Page 94 of The Way We Touch
“Craig can help Zane with Garrett. He’s big; he needs more support. Dylan’s in love enough to cover Logan.”
“Yes.” Zane nods. “I can vouch for that.”
“I want to cheer for Uncle Grizzly, too!” Kimmie walks up to her dad, climbing into his lap and rubbing her eyes.
“KJ, come sit with me.” I hold out my hand to her. “You can help me cheer for Lightning McQueen, so he doesn’t feel lonely.”
She hops off Jack’s lap and crawls into mine. Once she’s asleep, I’ll put her on her little makeshift bed. Then I can duck and squirm without disturbing her.
“Is the restaurant open?” A tenor voice draws my attention, and I sit straighter as the man from earlier walks through the door.
“Callum, Hi. I was just talking about you.” I flash my eyes at Craig, who is on his feet at once.
“Hi, there. I’m Craig.” My bestie holds out his hand. “I heard you were looking for some spicy food?”
“Yeah… what’s going on here?” He surveys the room. “Watching the game?”
“Ah, yeah.” I stand, shifting Kimmie to my hip. She lets out a little grunting noise, burying her face in my neck. “You’re welcome to watch with us if you want. Both of my brothers are in this game. Craig can bring you a menu if you’d like to order some food? Or have a beer?”
He smiles, and I can’t shake the feeling he’s making mental notes of everything. It’s peculiar, but not necessarily bad. Maybe he just wants to remember the place?
“Are those your brothers?” He nods at Jack and Zane, who are watching the opening discussion and ignoring us.
“Yeah, that’s Jack and Zane Bradford.”
“Jack Bradford?” Callum’s eyebrows rise. “Shit… Oh, sorry.”
Kimmie lets out a little-girl snore, and I exhale a laugh. “Looks like you’re safe.”
“Are you hungry?” I glance towards the open kitchen door. “Thomas is watching the game, but he could fry up a burger for you real quick.”
“Best burger on the coast,” Craig adds.
“Is Thomas related to you?” He steps over, craning his neck so he can look through the doorway.
“He might as well be,” I exhale a laugh, walking over to the blankets we arranged in the booth and placing my niece on them gently. “He’s been with us since we were kids.”
“I see…” Again, Callum appears to be making mental notes. “Sure. I’ll have a burger.”
“Got it.” Craig heads for the kitchen. “Anybody else need a drink or anything?”
“I’ll take another beer if you’re getting them,” Jack calls.
Zane holds up a hand, but I shake my head. I have to work tomorrow, and I plan to be awake to talk to Logan tonight. My battery recharge is wearing down, and I’ve been thinking about him all day.
The game starts, and it’s just like before. My brothers shout and cheer. They complain loudly when a ref gets it wrong, and they’re on their feet at every close play, which is pretty much all four hours.
I hide behind the column, peeking out and hiding again any time one of my brothers or the man I love gets pummeled or nearly pummeled.
My stomach is in knots, and my feet are in my chair so I can hide my face in my hands.
Callum walks over towards the end of the game. “I can’t tell if you’re enjoying this or not.”
My hands are over my ears, and my eyes are pressed against the top of my knees.
“Oh.” I exhale a laugh, casually uncurling from my stress-clench. “It’s great. They’re all such talented athletes.”
I’m pretty sure he’s not buying it for a second. It doesn’t matter, because right then Zane and Craig break into a loud cheer and start high fiving. I realize I missed something big, so I peek around the column to see the instant replay.