7 Months (Time for Love 8)

“She’s healing well. The swelling in her face is starting to go down,” I said, my hand gripping my glass tightly as I thought of how horrible her face had looked when it was completely bruised and swollen. “I’ll tell you, I’d love to get my hands on Zeke … in a room with no cameras.”

“I hear that, but don’t worry, man, no judge in the world is going to let that asshole walk. You talk to Ming yet?”

I took another drink of my IPA, buying time, before replying, “Ah, no, why?”

“Why?” he responded incredulously. “Because she’s one of the best prosecutors in the city, and a family friend. Ming knows Nat, which will make Nat more comfortable, and you know she’d do anything to help out a friend.”

I did know that, and she’d been the first person I’d thought of when Doobie had talked about Nat needing a lawyer. But, after the way we’d left things on New Year’s, I didn’t think she’d want to hear from me, especially to ask her to take Nat’s case. Not that I thought she’d refuse, but because I knew that she didn’t understand my relationship with Natalie. My protectiveness of her.

There’d never been anything between Natalie and me. First of all, I’d never fuck around with a married woman. And second of all, after spending the last seven months with Ming, and then the last couple weeks without her, I was realizing that my vision of what I wanted in a woman had changed.

“Hello … Brady,” Brendan called, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Sorry,” I replied, then tried to recall his question. “Uh, no, I haven’t talked to Ming about taking on Nat’s case. I was thinking maybe Bronagh could do it.”

Brendan looked at me suspiciously over his glass.

“Why wouldn’t you just ask her yourself? I notice you guys don’t talk much, and I know she can come off a bit abrasive, but she’s a great person, and Bronagh’s best friend. You should make more of an effort.”

Deciding I was done keeping secrets from my brother, I blurted, “Ming and I have been sleeping together since my academy graduation party at your place.”

Brendan’s face turned red as he choked on the beer he’d just started to swallow.

I didn’t even pretend I hadn’t timed my confession for that exact moment. I started

laughing as his eyes bugged out and he gasped for air.

“Are you fucking serious?”

I chuckled and replied, “Completely.”

“How the hell did that even happen?” he asked, totally shocked. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head. “Oh, God, I’m picturing it. Make it stop!”

“Suck it.”

“I can’t even wrap my head around this … it’s just too weird. It’s like that time I walked in Brock and Victoria having sex…”

“What?” I asked, setting my glass down so hard it made a loud banging sound. I looked around apologetically, then leaned in to my brother and hissed again, “What?”

“Yeah, Jesus, my eyes…” Brendan covered his face with his hands as if reliving the moment. “He’s so much bigger than her. It was like watching a bear attacking a gazelle.”

“Ah, shut up, I don’t want to hear anymore,” I said, uncomfortable with the picture he’d just put in my head. Then I started laughing. “I be

t he was pissed.”

Brendan moved his hands and I could see his eyes dancing.

“Man, he jumped up and started yelling, then chased me out down the hall. I was screaming for him to put his dick away, and he was yelling that I’d better not have looked at Victoria. That was the day I decided it was time to get my own place. I moved out that weekend.”

We were both still laughing when our food came, and once we were alone again, Brendan prompted, “So … Ming.”

“It’s over, so there’s no point in making a big deal out of it now.”

“Who ended it?”

“Her,” I replied, reaching for the salt, pepper, A-1, and Thousand Island I’d requested.

“Please don’t put that salad dressing on your steak,” Brendan pleaded, just like I knew he would.