Rae

I walked through the door and was greeted by Safari and Razor. With both of their tongues hanging out and their eyes lit up with joy, they greeted me like they’d been thinking about me all day. “Hey, boys.” I set my purse down then kneeled so I could give both of them a good rub down. “Missed you.”

Rex’s voice came from the living room. “Take that, sucker.” The sound of the video game blared from the TV. They were probably racing each other on a new car racing video game that Zeke just picked up.

“I lapped you already, idiot,” Zeke said back. “You’re still behind me.”

“Ah, shit,” Rex snapped.

I rolled my eyes then walked into the living room. Rex had hung out at the house all day yesterday playing this stupid game. Zeke barely paid any attention to me until Rex finally left at ten o’clock. But we just had sex then went to sleep. I didn’t give him a hard time about it because I didn’t care if he spent a lot of time with Rex once a week. But two days in a row? That was a little much. “Hi.”

Rex tilted the controller as he rounded a curve. “Pedal to the metal…”

“I said hi,” I repeated.

Rex kept his eyes glued to the screen. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Whatever what?” I snapped. “You’re in my house. Just say hi back.”

“I’m in Zeke’s house,” Rex argued. “Get it right.”

I placed both hands on my hips and glared at the back of his head.

Zeke hit the pause button then stood up. “Hey, baby.”

“Goddammit.” Rex dropped his controller on the cushion next to him. “We’re in the middle of a game.”

“It can wait.” Zeke walked toward me in his jeans and white t-shirt. He showered when he got home from work, and his hair was still a little damp because he didn’t dry it. Rex must have been waiting for him so he didn’t want to spend any extra time getting ready. The smile on his face went straight to my stomach. His eyes were lit up with affection, and he was eager to see me. His arms moved around my waist, and he kissed me. “Missed you.”

My arms circled his neck, and I kissed him again, missing him now that I was competing for his affection. “I missed you too.”

“Yuck.” Rex stared straight ahead so he wouldn’t have to look at us.

“Get used to it, asshole,” I barked. “Or leave.”

“Why don’t you go in your bedroom?” Rex snapped.

“Why don’t you go home?” I countered.

Rex didn’t have an argument against that. “Hurry up and kiss your woman. We’ve gotta finish this race.”

Zeke hugged me to his chest and gave me another squeeze. “Have a good day at work?”

“It was alright,” I said. “Just another day of garbage and microbes.”

“Saucy,” he said with a smile.

“What’s for dinner?” Rex turned around and looked at me from his spot on the couch.

I glared at him. “Why do you ask me that?”

“Because you belong in the kitchen,” Rex said with a straight face. “That’s why.”

Zeke grabbed both of my wrists before I could smack him upside the head. “You know he’s kidding.”

“No, I’m not.” Rex turned back around. “Kayden can bring something by. She usually cooks.”

If I didn’t love my brother so much, I would murder him. “I was gonna make tacos tonight—for the two of us.”

Rex turned back around. “For real? Man, I love your tacos. That sautéed ground beef with the taco sauce and fresh tomatoes…heaven.”

It was a compliment, but I didn’t take it that way. “Who said anything about you having dinner with us?”

“Oh, come on,” Rex said. “I’ve made you dinner loads of times.”

“Have not.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“When you and Zeke broke up, I cooked for you every night. Don’t act like you don’t remember that.”

I quickly remembered all the trouble Rex went through to make sure I kept eating. But that was a different circumstance. “Did you and Kayden break up?”

“No,” Rex blurted. “You think I’d let that hot little number go?”

“Then I’m not cooking for you.” I wanted to move into Zeke’s body again, but having my brother sitting there and watching made me uncomfortable.

“Fine.” Rex turned back around. “I’ll order a pizza.”

Zeke grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen. “You really want me to kick him out?” He kept his voice low so Rex wouldn’t hear.

Yes, I wanted to spend the evening with just Zeke and the dogs. I cherished nights when it was just the two of us. But I knew I spent a lot of time with Kayden and Jessie, so it would be hypocritical of me to make a big deal out of it. “No. But tomorrow, you’re mine.”

“That sounds fair.” He backed me up into the counter and gave me a kiss that wasn’t meant for an audience. His hands moved underneath my shirt, and he felt my tits through my bra, squeezing them with perfect pressure. His cock hardened in his jeans, and he pressed it right against my hip.

He reluctantly pulled away, his hands wanting to continue to explore. “Should I order a pizza?”

“No, I’ll cook.”

Zeke smiled, preferring my cooking to anything we could order. “Great. Need any help?”

“No. You have fun with your friend.”

His hands squeezed my hips. “You’re the best. You know that?”

“I thought I was the best because I give great blow jobs.”

He grinned. “It certainly helps.”

* * *

When Rex finally left, we got to spend some alone time together. We had sex on the couch, my leg hooked over his shoulder. He gave it to me good and hard, bringing me to a climax that hurt the dogs’ ears.

Then we went to the bedroom together and did our nightly routine. I washed my face then lay in bed. Zeke sat up and read on his Kindle, looking through published research in dermatology. He never read fiction for pleasure, always choosing to focus on factual information in his field.

I wouldn’t want to read about cystic acne before bed.

When Zeke saw me staring at him, he turned to me. Shirtless and with messy hair, he looked sexy right before bed. He looked sexy in the morning too. Come to think of it, he looked sexy no matter what time of the day it was. “What?”

“What?” I countered. “I can’t just look at you?”

He turned back to his Kindle. “Seems like something is on your mind.”

“Rex is a little annoying…”

“It seems like something bigger than that.”

There had been something on my mind. “I’ve been thinking about Ryker a lot…” The mention of his name used to really piss Zeke off. It made him so angry he couldn’t see straight. But now that Ryker was into Austen and on the other side of the country, he didn’t seem to care. We were living together and blissfully happy. There was no reason to be jealous about anything.

He knew this conversation wouldn’t end quickly, so he set his Kindle on his nightstand. “What do you mean?”

“About this Austen girl. The way he talks about her…seems like he’s really into her.”

“Probably is.”

“He claims I’m the reason he’s holding back…but I don’t think I’m a problem anymore.”

“Meaning?” he asked.

“He says he still has feelings for me…but I don’t think he does.”

Zeke turned off the lamp at his bedside. It brought the room into darkness but we could still see each other clearly. “I think a man knows how he feels.”

“I think he just assumes he feels that way. But if he really did, he wouldn’t be so hung up on her. I think she’s replaced me in his heart, but he doesn’t realize it. And I wish he did.”

He shrugged. “Sounds complicated.”

“Not really. And now she’s seeing that other guy…I wish I could fix it for him.”

“Fix it?”

“Yeah. Bring them together so they can be happy. I’m worried Ryker is gonna blow this and be miserable for a long time. He’s very picky when it comes to women, and I’m afraid he’s never gonna find another incredible person. I don’t want him to be alone. I want him to have what we have.”

Zeke shook his head. “I have to say, Rochelle would never care about my happiness the way you care about his.”

I shrugged. “I love him…as a friend.” Ryker and I used to be really close. Now that I was in love with someone else, my feelings for him had changed. He was still important to me, just in a different way. “I want him to be happy.”

Zeke adjusted his pillows then lay back on the bed. His hand rested on his stomach and he turned his head so he could look at me. “You’re always fixing people. It’s cute.”

“I’m not sure why I’m like that.”

“Maybe because you and Rex had to take care of each other when you were young. You’re the mother hen.”

“Maybe.”

“But I’m not sure how you can fix Ryker’s life. He’s on the other side of the country.” He turned his head and faced the ceiling again. He usually fell asleep pretty early in the evening since he woke up so early. He headed to the gym then worked directly afterward.

An idea popped into my head. “What if I go there and help him?”

“What?” he asked with a laugh. “You mean, go to New York?”

“Yeah. I can have girl talk with Austen.”

“I doubt she wants to see you in person,” he said. “That’ll just make her more jealous.”

“Why?”

He rolled his eyes. “Because she’ll see how hot you are. That’s why.”

“Oh, shut up.” I smacked his arm. “Just because you find me attractive doesn’t mean the whole world does.”

“Trust me, the whole world does.”

“Anyway, if I just talk to her, maybe I can make her choose Ryker and forget about that other guy.”

“I suspect Ryker wouldn’t be happy if he knew about this.”

“So what?” I asked. “If it works, what does it matter?”

“But what if you make things worse?”

I would hate myself if I did. “I have to do something. I have to convince Austen that he doesn’t love me anymore. If that’s the only reason why she doesn’t want to be with him, then she needs to know the truth. She could pick the wrong guy, and Ryker will be miserable forever.”

Zeke sighed like this conversation was boring him. “So you’re serious?”

“Dead serious.”

“You want all of us to go there?”

“Who said anything about all of us?” I asked. “I can just go. I’ll leave on Friday after work.”

“You know we’ll be totally helpless without you. We won’t know what to do with ourselves.”

“Shut up, you’ll be fine.” Kayden could cook for Rex, and Zeke knew how to survive before I came along.

“I want to come along. Maybe I can help.”

“Rex can’t help. He’ll just make things worse.”

“He’s always wanted to go to New York. Says he wants to try the other Mega Shake to compare.”

Rex was the biggest idiot on the planet. “It’s an expensive trip just to interfere with Ryker’s love life.”

“So what? It could be fun. Maybe we can help.”

“You might be able to help,” I said. “Rex will just say something stupid.”

“You know, some of the stupid things he says are helpful.”

“How?” I asked incredulously.

“It doesn’t matter how bad the situation is. That guy can always make you laugh.”

* * *

“What are we gonna do first?” Rex asked. “Statue of Liberty? The Empire State Building? Strip club?” He grabbed his bag from the baggage claim and hoisted it over his shoulder.

Kayden gave him a dirty look. “No strip club. You want a stripper? I’ll oblige.”

Rex’s face lit up like Christmas morning. “That would be the best thing ever. What hotel are we staying at?”

I walked away with Zeke so I wouldn’t have to listen to the details of their strange sex life. “Let’s take our stuff to the hotel then meet Austen.”

“How are we going to do that?” Zeke walked beside me, holding his bag as well as mine. “We don’t know where she lives. We don’t even have her number.”

“Maybe we can look her up?”

“Do you know her last name?”

“Uh…no.” I doubt Ryker ever told me.

“Maybe we should have thought this through before we traveled across the country.” Zeke was never thrilled about this plan, but came along to be supportive. When he tried to make things right with Rochelle, I was on board. I’d do anything for him, and he always did anything for me.

“We’ll figure it out. I can tell Ryker I’m in town and we can hang out. I’ll get her number from his phone.”

“That’s pretty 007.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“But maybe you should just ask for her number. Or it’s kind of a breach of privacy.”

“No. If Ryker knew what I was planning, he would tell me to go home.”

Zeke nodded. “And for good reason.”

“I’m not turning back now. If I can do some good for him, I will. He deserves to be happy.”

* * *

Zeke sat at the desk with his laptop out. He was checking his emails since he skipped work that day. He moved some of his appointments around and even referred a few to one of his colleagues so we could make the early flight. I told him he could stay behind, but he didn’t want to.

We heard a loud thump from next door.

Zeke looked up from the email he was reading. “Rex and Kayden seem to be enjoying the room…”

“Why did they put us right next to each other?”

“Probably because both rooms were charged to the same credit card.”

“Lesson learned.” I pulled out my phone and pulled up Ryker’s number. “Alright, here goes nothing…”

“Good luck.” Zeke turned back to his computer right when another thud sounded.

I walked to the wall then slammed my fist against it, thinking that would shut them up.

Of course, Rex purposely made another thud just to annoy me.

Zeke shook his head. “Baby, just leave it alone. You’re going to start a war that you’ll never finish.”

I sighed and made the call.

Ryker answered after a few rings. “Hey, Rae. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Ryker had a naturally sexy voice. He could read audiobooks for a living if he wanted to. He sounded both confident and playful at the same time.

“I have a big surprise for you.”

“Hmm…you sent me an Edible Arrangement?”

“No…”

“You got another dog?”

He would never guess it. “How about I just tell you? I’m in New York right now. Rex, Zeke, Kayden and I decided to take a quick trip to the city.”

“Seriously?” The smile was heavy in his voice. “That’s awesome. We have to meet up. I can take you to all the great local spots, none of those tourist trap places.”

“Yeah, that’d be great. Are you free tonight?”

“As a matter of fact, I am.”

“Perfect. We’ll meet you at seven?”

“Sure thing.”

“Are you gonna bring Austen along?” If he brought her, that would make things easier. He had to go to the bathroom sometime, and I could make my little speech.

“No.” His buoyant attitude dropped immediately. “She has plans tonight.”

I had a feeling I knew with who. “We’ll meet you then. The gang is excited to see you.”

“And I’m always excited to see them.” He hung up.

I tossed my phone on the bed. “We’re gonna see him at seven.”

Zeke closed his laptop like he was finished. “I know, I heard. That gives us a few hours. What should we do?” He rose out of his chair and came toward me, his strong arms swinging by his sides.

“Hmm… I don’t have any ideas.”

“I do.” He stopped when he was directly in front of me, his face just inches from mine. His confidence was naturally sexy, the way he carried himself with authority. I liked to be the one in charge, but whenever Zeke did it, I always yielded.

He pushed me onto the bed then pulled his shirt over his head. A powerful physique with an eight pack was revealed, chiseled and defined like a statue made out of marble. He yanked my shoes off then undid my jeans, doing it as quickly but calmly as possible.

I was eager for him to be inside me, to feel that wonderful stretch that always made me feel like a woman.

He pulled my jeans and panties off and didn’t bother with my top. He removed his own bottoms and shoes and crawled on top of me, his hard cock ready for me. I didn’t think about anything else but the two of us. Ryker wasn’t on my mind, and neither was Rex and Kayden. It was just the two of us.

Together.

* * *

We found Ryker in the bar sitting in a booth. He had a beer in front of him. In a red t-shirt and dark jeans, he looked exactly the way I remembered. He stood up when he saw us and pasted a genuine smile on his lips. “There’s the gang.” He hugged me first, the kind of embrace that was purely friendly. It was quick before he moved on to the next person, shaking Zeke’s hand before hugging Kayden.

I watched Rex fist-bump him. They were definitely making progress.

We took a seat in the booth and ordered our beers. Judging by the looks of the bar, it was definitely a place for locals. There were TVs on most of the walls along with signed jerseys from the Yankees. The owner must know someone associated with the team.

Rex chugged his beer like he hadn’t had a drink all day. “Ice-cold beer…nothing better.”

“Had a long day?” Ryker asked.

“That flight was long as hell,” Rex answered. “I’ve never traveled that far before.”

“Take some Nyquil on the way home and sleep through it,” Ryker suggested. “Makes the flight a lot shorter that way.”

Rex gave him a thumbs up. “Noted.”

“How long are you guys here for?” Ryker asked.

“Just the weekend,” I answered.

Ryker raised an eyebrow before he took a drink. “That’s a short trip.”

“We just wanted to get out of Seattle,” I lied. “You know, all the rain gets old.”

“I thought you liked the rain?” Ryker asked.

“I do,” I said. “But it’s been raining a lot lately. Like, too much. I haven’t been able to take the dogs out much, and they’re pretty miserable.”

“Poor guys,” Ryker said. “How are the pups doing?”

“Good.” I smiled when I thought about our two dogs. “Safari is really happy having someone to play with. He has someone to hang out with all day while Zeke and I are working.”

“That’s how I would like it if I were a dog,” Ryker said. “I’d want a buddy.”

I wasn’t sure how to get his phone from him. If he went to the bathroom, he’d probably keep his phone in his pocket. I’d have to get his phone on the table before he walked away. “What’s new with you?”

“Nothing really,” he answered. “I’m waiting for Austen to make up her mind. She’s still seeing Nathan…and I keep pretending to be okay with it.”

“There’s no way she can choose him over you.” She would be stupid to pick a cheating asshole over one of the most amazing men in the world.

He shrugged. “She’s been dating him for nearly three weeks now. She’s obviously seriously considering him.”

Not after I spoke to her. “Can I see her picture again?” It was a lame excuse, but Ryker might go for it.

“You forgot what she looks like?” he asked as he pulled his phone out.

“No. Just want to see her again, that’s all.” I tried to act normal even though that was difficult. If I had a trick up my sleeve, I wasn’t very good at hiding it.

Ryker pulled up a different picture and slid the phone toward me. “I took that when I made dinner the other night. I liked the way she looked in that dress.”

I gave Rex a meaningful look before I stared at the picture. It was a candid photo. She was standing in front of the window in the main room, and she just turned around to look at him. He caught her at the perfect moment, partially candid and partially staged. She was definitely beautiful.

Kayden discreetly swatted Rex’s hand on the table.

He set his beer down in a hurry, and spilled some across the table. “Dude, let’s hit the restroom. I’ve gotta take a leak.”

Ryker stared at him with a raised eyebrow, like he wasn’t sure if Rex was talking to him.

“Yeah, me too.” Zeke stood up too, probably trying to help in whatever way he could. “You coming, Ryker?”

Ryker glanced at both of them. “Uh, I’m good. Don’t need to pee. But thanks for the concern…” He turned back to his phone and changed the picture. “Here’s another one I got of her.”

Rex looked at Zeke and shrugged. Zeke rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out what to do.

Rex tried again. “Dude, you know it’s bad to hold your pee. Not good for the bladder and stuff.”

“What?” Ryker asked. “That’s not true.”

“Yeah, it is,” Zeke lied. “You’ve never heard that?”

Good thing Zeke was a doctor.

“But I’m not holding it,” Ryker said. “I just—”

“Just come to the bathroom with us,” Rex snapped. “This is New York City. I’m a little scared to move around alone, alright? Thanks for putting me on the spot.”

“Isn’t Zeke going with you?” Ryker asked.

“But he’s a doctor,” Rex said. “He might be able to save my life if I get in a bad fight. But he’s not good backup, you know?”

This was the stupidest conversation I’d ever heard.

Ryker finally gave up. “Fine, I’ll come with you.” Ryker left the table and walked away with the guys.

The second his back was turned, I snatched his phone.

“There’s no way Ryker believed any of that,” Kayden said. “Only an idiot would.”

“I could tell the only reason why Ryker left was to get them to shut up. But whatever, it worked.” I hit the home button, and the screen lit up.

But there was a passcode.

God fucking dammit. “Shit.”

“Maybe it’s his birthday?”

I typed it in the numbers, but that didn’t work. “I hate Ryker so much right now.”

“Maybe it’s something simple, like 1,2,3,4.”

That didn’t work either. “No…”

“Didn’t his dad pass away? Maybe it’s his birthday.”

“I have no idea when his dad’s birthday is.”

“Then we’re shit out of luck,” Kayden said.

I stared at the numbers on the screen and knew I would never break into his phone. But by a stroke of luck, Austen texted him.

You wanna get breakfast tomorrow?

“She texted him.”

Kayden leaned over and looked at the screen. “Perfect. Say you’ll meet her.”

“What?”

“Yeah. That way we can show up instead and talk to her.”

Actually, that was perfect. I texted her back. Yeah, when and where?

How about Cindy’s Diner?

That works for me. See you then, baby.

Baby?

“Shit, he must not call her that.”

“Think,” Kayden said. “Didn’t he call you sweetheart all the time?”

“That’s true.” I’ll see you in the morning, sweetheart.

K.

“Phew, that was close.” I used baby because that’s what Zeke called me all the time.

“Should you erase the messages?”

“I can’t erase them without erasing all of the messages. And that will be really obvious.”

“What if she texts him and cancels?”

“Then we’re screwed. Hopefully, she won’t.” I turned off the screen and returned the phone to where it was. “He knows she has plans tonight, so I doubt he’ll text her.”

“Let’s hope not. Otherwise our plan is totally ruined.”

* * *

“Maybe you should just go on your own,” Zeke said. “It’s a bit of a difficult conversation.”

“He might be right,” Kayden said. “She might feel bombarded with four people ganging up on her.”

“We aren’t ganging up on her,” I said. “We’re just talking. And I think if she sees me with Zeke, I’ll be less threatening to her. I’ve moved on, and I’m obviously happy. There’s no possibility of Ryker and I getting back together. And if we go as a group, she’ll see that we’re all friends. It might make her more comfortable.”

Zeke exchanged a look with Rex then shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. But I’d be pretty freaked out if a group of four strangers sat at my table and talked to me like they knew me when we’ve never met.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” From the way Ryker described her, she seemed like a tough cookie. It would take a lot more than the four of us to scare her.

“I hope this works,” Zeke said. “Otherwise, you might just make things worse for Ryker.”

That was something I hadn’t anticipated.

Zeke watched me with his typical handsome gaze, waiting for me to think this through.

“But I know if I do nothing, I’m definitely not helping him. I have to at least try.”

Zeke knew I’d made my decision, so he didn’t try to talk me out of it anymore. “Alright, let’s do this thing.”

We met Rex and Kayden in the hallway. They were bickering back and forth.

“We don’t have time to do both,” Kayden said. “Pick one. Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building.”

“We can totally do both,” Rex argued.

“We’re leaving tomorrow.”

“We’ll stop by before we head to the airport,” he said.

“It’s gonna be a zoo,” Kayden argued. “It’s not like swinging by the grocery store and picking up a few things.”

“So we flew all the way here and didn’t get to see anything?” Rex asked incredulously.

“We got to see Ryker,” Kayden reminded him.

He gave her a stoic stare before he rolled his eyes. “Yeah…that made it all worthwhile.”

If I didn’t interrupt them, this was going to go on forever. “Guys, we’re meeting Austen for breakfast. We all need to be on our best behavior.” Kayden and Zeke were fine. I was only referring to one person without singling him out.

“Best behavior?” Rex asked. “Are we children?”

I stared him down. “Some of us are.”

“Oh, that’s how it is?” he challenged. “I come all the way here to help you and you—”

“You came here for a free vacation,” I countered. “The sooner we talk to Austen, the sooner we’re free to do whatever we want.”

“Don’t you think Ryker is gonna be angry about this?” Zeke asked.

“Not if we get them together,” I said. “He’ll thank us on his hands and knees. So, are we ready to do this?”

“I’m in,” Zeke said. “Operation Cupid.” He put his hand in the center of the circle.

Rex did the same thing and rested his hand on Zeke’s. “Operation Cupid.”

Kayden crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the two men. “It looks like you guys are holding hands. It’s cute.”

“Eww.” Rex quickly yanked his hand away. “We were doing a team huddle. We weren’t holding hands.”

“It looked like you were holding hands,” Kayden said. “And it looked like you liked it too.”

Zeke shrugged. “You caught me. I’m only dating Rae to get closer to him.”

Rex officially had enough. “Okay, this is starting to freak me out. Let’s get this shit taken care of so we can get home.”

“No more Statue of Liberty?” Kayden asked with a laugh.

Rex kept walking. “Let’s just stop by Mega Shake, and I’ll be happy.”

* * *

The four of us walked into the diner and looked around.

“Where is she?” Rex asked.

I looked to the left side of the restaurant but didn’t spot her anywhere. “Maybe she’s not here yet.”

Zeke looked to the right. “I think she’s over there. Dark hair, right?”

She was sitting near the back of the restaurant with dark hair that was in loose curls. She was looking down at her phone with a steaming mug of coffee next to her. “Yeah, that’s her.”

“Hopefully, she’s not texting Ryker,” Rex said. “That would be bad for all of us.”

I led the charge and walked to her table, knowing she was going to be alarmed when I first sat down. She kept looking at her phone as she drank her coffee, oblivious to the ambush coming her way.

I slid into the opposite side of the booth and felt her eyes shift to my face. The rest of the gang scooted in beside me, squeezing into the cramped space.

Austen looked at all of us, her eyebrows raised and her fingers still wrapped around the handle of her coffee mug. “Uh…do I know you?”

“No,” Rex said. “But everything will make sense in just a few seconds. Rae?” He turned to me, giving me the stage to make my case.

Her eyes turned back to me. “Rae? As in…Ryker’s Rae?”

I hoped that reference wouldn’t piss off Zeke. His jealousy had vanished, but it wouldn’t take much to stir it up again. “Yeah, I guess.” Now that I was face to face with her, I was nervous. All I wanted was for Ryker to have what I had. I wanted him to be happy, to get married and have lots of kids with a special woman. I wanted him to have what I had with Zeke, a partner that would always look after him. “Ryker doesn’t know I’m here. I took his phone last night and texted you.”

“Oh…” Her gaze shifted to everyone else before she turned back to me. “Okay…I still don’t understand.”

“Well, let me begin by introducing Zeke.” I pointed to him right beside me. “He’s my boyfriend. We’ve been together for a while, and we’re really happy together.” I pointed at Rex. “That’s my brother, Rex.”

Rex waved. “Yes, it’s true. We’re somehow related.”

I pointed to Kayden. “And that’s Rex’s girlfriend, Kayden. She’s also my friend.”

“Uh, hi.” Austen gave an awkward wave. “I guess you all know who I am. So, why did you want to meet me?”

“To talk about Ryker.” She must have figured that out despite the fact she asked the question. “He talks about you pretty often.”

“He does?” she whispered.

“Yeah. You’re all he ever talks about, actually,” I said with a chuckle. “He’s pretty head-over-heels for you.”

“He doesn’t wear heels,” Rex corrected. “So let’s just say he’s crazy about you.”

“Very crazy about you,” Zeke added.

Austen listened to both of them before she turned back to me.

“I know you’re dating Nathan too while you try to decide who you should be with…but I think it would be a mistake not to pick Ryker.” I was giving a complete stranger love advice, but she might take it. “He’s an incredible man. You can’t go wrong with him. He’s honest, caring, sweet, sexy…he’s everything.” I knew Zeke wouldn’t be happy about that last comment, but hopefully he’d let it slide.

Austen didn’t show a hint of jealousy. “I know he’s perfect. He’s only been in my life for four months, but I feel like I’ve known him forever.”

“Then don’t waste your time with Nathan, not after what he did to you.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’s a lot more complicated than that.”

“It’s not complicated at all.” I needed to tone it down, but I couldn’t help myself. “I don’t know Nathan and I don’t know what your relationship is like, but I can guarantee this guy has nothing on Ryker. He’s the better guy.”

“He probably is the better guy. But there’s a huge problem in the mix.”

“What?” I asked.

She gave me a firm look. “You know exactly what the problem is. And now that I know what you look like, I can’t blame him for still being in love with you. You’re even prettier than I feared.”

The compliment meant nothing to me in that moment. “He was in love with me, but he’s not anymore.”

“That’s not what he told me.”

“He just thinks he’s in love with me. But I can guarantee you he’s not.”

“And how would you know?” she asked. “You know him better than he knows himself?”

“Pretty much,” I answered. “All he ever talks about is you. He shows me pictures of you on his phone, ones where you’re sleeping or not paying attention. When he describes you…you can tell.”

Rex nodded. “I noticed it too. He’s totally into you.”

“And he doesn’t look at Rae the way he used to,” Zeke said. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes. And I’m pretty jealous when it comes to the guy, so you know I’m being honest.”

I watched Austen soak everything in, listening to us argue on Ryker’s behalf. “He doesn’t want you to be with Nathan. You dating both of them is killing him. Every time you’re with Nathan, he can’t sleep because he can’t stand the thought of that guy touching you. He regrets letting it get this far. He wishes he’d snatched you when he had a chance. Believe me, he’s not thinking about me anymore.”

She grabbed the handle of her mug but didn’t take a drink. She stared at us with indecision in her eyes. The steam continued to rise to the ceiling because she hadn’t cooled it down with creamer. “You came all the way to New York just to tell me this?”

I nodded. “Ryker is family to us. We want him to be happy.”

“Wow, that’s really sweet,” she said. “All my friends love him too.”

“I understand what it’s like to want to go back to your ex.” I was thinking of Ryker, and everyone at the table knew I was. “I wanted to have what we used to have too once. But, I found someone else that made me happy, and I knew it was right. Sometimes we want to go back in time and feel those emotions again, but we just can’t. When it’s over, it’s over. We have to move on. I don’t know Nathan, but I don’t need to know him. He’s not the right guy. Ryker is.”

Austen listened to everything I said with soft eyes. “I’ve always known it wouldn’t work with Nathan. Sometimes I pretend to myself that it could…sometimes I try to give myself closure after what happened. Ryker is the one I’m always thinking about. He’s the one that makes me laugh, makes me happy. I guess I’ve always kept my distance because…of you.”

I wished I could rewrite history to make Ryker’s life easier. I wished we’d never had our time together so he could have found Austen sooner. I didn’t regret our relationship, but I wished everything was simpler. “I’m not a problem anymore. He’s over me, Austen. It may be hard to believe, but I know he is.”

“How?” she pressed.

“When I saw him last night, he didn’t hug me the way he used to. It was quick and simple, just how he hugged Kayden. His eyes didn’t linger on my face. He didn’t pay any special attention to me. Every time he looked away, sadness filled his eyes because he was thinking about you. That’s how I know.”

Austen finally took a drink of her coffee, giving herself an instant to compose herself.

“Forget about Nathan,” I said. “Pick Ryker. I promise you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

She set her mug down and finally nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

Did that mean I succeeded? “So…you’re going to talk to him?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I think so.”

“Really?” I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my lips. “You’re gonna call it off with Nathan?”

She nodded again. “Every time I’m with Nathan, I think about Ryker. But when I’m with Ryker, I never think about Nathan. That’s how I know he’s the right one. I guess I’ve just been scared to be the lesser choice in his eyes…but after meeting you and talking to you, I think everything will be okay.”

I wanted to throw my fist into the air to celebrate. “That’s so great.”

“Awesome,” Rex said. “He’s a hottie, so you made the right choice.”

Austen stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

“He’s totally straight,” Kayden said. “I can vouch for that.”

“Of course I’m straight,” Rex argued. “I’m just stating the obvious. He’s a good-looking guy.”

“Well, I don’t think he’s good-looking,” Zeke said. “He’s just a dude to me.”

“So, when are you going to talk to him?” I asked.

“Well, I should probably talk to Nathan first,” she said. “That would be the right thing to do.”

“Yeah, probably.” I wanted her to skip that conversation and go straight to Ryker. The sooner he was happy, the sooner I would be happy.

“Can I tell him we talked?” she asked.

“Uh…I don’t know.” I wasn’t sure how he would feel about it.

“I’d like to,” she said. “If you’ll allow me. I think he deserves to know that he has great friends who would do anything to see him happy. Besides, it’ll be a lot easier for me to tell him the truth than make up a lie.”

I definitely didn’t want their relationship to start off in a shaky way. “Yeah, you can tell him.”

“Okay, great. Well, it was nice to meet all of you. I’m really glad we talked. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and this pointed me in the right direction. Nathan and I were having dinner together when we ran into my parents… They were pretty appalled by the idea of us getting back together. That was when I started to realize it would never work. They both love Ryker.”

“He’s easy to love,” I said. “You really couldn’t find a better guy.”

She finally smiled, looking as beautiful as she did in the pictures Ryker showed me. “I know. I’m very lucky.”