Never Been Ready (Ready #2)(14)

"Hello, ladies. What are we doing up here?"

"Folding your tighty whities," I replied smugly.

"Hmm...well, I know that's a lie 'cause I go commando," he shot back, equally smug.

"Nice. That's a mental picture I'm keeping for my spank bank!"

"Leah!" Clare scolded.

Logan laughed as he came in, and then he sat next to his bride. He bent his head and kissed her softly before whispering something in her ear that caused her to blush.

"So, what are you two crazy kids up to today?" I asked, not exactly sure I wanted to know after seeing the blush that was currently taking over Clare's ivory skin.

With red hair and fair skin, it wasn't easy for her to hide any embarrassment. It was something I loved to exploit at all times. She was my best friend. Embarrassing her was my job. Apparently, Logan excelled at the subject as well.

"We are unfortunately headed for the hospital," Clare said.

"You are? You didn't ask me to babysit, did you? I can, if you need me to."

"Actually," Logan answered, "Garrett is watching Maddie today."

"Garrett? Seriously?"

Clare just grinned and nodded.

"How the hell did you talk him into that? And are you sure he's old enough?"

"Leah! I know he's my baby brother, but he's twenty-three! He's home this week, working in the regional office in town, and he wanted to help out. So, I told him his niece would love to hang out with him. He jumped at the chance. You know how much he loves her."

I did. It was just really weird to see Garrett —the kid who couldn't look at me between the ages of fourteen and eighteen without getting an instant boner —was all grown-up. It made me feel old, and I did not want to feel old at twenty-eight.

"Come on," Clare beckoned, rising from the bed, "let's head downstairs. He should be here any minute, and I know he'd love to see you."

It had been ages since I'd seen Garrett Finnegan. Growing up, he'd been the brother I never had. Being an only child to an alcoholic single father had meant that our house wasn't usually filled with the warm and fuzzy feelings most children had.

Clare's family had been my sanctuary from the hell that I'd had to return to every night. When I walked into her house, I felt safe and secure. Being there, I had a mother who hadn't left me, a father who had loved me, and a kid brother who I could taunt. It had been normal, boring, and something I'd so desperately wanted. Clare's mother had known this, and she'd let me stay over as often as I'd needed. I thought, at some point, she had even tried to take me away from my awful home life, but the courts hadn't agreed. Figures.

"Absolutely. I would love to see Goober. It's been ages," I said.

The three of us made our way downstairs. We found Maddie watching Dora and playing with Legos on the couch in the family room. I smiled and gave a silent laugh, seeing her watch the TV show that Clare despised. I knew it drove her batshit crazy, but she endured it because it was Maddie's absolute favorite. No matter how many other shows Clare introduced Maddie to, she always came back to that one. I think Clare had hoped she would grow out of it, but even now, several months into kindergarten, she still loved that stupid show.

I meandered into the remodeled kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. I loved this house. Seeing Clare move out of the house she and Ethan had lived in was difficult, but I was glad to see her starting over with Logan. This was his home before they'd met, and it was perfect for them. It was historic but completely remodeled to live in comfortably. It was as if Logan had purchased it, waiting for Clare and Maddie to come and make it a home.

"Hello? Anyone home?" a deep male voice called out as the front door was pushed open.

"Uncle Garrett!" Maddie screamed with glee, running down the hall to greet Garrett.

He was now trying to juggle a very enthusiastic five-year-old and a box of pizza. I joined him halfway and took the pizza out of his hand, so he could hold on to Maddie with both hands.

"Thought you could use some help there, Goober," I said with a wry smile.

"God, seriously, Leah? Still? I'm an adult. Aren't we past the Goober phase?"

"Uh, no. You will always be Goober, dude. It doesn't matter how old or how hot you get, you will forever be the dorky, lanky six-year-old, who followed me around an entire summer, asking if I would marry you."

We settled back into the kitchen, and I set the pizza box down as he released Maddie. She lost interest in our discussion and ran off to the family room to continue her Dora marathon. Clare and Logan were sitting at the kitchen table, making googly eyes at each other.

"I was six! And you've got to admit that it was pretty damn cute. Besides, I'm way over my infatuation with you. Wait —you think I'm hot?"

Catching my earlier comment, he glanced at me with amusement. I loved Garrett for so many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons was he and I could trash-talk and banter like this for hours. He totally got me and my blunt sense of humor.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately, Goober? That baby face melted away and left you with nothing but sex-on-a-stick hotness. Now, this is coming from a purely objective opinion because anything beyond that makes me want to hurl. Hot or not, you're still like a brother to me."