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She couldn’t say for sure what made her look up. A feeling she was being watched, maybe.
Two boys—no, these were not boys, they were hot-as-fuck men—stood smirking in her doorway.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Tanner.” The darker one smiled, and taking a step inside her room, he hitched a thumb behind him. “That’s Kellan.”
“And I’m naked.” She snatched up the towel, covering herself.
Kellan snickered.
Tanner came closer. “Well now, that’s a mighty fine hello, little sister.”
You’ve got to be friggin’ kidding me.
Her eyes darted between the inked brother looming right in front of her to the blond one leaning against the doorframe behind him. Both of them tall, gorgeous, and ripped, they were hardly the annoying prepubescent boys she’d presumed Matthew’s sons to be. Not that she’d bothered to ask about them. And why hadn’t she?
Too caught up in her poor, poor me shit, Arien had been too angry to care. In the space of a week she’d packed up her life, said goodbye to all her friends, and for what? So her mom could get married to some dude who knocked her up. Were these two “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” poster boys supposed to be like a consolation prize or something?
“She’s even prettier than her picture, ain’t she, Kel?”
“Hmm.” Kellan rubbed his finger back and forth over his upper lip. “I reckon.”
“Do you mind?” Arien pulled the towel tighter. “Naked here.”
With a chuckle, Tanner leaned down and kissed her cheek. “We don’t mind at all.”
The wedding went off without a hitch. Her mother in a short ivory dress and Matthew in a navy-blue suit, Arien and her new stepbrothers stood as witnesses to their parents’ nuptials. It took all of five minutes. She took their photos on her Nikon Z50 she’d spent years saving up for. The Denver County Courthouse, a magnificent example of neoclassical grandeur, made for a gorgeous backdrop. Its three-story portico of columns, the wide staircase, and ironwork lanterns gave her some amazing shots.
Matthew tapped her on the shoulder. “Can I see, honey?”
“Oh, yes, of course.” And she handed him her most prized possession.
“These are really good.”
“Thanks.”
He glanced at her. “There’s only one thing wrong.”
“What’s that?”
He smiled. “There aren’t any of you and the boys.”
They went to Benzina, a trendy new Italian place nearby, after. Sadly, green chili cheeseburgers weren’t on the menu, but the coconut macaroon panna cotta wedding cake came pretty darn close to making up for it.
Sandwiched between the two brothers, each nursed a beer on either side of her. Arien assumed then, they were at least old enough to drink legal. Or perhaps their dad simply allowed it? She glanced over to Tanner, since he seemed more approachable. “How old are you anyway?”
“Old enough.” He winked. “I’ll be twenty-two on Thursday.”
“Your birthday’s on Thanksgiving?”
“This year.”
Appraising her from the corner of his eye, Kellan raised his beer to his lips, draining the glass.
“Are you older or younger?”
“Older,” he clipped. Then Kellan addressed his father. “We leavin’ tonight or waitin’ ’til mornin’?”
