Love Triangle Six Books of Torn Desire - Willow Winters Page 0,411

hurt him like this anymore.

I won’t hurt him like this.

“We should go eat.” I push past Drew, not looking back. “Don’t want to keep your aunt waiting.”

Chapter Eleven

DREW

“How about Flynn?” Alyssa asks as we sit around the table after finishing the feast of pasta that is our traditional Sunday evening dinner.

“Flynn?” Molly arches a brow in her direction.

The entire meal was filled with conversation about what Alyssa and Charlotte thought Molly should name her baby, since she found out she’s having a boy last week. Some were outrageous, and I marveled at their imaginations. Thankfully, as if everyone knows better, there’s not one mention of Brooklyn’s engagement or the wedding. We’ve resumed our regular routine, acting like nothing has changed.

Alyssa nods enthusiastically. “It’s a great name. That’s what you should name our cousin.”

“That wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain character from a certain Disney movie who you find dreamy, would it?” Molly teases.

“I don’t think he’s dreamy,” Alyssa shoots back.

“Yes, you do,” Charlotte pesters in a way only a little sister can. I should know. Molly did it to me when we were their age. Come to think of it, she still does. “You told me you can’t wait to find a Flynn Rider of your very own.”

Laughter breaks out around the table as everyone looks at me to gauge my reaction to this news.

I narrow my gaze on Alyssa, all brown curls and toothy grin. “You’re never dating, so don’t get any ideas.”

“But what about Kenny?”

“Who?”

“Kenny. He’s been going to school with me for, like, ever.”

“You’re eight. You’ve only been going to school for three years. Not to mention, you just started at your current school last year.”

“Right.” She looks at me with all the seriousness she can muster. “That’s a wicked long time.”

“Wicked? Where did you learn that?”

“We do live in Boston,” Brooklyn reminds me under her breath. I shift my eyes to hers from across the table. They’re the first words she’s spoken to me since running away after we almost kissed. The tension between us during dinner has been thick, but no one seems to have noticed. Or maybe they did but kept it to themselves. “Everything’s wicked here.”

“Exactly,” Alyssa agrees.

“And what is going on with you and Kenny?” I return my attention to her.

“He likes me.”

“You’re too young for a boy to like you.”

“I like him back.”

I bury my head in my hands. First, the discussion about how the baby got in Molly’s belly, and now this. I love watching my little girls grow up, but it’s happening too fast.

“What makes you say that?”

“Because he picked me first for volleyball.”

“That’s it?”

She shrugs. “Isn’t that what you do when you like someone? You put them first? Like how Uncle Noah takes time off from work to go to Auntie Molly’s doctor appointments.”

“Yes, but that’s different.”

“How?”

“For one, they’re both adults. You’re only eight. That’s far too young to like a boy.”

“Did you like Auntie Brook when you were eight?”

I do my best to keep my expression even and not react to her question. “That’s not the same thing.”

“But you did, didn’t you?” Alyssa pushes. For the first time, I regret raising such a headstrong, independent little girl. I’ve always been awed by how smart and perceptive she is, but today, it will be my undoing, particularly with this line of questioning.

“Well…yes. I’ve always liked your auntie Brooklyn.” My brown eyes meet soft green ones from across the table. I hold her gaze. “And I always will.”

“Then I can like Kenny,” Alyssa retorts matter-of-factly, ignoring the obvious shift at the table as Brooklyn and I stare at each other. The electricity is back, the spark and sensation of breathlessness. I wonder if she feels it, too. How can she not?

When I sense several pairs of curious eyes on me, I tear my gaze from Brooklyn’s, taking a long sip of my wine. “I am so not ready for this.”

“No one ever is,” Uncle Leo assures me, tipping his glass toward me.

“On that note,” Molly interrupts. “I’m exhausted and want to crawl into bed.” She rises from the chair, Noah jumping to his feet to help her. “This kid is taking a lot out of me lately.”

“You’re a trooper.” Noah leans down and kisses her nose. “And the most stunning pregnant woman I’ve ever seen.”

“And you’re the best baby daddy I could ask for,” she jokes, beaming. I can always count on my sister to make light of a serious or tender moment.

“Before you go,” Brooklyn pipes