My Brother’s Best Friends

***Reagan***

Landingswasswamped.I sat in a booth across from Lisa with Piper and Posie on either side of me. Russ was supposed to be there any minute. He’d gone to have a drink with the guys first. I had to ignore the icky feeling that I got at the thought of him showing up at August’s just a few hours after I left. I’d made August and Charlie promise to clean the coffee table after what we’d done on it before, but they didn’t seem all that worried.

Lisa studied me with a scary amount of focus and the girls mimicked her. It instantly felt like everyone in Landings knew my secrets and was thinking about them.

“So. You didn’t come home last night, but it doesn’t look like you went horseback riding.”

“You went horseback riding?!” Piper scowled at me. “Without me?”

I glared at Lisa. “What is wrong with you?”

“I wanna ride a horse, too.” Posie sighed dramatically and even added a sniffle. “Did you not want us to come with you?”

“No one went horseback riding.” I shook my head at Lisa, who seemed thoroughly amused. “Got it? No one rode any horses?”

“You sound mad, Aunt Rea. Did you want to ride the horses?”

Lisa threw her head back and laughed, drawing attention to our table. She dabbed at her eyes and nodded at Posie. “You can bet your bottom dollar that Aunt Rea wanted to ride the horses.”

A shadow fell over our table before I could strangle my sister-in-law and I looked up to see Pearl frowning at me. “Jonah doesn’t believe your cake was homemade. He thinks I’m pulling a fast one on him.”

I frowned. “You are.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know that. Bake a little worse!” She put her hands on her hips and looked over at Lisa. “Saw that you’re doing a little baking of your own.”

Lisa’s mouth fell open. “How in the world…?”

I looked between the two of them and focused on Lisa. “So, you have your own secrets, do you?”

Pearl flicked me on the shoulder and rolled her eyes. “She has a secret, but you have three. Mind your business.”

“Oh, that’s rich.” I saw her eyes narrow and held up my hands. “I’ll bake a little crappier.”

The old woman studied me for a beat longer and then looked back at Lisa. “Looks like you’re not going to be alone.”

Lisa’s eyes just about popped out of her head but before she could say anything and before I could demand to know her secret since she knew mine, the door to Landings opened in what felt like slow motion and I watched as my ex walked in with the most focused look I’d ever seen on his face.

“Oh, god, no.” It was like my whispered words drew his gaze. I tried to slink lower in the booth, but with both girls glued to my hips, there was no way. It was too late. I’d been spotted.

“What is it?” Lisa twisted around in the booth and saw Ben striding towards us. “Who…? Oh. Oh, no.”

Ben stopped next to our table and braced his hands on it, leaning forward until he was invading my space. “I have been calling you nonstop. I even called your brother.”

“You called Russ?”

Ben kept right on going. “I left her, Reagan. I need a chance to explain and talk to you. Please.”

People were starting to stare and I was damn near dying from the embarrassment. “Ben, please go away.”

“Not until you let me talk to you.” He stood up straight and put his hands on his hips. “I’m not leaving until you let me explain and tell you that I love you, Reagan.”

I dropped my elbows to the table and covered my mouth. He’d never uttered those words. I had because I’d thought they were real, but Ben never had. I’d waited for him to say them, thinking that they would make everything feel more perfect between us, more right, but hearing him say the words finally just felt awkward and flat.

Lisa met my gaze and shrugged. “He’s hotter in person than I assumed he’d be with the cheating and the stalking.”

Ben was LA beautiful; she was right. If his loud declaration of love hadn’t drawn everyone’s attention, his looks would’ve. They were doing nothing for me, though. I’d spent the morning cuddling with three of the sexiest men to ever walk the face of the earth. I’d been to heaven and Ben just wasn’t adding up.

“Daddy’s mad.” Piper scooted out of the booth and skirted around Ben to join Lisa on her side of the table. “He’s real mad.”