The Lemon Sisters (Wildstone #3)(47)

Cole: How much longer? Tommy makes shitty coffee.

Brooke: Aw. That’s almost romantic. And it’s hard to say how much longer exactly, because in MY interesting news department, REALITY CONTINUES TO RUIN MY LIFE.

Tommy: Yeah, but are you getting any? I’m on a sex fast to cleanse my palate.

Brooke: On that note, I’m out.

Cole: You didn’t answer the question. And let’s be clear, the right answer is no, cuz you miss me too much.

Brooke: I’ve been taking care of three kids. Not only am I not getting any, I’m too exhausted to get any. But I do miss you. Both of you.

Cole: I could be there in four hours and fix all your problems.

Brooke: I know, and thank you, but I’ve got to do this alone.

Tommy: Alone isn’t as much fun.

The convo quickly deteriorated into boy/sex humor. Brooke slipped her phone away, got up, and stretched. She found Linc in the kitchen feeding the kids. Or at least she thought maybe that was his intention, but there was a lot of commotion going on. The kids were running around like puppies, yelling and laughing and yelling some more.

Garrett came in the outside door and ignored the mayhem in the way only a man could, grabbing a big bowl, adding cereal. He and Linc reached for the nearly empty gallon of milk on the counter at the same time.

“Wrestle for it!” Mason exclaimed, and all the kids clapped their hands in glee.

Linc and Garrett grinned in unison and sat at the table, where they began to arm wrestle, staring deep into each other’s eyes.

Rolling hers, Brooke stole Garrett’s cereal bowl, added the last of the milk, grabbed a spoon, and leaned back against the counter to eat as she took in the show. “Are you two serious right now?”

“Very serious,” Millie said. “This happens a lot.”

“Who usually wins?” Brooke asked.

“Uncle Garrett.”

“Thanks, baby,” Linc grunted.

“You do good, Daddy. Uncle Garrett just does gooder.”

Garrett smirked.

The men were pretty evenly matched; the only sign of struggle as they continued to arm wrestle was that both of their faces were flushed, their bodies tense with exertion.

Idiots. “You guys realize that no one’s ready for camp yet, right?” she asked the room.

No reaction. Both men were starting to sweat now. Clearly this was going to take a while. She leaned in, keeping her voice down. “Maybe the two of you could play this game of Whose Dick Is Bigger later, when impressionable children aren’t watching and learning how to become Neanderthals.”

Neither responded. They probably didn’t have any oxygen left in their pea brains. She let out a piercing whistle and everyone froze, including the guys. She pointed at Millie. “Go get dressed for camp.” She pointed at Mason. “The same for you.” She looked at Maddox. “How you doing, kid?”

He patted his bum through a pair of shorts. No diaper. She high-fived him. “You’re my favorite.”

“Hey!” Millie yelled from the other room. “I heard that!”

“Good,” Brooke yelled back. “Help your brothers!” She looked at the guys. They’d stopped arm wrestling at least. Linc hadn’t showered or combed his hair. He was in a dirty T-shirt and sweats, no shoes. “Wow,” she said. “You look like shit. And not at all like a man who got his wife back last night.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m trying to regain her trust. Maddox had an accident at four a.m., so I had to get up and start laundry. But then Mason got up because he was thirsty, and he spilled OJ everywhere, so I’ve got another load to do and I haven’t even managed to switch over the first one yet.”

“Sometimes success is just getting the laundry into the dryer before the mildew sets in,” she said.

Linc just shook his head.

“I have no idea how Mindy’s kept her sanity this long.”

“Uh, in case you haven’t noticed, she hasn’t.”

“I’m such a dick.”

“No arguments here,” she said. “And also, my work here is done.” She headed out the door.

“You’re leaving?” he asked, sounding panicked.

“Don’t worry. You can google how to work the dryer when you forget.” She gave him a little smile. “But no, I’m not leaving leaving, at least not today. Figure you might need me to yell at you some more.” And plus . . . she wasn’t quite ready to go, which made no sense. She’d done what she’d come to do. Handle Linc. Have it out with Garrett . . . She accidentally looked over at him and found him watching her, giving nothing of his thoughts away. She turned from him, too, feeling unsettled and off and . . . sad, all at the same time, never a good combination for her.

She heard Garrett rise from the table. “That wasn’t a tie,” he said to Linc. “You forfeited.”

“No way. Brooke stopped us.”

“Yes, and she’s your sister-in-law.” The implication being that she was related by marriage to Linc, and nothing at all to Garrett.

But he’d kissed her. He’d touched her. He’d looked at her in a way that told her she was more than nothing to him. So she was confused, to say the least.

Then he came close and relieved her of the cereal bowl. Holding her gaze in his, he took a bite and then left the room.