AllFreeNovel
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“We’ve all been there,” he assured me. “Trust me, if a car backfires right now, you could very well be the one holding me.”
“You guys have been through a lot too, huh?” I asked as we started walking again, crossing the street back towards the car.
“Yeah,” he chuckled, but it was flat. “You could say that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“We’re still here to tell the tale. We have to be grateful for that.”
“I guess,” I shrugged.
“Hey, do you like ice cream?” he asked excitedly, taking me by surprise as his mood changed suddenly.
“Erm, yeah. Who doesn’t?”
“My sister. Says it’s too cold, but she’s a total freak of nature,” he laughed.
“That would be sacrilege in my family,” I agreed with a smile.
“Come on!” He led me right past Harris’s truck and to the store front behind, which looked to be an ice cream parlor called ‘Unicorn scoops’ and had a bright pink and sparkly sign, with a huge unicorn.
“You want to go in there?” I laughed. It looked like the kind of place I would have screamed about excitedly when I was five years old.
“Trust me. The name sucks, but the ice cream does not! It’s the bomb!” he told me enthusiastically.
“The bomb? Does anyone actually say that anymore?”
“Yep. I do. Come on. You need Ice cream!”
I groaned, but I was smiling as he led me into the bright pink store. Inside was much the same as outside, the walls covered with sparkly rainbow ombre paper, and unicorns everywhere you turned. I was a kid once again as I looked all around me, flashbacks of my love of everything pink, sparkly, and magical coming back to me. I used to dress my brothers up as princesses and put make up on them, especially poor Cole, who was the softest heart of them all, and would happily agree to anything for me. God, I missed them and my parents so much.
Inside there was no one waiting at the counter, and only two tables were occupied, so I was able to relax and let my grip on anxiety go a little, as Kailan pushed me towards the counter.
“What’s your favorite flavor?” he asked me. We were before the expansive counter, filled with a huge selection of flavors. Kailan still had his arm around me, holding me against his side snuggly. I looked up at him and almost got lost in the sparkle of his dark, alluring eyes. He really was a breathtaking guy to ogle. Harris had told me that they were all single, but I had no idea how. Surely women were tripping over themselves to get a chance with any of them.
“Evie?”
“Huh?” God, was I still staring into his eyes? I snapped out of it and quickly looked to the counter as a blush spread across my cheeks. What the hell was wrong with me?
“I asked what your favorite was?” he chuckled knowingly.
“Strawberry, but I pretty much love all ice cream,” I replied, refusing to look at him again. I was almost thirty years old and I was behaving like a lusty teenager! I blamed my exhaustion. “It all looks awesome,” I added as my eyes scanned over the tens of flavors before me.
“How do you feel about sharing?” he asked.
“I’m strongly against it. I’m one of six, and the youngest. Sharing always meant I got the raw end of the deal,” I laughed.
“Fair enough.” I was still staring in the counter and attempting to get myself together as Kailan spoke to the young girl who was serving, placing our order. I didn’t know what he chose for me, but like I told him – it was ice cream. What wasn’t to like?
“Let’s sit down. They’ll bring it over,” he told me as he grabbed some napkins, then led me towards a table in the back corner. I didn’t miss the fact he chose a table against the wall, choosing a seat with his back to it and a clear view of the door. It was exactly the same thing Kyle always did when we went anywhere to eat.
“One of six, huh? I’ve heard stories from the boss about your brothers. They’re legendary.” Kailan spoke as he led me into a chair, then sat opposite me.
“They’re older. Quite a lot older, and very protective of people they care about,” I explained.
“Harris said you’re all adopted, right?”
“I’m not, but yeah, my brothers were all adopted, not that it makes a difference. They’ve always just been my brothers,” I shrugged. “They gave Harris such a hard time the first time they met him.” I couldn’t hold back my smile as I remembered that particular family dinner. Kade had threatened to do a background check on Harris as the others all intimidated him.
