Parker and Alex sit on either side of me while Mason greets his students and chats with the parents. “Fuck me, who’s the new MILF?” Parker asks, staring at a tall slender redheaded woman.
“Don’t even think about it, Park. Mason will beat the shit out of you,” Alex warns.
“Why would Mason care who he hits on?”
“Because he’s a tramp and when he screws the mother, then moves on, we lose a student.”
Parker holds up his hands. “I make it clear from the jump I’m just looking for some fun.”
“Yeah, well, they don’t get the joke.” Alex shakes his head, reminding me of Mason. They all share that response when they’re frustrated or amused. “We lost three students last year, not to mention that psycho woman smashing our window.”
“Shut the fuck up. You’ll give Everly the wrong idea aboutme. She’ll never hook me up with her friends.” Parker scoots closer to me, flashing a sideways grin I’m sure usually gets him his way. “Are your best friends hot, Ev? Want to introduce me?”
Alex grins at me as I laugh. “My best friend is definitely hot. Dark brown eyes and thick gorgeous hair. Ass you could take a bite out of.”
“Holy shit. Single? You want to hook me up?”
“I’ll ask, but I don’t think Ian’s into guys. You might get lucky, though.” Alex laughs aloud, throwing an arm around my shoulder.
Parker smirks. “Great. A smartass. You’ll fit right in around here. Stay with her, Alex. I’m going to meet Ms. Perky Tits.” He bounds from the couch and saunters over to sit beside the woman, flashing a charming smile.
When she blushes and smiles back, Alex groans, “There goes another one.”
“Has he always been that way?”
“A woman screwed him over when he was young. It’s no excuse, but since then, it’s been a revolving door of pissed off ladies.” I wonder if Mason whored around before we got together, but I know his brother would never tell me.
My gaze wanders to Mason, standing in front of the mirrors, demonstrating kicks and punches to a room of eight year olds. They gaze at him, held rapt by his authoritative nature. He’s in his element, joy shining in his eyes as he does what he loves.
Alex laughs. “You’ve got it bad, honey.”
“What?”
“Uh huh. You can’t take your eyes off him,” he teases, making my face heat. “He’s the same with you. It’s a delight to see.”
“He can be a bossy bastard, but I think I’ll keep him.”
“Something tells me you can handle him,” Alex says with a laugh.
“Tell me about your boyfriend. Is he cute?”
Alex’s eyes light up. “Cooper is great. We’ve only been dating a few weeks, but I really like him. He’s funny and sexy. A bit on the bossy side too.”
“I’d love to meet him.”
“We’ll have to plan a night. I’ve met his family, so he’s pushing to meet mine.”
“Mason told me about your mom. I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose a parent so young.”
“Thank you. Mason had as big a hand in raising Parker and me as our aunt and uncle did. I don’t know what we’d have done without him.”
“Can I ask what happened to your dad?”
Alex gazes at me with regret, the corners of his mouth tucked in. “There’s a long story there with a bad ending. Mason should be the one to tell it. Give him time, though. He hates to talk about it.”
“Sure.”
Mason dismisses his class and joins us on the sofa. “What are you talking about?”
