His brows furrow and then quickly soften out. “Yeah, I forgot. No biggie. How about that following Monday?”

  “I’ll have to check my schedule to see if I work the day or evening shift, but I’d be free at some point.”

  “Okay. Let me know and then I’ll tell you where to meet me.” He looks hopeful, and it takes everything I have not to jump up and start squealing for joy. This is even better than I could have imagined. A date—well, semi-date—ending with a request for another non-date. This night couldn’t have possibly ended any better. Well, it could have, but I’m not going to go there.

  “Night, Laney.”

  “Goodnight, Levi.” He pushes my door shut and I watch him walk back into the restaurant. Once he is completely out of sight, I unfold my list. When I see what he’s done, tears well up in my eyes.

  He checked something off my bucket list.

  I’m not even sure what to think about that. It has to mean something that he wants to do this, right? Surely he wouldn’t go out of his way to check something off my bucket list if he didn’t still care. I take a deep breath. It’s ironic, really, that the man I love is helping with my bucket list, but he doesn’t know why I started the list in the first place. I squeeze my eyes closed, pushing away that thought. I have to stay strong. I have to fight.

  For my life.

  For Levi.

  I take the pen that Levi just used and I open my list back up to scribble down another item.

  “IT WAS GREAT SEEING you, Brady. Please tell Mark we’re sorry he couldn’t make it.” Brady takes my outreached hand in a firm shake and slaps my back with the other. “Let Mason and I discuss things, and we’ll be getting back with you soon.”

  “Absolutely,” Brady says, letting go of my hand and stepping over to Mason to shake his hand. “As soon as you guys make a decision, let me know so we can get the ball rolling.”

  “Are you headed back home today?”

  “Nah, man. I’m going to stay tonight and head home tomorrow.” Brady slips on his jacket and checks his phone as he’s walking out the door. “See you two later.”

  Mason shuts the door behind Brady and turns to me, eyes wide and full of excitement. “We are doing this, right? Please tell me we’re doing this.”

  I laugh at him, mostly because he’s close to pissing his pants. “Hell yeah, we’re doing this,” I answer, pulling my baby brother in for a hug. “We’ve worked hard and we’re not passing up this opportunity. We’d be stupid to walk away from this.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about, brother. Let’s go celebrate,” Mason says, loosening the tie around his neck.

  “You go. I’ll be there in a few.” Pulling out my desk chair, I drop into it with a content sigh. “I’ve got a few things to do first.”

  “Like what?” he asks incredulously, eyebrows arched, hands out to his sides. “What could be more important than celebrating right now? This time next year, we’ll have restaurants in Chicago and Nashville. How fucking awesome is that?”

  “It’s fucking fantastic, and I promise I’ll be down there in a few minutes to celebrate with you. I just have to do a couple of things first.” Slipping my phone out of my pocket, I check for any missed calls then toss it on my desk.

  “Don’t be long.” Mason opens the door and narrows his gaze on me, finger pointed in my direction. I flip him off and then hear him laugh as he walks down the hall. Leaning back in my chair, I run my fingers through my hair.

  I can’t believe this is happening. We’ve worked so hard for this, and it’s fucking unreal that it’s actually going to happen. My hands itch to pick up my phone and call Laney. My first instinct when I knew this was going to happen was to call her.

  After our picnic a few weeks ago, things have been crazy. I’ve been busy at work, and she’s been busy with work and whatever else it is she does. We haven’t really gotten to see each other so we’ve resorted to phone calls and texting, and I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been fun. We’ve slowly gotten to know each other again, one call and text at a time. I told her about what Mason and I have been working on with Mark and Brady, and she told me about how she used to volunteer at a homeless shelter in California.

  I’ve started letting my guard down around her, a little bit more each day, but it doesn’t take away that uneasy feeling I get in the pit of my stomach—the one that says she still has the same power over me that she had eight years ago. She has the power to walk away, and I’m not sure I’m up for going through that shit again.

  I’m not going to lie, I’ve become borderline obsessed with her. I find myself fantasizing about her tight little body and her husky voice talking dirty to me. There have even been a few times that I’ve gone out of my way to see her at the restaurant, just because I needed to satisfy the craving. And that’s what it is. It’s a craving that I’ve had since the day she came back home—a craving that’s also a fucking thorn in my side because the goddamn thing grows every time I see her.

  “Fuck it,” I mumble, grabbing my phone off my desk. I scroll through my contacts, find Laney’s name and hit ‘talk.’ The phone rings several times, and I’m about to hang up when her voice comes through the line.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Levi. To what do I owe the pleasure, kind sir?”

  “You’re fucking crazy, you know that?” Her tinkling laughter rings loudly and a shiver runs down my spine.

  “What’s up?” she asks, still laughing.

  “I—” I have no fucking clue why I called her. Okay, that’s a lie. “Brady just left.”

  “Oh my gosh!” she gasps. “What did he say? Is it going to happen? Oh, Levi, please tell me it’s going to happen.”

  “It’s going to happen,” I answer excitedly with a stupid-ass smile on my face. She squeals through the line and I hold the phone away from my ear, picturing her dancing around her house.

  “Levi, that’s amazing. I’m so happy for you. You guys deserve this so much.”

  “Thanks. We’re pretty keyed up about it. In fact, Mase is already down at the bar waiting for me to celebrate with him.”

  “Well, what the heck are you waiting for? Get your butt down there and celebrate with your brother.” Her enthusiasm floors me. She sounds genuinely excited, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s considered the fact that I might have to move. Well, son of a bitch. I haven’t even considered the fact that I might have to move.

  “I’m heading down there.” I pause, picturing her beautiful face, wanting to see it again. ”Are we still on for tomorrow?”

  “We’re still on. I’ll meet you at Flame at five o’clock tomorrow evening.” I hear laughing in the background and I wonder who the hell she is with. Mia left last week so I know it isn’t her.

  “What are you doing this evening?” I ask, because I’m fucking nosy and I want to know who’s there. “You can come celebrate with Mason and me if you’re bored.”

  “Thank you, but Benny and Luke are here and we’re about to watch a movie.” Benny is over there all the damn time. I know it shouldn’t bother me; it’s not like I’ve laid claim to Laney. But it still pisses me off. “I just hope I can stay awake for the darn thing.”

  “Are you tired?” I ask, looking down at my watch—it’s only seven o’clock. “You’ve been tired a lot lately . . . is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, everything is fine,” she says dismissively. “I’m good, you just go and have fun, okay?”

  “Alright, well, I’m going to go meet up with Mason. Enjoy your movie, and tell Luke I said hi.”

  “I will.” She pauses and I’m about to say goodbye when she says my name. “Levi?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Congratulations. I’m so proud of you.”

  “Thanks, Lane. That means a lot.” And it does. Probably more than it should, but I’m not in the mood to dive into that right now. “Have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Night, Levi.”

  I hang up the phone, stuff it in my suit pocket and make my way over to Blue, where I’m certain Mason is already celebrating enough for the both of us. And sure enough, I walk in to find him sitting at the bar, surrounded by a group of women. Mason is a ladies’ man, through and through. The girls fucking flock to him, and although I’ve never had problems getting laid, I’ve used him as my wingman once or twice. Too bad the bastard is still hung up on Quinn, and she sure as hell isn’t giving him the time of day . . . at least not that I’m aware of.

  “Levi,” Mason calls, spotting me from his seat at the bar. “Get your ass over here.” I walk across the wooden floor toward the bar, and Tatum comes flying around the corner and straight into my arms.

  “Congratulations,” she squeals, tightening her grip around my neck. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

  “Thanks, Tatum.”

  “Can I transfer to the one in Chicago?” she asks, pulling away from me.

  “Are you serious?” My brows dip low. “You don’t like it here?”

  “It’s not that. I’m just ready for a change, and I’ve heard Chicago is fantastic.”

  “We’ll see. We haven’t even officially agreed to the deal yet.”

  “Just promise you’ll think about it.”

  “I promise. Now get back to work.” She skips away as I yell, “Crown and Coke.”

  “Coming your way,” she hollers back. When I make it to Mason, he already has two empty glasses in front of him and one in his hand.

  “Balls to the wall tonight, huh?” I nod at his empty glasses and he grins.

  “Hell yeah. This is fucking fantastic. I can’t wait to get the fuck out of here. I’m thinking Nashville sounds about perfect.” Tatum must have been watching him because when she brings me my drink, she has another for Mase. His words catch me off guard. I push past a busty blonde with a quick ‘excuse me’ and take the seat next to my brother.

  “Could you girls give us a few minutes?” It’s been nice having our fair share of women, but sometimes it’s just plain annoying. I’ve had a hard-and-fast rule for the past several years—no fucking the same woman twice. It seems Mason and I have made a name for ourselves in the area. Flame and Blue have become hotspots for several professional sports players, and that alone will bring in the crowds. We’ve also hosted several parties for various celebrities that have been in town. Of course, the women see that and they want a piece of it. So once is it for me. The few times I’ve bent my rule, I’ve ended up with a clingy female who apparently thought ‘this is just sex’ actually meant ‘he’s going to propose.’

  The women at the bar do eventually take off, but not until after a few last attempts at flirting. I’ve gotten good at ignoring them or politely declining, especially in recent years. I’m thirty years old now and the majority of these girls are barely twenty-one.

  Mason nods at a sexy brunette when she whispers something in his ear, and he must have agreed to something good because she walks away with a huge smile on her face. I shake my head at him, but he just chuckles and shrugs. “What can I say?”

  “You finally over Quinn?” That must sober him up a bit because the happy-go-lucky look on his face quickly transforms into something resembling annoyance.

  “We’re not talking about Quinn,” he says, bringing his glass to his mouth.

  “Okay. Let’s talk about you wanting to get the hell out of Dodge. What’s up with that? I had no idea you were looking to leave.”

  “I don’t know.” He swivels his chair toward the bar and props his arms up on the sleek wood. “I didn’t really think about it until I walked out of your office. I hadn’t even considered it as an option, but now that I know it is, I want out.” He glances at me but I school my features, doing my best to appear impassive. No way do I want to see Mason move, but if that’s what he needs to be happy in life, I sure as hell wouldn’t stop him. “Doesn’t a small part of you want out too?”

  I take a swig of my drink and the warm liquid slides down my throat, igniting a fiery burn that instantly soothes me. “I honestly don’t know. If you’d asked me five years ago, I would’ve jumped all over the idea. But now, I’m not so sure.”

  “Is it because Laney is back?” He keeps his eyes locked on me as he asks the question.

  “No,” I deny. “Not at all. She doesn’t factor into this at all.” Mason keeps staring at me, and suddenly I feel the need to defend myself. “She doesn’t. Not even a little bit. I wouldn’t think twice about leaving.”

  “You’re a horrible fucking liar.”

  “Whatever,” I scoff, signaling Tatum for another drink. “Laney has nothing to do with it.” At least, I don’t think she does, but no way am I telling Mason that. “I just think that one of us should stay here with Dad. He isn’t getting any younger, you know. If we both leave and hire management for Flame and Blue, then you know as well as I do that Dad would be here every day.”

  Mason snorts with laughter. “That’s for sure. The old man would probably drive everyone insane, and he’d sure as hell have your cages ripped down before you passed the city limit sign.”

  “So . . . Nashville. Are you going to start wearing cowboy hats and saying y’all?” I quip with my best Southern drawl.

  “Of course I am. That’s my whole reason for going. Have you seen those girls in their short dresses and cowboy boots?”

  “You’re twenty-seven, Mase. You do realize that one of these days you’re going to have to stop talking about all of these women and actually settle down with one.” To be honest, I’m not even sure what Mason does with his hordes of women. I’ve never seen him kiss one. Sure, I’ve seen him flirt and touch but never kiss, and I’ve never seen one at his house taking the walk of shame.

  “Don’t worry about me, big brother. I’ll settle down when the time is right. For now, I think you need to be worrying about you.” He gives me a pointed look and waves his glass in my direction.

  “Oh yeah? Why’s that?” He’s determined to have this talk, and I need to just let him so that he’ll get off my fucking back.

  “Because there is a certain dark-haired pixie that you’ve been spending a lot of time with, and I completely disagree that she doesn’t factor into you wanting to stay here.”

  “We haven’t been spending time together. We’ve only been alone once, which hardly constitutes us spending a lot of time with one another.”

  “Technicalities,” he says, waving me off. “You’ve been coming to the kitchen a lot more than usual, and when you do come, the only person you talk to is Laney. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how much time you’ve been spending on the phone. Funny how those times just happen to be when Laney isn’t here. Coincidence? I think not.” He gives me a cocky smirk and takes another drink.

  “Fine,” I concede. “We’ve been getting to know each other again, but that’s it. Just two old friends getting reacquainted.”

  “Levi. I’m your brother. You think I don’t know you inside and out, and you think I can’t read you like a fucking book? Newsflash, I can!” I take a deep breath and close my eyes . . . this is the only way I can keep from my connecting my fist to his face.

  “You’re a prick.”

  “Yes”—he nods—“that may be true. But I’m your brother and I want you happy.”

  “I am happy.”

  “I know. But it’s only been since Laney has come home.” I thought I’d done a good job at feigning happiness over the years, but obviously I was wrong. “It’s cool, dude. Nothing to be ashamed of. The girl is a fucking dream, both inside and out, and no one would think twice about you giving her a second chance. Lord knows that’s what she wants. Plus,” he adds, sliding me a shot glass that mysteriously appeared, “you’re different around her.”

  Damn it, Mason.

  “Of course I’m different around her. I’m a fucking idiot around her! All this stupid shit starts floating around in my head, and I start acting like a pussy. Well, I’m not a pussy,” I declare, squaring my shoulders.

  “Hell no, you’re not.” Mason gives a firm shake of his head. “You are not a pussy.”

  “I’m Levi Fucking Beckford,” I proclaim, lifting up the shot glass.

  “That’s right.” Mason raises his shot glass and taps it to mine, but when I tip my glass back to swallow the clear liquid, he says, “You’re Levi Fucking Beckford, and you’re still in love with Laney Fucking Jacobs.”

  Tequila spews from my mouth. Tatum glares at the mess in front of me while Mason rolls with laughter in his chair.

  LEVI IS WAITING FOR me when Benny drops me off at the restaurant. I can tell the exact moment that he registers who is behind the wheel of my car because he stands a little bit taller and puffs out his chest, which totally cracks me up. Benny notices it too because he’s smiling like a fucking clown. “That boy would shit his pants if I hauled off and kissed you right now.” He puts the car in park and turns to me, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

  “Please don’t,” I laugh, not putting it past him. I don’t know why, but Levi and Benny never quite got along. If I had to guess, I’d say it was because Benny was too protective of me for Levi’s liking. Levi felt like that was his job and Benny was infringing on something that wasn’t his. I think after a while it became a joke to Benny, and he started to do things to piss Levi off . . . like what he’s thinking about doing now.

  “He’s lucky that you’re like my sister and the thought of kissing you sort of grosses me out.” He turns his nose up as though he has a bad taste in his mouth. I scowl, slapping him on the arm, which just makes him laugh harder.

  “Get out of here. And be good to Ivy; she’s all I’ve got left.” I start to climb out of the car when Benny catches my hand.

  “Do you have your pills?” I cock my head to the side adoringly. This man is going to make some woman very happy one of these days.