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He raised a wondering eyebrow. "You sure have a knack for timing."
She glared at him like he'd said something outrageous before reluctantly admitting, "I wanted to impress him. Some girls at the festival said Riley likes redheads."
"You don't need to impress anyone," Aiden said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her fiercely. "Least of all, Riley. That kid stares at you like you hung the moon."
"He'll be staring for a different reason now," she muttered darkly.
He chuckled despite himself but sobered quickly once he saw how devastated she was. "Maybe it'll wash out?"
"I already tried that."
"Hmm." Aiden tried to ruffle her hair while he thought, but his fingers stuck in the gummy locks, and he was forced to untangle the strands one by one. The bottom step of the stairs creaked, and they both raised their heads as Seth came around a corner.
He was clean and freshly shaven, barefoot, wearing a pair of loose sweats and a cotton t-shirt speckled with damp spots from his loose hair. His eyes widened as he took in the scene on the couch.
"What in tarnation—" he began, sounding absolutely baffled. He drew up short when Aiden made a slicing gesture across his throat, but it was too late. Tessa had already seen his expression. She buried her face in her hands again.
"It's hopeless," she groaned. "I look like a swamp creature."
"You always did," Seth retorted, but he grimaced immediately like he'd been unable to resist the brotherly impulse. Tessa half-heartedly lifted her middle finger, and he scowled, "You've been flipping everybody off too much. Where'd you learn that?"
"Your mom," she shot back nonsensically.
Aiden laughed for real this time. He'd always wished he'd been born into a loud, affectionate family; this pure, unadulterated sibling energy was what he thrived on. The McCall family had been whittled down to only two now, but maybe it didn't have to be that way forever. Tessa would probably have kids someday, and Seth…damn, Seth would make an amazing father.
For a split second, Aiden dared to wonder if the two of them would make it that far, but he sobered fast. Daydreams like that belonged to another time and probably to a better, more responsible man than him.
"Okay, let's put the brakes on this clown car before the wheels come off," he said, standing and pulling Tessa to her feet after him. "Seth, go check on dinner, will you? I'm starting to smell some char. Tessa, you run upstairs and get dressed. Dry your eyes, fix your makeup, all that stuff."
"That won't fix my hair," she protested. "I need to cancel our date."
"Sure, if you want to break that kid's heart," he said, grinning when she made a face at him. "Just twist your hair up in something tight. The movies will be dark, and the drive will be even darker. You've just got to get him out of the house without noticing."
"How am I going to do that?"
He grinned and gave her a nudge toward the stairs. "Just leave it to me."
Seth stood back, giving his sister a wide berth, and then reached out to curl an arm around Aiden's waist and reel him in. The spicy scent of his body wash enveloped Aiden, and he tucked his nose against Seth's collarbone to breathe deeply. Just a breath of him was all it took to settle the constant jittery feeling in Aiden's stomach.
"She's got to stop flipping everybody the bird," Seth muttered despite the faint curve of his lips. "It's a nasty habit."
Aiden chuckled. "She could've picked up worse habits in college. Besides, I think she sees it as a sign of affection."
"Looks like you're back on her good side."
"Of course," Aiden agreed, tilting his head to grant Seth access to the tender spot beneath his earlobe. He shivered, fingers digging into Seth's forearms as the edge of Seth's teeth pricked his sensitive skin. "I told…t-told her I'm here for as long as you'll have me."
"Mm." Seth brought his head up, eyes sharp with concern. "How'd she take it?"
Aiden raised one eyebrow and cocked his head, giving it a moment's thought. "I think she'll rip my liver out if I ever hurt you. But that's a sign of affection, too."
"In our family?" Seth chuckled. "Seems to be."
"You were right earlier," Aiden murmured, wrapping his arms around Seth's waist in a loose hug and resting his chin on his shoulder. "I think she already knew, or at least suspected, what was going on with us. She said you were obvious."
"Mm." Seth's fingers tangled in the base of Aiden's hair. The rumble in his chest was like the purr of a mountain lion. "She was always the smartest one in the family. Sees things she shouldn't."
"Better than a dumbass like me, missing something right in front of my face."
