Secret Admirer - D.J. Jamison Page 0,72

too.”

We stood there for a minute, just embracing and breathing together, and I drank in the knowledge that I’d found someone who would value me for more than a paycheck.

“And hey, who says I want to live near my family,” he joked. “When I graduate, we can move to Hawaii.”

“Not Alaska?” I teased.

He shuddered. “Way too cold. If you’re gonna stick with me, Ace, it’s the Tropics or bust.”

I laughed, feeling lighter than I had since stepping through my mother’s door.

“Come on, let’s go get some turkey.”

“My hands have fondled that turkey in some very inappropriate ways.”

I waggled my brows. “Then I’ll savor every bite and look forward to the moment these hands are fondling me.”

Laughing, we rejoined the family, a warm, happy space that felt like home. Mom would say that she was right, that I’d replaced her. But the McKenzies weren’t a replacement; they’d always been there, since the day Jeremy became my best friend.

I was starting to believe they always would be there. That with Benji beside me and the McKenzies behind me, I’d be okay, with or without my mom’s blessing.

21

Ace

Ace,

You should have all the kisses YOU deserve. Meet me at the treehouse.

Your Secret Admirer

I stared at the note that was lying on my pillow in Jeremy’s room, bemused. Either Benji had written me an admirer’s note, or Jeremy was having a good laugh right now.

Glancing over my shoulder at where he was stripping down to boxers, it didn’t seem likely he was pranking me. Jeremy appeared to be lost in thought as he got ready for bed.

He looked up and raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to assume it’s not my abs you find so fascinating right now.”

I snorted. “You’re not my type.”

“Not if you like Benji,” he agreed.

The brothers couldn’t look less alike. Jeremy had dark brown hair, a square jaw, and a sturdy body that was in good shape but would probably slip into middle-age pudge eventually. Benji was bright as a wildflower with his red hair and green eyes, his limbs slender and flexible.

“You seem lost in thought. Everything okay?” I asked.

“I should be asking you that,” Jeremy said. “You looked a little rough after talking to your parents.”

I shrugged. “Same shit, different day.”

His lips twitched. “You seemed in pretty good spirits over dinner. I wouldn’t have believed it, but you and Benji … you’re a good match.”

“Yeah?”

Jeremy shook his head. “There’s no accounting for taste, I guess.”

I didn’t know if he was insulting me or Benji. I decided not to ask. I had an invitation for treehouse kisses, and I was going to take it.

Slipping on my shoes, I tucked the note in my pocket. “I’ll be right back.”

He smirked. “Yeah, right. Enjoy your romantic rendezvous. I won’t wait up.”

I flipped him off on the way out of the room, relieved he was taking it so well.

The house was dark, everyone having dispersed to their rooms, but nightlights glowed in the hallway. I slipped down the corridor and out the sliding glass doors. The moon was high in the sky, gently illuminating the backyard.

In the center of a lawn littered with leaves stood a big, sturdy oak with a treehouse built onto it. I could still remember the summer the McKenzies had tackled that project. I’d helped a lot—or maybe just gotten in the way as their dad, Drew, cussed at tools and injured himself at least three times in the process of getting it done.

He wasn’t the most handy guy, which made it all the more amazing he’d gone to so much trouble for his kids.

The treehouse had been my hangout with Jeremy, but Benji had joined us more than a few times. We couldn’t keep him away, and I didn’t really mind, even though Jeremy grumbled.

Benji had been so cute with his freckles and his big smiles. I had no idea he’d grow into such a beautiful man, but I was not surprised he’d turned into a great person.

My person.

Crossing the lawn, I climbed the boards nailed to the tree, grunting as I climbed. It wasn’t as easy as it used to be, mainly because everything was smaller.

Benji watched me squirm inside, biting down on a laugh as I huffed and puffed. “It got small,” I complained.

“Or you got big.”

“Oh, I’m big,” I growled, pinning him to the plywood floor. There was barely room for the two of us, so crushing him under me was practical. And oh, so pleasurable.

Benji had spread out a blanket beneath him, so hopefully this