Girl Talk and Boys’ Lunch

MADISON

Madison had just dressed in a pair of pink pajamas and climbed into bed when Sam poked her head in.

At Madison’s raised brows, Sam laughed. “Ezra’s already asleep. Poor guy’s been working like a dog. I thought we could catch up a bit.”

As tired as she was, Madison was glad to see her friend and eager to hear more about her romance with Ezra, as well as share the details of her weekend with the twins.

So she patted the mattress.

And when Sam hurried over and got in beside her, Madison pinched Sam’s side, making her jump. “So how long has this been going on?”

Sam rested her head against Madison’s shoulder and sighed dramatically. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. But it’s only been official since Friday night, and Ezra is ~so~ stubborn.”

“I know he is. I’m not mad, Sam, I’m happy. I truly am. You’ve had a crush on him since you were a little kid, for heaven’s sake! It was about time he gave in. He’s always cared for you.”

“Yeah, but he sure kept me guessing. We saw each other when I was home on break from school, you know. You didn’t come back, but sometimes me and your brothers and the twins would hang out.

“Then last year, he started to show a little more interest than usual. I would see him at the gym, and he would chat with me for hours. He still kept his Friday night tradition, though.

“On my last break, he kissed me, but we were drunk and we never talked about it. And then…nothing the day before I left for college again.”

“Until you came back this time?” Madison prompted.

“Right. I guess he was afraid of the age gap—and you.”

“Me?” Madison sat up straighter and turned to look at Sam, who was forced to lift her head. “Why? He’s the psycho, not me.”

“But you’re his little sister, and I’m your best friend!”

“So? You’re both adults. But just to be clear, if either of you hurts the other, I’ll have to hurt you too.”

Sam laughed, shaking her head, then punched Madison’s shoulder playfully. “So I guess I’m not allowed to give you any hot details, right?”

“Correct. I’d rather not know about what’s in my brother’s pants, thanks.”

“Okay, fine.” Sam rolled her eyes and shrugged before piercing Madison with her trademark inquisitive stare. “But now it’s your turn. Spill it.”

“Right. Let’s start with the fact that Liam knows.”

~“What?”~

“Yep. I’m shocked too, mostly because he’s not even mad.”

“He never would be, Madison. Not at you.”

“Of course. Because for that I have Ezra.”

Sam’s face got more serious. “Um, I have to tell you. He’s been going crazy knowing that you’re dating someone but not knowing who it is. And he ~really~ wasn’t happy about your little hickey there.”

“Yeah, tell me something I ~don’t~ know. Just wait until I tell him the guy I’m dating is actually a duo, and oh yeah, they’re his best friends.”

“Liam will be there for damage control.”

“I suppose. But oh, Sam…” Madison sighed. “I think I’m in love with them. And they haven’t said the actual words yet, but…I think they love me too.”

Shock and happiness were all mixed on Sam’s face.

“I mean, I’ve known them both my entire life, but I’ve been discovering so many new things about them. It makes me wonder if I ever really knew them at all before.”

“And you finally ~know them,~ right? You’re not a virgin anymore?” Sam waggled her eyebrows playfully, and they both cracked up as they slid back down against the pillows and cuddled up as they’d done since they were little.

“Well, ~technically~ I still am,” Madison said once they’d settled down. “But not for long. They keep saying they want to take things slow, that there’s no hurry, but the things we’ve done so far have been so…” She sighed happily.

“I’m so happy for you, Mad. And I promise it will be all good.”

“I really hope so, Sam. And I’m happy for you too. I just wish it wasn’t so complicated with Ezra. I can’t even figure out where to start.”

“Well, you’ve got Liam and me on your side, so we’ll find a way,” Sam assured her. “’Night, babe.”

“’Night, Sam.”

With a lighter heart, Madison curled up with her friend and drifted off to sleep.

ETHAN

~Where the fuck was Liam already?~

Ethan sat across from his brother at their favorite bistro, tapping his fingers impatiently on the table.

“Jesus, Ethan,” Levi finally snapped. “You’re making me even more nervous!”

But before Ethan could fire back at Levi, Liam arrived. Finally.

“Hey, guys.”

Liam’s smile and genuinely warm greeting relaxed him a little, but the thing about Liam was that he usually smiled, even when he was upset.

And he’d been upset a lot lately. Though people who didn’t know him as well as the two of them wouldn’t have been able to tell.

Liam had started hiding his true feelings when his so-called parents had taken off and left him and his brother to raise their eleven-year-old sister.

~Madison~—Ethan’s heart ached at the thought of her—the reason they were all here.

Liam took his seat, and Ethan resumed tapping his fingers. Levi clenched his jaw, but Ethan wasn’t sure if it was because of the tapping or because of his nerves.

Actually, no. He was pretty sure it was both.

“Seriously, guys?” Liam said incredulously, then chuckled a little. “What do you think I’m about to do? We’re in a public place, for fuck’s sake.”

Ethan and Levi looked at each other, then silently agreed that Ethan should speak first. “Well, we’re dating your sister. Do you really expect us to believe that you’re fine with it?”

Liam continued to smile serenely as he shook his head. “~Yes.~ Because you should know me by now, you idiots.”

“We do know you, and that’s why we’re concerned. We know what you’ve been through, what Madison’s been through, and most relevant to this situation, we know how protective you are of her.”

Adrian, the manager, delivered their usual drinks—three whiskeys on the rocks and a bottle of water.

Liam nodded his thanks, and when Adrian left, said, “Listen, I invited you out for lunch to make sure you know I’m ~not~ angry at you. Clearly you got the wrong message.”

Liam took a sip of his whiskey. “The only thing I ask is that you respect ~her~, not me. Treat her like the amazing gift she is. Allow her to know the real you. Let her be the center of your world. She deserves that.

“But I do need to know that you’ll never do wrong by her, that you’ll fight for her and show her what the world is about in the best way you can.

“She’s young and must be free to choose her own life and make her own mistakes. She’s strong and stubborn, and you need to be strong too. Don’t give up at the first sight of problems.

“As the three of us are well aware, life doesn’t always go according to plan and troubles are a part of it. Fight for her and let her fight for you. If you can make her happy, I want nothing more.”

And there it was, Liam’s smile, working its magic to cover the sadness and concern that Ethan knew always hovered in his mind.

Liam shrugged. “When it comes to Ezra, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but he won’t take it well. He’s as stubborn as she is. Trust me when I say that the two of them will probably put on a hell of a show.

“So I’ll need you to be strong and take whatever comes…

“And we all know that what’s coming is going to shake her foundation to the core.”