Lift You Up (Rivers Brothers 1)

"You like her, right?"

"I've always liked her."

Scotti's eyes rolled. "Don't be difficult. You know what I mean. Of course you like her, but do you like her as more than a family friend?"

"Yeah."

"And she puppy-dog eyes you. So why not go back and see if it can go anywhere? If it turns out you guys were just trapped and horny and there was no future, no big deal."

"That's true." I had faith that we could both be grown-ups about it if that was the case. There would be no way around Sunday dinners and holidays. Helen, the Mallick matriarch, would never allow us to avoid each other by not attending. She would track us down if we tried. Maybe there would be some awkwardness at first, but that would eventually fade away.

There really wasn't too much to lose if things didn't go the way I might have been hoping they would.

But a hell of a lot to gain if they did.

"Oh, well," Scotti said, pausing outside my office door.

"Well what?"

"Well, there is something to lose."

"Which is?"

"I think if you guys date and it goes south... I think she might sue for custody of Padfoot."

A low chuckle moved through me at the truth of that. Savea absolutely would be the type to demand visitation with him.

"Go on," Scotti said, passing Padfoot's leash into my hand, taking Hannibal's. "I'll drop him home so there won't be any, ah, interruptions tonight," she offered, eyes twinkling as she turned and walked down the street toward her car, the now tired Hannibal sticking to her side with a slow trot.

I took a deep breath, holding it, then letting it out slowly as I pulled the door open, ready for whatever the night had in store for us.SIXSaveaI was pretty sure they took a walk clear across the county. They'd been gone for almost an hour.

And I - pathetic, time-noticing me - had been acutely aware of each passing moment. As I desperately pretended not to be watching the clock as I flipped through magazines in the sitting area, eyes not noticing anything on the actual pages. They could have been trying to sell me eye cream or butt plugs and I wouldn't have known.

Nixon moved around, his thumping footsteps as he went. I knew him to be capable of walking almost silently. Whether he was stomping about because of something that was bothering him work-wise or just to announce to me where he was at all times, I didn't know.

He had to be getting tired of babysitting me, but he stayed uncharacteristically tight-lipped about those feelings if he had them.

Maybe Kingston was paying him to do it.

And, well, it didn't sit right with me being someone else's job.

Even as the thought formed, I snapped the magazine closed, slapping it back down on the table. My body had just knifed off the couch when the lock slid, the alarm started to beep.

Kingston stepped inside, focus immediately going to the keypad to plug in the code before the company called, his hand automatically releasing Paddy's leash, leaving him free to bound toward me, going up on his back thighs to place muddy paws on my legs, tongue lapping at the exposed skin on my arm.

"Oh, you had a good walk, huh?" I asked, rubbing his soft head as his tail threatened to propellor off his butt.

"We took a walk through the woods," King's voice informed me, moving closer as I pretended loving on Padfoot required all my attention.

"Did you smell all the bunnies and the squirrels and the chipmunks?" I asked, suddenly hyper-aware of my puppy-voice as Kingston moved into the sitting area, body towering over mine.

"Hannibal nearly ripped Scotti's arm off," he told me.

"Yeah, he needs the correction right when you walk out the door, or he gets too into his own head to control. It's why Peyton tends to bring him to the dog park instead of taking a hike with him. Well, that and I think Peyton is allergic to the very idea of hiking."

"Oh, finally," Nixon declared, waving a piece of paper in his hand. "Got a new client," he told King without giving him a chance to say anything. "Don't worry. I will go have the meeting," he said, tone pointed, insinuation clear. "I'm assuming you won't need any more assistance with Savea tonight," he added on his way out the door, making a low, unexpected growling noise move through Kingston and, judging by the heat in my neck and cheeks, a blush to creep over my skin.

"He's always a little surly," I started, wanting to change the subject before it actually started to get awkward. "But I think having to take time out to watch over me is making him grumpier than usual."

"It's fine," King rushed to say, clearly not wanting to make me feel like a burden even if his brother felt free to imply as much. "He's been working more than usual. I think he is struggling with whether he wants to make this his full-time gig, or move on and find his own niche."