Page 29 of Better Together

“She looks at you like you’re a gooey dessert,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t take the word of an old lady. Talk to Maggie if you need reassurance. She knows Alexis better than anyone.”

* * *

After dropping his mom off at home, Zeke pulled into his driveway. No sign of Pete’s bike. He threw his keys on the kitchen counter and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He’d walk next door to see if Alexis was home.

When he stepped into his backyard, he heard Alexis’s favorite eighties station. He opened the gate connecting their backyards. Pete and Alexis were in her hot tub.

“Hey, Zeke. Join us,” Pete called.

Too late to turn back, Zeke closed the gate and walked up to the patio. “How was your tour of the lakes?”

“Oh man, it was awesome. We visited Itasca State Park where the Mississippi River starts, hiked some, and stopped at a few interesting shops. Not a lot of places open on Sunday.”

“Join us, Zeke,” Alexis said.

Zeke’s phone rang. “One sec, it’s Ethan.” He turned his back on the happy couple. His brother had perfect timing. “What’s up?”

“Nick and Cole are on their way over for a bonfire. Thought you might like to join us.”

“I’ll be there shortly.” Zeke hung up and sent a prayer of thanks to the gods for rescuing him from an awkward situation.

“Everything okay?” Alexis asked.

He finished his beer in one swig, and his eyes trailed over Alexis in her pink camo bikini. “Yep. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned and hightailed it out of there.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Zeke’s smile grew when he saw Roman standing by the bonfire next to Ethan. Their oldest brother didn’t have a lot of free time between raising preteen daughters and running what had once been their parents’ landscaping business, Reynolds and Sons. Zeke had a lot of respect for him—after all, Roman had been the one to hold the family together after their dad passed when they were barely out of their teens—and hoped he’d find someone to share his life with. Hell, only one of his brothers had lucked out in that department. “Where are my beautiful nieces tonight?” he asked.

“Hey, little brother.” Roman awarded him with a one-arm hug. “They’re with Owen and Maggie. Maggie owed me some girl time.” He emphasized with air quotes. “The girls don’t like when I call it babysitting, because they’re not babies anymore.”

“Ha! They gotcha there.”

Roman responded with a grunt.

Nick and Cole pulled into the drive. Ethan’s security light could illuminate a ball field, and Zeke shielded his eyes with one hand as they made their way down to the lake. Cole set a cooler on one of the bench seats.

They exchanged greetings and Cole passed around beverages. “Garrett couldn’t make it but sent beer with us. I have to say, having a brother who owns a brewery is definitely a perk.”

“I second that,” Nick said and turned his attention to Zeke. “I heard you had some trouble in LA.”

Always to the point, Nick had a quiet but serious demeanor. He made a great interim sheriff for their small town. He and Roman were a lot alike; they were both the eldest sons of a large family, and they wore that responsibility like a badge of honor.

“Minor bruising,” Zeke said with a shrug and grabbed the nearest stick to stir the fire.

“GSW to your upper arm is what I heard.”

“Just a graze.”

“I heard Mandy Blake had her legs wrapped around you.” Cole snickered.

“Well, technically that’s true, but it’s not what you think. More like a painful and gyrating hug.”

The guys all broke into laughter and Zeke rolled his eyes. It was the thought of Alexis wrapped around him that kept him up at night. He had a reputation as a flirt, but what the guys didn’t know was that he flirted to make women feel good about themselves. Not that it hadn’t gotten him what he wanted a time or two.

Roman knocked shoulders with him when all the guys had quieted down. “What’s going on with you?”

Zeke threw the stick on the ground and raked his free hand through his hair. “I don’t know. In a funk, I guess.”