Page 31 of Coerced
He chuckled and shook his head.
Then I backed out of the driveway and took off to the deli, thoughts of Paxton filling my mind the whole way there.
I had assumed that by the time I got to work and was tossed into the morning tasks to prepare for the day ahead, thoughts of Paxton would have diminished to the point I forgot about him completely.
But it wasn’t long after I arrived, met Magnolia, and joined in the chopping of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and other sandwich toppings that a seemingly innocent conversation turned into something I hadn’t quite been prepared for.
“I have to admit, I’m a bit jealous of the two of you,” I confessed as I worked on the tomatoes. “I think it’s incredible that you both get to work with your best friend.”
“Well, to be fair, I have certainly cut back on the amount of time I spend here these days,” Magnolia admitted. “My family is growing, and the time with my kids is precious. But I like to give them some time alone with their dad, so getting to hang with Mallory while I give him that works out fabulously for all of us.”
“How many kids do you have?”
“Three,” she answered.
Mallory let out a laugh. “Yeah. So far. It’s only a matter of time before that man of yours decides to put another baby inside you.”
Magnolia rolled her eyes. “Like you can talk. Don’t act like you don’t know exactly how the men in the Scott family are.”
My eyes narrowed, confusion moving through me. “Wait. Wait, I’m lost. What’s going on? How would Mallory know what the men in your husband’s family are like?”
As Mallory continued working on slicing deli meats, she explained, “Mags and I are best friends, and we kind of got the best deal of our lives when we married brothers.”
“What?”
“My husband is her husband’s brother.”
I shifted my attention between the two women, my mind scrambled just imagining how cool it would have been for Britney and me to marry into the same family. “Are you serious?”
“Yep.”
“That’s so cool. So, your kids will be cousins. And you’ve essentially become a real family through your marriages,” I pointed out.
“Well, Mal and I were like family long before the guys came into the picture, but yes, this sort of made it official.”
There was something so beautiful about their story, and I’d have been lying if I said I didn’t feel a sense of longing. I missed Britney and couldn’t wait until she visited.
“Does your husband also work at Harper Security Ops, Magnolia?”
Mallory burst out laughing. “Oh my gosh, could you imagine?”
Apparently, I’d gotten my answer. But I didn’t understand what made it so funny.
Magnolia tipped her chin up, a smile on her face as she considered the possibility of her husband working at the same place as his brother. “He does not work at Harper Security Ops.”
“I kind of got that based on Mallory’s reaction.”
“Killian could never do it.”
“Killian? Killian Scott. Why does that…” My voice trailed off as it hit me, my eyes widening. “Are you married… is your husband, Killian Scott, the guitarist?”
Magnolia’s face lit up. “That’s him.”
I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. I was standing in a deli with two women who were best friends married to two brothers, and one of those brothers was the lead guitarist for the industrial rock band, My Violent Heart. “Holy crap. No way.”
“It’s the truth,” Mallory confirmed. “And don’t worry, the shock will wear off soon enough, especially once you meet him. He’s just a regular guy like all of them.”
I highly doubted it would feel that way if I met an actual celebrity like Killian Scott, but I figured it was par for the course. “So, who met which brother first?” I asked.