Lori

"Why don't you call and ask them if they’ll be here on time? No point going out before they arrive," Graham suggested.

"Good thinking."

I dialed their number, and they informed me they'd arrive in fifteen minutes, so I could enjoy all this a while longer. I had a major crush on his deck. The dark blue pillows on the rattan couch were so comfy I didn't want to leave. The glass panels at the edge of the deck offered a clear view of the ocean.

"So, how many fires do you predict I'll have to put out on the wedding day?" he asked once I hung up.

"I'll put out any fires, don't worry. That's why I'm here. You just focus on your best man duties." I sank lower on the couch, breathing in the salty air, enjoying the breeze and the sound of the ocean. Graham was watching me. My entire body clenched—again. My God, was he sexy. Pure male, pure testosterone. Every time he looked at me with those blue eyes, he made me aware of parts of my body I'd forgotten existed... or functioned. I wanted to bring up the speech, but I still hadn't worked on a polite way of explaining to him that bad jokes weren't appropriate. Usually, I wasn't one to mince words, but he was my brother's boss. I couldn't forget that.

"Say it."

"What?"

"You're fidgeting. What is it? If Amber tried to talk budgets with you again—"

"No, no. It's not that. I was thinking about the best man speech. Have you ever given one before?"

"No, but I've done plenty of speeches, so I'm sure I'll come up with something good. Some fun stories, some jokes."

This was my opening. Here went nothing. "About that... not all jokes are good ones. I've been at plenty of weddings where the best man mentioned divorce stats, jokingly adding that he's sure the couple will make it, and so on. It leaves a sour taste."

"What makes you think I'd do that?"

"Back at the coffee shop, you seemed like you’re not a big fan of weddings."

"That obvious?"

"To me, yes. I'm a wedding planner. I pick up on these things." I also found out from Jace that he’d been divorced for two years, which made me think my gut had been right.

"I won't let that spoil Amber and Matt's day. Promise. Can I tempt you with some wine?"

"No, I'll head out in a few minutes."

"You can come back after you give them your car keys. We'll enjoy a glass or two of wine, and then I can drive you into the city."

"No can do. I promised my son we'll make it in time for his evening TV show."

Graham went very still. I realized it was the first time I'd mentioned Milo. I braced myself for the flicker of interest in his eyes to disappear. I hadn't planned to act on it, but it had been very flattering.

"I didn't know you had a son," he said eventually in a cool, calm tone. He looked down at my hands then back up. His jaw ticked. What was going on? "Is he with your boyfriend now?"

"No boyfriend," I clarified. "Just the two of us."

"His dad isn't in the picture at all?"

I shrugged. "We're better off without him."

"Still, I can imagine it's not easy."

I shrugged again. "The worthwhile things never are."

"How old is he?"

"Seven. And I promised him I'd watch his favorite show with him tonight, so I have to go."

"There is plenty of pasta left. Want me to pack some for him?"

Something funny happened to my insides. They seemed to melt altogether.

"Thanks, but he's at Valentina's house, and he ate there." Since I didn’t know how late I’d be staying out with Amber and Matt, I’d asked Will to pick up my son from school, and they’d joined Val for dinner.

"Ah, I see. The second best chef."

I pointed a finger at him. "Hey! I said your pasta was better than hers. That's it. Don't go drawing hasty conclusions."

The corners of his lips twitched, then gave way to a grin. "I'll walk you out."

"Thank you for dinner."

"Thank you for keeping me company." 

We walked to my car side by side. A sizzle rushed through me, tightening my nipples. My body hadn't felt so alive in years, and he wasn't even touching me. I dealt with the tow service quickly, then hopped into an Uber. This evening had been fun. A little intense too, but a whole lot of fun.

I wondered if Graham cooked for women often. I bet there was no shortage of candidates banging at his door.

***

When I arrived at Val's house, Will was still there. He and Milo were throwing darts at a target my sister had set up in one corner of her living room.

"Mommy, please, can Uncle Will and I finish this round?" Milo asked.

"What about your show?" I countered, ruffling his hair. It was on Netflix, so we could stream it anytime.

"We can watch tomorrow."

"Okay, finish your game."

I left the boys to their dart game and sat on the couch next to my sister. 

“Why did you come with an Uber?” Val asked.

“My car wouldn’t start, so I had it towed away.”

"Wine?" She pointed to the glass she was nursing. 

"Yes, please. I'll get myself a glass." I wasn't driving, so why not? I took a glass out of her cabinet and sank on the couch again once Val had poured some wine.

"Will looks a bit down," she said.

"My thoughts exactly."

As a little girl, I'd dreamed my brother would become an actor. He certainly was handsome enough, but then again, all my brothers could pass as movie stars without a problem, and I wasn't saying this because I was related to them. No, sir. I had photos with the family everywhere in my office, and more than a fair share of bridesmaids—and even the occasional bride—had sighed at the sight of my brothers.

But Will had never had Hollywood dreams. Still, he hadn't seemed like the type to join the force. In fact, he'd had a few run-ins with the police as a teenager, after our parents passed away. Despite his adventures, he'd also been a responsible older brother. He'd fit the devastatingly handsome but troubled bad boy profile. Now, the devastatingly handsome part still held true, but he'd grown from a bad boy into a badass man with a dangerous job.

We'd learned not to ask, because he wasn't allowed to speak about his work, but we'd also learned to read clues into his body language. A frown was easy to erase. We could count on a little old-fashioned sibling teasing to do the trick. A scowl required a bit more creativity. Hunched shoulders meant shit had hit the fan. We hadn't yet discovered how to take his mind off that, but we weren't giving up.

Currently, Will's expression was somewhere between a scowl and a frown.

"What do you think? Teasing will be enough?" I asked, sipping wine.

Val nodded excitedly. "If we team up? Of course."  

We waited for the boys to finish their dart game. When Milo went to the bathroom, Will joined us on the couch, sitting between the two of us. Val and I exchanged a glance.

"I know that look," Will said.

Damn. My brother could smell a Connor Secret Intervention from a mile away.

"What look?" I asked innocently.

"You know I can't talk about work, so don't ask."

Val shook her head mockingly. "After all these years, he still hopes the badge might start working on us. You can't boss us around, brother."

"Watch me try," Will said. He was trying to sound firm, but I could hear the tinge of humor.

"I think he likes to fail," I teased.

"Girls, it's been a shitty day; that's all. No need for an ambush."

Val brought her hands to her chest theatrically. "Ouch. This is an intervention. I'm wounded that you can't tell the difference."

"Yeah. An ambush requires Hailey's presence too," I informed him. 

Our brother burst out laughing. Mission accomplished.

"Mommy, I'm ready to go," Milo said, returning to the living room.

"I'll drive you," Will offered.

"Thanks."

Milo fell asleep on the way home.

"Milo said Father/Son sports day is coming up at school. He asked me to go with him," Will whispered. My heart gave a little squeeze. He hadn't told me about it. "You okay with that?"

"Sure... if it's not inconvenient for you."

"Not at all. Besides, it's good for people to know he's got the handsome part from the Connor bloodline," he said with a straight face. My brother, always so humble.

"Thanks, Will. I appreciate it."

Will often participated at school events. Jace had been on a few occasions, but the presence of a soccer star caused such mayhem that the teachers pulled me to the side and asked if it was possible for Will to come instead. Most of the time, I thought Milo and I were doing okay on our own, but school events were rough. Sometimes he'd tell me about "manly stuff" his friends were doing with their fathers, and guilt flooded me. My brothers were quick to fill those shoes, but I wasn't sure it was enough. It ate away at me to know I couldn't give Milo more, but I didn't know how to do better.

Later that evening, after putting Milo to bed, I dashed across the bamboo flooring, closing the plantation shutters at the windows. It was a particularly windy evening. I owned a two-bedroom house complete with a white picket fence and an orange tree in the backyard. I'd snapped the property up when it was in foreclosure, so I paid a decent price. The area was safe but almost on the outskirt of LA. Still, it had good schools. The entire house had been rundown, but renovating it proved worthwhile.

The coved ceiling and wainscoting gave it an old-school vibe I loved. It was cozy. At the moment, it was also rather dusty, but I hated cleaning with a passion. A cleaning company came in once a week, but dust gathered in between. I'd gotten really good at ignoring it.

I had to wake up early tomorrow. Three times a week, I woke up at five to work out one hour on the elliptical. Twice a week, I ran with four other mothers from the neighborhood, whom I'd come to consider close friends. Now, running was something I loved. Filled me with energy. Hailey had once jokingly suggested I think about cleaning as working out, but the trick hadn't worked.

Instead of going to bed, I poured myself a glass of wine and pulled up the website of the bridal shop Amber and I were going to visit. Their dresses were beautiful. I loved them all, no matter the shape or length. I'd dreamed about my own wedding dress since I'd tried on Mom's when I was six. I was still dreaming about it, but right now, the boy sleeping in the next room was my priority. I played one of my favorite romantic comedies in the background. I liked listening to music or hearing the dialogue from some of my beloved movies while working.

I was up so late I got hungry... which made me think about Graham. Again. My body felt like a livewire just remembering our evening. Despite the fact that my stomach rumbled, I resisted the urge to make a beeline for the kitchen. No more delicious goodies for me. I'd indulged enough tonight... with the pasta and the man cooking it.

I marked the designs they had in store in Amber's size and sent them to her. With the tight timeline, we couldn't order one for her. She had to make do with what the store had in their inventory, but I'd chosen this one because they had a large selection. I'd never had a disappointed bride, and I didn't plan to start now.