“Could I ask an insane question?”
“There’s no insane question when you’re concerned.”
“Do you think it could work with all of us? I mean, really, truly work?”
My car came to a stop at the light before the restaurant.
“I think it could,” I said. “I mean, Liam loves you. I love you. I know Logan and Levi love you. And that night we all spent together? It was unarguably the best night of my life. And I know my brothers feel the same way.”
I looked over and took in Sam’s beautifully-innocent stare.
“I think we’d all have to sit down and have a conversation,” I said. “Like any other couple would have to do in this scenario. But I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of possibility for something like this to work.”
Relief flooded her eyes, and I wanted to ask her why. I wanted to know why she felt so worried about something like this. Yes, it was taboo. Yes, Lauren was reacting erratically. But I got the feeling this was something deeper for Sam. Something she hadn’t talked about yet that needed to be out in the open.
“Then let’s talk to everyone this weekend,” Sam said.
Her voice was strong. Confident. It tugged a smile across my cheeks as I pulled us into the restaurant.
“Whatever you want, I’ll provide,” I said.
CHAPTER 31
LOGAN
I laid there in bed staring up at the ceiling. Everything was still so up in the air and it was beginning to drive me nuts. Sam was sad, Lauren was pissed, and my brothers and I were actually talking about settling down and having a family with Sam. Like all five of us together. I shook my head and nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all.
The immediate issue was Lauren. Sam needed her best friend. And in all honesty, I knew Lauren needed Sam too. She needed her bestie to talk to about her honeymoon. She needed to go ga-ga over her niece or nephew and help Sam plan the baby shower. They needed one another. But I knew my sister, and when she was hurt, she held onto that shit like a life raft in a storm.
I reached over and picked up my phone. I knew there was the smallest chance I could make things even worse, but I had to try. Lauren needed a dose of reality, and Liam was never good with that. Liam was the peacekeeper. The head of the fucking household. He wanted all of us to coexist without anger, but sometimes getting that meant preaching some truths others didn’t want to hear.
And lucky for Lauren, I happened to be the fucking pastor of the family.
“What Logan?”
“I’m glad you picked up. I was hoping I could meet my little sister for lunch,” I said.
“Are you just getting up? It’s almost eleven.”
“It’s my day off. So the fuck what?” I asked.
“I don’t feel like getting lunch.”
“Then I’ll bring lunch over.”
“Maybe I don’t want to see you.”
“Tough shit, sis. I’ve got all day to play this game with you,” I said.
She sighed, and I knew I had her in my grasp.
“Fine. Where do you want to meet?”
I hammered out the details with her, then I rolled out of bed. I wasn’t going to bother Sam until we all got together on Sunday, but I was going to make sure Lauren fell into line before that happened. All of this shit needed to be wrapped up. All these damn loose ends needed to be taken care of. Otherwise, none of us would get what we wanted, including Lauren.
I threw on some clothes and splashed some water on my face, then I went to go meet with my sister for lunch. There was this café she enjoyed across town. I hated the damn place. Too much sunlight and not enough food on my plate. But I figured meeting her somewhere she enjoyed would help smooth things over a bit. I parked my car and headed inside, then got us a patio table out back.
She walked in ten minutes later, and she didn’t look happy.