“Yes, it was,” Elliot and Jordan say together.
“Why are brothers a thing?” Noah mutters under his breath.
“They really shouldn’t be,” I say to him. “They just cause all kinds of trouble.”
“See, this is what I’m saying!” He exclaims, pointing at me. “Tell me all about your brother issues, Ames. You’re getting a front row seat to mine.”
Jordan scoffs. “You don’t have brother issues. You have the best brothers ever. Remind me, who helped you study for your Step Three last month when you were sure you were going to fail and never get your MD? And who kept you fed and did your damn laundry so all you had to worry about was passing your test?”
“Fuck, fine. You’re all the best and I’m nothing without you.”
“That’s more like it.” Jordan smirks and goes back to his breakfast.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know who Amelia’s famous brother is. I am who I am, and who I am is nosy as fuck.” Noah gives me a panty-melting smile, and it’s so contagious I can’t help but smile back.
“You don’t have to,” Elliot says, quiet enough so only I can hear. Elliot’s brothers start arguing about something or other, so I take a second to turn to Elliot. He’s looking at me intently, but there’s a tightness around his eyes.
“Are you okay?” I ask, just as quietly.
He nods quickly. Too quickly. “I’m okay.” He pauses then, seeming to reconsider. “That’s a lie, actually, and I promised I would never lie to you. I’m not totally okay.” He exhales deeply, almost like he’s shedding a weight just by admitting he’s not okay.
I lay a hand over his, where it’s gripping the side of his chair. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but my protective instincts are roaring. “What do you need?”
The relief in his eyes at my question has my heart clenching. “Honestly, just to be a little quiet. Then, when this breakfast is over, to go home.”
I glance at his running clothes and realize he ran here so he probably doesn’t have his car. “I’ll drive you home. Do you want to leave now?” Being in the center of attention makes me itchy, but for this man, I would get up and dance naked on the table if he needed to get out of here unnoticed. I think it’s possible I would do anything for him. Realizing this is both a relief and a revelation.
He shakes his head. “I’m good to hang. But I’ll take the ride. I’ll take whatever time I can get with you.”
I smile, squeezing his hand. “You got it. Leave the rest to me.”
I turn to the rest of the table where the conversation seems to have devolved into some argument about the relative importance of oral surgeons over other kinds of surgeons. I clear my throat and prepare to throw myself in front of Elliot so he can have the quiet he needs.
“My brother is Gabe Sullivan.”
Silence.
Complete and utter silence.
Despite whatever is bothering him, Elliot bumps his shoulder with mine, and I hear him snicker. The sound is music.
Jordan speaks first. “Gabe Sullivan?”
I nod. “Yep.”
“Like, my friend Gabe Sullivan? Inventor of the most famous phone in the world, married to Molly, currently living life as a stay-at-home dad in Pittsburgh while he runs a women in STEM foundation on the side?”
“The very same one.”
“Holy shit,” Jo breathes. “You’re Amelia Sullivan. I’ve heard Gabe talk about you.”
“Wait, you know Gabe too?” I ask.
She nods. “Of course. My older sister, Hallie, is Molly’s best friend. And her husband Ben is Jordan’s.”
I laugh a little because I met Hallie and Ben and the rest of their friends at Molly and Gabe’s wedding and, like, what are the chances? Also, I probably should have put all this together myself, but I’ve been a little distracted by my extremely hot and very irresistible professor, and I probably should be resisting but really just don’t feel like it.
“Okay, well, turns out we really are a tangled web.” Elliot’s words from the diner the day we reconnected come back to me, and I realize how true they are. Almost like we were meant to be right here, right now. I find I don’t hate the idea of that at all. “Listen,” I say, looking at Jordan and Jo. “For…reasons, Gabe doesn’t know I’m back in school. There’s actually a lot he doesn’t know about me. I know it’s a big ask, but could you maybe not mention it if you talk to him? Sorry if that’s kind of weird.”
