she wanted more.
Keeley, the clever woman, knew better than to reveal her feelings.
Gio’s jaw clenched with disappointment and a fair amount of anger that the two of them felt as if they couldn’t be honest with Rafe. Though Gio knew that wasn’t exactly fair.
Rafe hadn’t lied about his feelings, nor was he acting out of character.
His friend never jumped into anything without careful consideration.
The problem was, Gio couldn’t see a fucking thing here that needed to be thought about.
The three of them were amazing together, a perfect fit, a slam dunk.
They’d lived, eaten, worked, and slept together for eight days straight, and every single day was better than the one before.
And while he knew it was stupid to think it was always going to be smooth sailing, he knew these people. Rafe was the brother of his heart, and Keeley…
Well, he couldn’t believe he’d been so blind.
She’d been standing right in front of him all these years.
She was funny, smart, independent, sarcastic, easygoing, and gorgeous.
And while she was younger than them—six years younger than Rafe, seven younger than him—she didn’t act like it.
She was mature and confident, and she didn’t defer to them.
Gio wanted a woman who knew her own mind, made her own decisions, charted her own course.
Keeley ticked every box.
“Fine,” Keeley agreed. “We’ll just stay the course until Kayden gets home. No problem.”
While her tone was easy-breezy, something flashed in her eyes that told him she was disappointed too.
He and Keeley were on the exact same page.
The problem was going to be getting Rafe there as well.