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“That bad, huh?”
“No, not really. We’ve butted heads a lot because they are really protective of me and bossy as hell but I know that they’ve got my back, no matter what. They tend to think that they know everything but no one’s perfect.”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “I’ve always wondered about the three of you.”
“Why didn’t you ever come around?” I try to imagine how different my life would have turned out if I had met Phoenix when I was younger. Would I have still felt this way about him? Would I have spared myself years of pain and heartbreak?
“I don’t know,” he says, shrugging. “It always felt like you were Moe’s family and I was on the outside. Although, if I had known that I would have met you, maybe I would have tried.”
My cheeks heat and I glance down at the table, fighting back a smile.
“What are they like?” he continues, distracting me from my embarrassing girlie moment.
“Who?”
“Your brothers.”
Rolling my eyes, I relax back into the chair and grab a fry. “Well, Trey is the more laid back of the two and he’s more… sensitive, I guess. He had a pretty crappy childhood before he came to live with us so I’m sure that affected him.”
His brow furrows. “What do you mean?”
“He’s adopted. You didn’t know that?”
He shakes his head and I nod, sitting forward again as I pop a fry in my mouth.
“Yeah, his dad ran off when he was just a baby and his mom was a drug addict. She overdosed when he was fourteen and instead of letting him get lost in the system, my parents adopted him. He and Tucker had been best friends since kindergarten and it always felt like he was a part of our family so it just made sense.”
He nods. “And Tucker?”
“Honestly, Tucker is a huge grump most of the time. He’s the more serious of the two. He’s fairly short tempered and bossy as hell but like I said, he always has my back and I know that his heart is in the right place.”
“Sounds like a good bunch.”
“Yeah,” I agree, nodding my head. “They really are. You should come around more often. I know Moe would really like it if you did.”
He peeks up at me, his blue eyes showing a hint of vulnerability that I find incredibly endearing. “I’ll think about it.”
Fighting back a smile, I take a sip of my shake and meet his eyes as I set the cup back down on the table. “So, what about you? Tell me something I should know.”
“Like what?” he asks and I shrug.
“Anything.”
He smirks, his gaze lingering on mine before falling to my lips and I suck in a breath, dropping my eyes and catching sight of my tattoo.
“How did you get started tattooing?”
He grins at me, a kind of blissed out look on his face that tells me just how much he loves what he does.
“Well, I’ve always loved art, you know?”
I nod, my smile slipping and his brow furrows almost immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. You were saying?”
He studies me for a moment and I know from the look in his eyes that he doesn’t believe me but he doesn’t push me either and I really appreciate that.
