Read Online Back to the Beginning: A Duet by Laramie Briscoe, Seraphina Donavan - Free Book Online
Authors: Laramie Briscoe, Seraphina Donavan
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loyalty to us?”
“Then it’s your job to be her brother and to make sure if she has a chance to be happy you let her chase that chance, no matter who it’s with.”
He was quiet, letting her words sink in. “I’ll make sure if she ever has a chance to do this, to go someplace she’s never been with the man she loves, she’ll take it.”
“Speaking of.” She grasped him by the back of his neck, pulling him down to her. She gave him a small kiss before asking the question that’d been killing her. “What are we doing here?”
“Oh shit,” he mumbled. He’d forgotten about the message he’d sent to his friend. Looking around, he saw his cell phone, by some miracle, was still on the bed but dangling precariously on the edge. Grabbing it, he checked the message he’d sent earlier. When he saw that dinner at nine was good, he glanced at the clock. They had an hour, which should be plenty of time.
Denise waited, her eyebrow raised. “I have a friend who lives in the area. He’s done a couple of my tattoos. There’s a tattoo expo going on at the convention center, and he’s tattooing there. I asked him if I could get a new one while we’re here, and he agreed. We’re having dinner with him and his wife tonight.”
“I’m meeting people?” she asked, glancing down at herself. “Exactly how much time do I have to prepare myself to meet new people?”
“About an hour.”
“An hour? Liam, hell.” She pushed him off her and scrambled off the bed, grabbing things to take a shower as she went.
“We could save time by showering together,” he yelled at her back.
He could hear her laugh, and it absolutely made his heart sing.
Sticking her head out of the door jam, she leveled him with a look. “Remember what happened last time we showered together?”
He gave her a smug smile if there ever was one. Back then she hadn’t been on birth control like she was now, and their moment of spontaneity had resulted in Tatum. He wouldn’t give her up for the world, but he wasn’t sure they could handle another one either. “Tatum is a blessing,” he argued.
“She is, but she’s also got the worst traits of each of us. Stubborn as hell too. Whoever ends up with her is gonna have to be a patient man.”
Liam pressed the heel of his hand against his sternum. It positively gave him a panic attack thinking about his baby girl growing up. If he could, he’d lock her up and never let her age past toddler stage, but he knew he couldn’t, and he knew at some point in the future he was going to have to come to grips with that.
As Denise closed the door, he hoped like hell that Tatum would have the type of relationship her mom and dad did.
‡
Chapter Nine
“D enise, meet Devin and Nina,” Liam made the introductions later on that night.
Denise smiled at the couple sitting in front of them. She watched as the guy, Devin, got up from his seat and clapped hands with Liam, pulling him in for a brotherly hug.
“Nice to meet you.” He smiled over at Denise, and damn if she didn’t kind of feel her heart flutter a little. This guy was gorgeous, and the colorful ink going up and down his arms rivaled what Liam had. “But everybody calls me Sketch.”
“Nice to meet you too.” She smiled back and then waved at the woman still sitting at the table. She waved back, obviously used to being introduced by her husband.
“I can’t believe you finally found a woman to put up with your sorry ass,” Sketch said as they had a seat across from the other couple.
Liam titled his head to the side and gave his friend a bored look. “Not all of us can lock up women in high school. You’re lucky that damn divorce didn’t go through, let’s be honest.”
Denise’s mouth opened in shock, and she clapped her hand on Liam’s knee, squeezing hard. “That’s not nice.” She could feel the heat moving up her neck, coloring her cheeks. Turning so that she could look at the man and woman sitting across from them,
“Then it’s your job to be her brother and to make sure if she has a chance to be happy you let her chase that chance, no matter who it’s with.”
He was quiet, letting her words sink in. “I’ll make sure if she ever has a chance to do this, to go someplace she’s never been with the man she loves, she’ll take it.”
“Speaking of.” She grasped him by the back of his neck, pulling him down to her. She gave him a small kiss before asking the question that’d been killing her. “What are we doing here?”
“Oh shit,” he mumbled. He’d forgotten about the message he’d sent to his friend. Looking around, he saw his cell phone, by some miracle, was still on the bed but dangling precariously on the edge. Grabbing it, he checked the message he’d sent earlier. When he saw that dinner at nine was good, he glanced at the clock. They had an hour, which should be plenty of time.
Denise waited, her eyebrow raised. “I have a friend who lives in the area. He’s done a couple of my tattoos. There’s a tattoo expo going on at the convention center, and he’s tattooing there. I asked him if I could get a new one while we’re here, and he agreed. We’re having dinner with him and his wife tonight.”
“I’m meeting people?” she asked, glancing down at herself. “Exactly how much time do I have to prepare myself to meet new people?”
“About an hour.”
“An hour? Liam, hell.” She pushed him off her and scrambled off the bed, grabbing things to take a shower as she went.
“We could save time by showering together,” he yelled at her back.
He could hear her laugh, and it absolutely made his heart sing.
Sticking her head out of the door jam, she leveled him with a look. “Remember what happened last time we showered together?”
He gave her a smug smile if there ever was one. Back then she hadn’t been on birth control like she was now, and their moment of spontaneity had resulted in Tatum. He wouldn’t give her up for the world, but he wasn’t sure they could handle another one either. “Tatum is a blessing,” he argued.
“She is, but she’s also got the worst traits of each of us. Stubborn as hell too. Whoever ends up with her is gonna have to be a patient man.”
Liam pressed the heel of his hand against his sternum. It positively gave him a panic attack thinking about his baby girl growing up. If he could, he’d lock her up and never let her age past toddler stage, but he knew he couldn’t, and he knew at some point in the future he was going to have to come to grips with that.
As Denise closed the door, he hoped like hell that Tatum would have the type of relationship her mom and dad did.
‡
Chapter Nine
“D enise, meet Devin and Nina,” Liam made the introductions later on that night.
Denise smiled at the couple sitting in front of them. She watched as the guy, Devin, got up from his seat and clapped hands with Liam, pulling him in for a brotherly hug.
“Nice to meet you.” He smiled over at Denise, and damn if she didn’t kind of feel her heart flutter a little. This guy was gorgeous, and the colorful ink going up and down his arms rivaled what Liam had. “But everybody calls me Sketch.”
“Nice to meet you too.” She smiled back and then waved at the woman still sitting at the table. She waved back, obviously used to being introduced by her husband.
“I can’t believe you finally found a woman to put up with your sorry ass,” Sketch said as they had a seat across from the other couple.
Liam titled his head to the side and gave his friend a bored look. “Not all of us can lock up women in high school. You’re lucky that damn divorce didn’t go through, let’s be honest.”
Denise’s mouth opened in shock, and she clapped her hand on Liam’s knee, squeezing hard. “That’s not nice.” She could feel the heat moving up her neck, coloring her cheeks. Turning so that she could look at the man and woman sitting across from them,
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