“Well, just come on in then, Aquaman.” I close the door, but I’m tempted to leave it open in case I have to make a run for it.
He paces back and forth behind my couch. His facial expression tells me he’s madder than a possum yet conflicted about what to say. Good thing I’m his best friend. Anyone else, he would have stormed in with fists blazing.
As I’m about to tell him to just spill it, I notice Bandit is standing a few feet away. He toddles toward me.
On all four legs.
And no wheels.
I crouch down in front of him and ruffle his ears. “Look at you go, boy! You’re walking on your own.”
Graham walks over and stands by us. “Is this new?”
I shoot him a glance over my shoulder. “Yeah, a first. Wow, Hannah’s going to flip.”
He cups a hand over his mouth as his face turns beet red again. Then he lowers his arm, with obvious control, I might add.
“Speaking ofmy sister… Liam told me this morning that something is going on between you two. Is that true?”
I inhale and hold my breath for a moment, then exhale. “Yes.”
His deep frown makes his nose scrunch up, much like Hannah does, but not cute at all. And I swear, there’s steam coming out of his nostrils. “I told you to stay clear of her.”
Might as well grab the bull by the horns and hope I don’t get gored. I get to my feet and prepare for the charge. “Graham, I’m in love with your sister.”
Graham is one of those guys who says everything on his face before the words ever leave his mouth. First, there’s shock, then some residual anger, and finally confusion. “Seriously?”
“Very.” I would have much preferred that Hannah knew this first. My anticipation of saying those words to her terrifies me. I’ve only expressed that kind of feeling to my parents and to Cindy Manchester in the fourth grade, to which she promptly replied by sticking her tongue out at me. A moment I never forgot, needless to say.
Aside from that, I really can’t afford to get into a knockdown brawl and risk my shoulder with my recert coming up in two weeks.
Graham deflates back to normal size. “Wow, didn’t expect that.”
Something flares inside me. “Because you still think I’m the same guy I used to be, but I’m not. Haven’t been for a while.”
He tucks his chin but says nothing. I can’t see his face well enough to figure out what’s barreling through his head, so I don’t know if he’s studying his shoes or trying to decide his next attack.
Then he lifts his head and gives me a sheepish look. “I know, but this is my sister we’re talking about, and that jerk she dated really hurt her.”
All the air I was holding in my gut to cushion a blow seeps out in a long, noisy breath. “I know. Liam told me some. And Hannah filled in the rest.”
“I wanted to destroy that idiot when I found out.” His impassioned expression totally backs that up, and now I’m really glad I wasn’t on the end of that temper tantrum. But behind his anger, I catch a glimpse of his own pain over what happened to his sister. Graham can be a bit of a hothead at times, but in a crisis, he’s the guy you want in charge or by your side, helping with the rescue. And when it comes to his family, the man has a heart bigger than anyone I know.
“I agree.” I don’t want to be that idiot, either. The idea that she thinks I could ever think of her as someone I would use and discard is eating me alive. I really need to get to Hannah’s office and get this straightened out. Then, I’ll figure out how to make things right with my parents.
Graham still appears confused. “Okay, then I guess it’s okay. You can date Hannah.”
A weight heavier than I realized lifts off of me. No moreHands-off-Hannah. Although, that kind of already happened if you count lips.
“Thank you. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to shower and get to her office. ASAP.”
He grins. “Yeah, she’s going to be lit when she sees Bandit.”
“Yeah, she will.” I’ll just leave out the part about our little spat last night. No reason to stir up his bullish temper. And I hope that’s all it is—a misunderstanding—because the idea of losing my shot with Hannah makes me physically ill.
I shoo Graham out the door, then take the fastest shower of my life and don my best jeans and button down. One thing I learned from my folks—dress to impress when you’re making a case. And I definitely have a case to make with Hannah. Maybe some of those law classes will come in handy after all.
Once I’m ready, I grab Bandit’s wheels, then think twice about it. “Let’s show Hannah our moves, big guy. You up for the task?”
