Unspoken Vow (Steele Brothers 2)

“Do you think maybe we should be the ones to decide our label? We are roommates.”

Anders stands. “On that note, if I go to sleep now, I’ll get at least two hours before I need to get to work.”

“That’s not enough,” I argue.

“It’s enough for me.”

Surprising me, Anders approaches and kisses me good morning. Now I’m even more confused.

He lifts a finger to flatten the crease in my brow. “She caught me sneaking out of your room. She knows.”

“Oh.”

Anders goes to his room with a wave, and I go back to the coffee machine.

“Can I have one?” Rachel asks behind me.

“It’ll suck compared to the stuff you get in Guatemala.”

She scoffs. “Doubt that. Guatemalan coffee tastes like mud.”

I cock my head.

“They export all the good stuff.”

“Ah.”

The whirring of the machine probably keeps Anders awake, but it only takes a few minutes to make the two cups.

“Dad will be happy you’re back.”

Rachel rolls her eyes. “Yay.”

“He actually asked about you yesterday, so can you please call him and tell him you’re fine?”

“Can you tell him when you go to work?”

“Mature.”

“All he’s going to do is ask what my plan is now, and considering I wasn’t planning on being home at all, I don’t have one.”

“Fine.” I drink down my coffee fast, because I should already be at work, but before I go, I pull Rachel in for a hug. “I’m happy you’re back.”

She holds me tight. “Thank you. But I guess asking Anders to share your room so I can have a bed is a bit too much? Just until I figure out where to go from here?”

Shit. I can’t ask Anders to move into my room, but I can’t tell Rachel why.

“Anders needs his own bed. He hates mine.”

“You could share his?” She looks so hopeful, but I can’t …

“I … I …” I don’t know how to answer this.

This is a complication of dating Anders I didn’t even think about. Not that it’s something I could predict coming up. And normal people don’t ask about couples’ sleeping arrangements.

“Can’t you ask Mum?”

Rachel slumps. “On the Sunny Coast? I was hoping to stay in Brisbane.”

I let out a loud breath. “Okay, I’ll see what we can do.”

“You don’t want me here?”

I don’t have the power to say no to my little sister. “It’s not that. At all. We just don’t … we don’t have a lot of room. Take the couch again tonight, and I’ll talk to Anders when I get home, okay?”

“Thank you!” She throws her arms around me again. “And by the way, you did good. I like him.”

“I like him too, which is why I’m scared about pushing for more than he’s ready for. We’re really new, Rach. Not sure where it’s going.”

Understanding dawns on her face. “Oh. I thought …” She shakes her head. “I thought, like, you were dating and then he moved in.”

“No, he moved in as my roommate first.”

“And you call me stupid.”

“Hey, I’ve never called you stupid. Impulsive, maybe.”

“I’m the impulsive one? You’re hooking up with your roommate. That’s bad. Even I know that.”

I laugh. “I know, but I couldn’t help it. I mean, you did see him, right?”

“He’s … interesting. The complete opposite of Reed.”

“About that. Can you maybe not mention Reed to him? Reed is with Anders’ brother, and Law already hates me enough as it is.”

She puts her hands up. “Fine. But I cannot wait to see you all together. That’s gotta be weird, right?”

“They don’t know about Anders and me yet.”

“Why not?”

“Did I happen to mention Anders is Law’s identical twin? It’s weird.”

She bursts out laughing. “Anders was so right. He does make your life messy. In the best possible way.”

“How so?”

“It sounds all so very twisted. You’re usually so straightforward and uncomplicated.”

I shrug. “I am not.”

She gives me her I don’t believe you face.

“Okay, fine, maybe that’s true, but being with Anders? It makes more sense than anything else in my life right now.”

“Then don’t let him get away.”

I kiss her on the cheek on my way out. “I don’t plan to.”

Only, I fear Anders has other plans.

* * *

I knew getting away from work early would be easy as soon as I told my father that Rachel was home and in my apartment.

She asked me to tell him, and I did. It’s her fault for thinking Dad wouldn’t invite himself over so he could lecture her.

The thought of giving Anders a heads-up crosses my mind, but if I tell Anders and he tells Rachel, she’ll leave and say she had no idea Dad was coming.

Besides, this isn’t like a meet-the-parents thing. I’ll introduce Anders as my roommate, and that’s all.

I probably won’t hear the end of that either. Dad doesn’t know I have a roommate, and I had planned on keeping it that way.

“I’ll call ahead and order takeaway from Videre for all of us,” Dad says.