Need Me (Mess with Me 3)

She pulls Ari into a hug. But she’s standing so close that I can overhear. “You have a lot of explaining to do. At least now I understand why you didn’t want me to introduce him to Anya. You were jealous.”

Ari looks over at me. “I was not jealous.”

I just grin at this new knowledge.

“I wasn’t.”

“Whatever you say, baby. You know I rock your world.”

She rolls her eyes. “Keep messing with me and the next dicks I send you will be attached to bodies.”

The entire room explodes with l

aughter.

“Wait, what?” Andre’s going to have a heart attack with how hard he’s laughing at me.

“That sounds familiar,” Milo comments.

“He’s lucky she didn’t deliver them in person.” That comment comes from Mya. “Has she shown you her scuba diving gear yet?”

Now it’s my turn to look at Ariana with new eyes. “Scuba gear?”

The blush I love to tease her about starts to climb her neck. “That’s nothing.”

I pull her to my side and nuzzle her hair. “That’s okay, baby. You can show me when we get home. I bet you look hot in a wetsuit.”

Mya gapes at us. “He’s as crazy as she is.”

Andre watches us with a knowing smile. I’m sure he’s thinking about the advice he gave me a couple of weeks ago. Back then he didn’t know who it was for but I know he remembers what he said.

Love isn’t just words.

It’s action.

“I would like to welcome Ariana to the family,” Andre says. “My brother has always had exceptional taste.”

Next to me I can feel Ariana relax. In that moment I’m so grateful to my brother for always knowing exactly what to say. I think my father would really have been proud of us in this moment. This was all he wanted, to see us happy and in love, supporting each other the way brothers should. Putting family first.

I guess we’re all grown up now.

“Would anyone like a glass of wine? Or a snack?” Andre gestures for us all to move toward the couch.

Then he picks up a tray from one of the side tables and holds it right in front of my face.

“Mini-wieners perhaps?” His laughter cuts off when I punch him playfully in the stomach.

We aren’t that grown up yet.

A few hours later, all the other guests have left. Ariana is with Casey looking at some new romance novels she wants to borrow. Andre and I wander over to the long sectional in the living room to watch TV while we wait for the girls to come back.

“There’s never anything on,” Andre comments as he scrolls through the channels.

“You should try Netflix. It’s never too early for a heartwarming tale about a small-town baker.”

He looks at me like I’m insane. “What?”

“Never mind. It’s an inside joke.”