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“Whatever you’re having is fine.”
“I’ll grab the chardonnay, then. And I made lemonade for you and the kids, Wade.”
After sharing a quick glance, Wade and I sit down at the beautiful table Piper prepared. She arrives seconds later with the drinks and pours us all a glass.
“So, Roxanne.” Andrew takes a seat across from Wade. “I’m happy you were finally able to come. I was beginning to think my brother wanted to keep you all to himself.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say after a sip of my drink. I welcome the cooling sensation on my tongue. “I’ve been really busy with work lately. But I’m glad I could finally make it too. It’s a shame you’re going back already.”
He shrugs. “Ah, that’s the life I chose. Hopefully, it’ll be my last tour. I’d like to retire in two years.”
“Where are you stationed?”
“Somalia. But I want to know more about you, and to thank you. I honestly thought my brother would be alone for the rest of his life.”
My cheeks warm until they’re hot as the sun that’s blazing down on us. “Oh.”
“Wade tells us you’re a journalist?” Piper asks.
“Yes. I write for Fashion Warehouse, the magazine.”
Her eyes light up. “Oh, how fun.”
“Do they have a branch in Spain?” Andrew asks, glancing between Wade and me.
I frown, confused. “What?”
“Andrew,” Wade hisses with a firm tone I’ve never heard him use.
A short silence engulfs the table. I’m trying to make sense of all this when Piper claps her hands together. “Should we eat? I’m starving. Drew, come with me to the kitchen, please?”
Jackson and Everett, who probably heard the word “eat,” come barreling over and sit down on each end on the table.
Minutes later, Andrew and Piper return with trays full of food. Chips, cucumber and tomato salad, pasta salad, and bread. Andrew fills our plates with mouthwatering sausages, beef, and pork. This is not the way to get my body bikini-ready, but the stuff is too delicious to pass on.
“By the way, I heard from Colton a few days ago,” Andrew says. “He asked about you.”
“Trying to set me up with his app again, huh?”
When I give Wade a questioning look, he explains, “Colton is our friend from foster care. Pretty much the only one we kept in contact with. He lives in Los Angeles now, and he’s this big shot developer. He created an app he describes as game-changing.”
“Love Connected,” Andrew says between bites. “It’s a matchmaking app. He’s been badgering Wade for years to create a profile, but now it’s too late,” he jokes.
“Yep.” Wade drapes his arm around my shoulders as he relaxes into his chair. “I’m taken.”
He shoots me a glance I can’t quite read. One that almost seems like a question.
I force a smile, but my body is as stiff as the wooden chair I’m sitting on.
“Anyway, how could I ever take him seriously?” he says. “The bloke’s always been single.”
Andrew rips out a laugh.
“Always?” I ask.
“Well, he does go on dates, I believe, but only for one night. You know what he told me? Besides his staff, no one else has ever set foot in his home.”
I arch an eyebrow. “And this guy runs a matchmaking company?”
