You Make It Easy: A best friend's brother romance (Love in Everton Book 5)

by Fabiola Francisco

  Abbie lifts an eyebrow and gives me a pointed stare. “I mean it.” I tangle my fingers into the back of her hair. “For all I know, you’re the one who will change your mind and leave me heartbroken.”

  She snorts. “Finn Cooper doesn’t get his heart broken. He’s the heartbreaker.”

  “Abbie…” I stare into her eyes.

  “It’s true.” She shrugs. Why is she saying this?

  “Maybe because I’ve never given anyone my heart–until now.” I strip off every façade and show her everything, nothing covering my vulnerability.

  Abbie sighs, closing her eyes. Her hand wraps around my wrist. “Sorry. I just feel like everyone is watching and waiting for this to go wrong. Are they taking bets on how long it will be ’til you screw it up or leave me for someone better?”

  “Hey.” I rub my fingers against her scalp, so she looks at me. “There’s no one better,” I say when those gorgeous green eyes lock with mine. “So let’s prove them wrong. If they wanna talk, they can talk about this.” I press my lips against hers in a deep kiss.

  When I pull away, Abbie giggles. “Kissing like that on a Sunday in public? They’re gonna condemn you to hell.”

  “Pretty sure they already did.” I wink. Finally, the tension rolls off Abbie’s shoulders. “Are we okay?”

  “Yeah,” she nods. “People are assholes.”

  I let out a deep belly laugh. “They are. Now, let’s eat this ice cream before it’s completely melted.” I guide us toward a small bench on the sidewalk.

  We sit in silence for a few minutes, each of us eating our ice cream. People walk by us in their Sunday best, likely going to lunch with family.

  “Do you want a taste?” Abbie breaks the silence, pushing her spoon toward my face. “Sorry!” She grimaces but laughs as a drop of melted ice cream falls on my shorts.

  “It’s okay,” I chuckle, wiping it as I lean in and take a bite of her ice cream. “That is good. Want some?” I lift my cup.

  Abbie nods eagerly. “Come and get it.” I lift my eyebrows. She tilts her head and gives me a pointed look, puckering her lips, but to my surprise, she scoots close to me, lifting one of her legs over mine and brings her chest flush with mine as she opens her mouth and waits for me to feed her.

  I laugh and give her what she wants. Abbie licks her lips and smiles. “That is good.”

  “You’re causing a scene,” I wink when I notice people looking at us and whispering, Abbie practically on my lap.

  “I thought we were gonna prove ‘em wrong.” Her voice is low, deep, and so damn confident.

  I chuckle and nod, kissing her straight on the lips. “Hell yeah.”

  Heads turn at my whoop of laughter, but I sit with my girl, sharing our ice cream and forgetting the rest of the world.

  Abbie

  “How are things going with Finn?” Emily looks at me from her spot at the counter. Her eyebrows dance on her forehead.

  “You’re impossible. Good. Actually, I meant to ask you about a girl your age who came up to me on Sunday and mentioned that you had told her Finn and I are together. Apparently, her sister dated Finn?”

  “Ugh, what a bitch. That’s Stacy. Her sister and Finn went out on one date, and nothing more happened after that. It seems like she’s bitter that my sister actually won Finn over.” Emily smiles smugly.

  I was so surprised when Stacy came up to us at the ice cream shop, but I was more surprised to hear her say that Finn will forget about me like he does with women. That’s been on replay in my mind all week. I can’t let it get to me, though. I refuse for other people’s experiences and jealousy to ruin something good.

  “Don’t let her get to you, Abbie,” Emily says as she chews on the back of her pen.

  “Are you ready to start school?” She’ll start her senior year in less than two weeks, and I can’t believe it.

  “Ugh, yeah, I guess.” She stares down at her book report. I chuckle at her reaction. Senior year is the hardest by far because you’ve mentally checked out of school, but realistically you have to do the work in order to graduate and go to college.

  “It’ll go by fast,” I promise.

  “Hope so. At what time are Gavin and Penny getting here? I’m hungry. Also, why didn’t you tell Finn to come for dinner? Is it because of what that bitch said? Because she’s a nobody.”

  I look at her with wide eyes. “Emily.”

  She shrugs and rolls her eyes. “It’s true. You know that she tried to steal my boyfriend last year?”

  “Oh, really?” My nose wrinkles. “And I didn’t invite Finn so we could have family time. I haven’t spent time with you guys in a couple of weeks.”

  “Because you’ve been busy.” Sienna walks into the living room thrusting her hips.

  “Where were you?” My eyebrows pull together as I look at my youngest sister.

  “Raiding your closet. Can I have this?” She holds up a pink top.

  “No.” I shake my head.

  “Come onnnn,” Sienna whines.

  “You’re such a brat,” Emily throws at her.

  “Shut up.”

  “Stop.” I raise my voice. If these two get into a fight right now, I’ll kick them both out.

  “Moody,” Sienna mouths to Emily, who holds in her laughter. I narrow my eyes at both of them and cross my arms.

  “Eat this.” I place a bag of chips in front of Emily and walk to the couch where I left my phone. “Gavin will be here in twenty minutes,” I call out to them.

  “I’m taking the shirt,” Sienna whispers.

  “Oh, my goodness. Take the shirt.” I throw my head back. She won’t stop until she wears me down. I already know her tactic.

  “You’re so thoughtful, thanks.” Sienna’s sugary sweet voice rings.

  I shoot her a glare and laugh when I see her putting the top over her tee-shirt. “I’m going to wear this to the end-of-summer party.”

  “You’re just trying to impress that jerk,” Emily says.

  “Who?” I turn around after reading confirmation in my messages from both Cindy and Maverick that they’ll be ready for our photo session on Saturday.

  “Some idiot Sienna likes from school. I told her not to waste her time.”

  “He’s so cute, though. Let me show you a picture.” Sienna pulls out her phone and starts scrolling. “Look.”

  I walk toward her, curious about this boy. “Isn’t he gorgeous?” Sienna smiles at me dreamily.

  “I guess,” I shrug.

  She pouts and clutches her phone against her chest. “Whatever.”

  Emily laughs as she stuffs a chip in her mouth.

  A knock interrupts our conversation. “Is that Gavin? That’s way faster than twenty minutes?” Emily asks around a mouth full of chips. I roll my eyes and shake my head.

  “I have no idea.”

  “Hey,” Finn says when I open the door. He kisses me softly, and a loud awwww sounds from inside the house. “I forgot your sisters were coming over.” His eyes fall closed, and he drops his forehead to my shoulder.

  “It’s okay. They’re driving me crazy at the moment, so you’re more than welcome to come in. We’re just waiting for Gavin and Penny to get here before we order pizza.”

  “I brought wine.” He lifts a paper bag.

  “Thank goodness,” I sigh.

  “We heard that,” Sienna yells.

  Finn chuckles and walks into the house. “Hey, girls.”

  Emily is turned in her seat. Sienna is leaning against the fridge with a can of pop in her hand.

  “Hello, Finn.” Sienna lifts her eyebrows, trying to be all serious.

  “Sienna, that glare would work better if you weren’t still wearing that top over your clothes.” I laugh at her attire.

  “Aw, crap.” She looks down and then shrugs. “Oh, well.”

  “Isn’t that yours?” Finn looks at me with furrowed eyebrows.

  “She stole it.”

  “Actually, she gave it to me out of the kindness of
her heart. Do you see what a sweet girlfriend you have?”

  “I’ll open the wine,” Finn whispers. I nod, and he kisses my cheek.

  “She is the best, isn’t she?” Finn agrees.

  Emily looks at me with a small smile while Finn and Sienna talk. I join them all in the kitchen and grab the glass of wine Finn offers. His arm snakes around my waist and pulls me to him as he drinks a beer. I watch as he catches up with my sisters as if they weren’t annoying teens.

  When the doorbell rings, Emily throws her head back and says, “Thank God.”

  I open the door, and Penny hugs me. “Hey, Penny Girl.” I tousle her hair.

  “Hi, Abbie.” I squat down to kiss her cheek. “Go say hi to Emily and Sienna. They’ve got chips.”

  Penny runs into the house toward my sisters. I hear a commotion behind me, along with a quiet question from Penny asking who Finn is.

  “Hey, cuz.” I hug Gavin. “Finn’s here. Is that okay?”

  “Of course.” Gavin nods and smiles. “Couldn’t have a night without him, huh?” he chuckles.

  “You’re a jerk. No, he forgot you guys were coming over, and he showed up,” I explain.

  The start of this week was a little hectic, and Monday and Tuesday consisted of quick phone calls between Finn and me as we juggled our relationship and work. I haven’t seen him since Sunday evening. Actually, that’s a lie–since Monday morning. A slow heat creeps up my neck at the memory of what we did that morning before each of us getting ready for work.

  “Cool.” Thankfully Gavin is oblivious to my blush or inappropriate thoughts.

  He walks in and greets Sienna and Emily before saying hi to Finn and taking a pop from the fridge. Gavin tries not to drink any alcohol when Penny’s around, especially if he’s driving, and I admire him for that.

  We order pizza and breadsticks. While we wait for our food, my home becomes alive with constant chatter, Penny’s giggles, and playful banter. I take a moment to observe what’s going on and how everyone is interacting. A small smile plays on my lips as I listen to Finn and Gavin talk about their work on the ranches.

  Finn fits into my life and with my family smoothly. The idea of more moments like this, our families spending time together, sneaks into my mind. I could see a future for us–nights filled with family and friends, morning walks on the weekends and ice cream afterward. I see it all with Finn.

  “Abbie.”

  “Yeah.” I look down at Penny. “Can I have another juice, please?”

  “Of course, sweets.”

  I grab a juice from the fridge and open it for her. I sit on the floor in front of her. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.” She hugs me, squirting some of the juice from the straw. A squeaky giggle bursts through her mouth. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” I hug her again and stand.

  I go back to my observation. I love seeing him talk to my sisters as if he saw them recently and talk to Penny without seeming annoyed that a small child is here with us. Finn just smiles, being his easy-going self.

  Despite what people might say or think, being with Finn makes me happy. I believe him when he says he wants to be with me, even if I sometimes get scared that one day the feelings will fade.

  His fingers secretly tangle with mine, and I look over at him to find a smile light up his entire face. He eases my doubts with that single touch. Sighing into my glass of wine, I drink away my insecurities.

  Abbie

  I hold Finn’s hand, walking behind him as he carves our path through the crowd at Clarke’s. We’re meeting up with all of our friends for some drinks tonight. It’s been a while since we all spent time together.

  “Hey!” Poppy hugs me before we even stop walking. “I heard you accepted the job to take Sutton’s picture for the album and promos.”

  “Hi, yeah.” I nod with a smile. When Harris and Knox called me to meet with them, I couldn’t even imagine what it was for. I was shocked and excited when they asked if I’d photograph Sutton for her upcoming album.

  “That’s awesome,” Poppy squeals.

  I nod again, saying hi to Harris, Ainsley, and Knox. Finn orders us both a beer while I lean into Poppy. “Is Faith coming? I wrote to her, but she didn’t respond.”

  “She said she was,” Poppy says. “Maybe she got caught up finishing work and forgot to write back.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably it.”

  “Hey.” I turn around and see Averly smiling at us.

  “Hi,” Poppy and I say in unison.

  “Hey, sis.” Finn wraps an arm around Averly and kisses her temple. “How’s my niece or nephew doing?” He hands me a beer with a wink and rubs Averly’s belly.

  I sigh, watching him with a goofy smile.

  “You’re so smitten,” Poppy leans in and whispers.

  I look at her with pinched brows. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess I am.”

  She bumps her shoulder into mine with a wide smile. “You have the photo shoot tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah,” I nod eagerly. “I’m excited and really hope these two have enough chemistry to make the pictures worthwhile.”

  “I’m sure they will.”

  A small swarm of nerves flutters in my stomach. I’m thrilled about tomorrow’s shoot, but also a little nervous that the two people we selected won’t work well together. It’s silly, really, but I’ve never done anything like this before.

  “You okay?” Finn wraps his arm around my waist and whispers into my hair.

  “Yeah.” I smile up at him. “I was just thinking about tomorrow.”

  “It’s going to be great,” he reassures me.

  I take a drink of the cool beer and sink into his side. I talk to my friends as we have our drinks and discuss the book we’re reading for book club. Ainsley has started joining us, and it’s been fun getting to know her better.

  “The Labor Day Festival is coming up,” Poppy says excitedly. Everton hosts it every year as a summer farewell, even though summer isn’t over until mid-September, but it’s right before school starts, and the cool weather starts rolling in. The whole town comes together for food, drinks, and games.

  Not long after Averly and Eli arrive, Faith gets there, begging for a drink after some disaster at work. Then, Axel and Lia join us. The chatter is loud, even over the music, and we take up half the space at the bar.

  “Let’s go dance.” Finn interrupts my conversation with the girls and grabs my almost empty beer bottle, placing it on the bar. He drags me a few feet away to where people are dancing.

  “I can’t dance.” I shake my head vehemently. I don’t think he realizes that I have no rhythm.

  “Impossible.” His hands land on my hips. My heart drums in the base of my throat as Finn starts moving. I try to sway from side to side, but keep going opposite he does.

  “Relax.” He squeezes my hips and pulls me closer to him. My chest brushes against his, and I try to move again, following his guidance. “That’s better,” he whispers into my ear. “Loosen up.”

  I look up at Finn, who is smiling wickedly. “I’m a terrible dancer.” I shake my head and bite down my smile.

  “Just move your hips. I know you can,” he winks.

  I sigh and stare at him. Finn chuckles and spins me around. I start to get into the song, moving to the beat.

  “There you go, babe.” Finn drops a kiss on my lips. “We’ll practice more of this tonight.” His eyebrows wag, and he swivels his hips in a cheesy way.

  I throw my head back in laughter, shaking my head as I wipe the corner of my eyes. “I gotta go pee,” I say and run off to the bathroom, Finn’s cackles following me. Between the beer I drank and Finn making me laugh, I’ll pee my pants.

  I squeeze my legs together when I walk in and find that the two stalls are occupied.

  “I mean, she was a total nerd in high school. She’s still nerdy, so I don’t know what he sees in her. It must be some kind of ego trip to fuck his sister’s best friend.”

  I freeze, lis
tening to what the woman in the stall is saying. Is she talking about Finn and me? I can’t figure out who she is by her voice alone.

  “Yeah, there’s no way Abbie is actually Finn’s type. Have you spoken to him?”

  My breath catches, and my nails dig into my palms. I run out of the bathroom before they can see me and lean against the wall next to the door. I close my eyes and feel tears rolling down my face. I wipe them away quickly before they smear my mascara or make my face look puffy.

  I gasp for air, trying to fill my lungs, but I’m coming up empty. I bend over, hugging my middle. I feel like I’m going to be sick. Does the entire town think I’m not good enough for Finn? Are they all wondering if this is some type of game to him?

  I can’t listen anymore. If the girl told her friend she has spoken to Finn, I wouldn’t know what to think. I don’t believe he’d do anything to hurt me, but how long will it be before he wants someone else? He may not realize it himself at the moment, but Finn Cooper doesn’t stay with the same woman for long.

  When I hear the door opening, I hide my face behind my hair. Fortunately, the women are too busy talking to even notice there’s a shadow in the hallway—because that’s all I am, the nerdy girl who stands in the shadows. After they pass by, I turn my head, but it is too dark to recognize who they are.

  I sneak into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror–green eyes, brown hair with bangs that I should probably change. I’ve had the same hairstyle for years. Maybe I’ll get highlights. There’s nothing special about my features or my body. I’m not tall or leggy. My breasts are small and my curves are more like straight planes.

  There’s more to a person than physical appearance, I tell myself. At least I’m not a resentful bitch like that woman. Unless she has reason to feel that way…

  No. I shake that thought right out of my head. Finn wouldn’t two-time me. I take a deep breath and walk out of the bathroom. Halfway to the bar, I realize I didn’t actually pee, but it’s too late to turn around if I don’t want Finn to get suspicious.