Crazy for Your Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbor #5)(14)

“Our local hero,” Levi croons.

I take a pull of my coffee, trying to swallow back the bile surging in my throat. “Don’t call me that.”

Ethan and Brayden exchange a look. I focus on my plate. I don’t want to see the worry on their faces. I don’t want to see how well or how badly I’ve done hiding what a mess I’ve been.

“That picture of you and Teagan was in the paper,” Lilly says. “Are you gonna get married?”

Ethan chokes on his coffee, and Nic says, “Lill.”

“They’re just friends, sweetie,” Shay says. “Uncle Carter isn’t nearly cute enough for a girl as smart and cool as Teagan.”

“True story.” I nod. “I’m lucky she even danced with me.”

“But my friend Jasper said his mom was there, and she said you and Teagan are having a secret love relationship,” Lilly says.

“We’re not,” I say gently.

“But she showed him a video of you on the stage and said you kissed Teagan in front of everyone. With slobber.”

“Eww! Slobber!” Noah says, wrinkling his nose.

Ethan frowns at his daughter. “When did you see Jasper?”

“He texted me this morning,” she says.

Red creeps up Ethan’s neck. “You’re exchanging texts with a boy? You talked about kissing and slobber?”

“Um, yeah, I’m eight.”

“That phone is a privilege, Lilly. If—”

“We can talk about it later.” Nic puts her hand on top of Ethan’s and squeezes until he looks at her. I can practically see his horror receding as he meets his wife’s eyes. Lilly’s lucky Nic came along. If it weren’t for Nic, Ethan might have put Lilly in a bubble by now.

“I’m more curious about what happened when everyone wasn’t looking,” Levi says, only to be elbowed by Ellie again. “What?”

“Seriously?” she says.

“Everyone’s thinking it.”

Ellie shakes her head. “That doesn’t make it okay to say out loud.”

Molly clears her throat. “I took Teagan home last night. If that, uh, clears up any questions.”

Levi shakes his head at me, truly distraught. “You are such a shitty closer.”

“Language!” Noah says, and Lilly gives him a nod of approval.

Jake shoots me a look. He’s at the bar enough to know my old reputation doesn’t hold true. I used to be incredibly picky about who I’d take home. I used to be more interested in a relationship than an evening of fun. But since Max died, my female friends have been my favorite escape from the hellish churn of memories that wait for me in the quiet moments. I’m still selective and want nothing to do with women who hold me up as some sort of idol, but I “close” just fine. Not with Teagan, but maybe that’s for the best.

“What’s a closer?” Lilly asks.

Ethan chokes on his coffee again, and I cringe.

“Yeah, Uncle Levi,” Shay says, propping her chin on her hands. “What’s a closer?”

Ethan scowls at our youngest brother, daring him to say something inappropriate to his daughter.

Levi keeps a completely straight face as he looks Lilly in the eye and says, “It’s the person who cleans up the bar and locks up at the end of the night. And if they do a bad job, it makes more work for whoever opens the next day.”

“Oh.” Lilly nods, as if this makes sense, but after a beat, she frowns. “But what does that have to do with where Aunt Teagan slept last night?”

Jake coughs, and my mother’s glare sweeps across the table like wildfire, wiping the amusement off the faces of all her children.

“I tried, Mom,” Levi mutters, ducking his head.

“I’m waiting,” Lilly says.

“It’s adult stuff,” Nic tells her softly.

“Like what you and Daddy do when you send me to Aunt Shay’s?”

Nic and Ethan simultaneously shoot Shay a glare.

She holds up her hands. “I didn’t tell her that.”

Lauren fusses in Ava’s lap, and Jake sweeps the baby into his arms. “Well, baby needs a diaper change, so I’ll see you all later.”





Teagan


When my phone rings, I know it’s my mother before I even look at the screen. Anyone else’s mom might have missed the news, but my mom has been reading the Jackson Harbor Gazette online every morning for the last month—as if obsessively watching the news and weather here might allow her to actually control it during my sister’s wedding next weekend.

She learned about Carter fever from the local paper and has asked me about him before.

How well do I know him? A whole lot better after last night.

Did he really save that puppy? Yes. But please don’t bring it up if you ever meet him.

Is it true that it was all a publicity stunt because he wants his own reality TV show? Absolutely not.

I’m not surprised when I see her name on the screen, but I’m also not ready for this call. While I don’t want to lie to my mother, explaining to her that Carter and I worked together to deceive a roomful of people sounds even less appealing. Something else you should have considered when he called you up on that stage.