repair, never mind how much clay you put on them.”
“What are you talking about?” Tate asked, intrigued.
“Nothing!” James and Cole all but barked in unison while simultaneously trying to smack their little brother. Fuck, he was as unruly as always. They needed Annie to contain him. Too bad she was on a Nutella run with Holly.
“We’re trying to figure women out,” Max explained. “What, in your opinion, would be the best Valentine’s Day present ever?”
“We’re easy to please. Any little thing will do,” Tate said.
The collective male snort was loud.
“It’s true,” Christy added in her defense.
“Yeah, right. Any little thing will do, my ass,” Max said. “Let’s put it this way: what do my poor bros have to do for Valentine’s Day so that their Steak and BJ Day a month from now won’t degrade into a handy and a hamburger?”
“Max,” James growled, but Tate and Christy didn’t take offense. In fact, they were laughing. Good thing, because Max was incorrigible. No filter whatsoever on his mouth.
“Like you’d have a complaint about it,” Tate whispered to James, who cupped her neck and kissed her. By the looks of it, his brother didn’t have a single complaint of any kind.
It was so great to see Tate smiling and relaxed. Her pregnancy had hit some bumps in the last weeks, and lately she hadn’t been feeling well.
“Steak and BJ Day?” Cole asked, confused.
“March fourteenth. Steak and blowjob day,” Christy spoke in his ear.
Well, there was a tradition he didn’t mind embracing. He’d never heard about it, but one was probably supposed to celebrate Valentine’s to get a shot at Steak and BJ Day. “We are so going for that tradition,” he told Christy in a low voice.
Max’s smirk was blinding. “Another cherry for Christy to pop, huh?”
“You better shut up,” Cole snarled, “or it’ll be me smashing your fucking cherries.”
“Sorry, man. You’re too late. Got no cherries left to smash.”
“What about you, hotshot? What are you doing for Valentine’s?” James asked Max.
“I have to work. We’re filming down in Florida, so I’m taking Annie with me.”
Max was trying to put on a brave front for Annie’s benefit, but he was worried sick about all those accidents that followed his woman around. There was no way he was leaving her alone. Which filled Cole with pride. He’d never thought he’d see the day when his youngest brother would become a responsible family man, yet here it was. Not that he wasn’t a wiseass punk, because he still was. He’d probably always be.
“We’ll be close to the Eternal Sun resort,” Max continued. “That’s where Annie and I will spend Valentine’s.”
For once, the stunned silence that ensued was not because of Cole.
“You are taking your woman to a night of bingo and dancing at a senior community for your first Valentine’s?” James asked.
“Pretty much.”
Surprising someone with almost unlimited resources like Annie was probably tough, but the Eternal Sun resort would do that. Hands down.
“Not a word to her, you two,” Max warned, pointing with his finger.
“We won’t,” Tate assured him. “Right, Christy?”
“I didn’t mean you, girls. You’re solid. I meant my brothers. They gossip more than old women.”
Yep, a wiseass punk through and through.
“Come on, don’t let him rattle you. Remember our date tonight,” Christy said as the others continued bantering. “Aren’t you excited? You get to boss me around on the dancing floor.”
“What are you going to be wearing?”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “I boxed my fat clothes.”
* * * *
After an evening out, dancing salsa and having fun, Christy should have been sleeping deep and sound. Instead, she was on her computer, so engrossed she didn’t even hear Cole approaching until she sensed him behind her. Cole’s intense force field was impossible to miss. She felt it deep in her bones.
His voice was soft from sleep, and he looked rumpled. “Sweet thing, it’s dark outside. What are you doing?”
“Searching for a sugarless, flourless chocolate cookie recipe,” she blurted out. “There’s one with avocado that seems promising.”
“No World of Warcraft? Man, this is serious. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she mumbled, forcing a smile to her lips.
Cole gave her one of his stern glares, sat on the sofa, and lifted her onto his lap. She tried ducking her head, but Cole placed his hands on either side of her face and forced her to hold his gaze. “Let’s try again. What’s wrong?”
Christy sighed, caving in. “My mom is driving me insane. Frigging insane.”
“I’m all for shipping her back to LA. You’re the one who doesn’t want me to