Harlow threw her hands up into the air. “A message?”

  “Let’s keep our chill, ma’am.” Nora gave her a look that had Harlow quitting the dramatics. “You know what I’m saying. You’re trusting your brothers with Miles and you’re trusting Miles with that whole side of the family and all that comes with them, including the drama. I’ve seen you with a number of different suitors over the years. He’s my favorite so far.”

  Trust Nora to make her laugh and stop taking herself too seriously. “Don’t make me regret telling you the boyfriend thing.”

  “That train left the station. I already know his dick is pierced. And anyway, he is your boyfriend. You have a picture of him in your contacts and it’s all schmoopy. You like him and that’s okay. He’s not going to eat all the groceries and live in your house for three months without ever cleaning or offering to help pay.”

  Harlow gaped and then stomped from the room. But it was mainly for show because as usual, Nora was right, and she came right back. “I kicked him out, didn’t I? It was only two months. And that’s a lessons learned relationship. Everyone needs one of those.”

  Nora said, “You wouldn’t be letting Miles be your date tonight if you didn’t know the difference after you kicked him out, now would you?”

  He was different and yes, she had let him in further than anyone else. “I can’t take you because you threw a drink in her face the time you met her,” Harlow replied through a fit of giggles.

  “She’s lucky I didn’t run her over with my car. Woman shows up at the hospital where her fifteen-year-old daughter is recovering from two surgeries after a car accident and she accuses you of showing too much thigh when the nurse came in to give you medication? She’s a monster. And she only stayed ten minutes and didn’t come back to see you a single time even though she was in the city visiting theme parks and hanging out for another week. You deserve better than Gloria Martin.”

  Harlow heard the knock at the door and looked at herself in the mirror before grabbing her handbag.

  “Nora?” she said before opening the door.

  Her friend cocked her head.

  “Thank you for always being my friend. In the shittiest of times as well as the best of them.”

  Nora blew her a kiss. “Right back at you. You’re way easier to love than Gloria has tried to make you believe.”

  Heart in her throat, Harlow opened up to admit Miles. He came in looking like a star. Charisma oozed from him. He smelled good and only had eyes for her.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, taking her in. “The bracelets.” He grinned and she was extra pleased she’d worn them.

  “You look pretty damned good yourself.” His dark sweater was unbelievably soft and seemed to make the greenish brown of his eyes deeper. His pants, simple trousers that leaned away from black and into charcoal. It also said luxury, but given who he was and what he came from, that made sense. Not gold toilet, look-at-me-I’m-rich luxury, but an effortless elegance. And, deep down she couldn’t wait to see what her brothers thought because he looked like any big brother’s most fervent hope, minimalist and yet stylish bar through his septum and all.

  “Okay then. See you later,” Harlow told Nora.

  “You definitely will let me know how things go,” Nora replied. “You’re amazing, Harlow. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.”

  Miles was quiet for the first fifteen minutes, wrestling with what he’d overheard as he stood outside her door when he’d come to pick her up. He needed to tell her about the end of his conversation with his father, but she was already tense—and if what he heard Nora say was any indication of how Harlow’s mother had treated her on a regular basis, he understood.

  He took her hand, something that felt like second nature to him by that point. It was a way to touch her and connect. Simple and powerful at the same time.

  “I haven’t been a hand holder really. I mean dating. In the past. The way past and not now,” he added quickly.

  Her features relaxed as she smirked at him.

  “I like this.” He squeezed the hand he held in his own.

  “I like it too.”

  “There are pictures of us on Earthquakes fansites.” He said it in a rush, like pulling a bandage off. Get the pain over quickly.

  “Us how?” she asked, calmly. Sort of. He caught the concern in her gaze for a brief moment.

  “There’ve already been some pictures. We knew that. But there are some from before the show in New Orleans. My arm around your shoulders. Then another of us embracing. And some from today. From the street of us walking. And through the window of the shop where I kissed you.” He shrugged, hoping she understood he had no problem at all with it being known they were together. “It’s pretty clear we’re involved.”

  She pulled her phone out and did a social media search. “Nora must have known,” she muttered. Miles knew Nora and Brian did a lot of the social media stuff.

  Miles took the opportunity to get even closer to her to look at her phone screen. And there they were. The photos that had already been out were enough to get people speculating about the way he looked at her or how close they stood to one another. But the ones he’d been talking about were…well they were enough that anyone looking would see way more than two friends spending the day. Kissing, but it was also the way his hand was buried in her hair. Holding hands was one thing, but in one he’d been kissing the inside of her wrist and she’d been looking at him through half lidded eyes.

  If Miles hadn’t already admitted to himself just how intensely he felt for her, seeing it so clearly in the series of photos certainly would have made it impossible to deny. Those moments captured in the pictures had shown a deeply attracted couple. The sexual energy was palpable. Just looking at them again made his dick hard.

  “They’re going to ask you about this at your next media thing,” she said quietly.

  “Yep.” And now he could finally be honest and move on when it did come up.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Hurt speared through his gut. “What the fuck do you have to be sorry for? Being with me? Kissing me?”

  Her features softened and she shook her head. “No, dumbass. But this is out now, and you have to deal with it. That’s what I’m sorry about.”

  Relief replaced the hurt. “Oh. Well, I don’t accept your apology because I don’t care about that. And it’s not your fault. We weren’t trying that hard not to be seen together anyway.”

  It had been sort of reckless, but she’d done it regardless, knowing they took a risk every time. And wasn’t that hot as fuck? Knowing he wasn’t alone in this constant craving that made him pursue her despite the logic of waiting. It was impossible not to touch her when they were out and about together. She made him feel like he fit in a spot perfectly shaped for only him.

  “It takes focus off your business goals to have to answer questions about your girlfriend.”

  He flashed her a grin and kissed her quickly at that last bit, and then sobered a little. “When they ask me, and they will. I’ll keep it simple. I want to respect your privacy, but I don’t want to pretend we aren’t together. Yes, we’re dating. Yes, it’s serious. Yes, it’s private. Now let’s talk about our next single or show or whatever. Does that work for you?”

  “I like that you asked me,” she told him as she tucked her phone away. “You could just do whatever you wanted. That’s sort of your vibe.” She snorted and then she was the one who took his hand. “I notice when you pause to wrestle back all your bossiness and include me in things like this. Although, we’re riding in a car you booked after canceling the one I already had scheduled.”

  “And now we don’t have to be so wary. If it’s out, I can hold your hand anywhere. Or kiss you, or whatever.” He sat back against the seat, feeling very satisfied with himself. “As for the car?” What could he say? He’d done it because he wanted her to have a more luxurious experience, one he could afford far easier, and the driver also had a personal security background should they need it.

  Harlow gazed at him, one corner of her mouth quirked up. Waiting for him to explain.

  “Okay. So. I’m…not going to apologize because I’m not sorry I did it.”

  Her head whipped slightly and part of him inside stilled at the sight of the predator within her coming to the surface. She was no fragile flower even though he wanted to treat her that way.

  “Is that so?” she said, an edge in her tone.

  “What I mean is I’m sorry for surprising you. I should have told you up front. I just handled it without thinking. It’s like the room service, right? You let me pay for that. I wanted to be sure you’d be the most comfortable and at ease as you could get. I know this is stressful. I’m not sorry I did something to protect and spoil you.”

  “It’s not the cost, Miles. It’s the audacity.”

  He had to fight so hard not to smile at that. She had him so dead to rights. “My mum says I’ve been audacious since before I could walk.”

  She harrumphed and looked away, but he caught the ghost of a curve on her lips and knew he’d charmed her out of being mad.

  “I’m so glad you reached out,” Mindy told Harlow as they stood in the kitchen an hour later. Miles, Hector, and Luis were in the dining room sitting at the table, drinking beer, and talking.

  “I appreciate your inviting us. And for making dinner. I know you work all week.”

  “We don’t get to see you very often so I’m glad we had this chance. The last few times we’ve all been together have been…tumultuous to say the least. It’s good to have a quiet dinner where we can catch up.”

  Tumultuous. Ha! Yeah, that was a good term for Gloria’s presence. Harlow relaxed a little, feeling welcomed by her sister-in-law in that subtle reference.

  “Look,” Mindy continued quietly, “I just want to say I see it. The way she acts toward you. You’re not imagining it.”

  Relief poured through Harlow. Just having another person admit they saw the same thing Harlow did, after an entire lifetime of pretending it away, meant more than she could say.

  “Thank you,” she said, desperately wanting to ask what had happened, but also not wanting to overstep in what had already been a really nice departure from her usual interactions with them.

  “It needs to be said. Hector and I argue about this a lot more since Lulu came along. I’d like to talk more openly about the situation. Obviously not right now as this isn’t the place. But when you get off this tour maybe?”

  Harlow ruthlessly tamped down any embers of hope that there’d be a happy solution to the distance between her brothers and herself. She wanted to keep trying, but it hurt too much to have those hopes dashed over and over.

  “I’d like that,” she said.

  “Oh shit,” Mindy muttered as she looked up at the doorbell alarm monitor on the nearby counter. “Heads up, she’s here.”

  “She? No. You didn’t invite her too? Hector didn’t mention that.” Harlow should have gotten an explicit promise, but she hadn’t wanted to rock the fragile life raft they were all on. Still, she wasn’t surprised. Not really. Gloria would not pass up a chance to stir up some drama.

  “We didn’t. But Luis wants his mother’s approval so much, he invited her. I’m sorry. I was hoping she wouldn’t show up. Hector called and told her not to.”

  “He did?”

  Harlow’s head spun. There was a missing piece of information here. Had something gone down between her mother and Hector? Or Mindy given the way her sister-in-law just sounded?

  “Yes. Like I said, this has been a topic of arguments between us,” Mindy said.

  Before she could ask, the doorbell rang, interesting, as her mother had just waltzed into her sons’ homes on the other times Harlow had been there. Luis jumped up and headed to answer it. Mindy sent a scorching look to her husband, who nodded and held a hand out, indicating he had it under control.

  Harlow knew that was impossible when Gloria Martin was in the mix.

  Mindy turned back to her and said, “Hold your head up, Harlow. You don’t deserve any of what she throws your way.”

  Well now. Something had happened.

  “Let’s get everything to the table,” Mindy said, grabbing a platter. Harlow followed suit and took another with all the meat on it.

  “I’ll help,” Miles said, moving into the kitchen as the sound of Harlow’s mother carried from the entry.

  “What do you mean she brought a man?” Gloria demanded. Not in a whisper or even a slightly lowered tone. “The one from the pictures where she’s rubbing all over him?”

  Hector growled as he looked toward his wife and then back to the entry where Luis still stood with their mother, explaining something. His voice was lowered, but that wouldn’t stop Gloria from making a scene if that’s what she wanted.

  “Harlow, can you please go get Lulu? I hear her on the monitor so she’s awake.” Mindy glanced at her mother-in-law quickly. “She’ll be hungry.”

  Harlow scooted from the room to head down a short hallway. Her niece sat up, rubbing her eyes. When she saw Harlow she put her hands up in entreaty and Harlow said, “Hey punkin’, you hungry? Your mom just finished making dinner.”

  Lulu nodded so Harlow swung her up to rest on her hip as she headed back out to the dining room.

  Her mother had all her grandsons in her lap as she got kisses from them but didn’t bother to look up when Harlow returned with Lulu.

  At the sight of her grandmother though, Lulu didn’t clap for joy, she burrowed deeper into Harlow’s hold.

  “Mom’s here,” Luis said to them like their mother wasn’t right there not bothering to acknowledge them.

  “Lulu, you want to see your grandmother?” Luis asked her and the eighteen-month-old looked over to where her grandma sat and then her whole face screwed up as she wailed, grabbing onto Harlow with all her might.

  Miles moved to stand next to her and Harlow figured she needed to introduce him. For her manners, not her mother’s.

  “Miles, this is Gloria Martin. Gloria, this is Miles Brown,” Harlow said as she swayed back and forth, running a hand up and down Lulu’s back until she stopped crying.

  Mindy mouthed a thank you behind Gloria’s back and Harlow vowed to get whatever story was behind this situation.

  “Some babies need to cry it out. If you spoil them with too much attention it’s not good,” Gloria said to Harlow, who continued the sway and soothing touch that had calmed Lulu down.

  “Lulu is just fine, isn’t that right?” Harlow asked her niece who gave her a smile. “Love isn’t spoiling. It’s letting her know the big people in her life listen to her moods and want to help.”

  Her mother harrumphed, clearly agitated that Harlow hadn’t risen to any bait so she shifted her tactics. “I’m sure that’s what your father did and why you turned out this way. Gloria? You call your mother by her first name now? Is that how you were raised?” Gloria, who’d been the one to insist Harlow call her that instead of mother, said imperiously.

  Ok then, how about some radical truth? Let’s see how you like it. “You told me when I was fourteen that it made you look old when I called you mom and to call you Gloria. It’s a habit now. How are you?”

  Her mother’s eyebrows rose. Clearly, she expected Harlow to shrink under that tone, and maybe she would have if she hadn’t been holding her niece who so clearly was not having anything Gloria was selling. And Gloria made no move to snatch Lulu from Harlow’s arms which she found really confusing. Her mother wasn’t one to sit around waiting for someone to comply with her demands.

  Hector stepped between them and held his hands out. “Hey, baby, come give Daddy some love and I’ll let you eat off my plate. Mommy made short ribs.”

  Lulu held Harlow’s face in her tiny hands and left a slobbery kiss on her chin before she moved to her dad.

  “I got a call from some media person today,” Gloria said as she rose and headed to the table without acknowledging Miles at all.

  “I’m giving this ten minutes and if it doesn’t improve significantly we are leaving,” she told Miles quietly. There was something with this call and when Gloria finally let it out, it’d be time to leave or confront whatever nonsense it was.

  “I’ll follow your lead. But remember you’re here for your brothers, not her.” He kissed her cheek, and they went back to the table where he held her chair out before sitting next to her.

  “No one is going to ask what this media person wanted?” Gloria said like she was confused.

  “Who wants mashed potatoes?” Mindy called out and sent a giant bowl on a circuit around the table.

  “What did that person want?” Luis asked, doing the legwork of their mother so she could continue this fit.

  Mindy sent him a scathing look that made him flinch a little.

  “After those pictures showed up on the internet, naturally everyone is asking if Harlow is sleeping with her boss.”

  Harlow whipped her head to face Gloria. “Stop making a picture of me standing in a clothing store being kissed quickly by my boyfriend sound like it’s a sex tape. And I don’t have a boss. I’m my own boss. Anyway, why would anyone ask you anything about me in the first place?”

  Gloria sneered. “He’s your boss. You’re playing on his tour. I guess we know why.”

  “Boys, can you please take your plates to the tv room?” Mindy asked and held a finger up to silence Gloria.

  They were hesitant but when they remembered there were gaming consoles and sodas in the fridge in the garage, they scooted out with a backwards glance at their grandmother.

  “I didn’t come over here to not be able to spend time with my grandsons. You can’t just withhold them.”

  “No one invited you to come over here in the first place,” Mindy said through a clenched jaw.

  Hector looked at his wife with a mixture of anxiety and pride.

  “This is my family,” Gloria said as she leaned in, using her iciest tone on Mindy. “I don’t need to be invited.”

  Exhaustion washed through Harlow as the inevitable began to play itself out just as she’d dreaded. The last thing she wanted was to be there, feeling this way because of Gloria.