Page 125 of Made Better Together

Only after we reach the roof do I drop her hand. She does a slow spin around, taking it all in. “Oh my gosh, this is incredible.”

I don’t know exactly what part she’s responding to, because there are a few possibilities. The grandness of the rooftop space, maybe—empty except for us. The sun is going down, so the colors across the sky have split into oranges, yellows, and blues.

And there are the flowers I have waiting for her on the coffee table. A pretty mix of hydrangeas and white accent flowers.

Unintentionally, the bouquet matches her outfit.

“Do you want to sit down?” I walk toward a cooler I brought up and grab us two seltzers.

“Are these…did you get these?” She brushes her hands against the petals of one of the hydrangeas as she takes a seat on a couch.

My lips turn up. “I did. You can take them home with you tomorrow.” The thought of her room smelling like my flowers stirs something in me.

Her eyes widen a fraction. “That’s…thank you. They’re gorgeous.”

When I sit down, I extend my arm behind her shoulders on the top of the couch. She leans back, her hair tickling my skin—and I can’t help myself. I bend my arm so my fingertips can graze against the side of her neck.

She shivers, but doesn’t move an inch.

A small smile rises on her face a beat later. “So, what was it like to be on the sidelines with your brothers?”

“Wild. I wish I could play, but I’m glad to have this opportunity.” I haven’t fully processed what’s happened this week, if I’m honest with myself.

She tilts her head slightly. “You still could play. You never know.”

I doubt Jeremy is going anywhere, but I grin at her optimism. “Yeah, maybe. It’s interesting though, everything with Landon has changed so much over the years.”

“How so?”

“For most of my childhood, Landon was the person I looked up to the most. A leader, stellar at sports, confident, and strong.”

“Classic oldest sibling material.”

“Yeah, and I was always treated like a kid brother, as in a kid. I wasn’t sure we’d break out of that mold as adults, with our roles off-balance, but I think we have.”

Understanding crosses her face. “That’s a good thing, right?”

“Definitely. He and Rawley have had some tough moments where he didn’t show Rawls respect, but maybe that meant Landon was already trained by the time he got to me.” I laugh lightly, and she follows.

“Now that I know you, it’s kind of weird to think of you as a little brother. The youngest. You don’t have that aura.”

Her words confirm something that I’ve thought about for a long time. “I’ve never said this out loud before, but I feel like I’m more suited to be an older brother. Only our birth order didn’t cooperate.”

She nods. “I could see that.”

“Not worth dwelling on.” I smile at her.

“You’re on equal footing now, anyway.”

Not totally, but I appreciate the sentiment, and I give her a firm peck. “So, how was your day?”

She inches closer, our sides almost touching now. “I watched the game, of course.”

“Of course.”

“Otherwise, I focused on my senior capstone. I’m behind where I want to be for that seminar.”

“Does it involve lab work?”