Page 63 of Temporarily in Love

“She said something last night about wanting to buy the bar from her dad and how he wants to retire.”

Nolan stroked his beard. “You think that would make her stay?”

“I don’t know.”

Nolan sighed. “Fuck.”

“What?”

“You love her.”

“Yeah?”

That wasn’t a secret. Nolan bugged me constantly about being so hung up on her. He knew I still loved Lila, and I knew that was still true after these past couple of weeks with adult Lila. She owned me, body and soul, and no one would ever compare to her.

“Bro, she’s going to break your heart again.”

I waved him off. “Stay out of it. I’m not a little kid anymore who you can tell what to do. I’m a grown-ass adult who can make his own decisions.”

Nolan held up his hands to me in surrender. “Okay, okay. I want you to have what Avery and I have.”

I nodded.

I wanted that too. Pretty sure who I wanted that with, but Lila and I were two ships passing in the night. It was fun for now, but we’d never be on the same page. Or rather, the same town. Or even state. My life was here. Nolan and I built our brewery from the ground up, and I was never leaving Pennsylvania. Lila was only staying long enough to make sure Sean didn’t sell the family bar. It would never work out.

“Can you go away now?” I asked, fixing my brother with a glare. “I have shit I need to do, and you’re hovering.”

He stomped off in typical Nolan grumpiness, and I went back to finishing up the day’s work.

Before I left, I talked with Wyatt to make sure he had everything he needed, but he was fine closing without me. Asher was behind the bar with him to close because Felix asked to switch since he and Gemma were going over to Sullivan’s too.

I walked over to the bar and found Lila ordering people around. She looked so in a zone, like she belonged there telling everyone what to do. Like she was already the owner. Her eyes lit up when she saw me.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked after she gave me a quick kiss.

“I’m here to help. Where do you want me?”

“Probably naked in her bed,” Kelsey muttered as she walked by me.

Lila glared in her sister’s direction. “She’s been crabby all day. Ignore her.”

“Not wrong, though, right?” I teased.

She beamed at me. “Nope, but not right now. So much to do.”

“Put me to work!”

She jumped into my arms, and I made an ‘oof’ sound as I caught her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. I slid my hands around her waist and gripped her hips as we deepened the kiss.

I pulled away before she could deepen it further. “What was that for?”

“I missed you, and I love that you’re willing to help.”

I twirled a dark strand of her hair in between my fingers. “Of course, love. Tell me what to do.”

Sullivan’s bar…ahem, now Sullivan’s Irish Pub was packed way more than I had ever seen in my entire life. And that was saying something because I spent a lot of time here growing up.

It was loud in here, with people drunkenly chatting and the loud sounds of the fiddle and singing coming from the front of the room. I didn’t know the name of Finn Murphy’s band, but they were pretty good. Think of any stereotypical traditional Celtic band, and that was exactly their vibe. With his bright shock of red hair and green kilt, he looked like a freaking stereotype. Finn played the fiddle with gusto while a tiny redheaded woman sang her lungs out in front of him.