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“Busy-schmizzy. I’m your brother. Family should take precedence over work, especially from someone who already has enough money for ten lifetimes. What the hell are you doing all the way out here in Jersey?”
I could have asked him the same. Instead, Abby cut in. “You two are brothers?”
“Step—” I began, but Sage’s voice was much louder.
“Heck, yeah. Oscar’s my big brother. One of the best men I know. Practically helped my dad raise me,” he added with a dramatic flourish and wink.
“Oh my god, Chelsea,” Abby said with a big smile. “Oscar’s dating my brother. Your boyfriend’s brother is my brother’s boyfriend! That’s so weird.”
While Abby continued to introduce everyone, I felt the ramifications of her statement enter my bloodstream like a six-pack of Red Bull.
“It’s not…” I glanced across the room at Jared and cut myself off with a cough. “I mean, yeah. What a small world, huh?”
“Boyfriends?” Sage’s smile faltered for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell us in Vermont? Hell, why didn’t you bring him to Vermont? Mom doesn’t know, does she? She’d be all over it in the family chat if she did.”
I felt the heat of Hugh’s inquisitive stare on the side of my face. Thankfully, his brain kicked in while mine whimpered and dropped out of sight. “You know how protective Oscar is.” His arm snaked around my waist and gripped my hip. “Abby just got married, and I… I’d hate for anything in my life to steal my sister’s thunder.”
Under other circumstances, I might have appreciated how deftly he phrased his statement to avoid technically lying. But the technicality didn’t matter when Abby was so ready to believe we were together.
“Hugh.” Abby made a little excited noise in her throat. “It’s not stealing my thunder to finally see you so happy! I knew right away last year the two of you were going to work out.”
Sage’s eyes bugged. “You’ve been dating for a year?”
“No, no!” I said. “It’s new. Just… we’ve been friends for a while.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re bringing him to brunch tomorrow. Nonnegotiable. If I’m bringing Chelsea, you’re bringing Hugh.”
However good or right it felt to be in Hugh’s company, no part of me thought it was a wise idea to introduce him to my matchmaking mother and her family. I opened my mouth to make an excuse, but Hugh got the words out first. Only they were different words than I’d intended. “Of course. We’ll be there with bells on.”
This situation was like a high-speed train thrusting dangerously through a dark and stormy night. It was out of control, and I was the one who’d set the damned thing in motion.
Sage’s girlfriend was cute, glancing at him with laughing eyes as he pressured me about the family thing. With all four of them staring at me, I couldn’t throw Hugh under the bus.
“I was planning on bringing him anyway,” I said a little petulantly. “But you know how they are.”
Sage nodded and bared all of his teeth in a feral grin. “And this time, I’m not going to be the only one in their crosshairs when they start the interrogations. Hell, they’re barely even going to give Chelsea a second look when they find out that Mr. Never Gonna Date Again has been dating someone for a year.”
I opened my mouth to correct him, again, but the sound of Hugh’s carefree chuckle stole my attention. It was so light and warm, Abby couldn’t help but join in, which then set Chelsea off.
“What?” I asked.
“I don’t even know! I’m just laughing because Hugh’s laughing,” admitted Abby.
Hugh leaned a shoulder into me. “The look on your face. You’re so easy to trigger. He’s baiting you, and you fell for it. And now you look surprised. That’s what siblings do. Total assholes.”
I blinked. It was?
“Hey!” Abby accused. Chelsea laughed so hard she doubled over, and the sight of his new girlfriend enjoying herself softened something in my brother’s expression.
It had been a while since I’d felt a part of something like this. Something… familial. And I wasn’t sure if it was any more real than my “relationship” with Hugh.
But when I caught Sage’s eye and he looked from Chelsea to Hugh and back to me with a shrug as if to say, Aren’t we lucky to have them? I couldn’t correct him. I couldn’t tell him I didn’t actually have Hugh. Instead, I gave him a good-natured eye roll in return. Because in that moment, I wanted it to be true.
By the time Hugh seemed ready to call it a night, I’d settled back into the comfort that always came from spending time with him and had to admit I’d had a good time. Abby’s friends were interesting and genuine, Sage and Chelsea were easy to hang out with, the casual atmosphere of the sports bar lent itself perfectly to shooting the shit with new acquaintances, and best of all, Jared and his boyfriend kept their distance…
At least until we started making our goodbyes and Jared approached Hugh and asked for a word in private.
I bit my tongue to keep from snapping my true feelings about the idea and instead smiled politely like a totally secure and non-jealous boyfriend as Hugh shot me a nervous glance and trailed Jared from the event room into the main part of the bar. Ben’s eyes followed the two of them like targeted lasers. It was the closest I’d felt to having something in common with the arrogant ass all night.
