“You’re such a brat!”
Seb raised his hands in the air. “What are you trying to say? You obviously want something from me. We’ve booked a room with two double beds. You want Jeanine and her boy—”
“Please don’t call him a boy toy again.” Oliver ran a hand through his hair.
“Boyfriend to stay with us? That’s just weird. Martin doesn’t know any of these people.”
Martin took a step back at the mention of his name. Something was building between the brothers, and he didn’t want to be in the middle when the storm broke.
“I wouldn’t ask you to do that,” Oliver said.
“Then what?”
“I’m asking you to stay here.”
And there it was. Seb’s expression turned so thunderous Martin wished for an umbrella, even though they were indoors.
“No.”
“Seb, please.”
“No.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. The look on his face said he’d punch his brother otherwise.
“It’s just two nights.”
“Come on, we’re going.” Seb turned and grabbed Martin’s elbow.
“Going?” Oliver trailed after them.
“Back to Seacroft. I’ll stop at Nana’s on the way out of town and apologize.”
“Seb, come on. We’re all adults. You can sleep here for two nights.”
“I told him I would never step foot under this roof again. You think I can do two nights?”
Martin didn’t ask about the “him” Seb was referring to. They were walking so fast Martin nearly stumbled. He checked over his shoulder, and his pulse picked up more at Oliver’s pained expression. The pressed, confident persona was gone. Instead, there was real distress in the man’s eyes; a wordless plea for help.
Had Brian ever looked at Martin like that? Had he been too caught up in his own swamp of fear and apathy to notice?
His feet slowed down. Seb’s grip on his elbow slipped.
“What’s wrong?” he said.
“We should stay.” Martin fought not to tug at the sleeves of his coat. He fought to look like he meant it.
“What?”
Oliver stared at them helplessly, like all his cards had been played out and now he had nothing left to hold his hurricane little brother in place.
“It’s just a bed to sleep in,” Martin said. “Who cares if it’s at a hotel or here? Didn’t we come all this way for your grandmother and her party?”
Seb’s mouth pressed together until his lips were so tight they were nearly white.
“You don’t have to stay in your room. You can both sleep in the main floor guest room,” Oliver said. “It’s the farthest from Mom and Dad, and bigger too.”
“We’re not sleeping together,” Seb said.
Martin flushed, first from embarrassment at the casual way Seb said it, and then from a sting of disappointment.
