The Wrong Man (Alpha Men 3)

So why the fuck was he so concerned about how Lia McGregor was feeling right now? It was bizarre, and he didn’t like it.

CHAPTER NINE

Family breakfast at the McGregor homestead was as noisy and vibrant as dinner had been. Everybody was loud and boisterous and talking over one another in an attempt to be heard. Sam enjoyed it because it meant that he got overlooked in the confusion. Which left him to watch Lia. She was quieter than the rest, speaking only when she had an opinion to offer.

Once again she barely acknowledged his existence, and it made him want to say or do something outrageous to catch her attention. He didn’t, though; instead he minded his manners like a champ and resisted the impulse to get a rise out of her. Still, it grated that she pretended he wasn’t even there, but he knew it was probably another one of her ridiculous rules.

Because he was so intent on watching her, he noticed the flare of panic and discomfort in her eyes before Daisy’s words registered. It made him sit up and pay attention to the conversation.

“Who told you that?” Lia was asking Daisy, and the younger woman shrugged amiably.

“Daff. She said you wanted to move into my house. You’ll want to get rid of Daff’s crap first, though—apparently she doesn’t know that moving out means you have to take all your stuff to your new place.”

“Come on, Daisy, Spencer asked me to move in on Monday, I packed a bag that same night and he hasn’t been rid of me since. I didn’t want to give him a chance to change his mind again,” Daff protested, and Daisy’s eyebrows flew up. “I’ll get around to the rest of it soon.”

“You gave notice last month,” Daisy said. “I thought you moved out weeks ago.”

“Spencer wouldn’t let me move in,” Daff said, and all eyes shifted to Spencer, who shrugged uncomfortably.

“I thought we’d be setting a bad example for Charlie,” he muttered, and Charlie laughed.

“Please, like I don’t know what sex is.”

“Let’s pretend you don’t know what it is and leave it at that,” Mason said with a glower.

“Hmm. Until you’re at least thirty-eight,” Spencer agreed, and Charlie rolled her eyes at them.

“You’re moving out, Lia?” Millicent McGregor asked, bringing the conversation back to the topic that had interested Brand in the first place.

“I thought it was a good idea,” Lia said uncomfortably.

“Of course, I understand your desire to live your life without feeling like your parents are constantly monitoring your every move. Especially now that you have a gentleman friend that you’re calling on, but we’re going to miss you,” her mother said, and Sam suddenly understood where Lia got her sometimes quaint turns of phrase. Millicent had a delightfully old-fashioned way of wording things. The older woman’s actual meaning didn’t register until he saw Lia’s fiery blush.

“Gentleman friend?” Daisy asked with wide eyes, her voice escalating on each syllable. “Lia! Have you been keeping secrets from me? Is it Gregory? Have things been going well with him?”

“You know about that douche?” Daff asked incredulously.

“Unlike some people at this table—Daff—Daisy actually listens when I speak,” Lia said self-consciously, still battling a fiery blush.

“Why is he a douche?” Daisy asked. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” Lia said softly.

“Let’s just say we call him Gropey Gregory around these parts now,” Daff said with a frown. Lia looked so perfectly miserable that Sam had to curb the impulse to tell Daff to shut the fuck up about that prick Gregory. This was clearly not a topic Lia felt comfortable discussing right now.

“What did he do?” Mason asked dangerously, and Spencer sat up and paid attention, too, both men clearly protective of all the McGregor women.

“He won’t be bothering her again,” Sam felt compelled to say. It wasn’t their place to feel protective over Lia, especially not since the problem had pretty much been resolved already.

The table went silent as all eyes flew to him. Wow, uncomfortable. Sam shifted slightly and cleared his throat. Not sure what to say beneath the weight of expectation in all those gazes. The only one not looking at him—still—was Lia. And that was driving him crazy.

“Explain,” Mason demanded curtly, and Sam huffed an impatient breath.

“I had a firm word with him.” Mason grinned at the explanation—Sam’s “firm word” was good enough for him.

“But I don’t understand,” Mrs. McGregor said blankly. “If you and this Gregory aren’t getting serious, then where did you go last night?”

Lia could feel her face flame, and she wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She didn’t want to lie to her family, especially not while they were all staring at her in avid interest and concern.

“I . . . uh . . . I . . .”

“I’m afraid I’m to blame for that, ma’am,” Brand said suddenly, and Lia’s eyes flew to his apologetic face in horror. “I was having some difficulty last night and couldn’t find my pain medication. I messaged Lia and asked if she knew where I’d put them. Turns out, she had them in her handbag. She was kind enough to bring them to me. I know it was late and I wouldn’t have asked her to come if I weren’t in pretty extreme discomfort.”