My gaze drifts back to the Harringtons, but Valen never leaves my side, so I just stare at these men who look like they’ve never followed a schedule a day in their lives that wasn’t of their own making.
One of the triplets stands out from the rest. His hair is a touch too long, so it falls playfully into his eyes, and he wears a perma-grin that’s the epitome of a playboy. He may as well have “trouble” tattooed to his forehead—he’d make a great hero in a story.
“There you are.” A tall man with dark hair and the kind of polished confidence that likely gets him whatever he wants glides up the steps with practiced grace, wearing a suit that probably costs more than my car.
I recognize him. Grant Harrington. I met him and Roman at Greyson’s charity event recently.
“We’ve been texting you.” Grant wraps Valen in a one-armed man hug.
“I’ve been right here, Grant. Here or in the tank.”
“The what now?” Grant looks at the matte black vehicle taking up my driveway and laughs. “Roman really built the apocalypse van. This is perfect.” He pulls Valen into a real hug this time. It looks more like a wrestling match, and the momentstrikes me hard. This is who Valen is with his family—it’s a side of him I never got to know.
“Admit it. You’re living in a tank on a civilian’s lawn like some kind of vigilante superhero.”
I snort-laugh before I can stop myself. All three men turn to look at me. Grant’s expression shifts immediately, as though he hadn’t really noticed me before. Gone is the playful big brother, and in his place is a protector who can turn on seriously scary vibes with a blink of his eye.
I don’t care what Valen says, there’s more to Grant than a simple distinguished banker.
“Sorry,” I whisper. “I’ll just—” I gesture vaguely toward my door, not sure what I want to say, just knowing I need to escape.
“Clover.” Valen says my name like it’s important, and I really need to get my shit together. This is one story I can’t afford to fictionalize in my mind—my heart can’t take it. “This is my cousin Grant. Grant, this is Clover Danforth.”
Grant’s gaze sweeps over me with a cautious, brotherly assessment, then settles into something kind. “We’ve met. It’s nice to see you again, Clover.”
“I’m…yes. You too.”
“TheClover.” He glances at Valen, who’s shaking his head with a very firm no. “Right. Well, it really is a pleasure to see you again.” He extends his hand, and when I take it, his grip is surprisingly gentle. “Thank you for letting my cousin park a tank on your property.”
“It’s not like I actually had a choi—” Two more men bound up the steps.
One of them, the playboy, has an easy grin and moves as though he’s never met a rule he couldn’t bend. The other is adjusting his glasses and studying my house like he’s calculating structural integrity.
“You must be Clover,” the playful one says. “I’m Chase. That’s Sterling.” He gestures to the guy with glasses. “We’re the fun brothers.”
“We’re the younger brothers,” Sterling corrects with dry humor lacing every word.
“Roman got the face, but we got all the personality,” Chase finishes for his brother. It’s…unnerving.
“I have personality,” Roman says flatly.
“You have the personality of a robot,” Chase shoots back with a grin. “You couldn’t have fun if your life depended on it.”
Roman doesn’t even blink. “You wouldn’t survive a day in my job.”
“Because your job is boring.” Chase winks at me, and a giggle lodges in my chest. I’ve never actually seen triplets in person before. It’s…fascinating.
“My job keeps people alive,” Roman grumbles.
“Like I said, boring.” It’s obvious Chase thrives on teasing his brothers. You can see it in the way his eyes spark every time he gets a reaction out of Roman.
Grant clears his throat. “Are you two done?”
Honestly, I’m thankful for the interference because Roman and Chase moved, and now I’ve lost track of who’s who.
“Never.” That has to be Chase. “So, Clover. You’re the reason our cousin’s been living in a driveway for two weeks? I have to say, you’re much prettier than the people he usually protects.”
My cheeks flush red as I scan my escape routes that are currently blocked by this insanely hot family.
