Hard to Handle (Caine Cousins #2)(83)

Rhys peered up from his computer at the knock on his office door.

Leaning back in his chair, he motioned Reagan to come inside.

“What’s up?” he asked, trying to hide his curiosity at seeing his sister in his office. He couldn’t even recall the last time she’d come to see him.

“I just wanted to drop by,” she said sweetly, easing into the chair across from him. “Wanted to see how you’re doin’.”

Rhys chuckled. “You wanted to see how I was doin’?”

“Yes,” she said haughtily. “Is that a crime?”

“Not the last time I checked, no.”

“Good.”

Her eyes instantly dropped to her lap and Rhys knew she had something on her mind. She wouldn’t have come to see him otherwise.

“Spill it, Reagan.”

When she lifted her gaze, there was a smile on her face.

He wasn’t sure when the last time was that he’d seen a genuine smile on her face. He liked it there.

“I wanted to let you know that me and Lynx are…”

Rhys lifted an eyebrow. “You and Lynx are what?”

She shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know what we are right this minute, but we’re somethin’.”

Reagan laughed and the sound was enough to erase the fake scowl he’d plastered there a second ago. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk as he regarded her.

“Are you happy?” he asked.

“More than I’ve ever been.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

“Hey, that’s my line.”

“It’s a good one,” he agreed.

“True. It is.” Her smile brightened even more. “I’m not sure why I wanted to tell you, but I thought…”

Once again, Rhys waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, he filled in for her. “Don’t worry about Mom. She’s always gonna be the way she is. She never liked Billy when y’all were together.”

“No, but she always insisted I stay with him.”

“Yeah, well. She’s not all there when it comes to relationships, Reagan. You know that. But deep down, she wants you to be happy.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“She does. We all do.” Rhys sat up straight. “And you know what? We’ve all known that Lynx had a thing for you all these years.” Before she could say anything, he waved her off. “The past is the past. Your mistakes and his. Those are all behind you. The only thing that matters is movin’ forward.”

“Did you know he’s helpin’ to rebuild my bar?”

“I did.” Rhys leaned back in his chair again. “He came to me the mornin’ after the explosion. Told me what he wanted to do.” Taking a deep breath, Rhys resigned himself to admitting the truth. “Lynx is a good guy, Reagan. Sure, he’s rough around the edges, and he gets on my last damn nerve with all the fightin’, but he’s a good guy. Y’all are good for each other.”

He noticed tears welling in his sister’s eyes.

“I love him.”

“I know that.” Rhys had always known that. Yes, she might’ve fought her feelings tooth and nail, but to anyone with eyes, it had been obvious.

“Okay, Mr. Know-It-All. Then I’m not sure why I even came to see you,” she said, laughing.

When Reagan stood, Rhys stood.

“Because I’m your brother and you love me.”

“I do not,” she countered. “I tolerate you.”

That made him laugh.

“Okay, well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, Sheriff.”

“That you have. I’ve got shit to do.”

“Yeah?” She peered around his office. “Like what? Play solitaire on your computer?”

Rhys jerked his eyes back to his computer screen. No way could she see it.

Reagan laughed loudly. “Oh, shit. I was kiddin’. But you are, aren’t you?”

Rhys pointed toward the door. “Get outta my office, woman. Before I lock you up for bein’ a pain in my ass.”

Still laughing, Reagan threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “I’m happy for you, too,” she said softly. “And as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

Yeah, he had to agree on that one.

Poking her in her side, Rhys laughed. “Now get outta my office.”

“Okay, okay.” Reagan backed up. “I’ll go.”

“Hey, Reagan,” he called after her when she stepped into the hallway.

“Huh?”

“Be good.”

“I’ve been good my whole life,” she retorted. “Now that I’ve got Lynx, I’m thinkin’ I wanna be bad for a while.”

Rhys jerked his finger toward the door. “Go away.”

Reagan laughed, then spun on her heel and waved over her head.

He couldn’t help but smile. Rhys truly was happy for his sister. Lynx Caine was a pain in Rhys’s ass, there was no doubt about that, but when it came down to it, Rhys knew the man would take care of Reagan the way she deserved.

And she definitely deserved it.