by Marie Harte
Somehow he’d come full circle, investing in his family, making the most of a new job, and feeling like he had the brothers he’d always wanted. So why, then, did he feel so empty? As if he was missing something crucial to his own happiness? Because even after leaving his stressful job, that zest for life had yet to appear.
“Hey, you’re blocking the guacamole. Move, Evan.” Cash gently nudged him out of the way of the kitchen island, where Evan’s mom had placed plates of munchies.
“Seriously. You know better than to get between Cash and food,” Reid told him. “Thanks for having us, Aunt Jane. I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to come over.”
“No worries, honey.” She smiled, still beautiful and vibrant in her seventh decade. Evan thought she looked years younger, but he never said so. She’d more than once lectured him on accepting one’s age and feeling beautiful no matter what year you were born. “Just make sure you don’t eat so much you ruin your appetite. I made a mean chicken teriyaki for tonight.”
“Yum.” Cash continued to eat. Reid took a seat at the island next to him and dug in. But Evan felt too unsettled after the call with Kenzie to do more than stand by the others.
“But boys.” She paused. They drew closer, and she slapped them both on the head.
Yep, he’d definitely been seeing a lot of moms in action lately. The thought of Kenzie chastising Daniel made his smile widen.
“Hey, Aunt Jane,” Cash whined, rubbing his head. At her expression, he quieted. Fast.
“This has been a long time coming, so you listen good. You boys had crappy parents. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true. You know it, and I know it. I’ve tried to tell you this before, but you’ve both done a pretty good job avoiding it.” She pierced Reid with a stare.
He squirmed. “I, well, I didn’t…”
“Just accept the blame and move on,” Evan murmured, keeping well out of reach of his mother’s surprisingly strong hands.
“Sorry.”
“Me too, Aunt Jane,” Cash offered.
“Good. You two are idiots.” At her insult, they blinked, and Evan couldn’t help a chuckle. “You’re special, and you always have been. Yes, Angela made mistakes. And yes, she put you last in her affections. I tried once to adopt you, you know, but Charles got so mad we never brought it up again.”
Evan hadn’t known that.
“Despite the way you were raised, you both grew up to be men I’m proud to call family. Put the past in the past.”
“I’d like to,” Cash said, his voice gruff. “But we kind of have a situation we can’t ignore.”
“Smith Ramsey,” Evan reminded his mother. They’d talked about Smith, and she’d wanted to embrace him. Probably because she hadn’t met him and didn’t believe he could be as coarse as Evan had described.
The stubborn tilt of Jane Griffith’s chin told Evan they wouldn’t like what she had to say. “The boy is your brother, Cash. And yours too, Reid. Half, full, a quarter, whatnot. None of that matters. Evan, he’s your cousin. No matter how much you complain about Smith, he’s blood. That means you stop avoiding what makes you uncomfortable and deal with it. Family’s all we’ve got at the end, you know.” She paused, her eyes shiny. “You boys will always have me. I’m only sorry I didn’t do more when you were younger.”
“Aunt Jane—” Cash tried.
She waved him off. “But I can make up for it now. I know you’re grown, but you still need love. And I have plenty to give. Since this one”—she pointed to Evan—“is so clueless when it comes to his future, you’ll have to help him. Honey, Rita died years ago. But you didn’t. Move on.”
If only it were that easy. Sure, Evan missed Rita. But he didn’t suffer from some kind of survivor’s guilt or a heart frozen in grief. He swallowed but didn’t speak.
“There now.” She closed her eyes and smiled then opened them to stare at them with love. “I’ve finally said my piece. I can die happy now.”
“Aunt Jane?” Reid frowned.
Cash blinked and around his food, mumbled, “Huh?”
Evan groaned. Not this again. “Mom.”
She laughed. “Oh relax. I’m fine. I’ve been to a bazillion doctor’s appointments. I know my ticker is good, so I have that.”
Then why are you so tired and wan all the time?
“And I’m on birth control, so you all don’t need to worry about that either.”
Evan gaped. So did his cousins. His mother laughed harder, snorting when she could catch a breath. “Oh, that felt good. I’m kidding, you knuckleheads. But I might as well confess I found myself a nice man friend. We’re dating. And, well, it could get serious.”
Reid shot him a look.
Evan needed to sit on the stool he’d been standing in front of. “What? Serious?”
Cash paused, glanced from him to his aunt, and quirked a brow. “So, what? You getting Evan a new daddy?”
Reid choked on his food. “Cash.”
“Oh my God. Mom, what’s going on with you?” A second wind in life at seventy-one?
“You heard me.” She thrust out her chin. “But my love life is nowhere near as exciting as yours apparently is. Why don’t you explain just why you’re a ‘sexy moving man with a fine ass’? Because this I have to hear.”
Cash and Reid grinned, and Reid, that sly bastard, said, “Yes, Evan. Why don’t you tell us all about the woman with the knife, your phone, and ‘Dancing Queen’? Inquiring minds want to know.”
Order Marie Harte’s next book
in the Veteran Movers series
Handle with Care
On sale August 2019!
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the great folks at Sourcebooks for making this book possible. I couldn’t do it without you!
About the Author
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestseller Marie Harte is a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether biking around town, hiking, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit marieharte.com and fall in love.
Body Shop Bad Boys
These rough-and-tumble mechanics live fast and love hard.
By Marie Harte, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Test Drive
Johnny Devlin’s had his eye on bartender Lara Valley for ages, but she’s rejected him more than once. What will it take for him to prove he’s worth a second look?
Roadside Assistance
Foley Sanders might look like a bad idea, but underneath, he’s all gentleman. What’s a bad boy to do when the goddess of his dreams won’t give him the time of day?
Zero to Sixty
When the puppy who’s stolen Sam Hamilton’s heart runs into blond, beautiful Ivy Stephens, he can’t help hoping she’ll take in one more stray—him—for good.
Collision Course
Joey Reeves is determined to stay away from Lou Cortez, the ace mechanic with a reputation for irresistible charm. The last thing she needs is to tangle with the hottest guy in town…
“The chemistry sizzles from every page.”
—Night Owl Reviews Top Pick for Test Drive
For more info about Sourcebooks’s books and authors, visit:
sourcebooks.com
Bad Bachelor
First in the Bad Bachelors series
If one more person mentions Bad Bachelors to Reed McMahon, someone’s gonna get hurt. Reed is known as an “image fixer” but his womanizing ways have caught up with him. What he needs is a PR miracle of his own.
When Reed strolls into Darcy Greer’s workplace offering to help save the struggling library, she isn’t buying it. But as she reluctantly works with Reed, she realizes there’s more to a man than his reputation. Maybe, just maybe, Bad Bachelor #1 is THE
one for her.
“Sizzling, sexy, and so much fun!”
—Sarah Morgan, USA Today Bestselling Author
For more Stefanie London, visit:
sourcebooks.com
Puppy Love
No matter the job—no matter the need—these service dogs in training will always fall in love at first bark.
When Sophie Vasquez and her sisters dreamed up Puppy Promise—their service puppy training school—it was supposed to be her chance to bring some good into the world. But how can she expect to do anything when no one will take her seriously?
Enter Harrison Parks, a rough, gruff, take-no-bull wildlife firefighter in need of a diabetic alert service dog. He couldn’t be a more unlikely fit for Sophie or Bubbles—the sweet Pomeranian she knows will be his perfect partner—but when Sophie insists he give them both a shot, something unexpected happens: he listens.
As it turns out, they all have more than enough room in their hearts for a little puppy love.
For more info about Sourcebooks’s books and authors, visit:
sourcebooks.com
Also by Marie Harte
The McCauley Brothers
The Troublemaker Next Door
How to Handle a Heartbreaker
Ruining Mr. Perfect
What to Do with a Bad Boy
Body Shop Bad Boys
Test Drive
Roadside Assistance
Zero to Sixty
Collision Course
The Donnigans
A Sure Thing
Just the Thing
The Only Thing
Veteran Movers
The Whole Package
Smooth Moves
Handle with Care
All I Want for Halloween
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