Crazy (The Gibson Boys 4)

“Seriously, Peck. What the fuck?”

“What the fuck, what?”

He snatches the hammer right out of my hand. “I watched you do this all morning, and I’ve had it. Either talk or walk.”

“Oh, look. You’re trying to be funny,” I say.

He scowls. “I’m not trying to be funny. I’m trying to save your life.”

“You should be sure someone wants saving before you go playing hero.”

His eyes narrow and his jaw tenses as he tries to bend me to his will. Usually, I’d cut a joke right here and end up annoying him, and he’d go back to whatever he was doing and leave me alone. Today, though, I’m not in the mood for cutting jokes.

I just lost my girl.

Sure, she said we were just getting space. But this space feels like a fucking universe. I don’t like it. I hate it. And I can feel the depths of the divide between us, and I know it’s not going to close.

The door to the office opens and in walks Vincent and Sienna. They exchange a grin as they see Walker and me ready to square off.

“Take it easy, boys,” she says. “What’s happening in here?”

“I’d love to know,” Walker says, staring me down.

I don’t answer either of them.

Vincent leans against a work table and slides his sunglasses off his face. He hooks them in the front of his shirt.

“If I were a betting man, and I do love me some gambling,” Vincent says, “I’d bet my brother here is having girl problems.”

I consider testing my brother’s mettle these days and throwing a solid right hand. But if I do, Walker will get involved, and we’ll all die.

Sienna puts a hand on Walker’s bicep. Instantly, he relaxes.

“Peck, what’s going on?” she asks. “Can I help with anything?”

“Nope.”

“Okay, cut the shit. What did lover girl do?” Vincent shrugs when I send him a death glare. “What? I didn’t fuck her. I don’t care what you heard.”

My right hand isn’t fast enough. Walker’s hand clasps around my forearm, and he jerks me around in a circle to face him.

“Wanna fight?” Walker asks. “Let’s fight.”

“Walker …” Sienna sighs.

“I don’t want to fight you, Walk. I wanna fight him.”

“You sure about that?” Vincent raises a brow. “You wouldn’t stand a chance. And I was kidding about fucking her. You know that. Chill out.”

I give him my most befuddled look. “Really? Pretty sure I can take a guy who wears a button-up shirt with fucking flamingos on it.”

“This shirt is cool.” He lifts a piece of the fabric and lets it billow back to his body.

Sienna waves her hands in the air. “Okay. Enough of the pissing match. What is happening? Are you having lady problems, Peck?”

“Yeah. He’s on his period,” Vincent jokes.

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”

He just laughs.

“Okay,” I say, turning to Sienna. “I need advice. Wanna give me some?”

“Sure. What’s going on?”

I walk around the shop bay, circling wide so as not to get into Walker’s or Vincent’s spheres. While I don’t think either one would try to shoot a double-leg on me, I’m not that sure—not sure enough to get in their line of fire.

“So I have this girl. Dylan. She moved in with me as friends, and I don’t know. She just … stole my fucking heart, Sienna. Yes, we slept together, but it was more than just fucking. And you know … I like her a lot.”

More than a lot. I love her.

“That’s great,” Sienna says.

“Yeah, except she thinks … I don’t even know what she thinks. She moved out yesterday and said she thinks we need some space and that she couldn’t compete with Molly, which is stupid …” I sigh. “What the fuck do I do, Sienna?”

Walker steps between us. His hands are out to the sides. “Let me take this one.”

“I don’t have time for your bullshit,” I say.

He faces me, and the annoyance at my antics from moments ago is completely gone. All I see is a sincere desire to offer advice—advice that’ll likely suck ass, but at least he cares enough to offer it.

“Okay, Walker,” Sienna says. “Go for it.”

“This I gotta hear,” Vincent chimes in.

Walker smiles. “First of all, tell me in the quick notes version how Molly is involved.”

“She’s not. I mean, she came by the house, and I told her not to. That she needed to stand on her own two feet.” I look over my shoulder at my brother.

He grins. “Great advice, bro. Sounds like a genius gave you that.”

I laugh.

“Okay. Got it,” Walker says. “Listen to this, Slugger,” he says to Sienna, then returns his focus to me. “So Molly knows that you like Dylan. You told her basically that you chose Dylan over her. Right?”

I nod.

“But Dylan doesn’t know that.”

“No, she does. I told her that. I told her she was my number one.”

Walker chuckles. “Man, you gotta make shit crystal clear. Like crystal fucking clear.” He doesn’t flinch when Sienna sticks her elbow in his side. “You have to spell this out for Dylan. Tell her you’re an open book. That you want her—be explicit about it—that you want her to live with ya, if that’s what you want. That you love her. Just like that. I love you. Three words. Look her in the eye.”