“Oh no, they butted in, so that means they have to beuseful.” I glanced around at the troublemakers. “I’m pretty sure that was whatthey promised my mother, anyway, before she let them come over.”
They were trying to play it cool, but Rich laughed and Gracegiggled, giving them away.
“Yep.” Turning back to my boys, I smiled. “They have to be helpfulor they have to tell Mom they lied.”
And the way they rolled their eyes said they knew I’d tellon them.
“So.” We had to get back to work. “Meggie and Rich, you’regoing to help me in the kitchen.”
Had to keep the primary troublemakers close.
“Adam and Grace, there are two big bookshelves in the livingroom that are going on the far wall on either side of the windows. If you couldput those together, that would be great. Then we can get that room organized alot easier.” And it would keep them out of anything personal in the bedroom.
Those two were more well-behaved, but they were not saintsby any means.
Nods went around the group and everyone got to work withMeggie and Rich coming with me. Once I sent Ryan and Scott back to the bedroomwith quick kisses, the two main troublemakers pounced.
Meggie grinned as she started filling up the pantry. “Sooo,they’re really built.”
Rolling my eyes, I focused on the spices. “They’re both verysweet and we click together.”
She was convinced my love of big guys was some kind of kink.
She might be right, but I’d never admit it.
Rich laughed as he started taking plates out of a box. “Areyou sure you haven’t moved in here too? I mean, you’re obviously the one incharge here.”
In more ways than one—but I was going to do my best not tomention the others.
“I was not going to let you run amuck over them.” It mightnot be the whole truth, but it was enough that it sounded believable and hadthem both shrugging in acceptance.
They might be nosy troublemakers, but they weren’tdelusional about it.
Now I just had to keep everyone busy enough that they didn’task too many questions my boys didn’t want to answer.
Chapter 2
Scott
“That could’ve gone worse.” Ryan’s words as he flopped downon the couch had me trying not to laugh, but I lost control when he finallyrealized how it’d come out. “No, I liked them…I mean, it’s just…”
He’d have just kept rambling, but Dare saved him. Ploppingdown on Ryan’s lap, he gave our not-so-smooth boyfriend a kiss. “It’s okay. Iknow what you meant.”
One day his lack of filter was going to get him into trouble,but since Dare seemed to find it cute, it wouldn’t be today.
Walking over, I sat down next to them and shook my head as Iwiggled closer, pressing against Ryan’s side. “I think it went better thanthat.”
They hadn’t been too nosy and they’d been helpful.
I was counting that as a win.
Dare chuckled, shifting his feet to lay his legs over my lapso he could stretch out. “You kept control of the conversation and steered ittoward work and stuff like that. You did great.”
I fought to keep my tone relaxed as my face heated. “I justtried to think of them as customers I was meeting for the first time. Thatseemed easier.”
I hadn’t exactly met the family of anyone I was datingbefore.
Dare beamed, leaning over to give me a tender kiss. “Youboth did wonderful. That was a great way to handle them.”
