CHAPTER 17
A ny chill Mallory had about their secret dating evaporated the millisecond her brother arrived unannounced at Beckett’s place. She and Beckett had shared a perfect morning of cuddles and coffee, and were now idly scrolling on their phones to the sound of a quiet Saturday morning. Mallory didn’t often get weekends off, so she planned to enjoy this bonus time...with her boyfriend.
The moniker felt strange, yet wonderful, to her ears. She’d woken up twisted in the sheets and covered in Beckett. One of his long legs was draped over hers, and an arm had her plastered to his chest. She was so smitten, even his snores were adorable. Did she mind sharing her space with a symphony provided by a certain redhead? Hell. No.
Now they were nestled together on the couch, her head resting on Beckett’s lap. She’d taken her hair down, and he was mindlessly running his fingers through the strands. The soothing sensation threatened to put her back to sleep until the sound of K-Pop music snapped them both to attention.
She sat bolt upright, eyes growing to the size of baseballs. “Oh crap, were you expecting him?”
Beckett scoffed. “If I did, you’d think we’d still be in our PJs?”
“Crap!” Mallory exclaimed as she sprinted to the bedroom, Beckett hot on her heels. “What time is it?”
“Ten thirty,” Beckett replied as he hastily pulled on a pair of jeans. His red hair was mussed and he looked like he’d been lounging around all morning. She knew from her own brushed-out locks that there would be no hiding the truth from Evan.
“He’s going to know something’s up,” she whined as she straightened yesterday’s shirt and pinched color into her cheeks.
Beckett shook his head, a rueful smile tugging his lips. “Mal, I don’t think you need to worry. We’ll just say you stopped by for coffee and to check on my hand.”
Mallory deflated, arms falling to her sides. “I’m a nurse. You have an injury. You might be a genius.”
Beckett cocked an eyebrow. “Might?”
Tugging him by the hem of his shirt, she plastered a wet kiss on his cheek. “Don’t act so smug.”
“You like it,” he teased, holding her close. Dipping his head, he kissed her temple and sighed. “To be continued.”
“That a fact?” She wiggled free and pulled on her shoes.
Beckett smacked her bottom on his way past. “It’s a promise, Mal.”
The pair sprinted back to the living room and flopped back on the couch just as Evan knocked on the door. “Yo, Foxy!” his familiar voice boomed through the door.
Beckett strode over, running his hands through his hair. Throwing the door open, he clapped his hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Perfect timing, Lawless. Mal just got here.”
The lie slid off his tongue so flawlessly, Mallory was impressed. “Hey, Ev.” She gave a wave from the couch, sitting on her other hand so her brother couldn’t see it tremble.
Evan beamed and clapped his hands together. “Perfect. That saves me a trip.”
“Oh, yeah?” Beckett asked as he went to the kitchen for another coffee.
“Yeah.” Evan took the coffee with a nod and shoved Mallory over to sit on the couch. Sibling dynamics never changed. “My fiancée and I were talking.” He paused to chuckle at his word choice. If she didn’t love her brother so much, she’d gag at how in love he was. “And we think the four of us should do dinner or something.” Turning to Beckett, he added, “She hardly knows you, Foxy. I need my people to be comfortable together.” He flapped his hand in the air, the other bringing his coffee up for a sip.
“Aww, that’s really sweet.” Mallory covered her heart.
“Sounds good to me. I’d like to get to know the woman who tamed Lawless.” He winked and Mallory groaned.
“You two are ridiculous.”
“But you love us anyway,” Beckett countered. Damn, he certainly had her there.
Evan leaned back and surveyed the apartment. Mallory held her breath, convinced he could sense the shift between his sister and friend. Beckett, on the other hand, reclined in his chair with a happy expression. How could he be so calm in a time like this?
“You’re off at the diner today?” Beckett asked, his tone carefree.
After shaking his head, Evan drained his mug. “Nah, just in the break between breakfast and lunch. Max hired some new wait staff, so I have some time off.”
“That’s good. You’ll need it with wedding planning.” Mallory understood their desire for a shorter engagement, but she was also keenly aware of how complicated weddings can get. She was a bridesmaid for both her sisters, and it was an ordeal to say the least.
“You and CeCe can get game planning later. You guys free for dinner tonight?” Evan laughed at himself, shaking his head. “Listen to me, acting like you’re a couple.” He looked at Beckett and asked, “Any hot dates tonight I need to avoid? I don’t want to cramp your style.”
Beckett made a show of rolling his eyes. “Why don’t you all come here? We can order takeout and maybe play some games.”
Mallory shot them a thumbs-up. “Sounds good to me.” She was impressed with herself for not shaking as she held up her arms... or slapping her idiot brother. Progress!
Evan turned to leave before hesitating a moment. “Wait a minute.” He spun back and put his hands on his hips, his brow furrowed. “What are you doing here, Mal?”
Mallory was ready for this, and she squared her shoulders. “I was out running errands and thought I’d check on Beckett’s hand.”
A little too eagerly, Beckett held up his hands and exclaimed, “All good. I’m healing like a champ.” He did jazz hands for a moment before catching Mallory’s eye. A Broadway dancer wouldn’t have done that move with more enthusiasm.
Seemingly satisfied, Evan shrugged and strode to the door. “Cool. I’ll text you guys the timing after CeCe’s off. Later.”
And then her clueless brother bounded back to his car. “Wow, you were right. That was surprisingly easy. I’m almost nervous the guy is that unaware of his surroundings.”
“I hate lying,” Beckett said, his tone dry. “I mean, I do have a hot date later.” He reached out, yanking Mallory close until they were chest-to-chest in an embrace. Hugging had never been something Mallory thought about much before, but now it was one of her favorite things. Snuggling Beckett felt like an event, something special that was meant to savor.
“I’m a little offended he didn’t ask if I had a hot date.” She sighed, leaning further into Beckett’s arms. They were fused together like LEGO.
“I love you with your hair down.” He breathed the compliment into her neck, and she shivered at the contact. God, this man.
Maybe it was a good thing her brother was so aloof, because Mallory wanted more times like this—moments with just her and Beckett. She’d waited forever for these stolen moments, and she wasn’t ready to share him yet.
*
E van and CeCe were due at his place in a matter of minutes, and Beckett was a nervous wreck. How would he be able to hide his attraction to Mallory? Now that they’d come to their secret dating arrangement, he couldn’t get enough of her.
In true Mallory fashion, she arrived early to help him get dinner ready. She’d brought a six-pack of Evan’s favorite beer, a bottle of wine, and a cheese tray. “What would I do without you?” he asked, pulling her in for a kiss the second her hands were free of her bounty. Their lips lingered a moment while Beckett caught his breath.
“You’d throw subpar dinner parties.” Mallory answered between gasps, her skin turning a gorgeous pink hue as he trailed his lips down her neck. “As much as I’m loving this”—her voice hitched as he nipped at her earlobe—“they’re due here any second.”
“So?” Beckett didn’t care about anything beyond the line of freckles dissecting his girlfriend’s skin, a line of dots he promised he’d explore fully when they weren’t about to be interrupted.
God, his girlfriend. Mallory had always felt like that in his heart, but knowing they were both on the same page did funny things inside his ribcage. The sensation was slightly soured by the fact that he couldn’t share this fact outside his apartment. He wanted to tell the whole damn world, despite fearing the consequences. Beckett would be lying if he said Evan’s dismissal of him and Mallory dating didn’t sting. It more than stung. It felt like his buddy had ripped out his heart and threw it back in his face. From where he stood, wrapped around the woman he loved, this made perfect sense. Why not base a future on a friendship with someone that made his heart sing?
Go get your girl...
Gramps’s words rang through his head, pleading with him to man up and tell Evan the truth. But the thought of Gramps brought an ache to his chest he wanted to avoid. He’d already lost too many people in his life, and he couldn’t think of losing his best friend. Although it would be worth it to keep Mallory in his arms, right?
The sound of two car doors slamming brought him back to the moment, and he reluctantly stepped back from Mallory. Arms falling to his sides, he suddenly felt hollow without her warmth, without her skin pressed to his. God, it was going to be a long night.
“Show time,” Mallory said, her cheeks flushed and her blue eyes shining. He tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear and tried to look enthusiastic for their evening. Spending more time with CeCe had been top on his list of things to do, yet now Beckett wanted to spend time with his girl.
Mallory made herself scarce and set up the cheese tray and drinks. “I hope you don’t mind cheese for dinner. The only downside of Evan marrying a chef is that my already subpar culinary skills feel exposed.”
Beckett put out a stack of plates and laughed. “Um, this at least is fancy. I have a feeling French bread pizza won’t impress anyone outside our little trio.” He winked and warmed at Mallory’s expression.
“She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”
A knock at the door was the only thing stopping Beckett from throwing Mallory over his shoulders like a caveman. He needed more of her, all of her. These stolen moments were never going to be enough to fill his quota of Mallory Lawson.
The knob jiggled before Evan let himself in, CeCe close on his heels. “Foxy,” he called out, smiling like the happiest man on earth. And he probably was the happiest man on earth, because he was engaged to the love of his life...publicly.
The lady in question playfully shoved Evan out of the way and strode over to Beckett and Mallory. “Thanks so much for having us,” she said, pulling Mallory into a quick hug before doing the same to Beckett. “And forgive my fiancé’s lack of manners.”
Evan scoffed. “This is Foxy,” he insisted. “There are no locked doors between us.” He clapped his friend on the back before giving his sister a one-armed hug. “What’s up, Mal?”
“Hey, goofball,” she replied, flicking him in the arm. “What can I get everyone to drink?” She played hostess, popping beer bottles and pouring generous glasses of wine. “Ev, I got that new IPA you like.” She tossed a look over her shoulder and asked, “CeCe, you feeling wine or beer?”
CeCe had already walked over to the kitchen table, sneaking a peek at the array of cheese and fruits that Mallory brought. “I’ll have the wine; it’ll go great with this brie.” Not waiting for an invitation, she sliced a wedge and popped it in her mouth. “This is delicious. Is this from the market?”
Mallory pressed a glass of wine into her waiting hand and shook her head. “Nah, I picked these up last week after work. There’s a new specialty market in Columbus. We should do a girls’ day trip and check it out.”
Beckett watched the ladies exchange ooh s and ahh s over the cheeseboard. Just as he was about to glance away, he saw Mallory’s face fall for an instant before she recovered. CeCe’s left hand moved animatedly between them, her engagement ring flashing like a lighthouse. “A girls’ trip sounds fun.”
If he didn’t know Mallory well, Beckett wouldn’t think anything of her tone. But he knew she was missing part of her sparkle, part of the excitement he knew she felt for her brother and his future bride.
Evan shook Beckett back to the moment with a jab in the arm. “You listening, Foxy?”
Shaking his head, Beckett turned his back to the ladies, knowing it was the only way he’d be able to focus on Evan. “Sorry, distracted by all the cheese talk. What’s up?”
“I said, why don’t we head to the tux place early next week.”
“Sounds good.” Beckett agreed, knowing it was the right thing to say. He wished he knew how to bring up the issue of the engagement ring with Evan, despite knowing Mallory would skin him alive for spilling her secret. It wasn’t his place to say anything, but he didn’t know if he could handle an eternity of Mallory’s hurt expression every time CeCe was around.
Mallory ushered everyone around the table with the promise of more food. “I also picked up some salami and olives, have a seat.”
CeCe joined her at the counter, offering to slice and arrange the rest of their meal. Mallory seemed to be back to normal, as she excitedly discussed color palates with the bride. “What colors are you two thinking?”
“Something warm since it will be an early fall wedding. Maybe creams and oranges?” Glancing back at the guys, she added, “But I don’t know if that’s the best color for Beckett.” She winked, a clear reference to his fire-engine-red hair. Ah, the joys of being a ginger...
“Pfft, I’m not basing our color scheme on my buddy’s hair.” Evan reached out and ruffled Beckett’s curls loose. “No offense, Foxy.”
CeCe carried the tray over to the table and chuckled. “I thought your nickname was because of your hair. I didn’t realize your last name was Fox.”
Mallory followed closely behind, laying a stack of napkins on the table. On her way to her chair, she paused to run her hands through his hair, putting the curls back in place. Her touch lingered a moment before she pulled back. It was such a reflex, he didn’t think anything of it, until he caught CeCe watching them. She blinked and took her seat next to Evan. Despite not saying anything, CeCe was clearly curious.
Oblivious to her own actions, Mallory plopped down and sipped from her glass. “You two and your nicknames. Frankly, I’ve always thought it was hilarious. Ev’s like the most lawful person I’ve met.”
CeCe pursed her lips and struggled not to laugh. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but...” She poked Evan in the side and beamed. “You’re pretty much the nicest guy on the planet, babe.”
“You ladies wound me.” Evan threw his head back in a moment of theatrics.
The foursome chatted about wedding planning, life at the diner, and how Beckett was settling into his new place. “It’s definitely nice living closer to everything. I was temporarily at another place after Gramps passed, but I hated feeling so isolated.”
Evan popped an olive in his mouth and nodded. “I’m so glad you’re here. Not that I mind the drive to the farm house, but you’re basically down the street.”
“No arguments here,” Mallory chimed in, reaching out with a cheese-laden cracker. Beckett opened his mouth and ate the proffered treat, completely unaware that CeCe was gawking.
Mallory seemed to realize her mistake a moment too soon, dropping her hand so quickly she tipped her wine glass over, spilling the remains of the pale-yellow liquid across the table. “Oh crap.” She bolted upright and dashed into the kitchen for a towel. “Sorry about that.”
CeCe jumped up to help with cleanup, but Evan stayed behind with Beckett. Slowly, he turned to see if his friend saw that interaction, but he was too busy frowning at his beer bottle. “Did you see they no longer brew this in Ohio? They’ve moved the brewery up to Michigan. That’s blasphemy.”
Beckett chuckled, both relieved and shocked at his friend’s lack of awareness. Maybe he and Mallory had nothing to worry about with the secret dating. If Evan missed his sister manhandling his best friend and feeding him, they would probably be all right. Wouldn’t they?