“You do that, Spitfire. You do that,” Ryan said as he laughed at his cousin’s narrowed eyes.
Suddenly, Errin broke in a fit of laughter and said, “Wait? Is your dad’s name really Roger?” Ryan let out a fake groan, but he smiled at Errin. “Yeah, yeah. We’ve heard the jokes all before, Spitfire.”
“So, is it true then?” Errin said. Brennan counted till three in his head, as he was sure she was aiming for a joke about his uncle’s name he’d never heard before. Back in the days, his aunt Shauni liked to boost about her farmer husband being sexier than his namesake, the former James Bond actor.
Ryan grinned as he signaled with his hands and said, “Okay. Give it to me. I bet I’ve heard it already…”
“Just wondering if your dad shook while making you and stirred while making your four sisters?”
Brennan busted out in laughter along with Fi. Ryan’s eyed grew wide before he joined them. “Okay, okay. I’m going to tell Roger Moore this joke tonight at the dinner table. You’ve got me there, Spitfire.”
“You do that, Ryan Moore,” Errin said on a wink.
Brennan took Errin’s hand and tugged her with him as he took the first steps out of the stables. He didn’t care about being rude. He said goodbye over his shoulder and Errin snickered. “Geez, the Mills testosterone brigade is on full force today.”
As he rode his truck from the farmland, she broke their moment of silence. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
He glanced over at Errin, sitting in her light blue jeans they’d picked up at her place, and his dark blue shirt she’d lend this morning.
She did that tying thing chicks did whenever their shirt was too big. It made his shirt bunch up in a knot above her belly button ring. It was making him crazy. Thinking of his cousin Ryan seeing her piercing made him see red.
“What’s your story?”
His gaze went from her piercing to her eyes and he swiftly turned his head toward the road ahead. “What do you mean, Lips? That’s a pretty vague question.”
“Like I said. What’s your story? Why are you the way you are?”
He’d figured he was rather used to Errin’s bluntness and directness by now. But she still surprised him. “I’m not sure I want to get into all of that.”
“Why?”
He turned left and followed the road once more. “Lips. Not everyone wants to talk about everything. Or all the time, for that matter,” he said the last words under his breath as his knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. She snickered while he sighed. She wasn’t easily deterred and took his mutters in stride.
“Okay. Since we have half an hour to kill, I’ll tell you a bit about what formed me,” he said.
Errin turned her body toward him. She eyed him closely, and he shifted in his seat. Fuck. Was he really going to tell her what for shit show their past had been after his mom had died? It was not like Brennan to tell someone his life story. But this was Errin.
“My mom died when I was fourteen. Let’s say, my dad couldn’t handle all the responsibilities. And that’s putting it mildly. He was out working in Lucky or sleeping in late because of the late shifts. He would often also stay over at the apartment above Lucky, my apartment now, and whenever that was the case, we wouldn’t see him for several days in a row.
“And whenever hewouldturn up at the house, he acted like the carefree fun dad, messing up with the schedules I’d set for the boys and interfering with the chores they had to do around the house. Things escalated quickly between him and me.”
“That’s—”
“Yeah, well, the only thing I’m thankful for is that Sean Jr. made me the rock that all my brothers could depend on. I’ll never regret setting my own hopes and dreams aside to be there for them.”
After a few beats, she asked, “What were your hopes and dreams?”
He shook his head and gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I wanted to be a pilot.”
“Oh, you’d make such a handsome pilot. I’d join your mile high club in a heartbeat.” She placed her hand on his thigh, making him look over at the heat in her eyes.
“I’d do you a mile high, a mile low. Fuck, I’d do you anywhere,” he said.
Her signature loud laugh filled the cabin. “I’ll bet. You’re such a horndog.”
“Pfft. It takes two to tango. I’m surprised you didn’t know, seeing you’re a dancer.”