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“Right before I had to choose a specialty, a friend of mine got into a bad car accident and had a few massive surgeries to stabilize the fractures. I was working at the same hospital at the time and got a great look into orthopedics. I think I just fell in love with it.”
“Sounds like a calling,” said Danny.
“How about you?” Alex asked, keeping the conversation going far better than I was. It was like my lips were glued together, and all I could do was listen to Alex’s lovely voice as he spoke. “Why’d you go into law?
“Because I like to be right,” said Danny. “And if I’m not, there’s nothing better than defending myself and convincing everyone else that I am. It was just a natural progression for me after school.”
“That says a lot,” Becks grinned, angling her body to get a better look at him. “So, with all that money and charm and good looks,”—she waved her hand over him in a sweeping gesture—, “why are you still single?”
“I know,” I quipped, well aware of my brother’s reputation as a ladies' man. He was single by choice. “Danny isveryparticular when it comes to the women he dates.”
“I love a difficult woman,” said Danny with his mouth full of chili. He finished chewing, swallowed it down, and added, “That feeling of walking on eggshells, of not knowing if I’m going to be scolded—hopefully with a bit of spanking—or not.” He rolled his shoulders and made a gasping sound that was massively inappropriate around the dinner table. “It just gets me going.”
“You’re a strange guy,” said Becks, eyeing my brother. Then she laughed out loud. “Do you know what would be funny . . . If we set him up with Vicki. Nowshe’sa difficult—” Becks cut herself off when she realized what she had just said and looked at Alex, her eyes big and bulging. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”
“Don’t be.” Alex smiled. “You’re right. She is. She had me walking on eggshells for a long time.”
I pointed sharply at both Becks and Danny. “And if we could please refrain from setting him up with her. I don’t think Vicki wants to be my sister-in-law any more than I want to be hers.”
“Whoisthis Vicki?” Danny grinned, leaning back against his chair. He had that silly, amused expression on his face that I knew was trouble.
“My boss. Remember? I’ve talked about her before.”
“Oh.” He nodded, his gray eyes widening, that smile curling even more. “The dragon, yes, I remember. Well, now I’m even more intrigued.”
I shot my brother a look, then turned to Alex and shook my head, quite sure that guilt was painted on my face. “I call her a dragon once, I merely mentioned that she blows smokelikea dragon. Not that sheisone.”
Alex laughed and moved his arm around my shoulder, pulling me toward him. He kissed me on the temple. I didn't even mind the PDA in front of Becks and Danny. It was as ifAlex and I were turning a corner, moving a step up the ladder, inching closer to something more meaningful. The way Alex brushed his thumb across my shoulder meant something. The way he kept stealing glances and smiling when I caught him, the way he acted so protective, so caring, always wanting to know if I was alright, and happy, meant everything. There was something monumental about the way he kissed me—not just passionately, driven by desire like that first time, but tenderly as if each kiss was a promise from him. It almost didn't seem to matter that what had started this whole situation was just a silly fling.
"How about you give me Vicki's number, Soph? Maybe I can talk her into a better person, it will be even better if she is pretty," said Danny, his voice jolting me out of my thoughts. He basically threw his cell phone across the table before glancing at Alex. "As long as it's fine with you, Alex."
Oh gosh, he was not joking.
"Perfectly fine," Alex said, and I believed him. No part of Alex was holding onto Vicki, and every part of him was holding on to me. I leaned into him, melting into his side like butter, and experienced an undeniable feeling of happiness that had eluded me for god knows how long.
“Any advice?” asked Danny.
“Don’t get on her bad side,” said Alex and Becks at the exact same time.
CHAPTER 20
Alex
“Ithink Vicki’s calmed down a bit,” Sophie said, walking ahead of me. She had a cotton picnic blanket slung over her right shoulder and two throw pillows—both taken from the living room couch—in her arms. “This morning she asked me for the staplerwithoutraising her voice or shooting fire from her eyes. I call that progress.”
Sophie stopped short of the sliding door leading out to the back deck and I nearly collided with her. Luckily, I sidestepped and then wrapped my free hand around her waist to steady myself—my other hand still gripping the picnic basket I’d packed earlier.
“Sounds like Vicki’s turned a corner.”
“Or,” Sophie said, glancing up at me, her gray eyes light in the evening sun shining through the windows. Outside, the sky was that perfectly crisp blue you only ever saw on a summer's evening. “She’s just biding her time, waiting for the right moment to pounce.”
I chuckled and let go of her waist, pulling open the sliding door instead. “How about we choose to believe that Vicki’s changing her ways? Even if it’s just for the evening.”
“For the picnic’s sake,” Sophie chuckled, tilting her head at the basket. “You know when you texted that we’re having a picnic for dinner, I thought you were joking.”
“I never joke about a picnic,” I replied, face deadpan, which got another laugh out of her. She walked through the sliding door onto the deck and gazed around, her head flicking left, then right. “Where do you want to set it up?”
“How about on the grass?” I said, pointing to a spot just off the deck where neatly trimmed grass led to a hedge.
