“That’s not fair,” Charlie said. “This isn’t about me.”
“I want another little niece or nephew.” Riley shrugged. “Would you condemn your brother to a life of loneliness and regret?”
“My brother would be condemning himself,” Charlie pointed out. “But… okay. Tell you what. You talk to Brent.Reallytalk, I mean, tell him everything, tell him exactly how you feel. Don’t hold anything back.Then, I’ll talk to Scott.”
Riley smiled. This way, whatever happened, at least one of them would be happy.
He’d seen the way Scott was with Kayla. Scott wanted children, too. He was probably just as afraid to ask as Charlie was.
“Deal.” Riley offered his hand.
Charlie shook it firmly, giving Riley’s hand a final squeeze before he let go. “I’ll be in the library when you’re done, if you need to talk after. But I’m pretty sure you’ll be otherwise occupied.”
“I hope so,” Riley said. “Brent’s surprisingly fun in bed.”
“I… did not need to know that.” Charlie blushed, sipping his coffee. “Go. Get out of here before you lose your chance.”
“I’m going.” Riley knocked back the rest of his coffee with a few greedy swallows, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
He paused as Rex nudged him again. “Also, I want to talk to Scott about adopting this dog,” he said, scratching Rex’s neck. “If he’s available.”
“He’s available. You can’t adopt a dog unless you go and talk to Brent. Go.”
Riley sighed, giving Rex one last pat on the head and then turning to head for the front door.
He was tired, and he hadn’t had a chance to shower last night, and he’d worn this shirt two days in a row, but… Brent would have to accept him as he was. Riley wasn’t likely to change all that much.
Brent was either in love with him or he wasn’t, and there was really only one way to find out.
