I just wanted to know how she was doing.
And I wasn’t about to text her for the third time just to ask.
I would only be invading her space and annoying the fuck out of her. Of course, if she didn’t text me back by the end of my shift, I would either have to text one of her roommates or stop at her house on my way home. I needed to make sure she was safe. She didn’t need to talk to me, but I had to make sure she was okay.
And, unbeknownst to me, I was in a full-on relationship.
“That is the fifth time you’ve looked at your phone. Girl troubles?”
I looked over at Aiden and shrugged. “I don’t think so.”
My brother winced. “That’s never a good sign if you have to qualify it.”
“I’m pretty sure I said that phrase to you at some point.”
My happily married brother just smiled a little evilly. “It’s the truth. You helped me out of a sticky situation when it came to Sierra. I guess it’s my turn.”
I gave Aiden a look. “I don’t know if I want your advice. Sometimes, you’re a little scary.”
“You’re lucky I like you, kid, and we’re in public, or I’d slap the crap out of you.”
“You’re so nice,” I said, and Aiden just snorted.
“I’m not trying to be nice. I never try to be nice.”
“Well, that’s the truth,” I said dryly.
“You’re such a dick sometimes. It’s like you’re my brother or something.”
That warmed me, and I couldn’t help but give him a sloppy smile. Aiden rolled his eyes but smiled right back. We had been doing good at this whole brother thing for a while now, even though we weren’t that new at it. Every once in a while, though, I was reminded of the fact that I hadn’t been raised with them. I didn’t share in their stories from their time growing up, nor did I have the connections and memories the others did. But they were so good at making sure I was part of everything now. I didn’t feel the lack. Even though I could’ve easily let myself do so. My brothers were good men and took care of me.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head as he studied me. “Is there a reason you’re looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?”
I tried to grin to lighten the mood a bit. I didn’t want to get too emotional since we were working, and I was already worried about Elise.
“I think there’s some processed wing sauce on your chin. Tasting the wares, were you?”
My brother’s eyes narrowed even further, and his cheeks reddened. “How dare you utter such foolishness. Number one, if anyone ever heard you, I would have to kill you—and possibly them, as well. Number two, I would never dare grace these lips or these walls with processed wing sauce. We make it from scratch, you asshole.”
“But you’re still making wings,” I teased.
Aiden flipped me off this time. “You’re an ass. And, of course, I’m making wings. It’s a bar. They just don’t realize they’re eating fancy wings.”
“Is that what you call them now?”
Aiden groaned. “I’m going to end up with wings at the new restaurant.”
“Just to annoy the highbrow people that come in and eat at your restaurant?”
“We’re not going hoity-toity highbrow.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” I asked honestly.
“Nothing at all. I’m finding my groove. Now stop changing the subject. Why do you keep looking at your phone?” Aiden asked, and I shook my head.
“Elise isn’t texting me back. I want to know how her dinner went with her parents.”
My brother gave me a knowing look and then went back to plating an order. We were slow tonight, mostly because it was late on a weeknight, and we’d already hit our two rushes. But we still had a few orders to fill.
I was working in the kitchen tonight, though I had been up front for most of the evening. Now, Aiden was alone because his other cook was out thanks to a sprained wrist and a long day, and I had filled in. I didn’t mind, and my brothers made sure they compensated me for my lack of tips. Plus, I got to hang out with Aiden. I had once thought that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but maybe I’d help again in the kitchen with Aiden more often. I just wasn’t sure. I needed some time to figure out what I wanted. And I was blessed as fuck to have a family who understood that.
“Do you know if she’s avoiding you? Maybe she just had a long night. Or her phone’s off.”
I sighed. “My mind’s already gone through a thousand different scenarios. I’m just overreacting. She’s fine. Everything’s okay. I’m just tired, I guess. Or maybe I’m not used to this.”
“For a guy who was so good at helping all of us settle into our relationships, you’ve never had a serious one of your own.”
I shrugged. “No. I haven’t. I guess that makes me kind of an asshole for forcing you guys to listen to me before.”
Aiden shrugged. “No. You’re not an asshole for that. We didn’t have to listen to you. We could’ve ignored you, acted like you were just some kid. But we didn’t. We wanted to know what was up. We listened to you. Still do. We like you. And you’re smart. You evidently knew what you were talking about, so I guess now you should listen to your own advice.”
“And what advice was that? It’s been a couple of years.”
Aiden laughed. “Yeah, it has. You guys are young. You have time to figure things out. I know you’ve got a thousand things on your mind, though. And you texted her, I take it?”
I winced. “Twice. Once to see how it was going, another to ask how it went. I don’t want
