Page 3 of Hate To Want You
I back up instantly. It’s only as the two of them walk away that my brain catches up to something important.
Did he say her first shift withme?
Oh, fuck no.
“What’s got your tighty-whities in a wad?”
I almost spit out my beer when my younger brother Sawyer thumps me on the back before settling down on the stool next to me.
“And who said you could start drinking without us?” he asks indignantly.
I choose to ignore the second part of his question because I don’t exactly want to go there right now. Admitting that I came straight to the bar after my shift ended isn’t high on my to-do list tonight. That would be a dead giveaway to my brothers that something’s up. Hopefully, they don’t figure it out when I leave my car here tonight and take an Uber back to Westport. Because I’ve definitely had too much to drive safely.
“Really? Tighty-whities?”
“Sorry, are you more of a boxers kinda guy? It’s been a while since I saw your undies.” Sawyer signals to the owner of Hastings, the bar in Dogwood Cove I meet my brothers at every month. Dean, who we’ve known for years, gives him a nod.
“Are you two seriously talking about your underwear?” Sawyer’s twin, Beckett, comes up on my other side. “I came in at the wrong time.”
“Hey, we won’t tell anyone you starch yours.”
Beckett leans across the bar in front of me to smack his twin. “You’re an ass, Sawyer.”
“Nah, just the only one of us to have some fun.”
“Can we just drink beer and stop talking?” I say, fed up with Sawyer’s incessant antics and teasing. If ever there was a guy who needed to grow up, it’s him.
“Shit, settle down, old man.” Sawyer grumbles, but he does stop talking. And starts eating the wings I ordered when I got here. That keeps him occupied for a couple of minutes. “But really, why so grumpy? And why are these wings cold?”
“Wasn’t today the day for your big impressive speech to the new round of residents at the hospital?” Beckett asks innocently enough, but apparently, I’m shit at hiding my reactions tonight. I blame the shot of whiskey I had the second I sat down at the bar. Thank God it was a different bartender who served it, one who doesn’t know how out of character that was for me. Almost as out of character as showing up right after work, but I did at least have the forethought to change out of my scrubs before I left the hospital.
“Oh, fuck yeah, that’s it, Beck. It’s a resident. Let’s see, either they’re young and useless, or too cocky for their own good, or… Ohshit.You think one’s hot, don’t you?” Sawyer lets out an obnoxious hoot that has me wanting to just stand up and leave, except beer and nachos night is a monthly thing, and I love my brothers. Most of the time.
I pick up my phone and start rotating it in my hands.
“Max, what’s going on? You do seem kinda worked up about something,” Beckett asks, and I drop my phone. Fucking observant brother. But at least Beck is way more reasonable than his twin and knows when to just let something go. Which means, I might get out of this without revealing too much.
“Nothing,” I answer quickly, but Beckett just tilts his head. “Look, fine. There’s an issue with one of the residents. But it’s no big deal and I don’t want to talk about it. Just drop it, please.”
An issue. Yeah, that’s one way to put it. Normally, I don’t keep much from my brothers. But there’s not a chance in hell I’m telling the twins the issue I’m facing is that the guy who almost shattered our family is back in the area. Because if she’s back and wearing a ring, then he must be back.
“Sorry guys, I’m waiting on a new keg of Backwoods Amber Ale, so I had to dig in the back for some bottles.” Dean sounds harried as he slides three bottles of beer across the counter to us, and I nod at him, grateful for the interruption. Besides, there’s nothing better than a new parent to change the topic of conversation, and I plan on taking full advantage of Dean’s “new dad” status.
“No worries, man. Hey, how’s Riley and Zoey?”
“They’re great.” Dean’s face lights up as he pulls his phone out of his back pocket. He shows off several photos of his wife and their new baby girl, like the proud dad he is.
“Cute kid, Deano.”
Dean’s eyes cut to Sawyer, who had stolen a look over my shoulder. “What did I say the last time you tried to call me that, Donnelly?”
Sawyer winces. Well, well, this ought to be good; not much makes my cocky fucker of a brother react like that. But Dean measures six and a half feet and looks like a Viking with his long beard, making him intimidating, even to someone like Sawyer. “Sorry man, it slipped out. You need a nickname. I give everyone a nickname, you know that.”
“Yeah, fine. Just think of one that doesn’t sound like the stuff you take when you need to shit.”
Dean walks off to the other end of the bar and I swivel on my stool to stare at my brother. “What did he threaten you with? I need to know, so I remember what to say next time you piss me off.”
“Like I’d tell you.” He snorts.
