A Long Time Coming (Cane Brothers, #3)(24)

“You know, I cyberstalked her last night.”

“Did you really? What did you come up with?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Yeah, I would.” He nods at me. “Come on, spill. Tell me what I’m getting myself into tonight.”

I grab my phone from the counter, and while the coffee brews, I show Breaker the screenshots I took last night for this very purpose—to share with him.

“Okay, first of all, she’s really pretty.”

“Looks aren’t everything, but that’s a bonus. Let me see.” I show him a picture of her in a skintight light pink dress with a sunset behind her. Her hair is long and curled, and she’s holding a champagne glass. Surprisingly, I see his eyes widen. “Wow, okay, yeah. She’s beautiful.”

I pause and say, “But she’s a blonde.”

“Yeah, think I can get over that.” He smirks at me. “What else do you have?”

Feeling weird because I didn’t think he would have that kind of reaction, I go back to the screenshots on my phone. I don’t know, I knew he was going to think she was pretty because it’s obvious, but his reaction suggests he’s actually interested.

Why is that a bad thing in my head?

It shouldn’t be.

I guess this whole situation is just weird, is all. Breaker doesn’t date that much. He’s taken girls out, had one-night stands, but an actual girlfriend, not really.

“So, uh, she really likes baseball. She loves the Chicago Rebels. Not sure who they are, but she has some fan page dedicated to a player’s butt.”

“Which means she’s a butt person. That bodes well for me, as I have a nice ass.”

“Do you?”

“Oh please,” he scoffs. “You know I do, and don’t even try to deny it. What else do you have on her?”

Not that I’ve looked, but he does. An annoyingly nice butt.

“She likes . . . get this . . . romantic comedies.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

I study him, truly study him. “Breaker, they’re so cliché.”

“For a reason,” he says. “They bring joy to people. I know Kelsey and Lottie are obsessed with them. They’ve changed my mind. I can see the appeal. Something about having hope at the end of a story, knowing that it’s all going to end well, makes you feel all warm and cozy inside.”

I set my phone down, cross my arms over my chest, and ask, “What have you done with my best friend? You hate romantic comedies.”

He hops off the counter and says, “People can change, Lia. It’s okay. The world won’t fall apart.” He smirks and then pulls me into a hug. “Are you jealous I’m going out with this girl tonight?”

“What?” I pull away. “Why on earth would I be jealous?”

He lets me go just as a knock sounds on the door. The food is here.

“Because you’re supposed to be the only woman in my life, right?”

“Well, yes. Of course.”

He laughs and presses a quick kiss to my head before grabbing the food. “Don’t worry, Lia, you’ll always be my best friend.” He turns toward me and then adds, “But you can’t offer me benefits, and a guy has needs.” His smirk makes me believe he’s joking.

I push at his bare chest. “Ew, gross. Don’t be that guy.”

“Lia, I’ve always been that guy, but you just don’t see it because you’d give me shit.”

He sets the food out on the table, and I say, “So you think you’ll like her? Go out with her?” I lean in and whisper. “Have sex?”

“Jumping the gun a bit, but I’m open. And I mean, she’s really pretty. Who knows, maybe I’ll be taking her as my date to your wedding. Maybe she’ll catch the bouquet, maybe I’ll catch the garter, and we’ll have a whirlwind romance where Bertha, Bernard, and Barabbas aren’t just a thought but a reality.”

“All because of Brian. Could you imagine?”

“Honestly, I can’t, but I’m just going with the flow at this point.”

“And why exactly?” I ask, popping open the container to my pancakes.

He looks up at me from where he’s unfolding his burrito from the foil. “Because I want to make sure you’re happy, Lia. I know how stressed you are about all of this, and if I can ease some of that stress, then I’m going to do that for you.”

“You don’t have to ease the stress by going out with Birdy.”

“It’s one date, and it’s more for Brian than anything.”

I eye him suspiciously. “And when have you ever started doing things for Brian?”

“Since he’s going to be your husband and . . . and I don’t want to lose you,” he says quietly.

I pause, my head tilting to the side. Is he serious? When I study him for a moment and take in the way his shoulders curve inward and the dip in his posture, I can tell he is. “What? Breaker, you’re not going to lose me.”

He sets his burrito down and faces me. “Lia, we have to be real about this. In five weeks, things are really going to change. You’re no longer going to live next to me. You’re going to be occupied with your new life, and sure, I know you won’t forget me, but I don’t want there to be any reason for there to be distance between us other than actual distance. I don’t want to give Brian a reason to put a wedge between us.”