hand in mine. “I know.”
***
“Hey, bro!” Zach shouted from the porch.
I briefly offered him my attention, throwing a half-hearted wave as I climbed out of the car, before diverting my eyes to the driveway. There were more cars than I had anticipated. At least five of them were lined up in two rows, with another half dozen parked along the curb. Andy glanced at me over the car, her brows pinching with nervous worry. I returned the expression with a little shrug, before shutting my door and heading around the car to take her hand.
We walked up the steps and the second we were within arm's length, Zach pulled me in for a hug.
“Holy shit, I've missed the fuck out of you,” he said, clapping his hand against my back. “You need to stop bein' such a stranger, man. What the hell's been up with you?”
“Been a little distracted,” I said, stepping out of his grasp to place a hand at the small of Andy's back.
“I'll settle for that excuse,” he replied with a grin, then extended an arm toward Andy. “Get over here, gorgeous. Thanks so much for coming.”
They hugged tightly and for a moment, all feelings of trepidation disappeared. I watched her, grinning against my big brother's chest, and I was overwhelmed with the need to thrust my lips against hers. She fit in with my family like a long-lost missing piece and I wanted so much to glue her into place, to ensure she'd never break free. But I also knew the two of us were playing with fire, and anybody dancing in the flames, was destined to burn.
And just like that, the worry returned.
“So, uh, what the hell is with all the cars?” I asked, jabbing a thumb over my shoulder toward the street.
Zach rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around Andy's shoulders, steering her toward the front door. “Greyson insisted on turning a little thing into something way bigger. He invited some of his relatives and Devin drove up to chill with his dad.”
Andy’s eyes grew wide. “Devin O’Leary? He’s here?”
My brother grinned. “Yep.”
She muttered an “oh, my God” beneath her breath, as I jabbed, “And, how many of these people are stayin' in the guest room with us? 'Cause I mean, I'm not opposed to an orgy, but I'm gonna be picky. I got standards, you know.”
“Just you, dick,” he laughed. “Now, go get your shit from the car. I'm stealin' your girl.”
Andy looked back at me, eyes dancing with insecurity and nerves. Her anxiety was evident in the way she stiffened beneath his draped arm, and I tried to relax her with a grin.
“I'll be in there in a minute, sweetheart,” I said. “And don't worry, you're not his type.”
And as I jogged back down the porch steps to the car, I thought, but she is mine, and I don't know yet if that's a good thing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
ANDREA
The yard was enormous. Greyson said they only lived on two acres of land, like it wasn't that impressive, but if I took off my glasses, their piece of property seemed to trail on forever.
I wished I could appreciate it and all of its natural glory. I wanted to stop and smell the literal roses, planted in the flower garden surrounding the deck, and admire the expansive vegetable garden that Zach said took him two years to perfect. But it was hard to appreciate the peaceful joy of this beautiful backyard when, dotted among the flowers, there were ghosts. So many ghosts.
And they wouldn't shut up.
I desperately wished I was high, and I hated that almost as much as I hated the ghosts.
But, amongst the distractions of my life's burden and my new addiction, I found that I really loved Vinnie's family. They were warm, welcoming, and absolutely wonderful in every sense of the word, accepting me and my quirks. They didn't ask questions about my financial situation or upbringing. And what melted my heart even more, was that I wasn't special. They all treated each other the same way, with sharp wit and kind smiles. And I never wanted to leave.
“You're looking good, man,” Sebastian, Greyson's dad, said to Vinnie. “You losing weight?”
Vinnie was a professional at feigning cluelessness. He shrugged nonchalantly and said, “I haven't really noticed, but you know, I've been walkin' to work a lot lately, so maybe it's payin' off.” But he was also a bad liar, and immediately afterward, his thumbnail was clamped between his teeth.
“I need to get