Chapter 25


    Jake


    By the time we’ve finished building the final casing around the hot tub, I’m hungry and thirsty as hell, but I’m also content with the progress we’ve made today. It’s really coming together nicely. The subtle lighting we’ve incorporated into the casing should give the tub a nice soft glow when you’re soaking in the dark. I honestly can’t wait to try it out with Amber, but we still have some work to do before that can happen. We decided last week to expand the porch area further so we can create a nice outdoor lounge area with a table, fire pit, and some seating.


    ‘Alright, gentlemen,’ Alex says, groaning slightly as he gets up from his knees and stretches his body. He’d stayed for a few hours after his sparring match with Hugo to help out with the porch. ‘It’s been a pleasure, as always, having my body thoroughly tortured by all of you.’


    ‘You’d get used to it a lot faster if you came by to help out more often, instead of sitting behind your fancy desk all day,’ Cooper teases him, handing out beers he just grabbed from the kitchen. I gratefully accept one as I plop down next to Hugo, but Alex shakes his head and refuses.


    ‘No, thank you. I really have to get going. I’m going to head back home to take a shower, and then I’m afraid it’s back to the office for me, working the rest of the night.’


    ‘You work too much, Montgomery,’ Hugo grumbles, taking a sip of his beer. It''s a bit rich coming from him, though. I’m not surprised, really. From what I can tell, Alex is pretty much always working. He has his sights set on becoming a name partner at his law firm, and that means putting in a lot of hours. I know he enjoys spending time at our place during his rare free moments, but since I’ve met Amber, I can’t help but wonder why he doesn’t spend more of that time with his girlfriend.


    ‘You should be glad, since I also handle all of your company contracts,’ Alex tells Hugo with a shrug. ‘Which reminds me, don’t forget we have a meeting set for Tuesday to go over the contracts for those hotels,’ he adds over his shoulder as he heads inside to grab his things.


    ‘Oh, no! Barbara will remind him of that on Monday. Don’t you dare drag Hugo down with you and make him work on the weekend too, you bloody litigation junkie!’ Cooper yells after Alex in a pretend threatening voice, before he taps his bottle to Hugo’s. ‘I’ve got your back, big brother,’ he assures him solemnly.


    ‘Don’t bother, I’ve actually got some work to do later as well,’ Hugo sighs.


    ‘What happened to work is work, and home is home?’ I ask, arching my eyebrows.


    ‘I know,’ Hugo meets my gaze with a busted look on his face. ‘What can I say? Business is booming right now.’


    ‘Barbara and I have been telling him that he needs to hire someone to help with his workload,’ Cooper tells me. Barbara is Hugo’s secretary.


    ‘No need. It’s probably just a temporary influx,’ Hugo says, waving Cooper’s concern off with a dismissive hand gesture. ‘I’ll put in some extra hours to stay on top of everything for a few weeks, and then things will probably slow down again. I promised Lily I’d drive her to her school thing, and after that, I’ll be locked inside my office for the rest of the night.’


    ‘You’re not even coming out with us? Again?’ Cooper asks. When Hugo shakes his head, Cooper sighs in disappointment. ‘Okay, too bad. I guess we’re one man down.’


    ‘Three down, actually,’ I inform him, finishing my beer. Hard work makes you thirsty. ‘I’m going somewhere with Amber tonight.’


    ‘What? And Nate and I can’t come with you guys?’ Cooper stares at me with big eyes. He puts his hand on his heart as if I have just deeply offended him.


    ‘Abso-fucking-lutely not,’ I confirm with a cheerful grin. ‘I’m taking my girl on a date!’


    ‘Mean!’ Cooper accuses, making a face at me. ‘And that after I spent almost an hour digging through the storage room for you this week. I put it in the drawer under your bed, by the way.’


    ‘Thanks, Coop. I appreciate it,’ I nod at him. ‘Is it still working?’


    ‘Yeah, I checked. I even cleared off the dust for you.’


    ‘Great, I owe you!’ I put my empty bottle down on the porch foundation and get up. ‘I’m gonna take a shower,’ I announce, ‘and then I’m going to see if I can get my hands on some of those bakings, because I''m fucking starving.’


    ‘Fuck yes, count me in! I’ve been dying for some of those. The scent alone has been killing me all day,’ Cooper agrees, as he hastily gets up as well.


    Hugo shakes his head in amusement, but he too gets up pretty fast. The three of us head inside. Cooper and Hugo turn right to their respective bathrooms, while I go left and head towards the kitchen. The kitchen island and counter tops are covered in a true Walhalla of cupcakes, brownies and cookies.


    ‘Wow, you guys have been busy!’ I say, pleasantly surprised by the sheer amount of delicious treats in front of me. I watch how Lily carefully creates a spider web from frosting on top of a cupcake. She is biting the tip of her tongue in concentration. ‘Impressive, Lil,’ I compliment her when she is done.


    Lily sends me a bright smile, while Amber takes another tray of cupcakes out of the oven.


    ‘Alright, these are the last ones,’ she sighs. Her cheeks are red from exertion and her hair is kind of messy from the steam coming out of the oven. ‘Uh-uh! Those aren’t for you, mister!’ Amber swats my fingers away when I reach for a brownie.


    ‘Wha–? That’s so mean! We’re fucking sleeping together, shouldn’t that earn me at least a brownie or a cupcake?’ I protest, although I can’t hide my grin.


    ‘Yes, it does, but not those. You can have one of the undecorated cupcakes over there,’ Amber sternly points to a small plate on the kitchen island with three undecorated cupcakes.


    ‘Just the one?’ I complain. I scowl at Amber, but I quickly grab a cupcake and take a bite. It’s fucking delicious, as always.


    ‘No, we have also saved all of our misfires for you and your brothers to eat,’ Amber laughs, nodding her head towards a basket filled to the brim with broken cookies, crumbled brownies and misshapen cupcakes.


    ‘See! I knew I wouldn’t regret taking you home with me,’ I say with a satisfied smirk. I place my hand on Amber’s waist and pull her towards me for a kiss. I can taste the sugar and vanilla on her, and I can’t resist nipping her bottom lip. ‘You taste like a cupcake yourself,’ I mumble. ‘You better watch out, or I might just start eating you.’


    ‘It would be more appropriate to do that when we’re alone in your bedroom, rather than in the kitchen in front of your sister, don’t you think?’ Amber replies dryly.


    I pull back in surprise and let out a deep belly laugh. Judging by the giant smirk on Lily’s face, she’s heard Amber’s reply as well. I love how confident Amber has already gotten about sex during our short time together! She was always fearless, but that naive innocence she had going on has been somewhat replaced by this witty boldness. Frankly, I find it hot as hell. But who am I kidding? Amber has always been fucking sexy either way.


    ‘You’ve got it,’ I promise her, still laughing, before I press another kiss on her lips. After a few seconds, I reluctantly pull back again. ‘I’m gonna take a quick shower, yeah? I’ll be right back.’


    I leave Amber and Lily alone as I head towards the door next to the counter. It leads to the area where Nate and I have our bedrooms and our shared bathroom. Normally, I like to take my time showering when I’m at home, since my shower here is so much better than the one in my cabin. However, today I opt for a quick rinse, eager to get back to Amber. When I return to the kitchen, she’s using a spatula to carefully stack some of the decorated cookies in a container. I see Nate has also returned home and is hungrily eyeing all the baked goods in front of him.


    ‘I wouldn’t dare if I were you, young Nathan. Trust me, Amber’s lethal with that spatula,’ I say with a teasing grin as I sit on the stool beside him.


    Amber quickly spins around, raising an eyebrow at me over the spatula in her hand, clearly implying that I''ve been the one wielding it against her, not the other way around. I cringe a little when I think back to that specific encounter. I had completely underestimated its swing and accidentally spanked her way too hard with it. I felt horrible afterwards, even though Amber just laughed it off. Still, it was also kind of hot. I give Amber a meaningful wink, and a slight blush appears on her cheeks.


    ‘I know… These two have already brutally informed me that I''m not allowed to eat any of these,’ Nate says, with a wounded glance at Lily and Amber.


    ‘You can eat the misfires, just like the others,’ Lily declares in an overly sweet tone, while she puts the basket with broken stuff in front of us.


    Don’t mind if we do! Nate and I both immediately grab something from it.


    ‘I guess it is nice to meet you after all, Amber,’ Nate smirks with his mouth full of cupcake.


    ‘You too,’ Amber laughs, glancing at my younger brother. ‘Is your name actually Nathan, or did Jake just say that as a joke?’ she asks curiously.


    ‘My passport says Nathan, but no one has ever called me that except for my mom,’ Nate clarifies after swallowing his bite. ‘You can just call me Nate.’


    ‘Nate it is,’ Amber smiles. She’s skillfully decorating the last batch of cupcakes, while Lily starts cleaning up.


    ‘Did you manage to fix up the bike you were working on?’ I ask Nate.


    ‘Yeah, just waiting for one last part. It should come in on Tuesday, so I can hopefully finish up before next weekend,’ Nate informs me. ‘I already have a buyer for it coming next Saturday, so I should make a nice profit.’


    ‘That’s great man!’ I proudly pat him on his shoulder.


    Nate works as a mechanic at a garage near Hugo’s office. His boss is a decent guy who lets him use the tools in the garage after hours and on weekends to work on his side hustle. Recently, Nate has started fixing up old motorcycles and scooters in his spare time and selling them for a profit. He’s incredibly skilled, and word about his abilities is clearly getting around, as he’s already found a buyer for his latest project before it’s even finished.


    ‘Here, you guys can have one of the proper ones too,’ Amber suddenly interjects, holding out two brownies shaped like a witch hat for me and Nate. ‘These don’t fit in the containers anymore.’Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ‘Thanks!’ Nate and I exclaim in unison. We eagerly snatch them from her hand and stuff them in our mouths.


    ‘These are awesome!’ Nate mumbles appreciatively with his mouth full.


    ‘As usual,’ I add, nodding in confirmation. My glance goes from Amber to Nate, when a thought suddenly pops into my head. I quickly swallow my bite and put the brownie down. ‘Nate, Amber is going to be in the market for a second-hand car soon. Do you think you can help her out with finding something decent? I don’t want some shady car salesman taking advantage and giving her a bad deal.’


    Amber’s head jerks up and she looks at us in surprise, but next to me Nate simply nods without taking his eyes off his brownie.


    ‘Yeah, sure, no problem. If you have one in mind, I can check it out for you. Or, if you’d prefer, you can tell me what kind of car you’re looking for and your price range, and I can keep an eye out for you,’ he says, shoving the last bit of brownie into his mouth before finally glancing up at Amber.


    ‘What? Yes, that… Really? That would be great, actually!’ Amber stammers, seemingly taken aback. ‘I mean, I need to save up a little more first, but…’


    ‘Okay, so let me know when you’re ready to buy something, then I’ll help you look,’ Nate shrugs.


    ‘Alright, I will. Thank you so much!’ Amber sends him a beaming smile. She opens her mouth to say something else, but then Hugo and Cooper startle her by walking into the kitchen.


    ‘Guilty conscience, Amber?’ Cooper teases her. ‘Have you secretly given our treats to Jake or something?’


    ‘And risk the fury of his terrifying brothers? I’m blonde, but not stupid,’ Amber deadpans. She quickly grabs one of the brownies in front of her. ‘Witch hat brownie?’ she offers Cooper with a joyous smile.


    ‘Don’t mind if I do!’ Cooper happily accepts the brownie and steps to the side, plopping down on a stool, so that Hugo can introduce himself.


    I see Amber’s eyes widen slightly when she lays eyes on him. I try to suppress a smirk. Hugo often has that effect on people.


    ‘We haven’t met yet, I apologize. Alex and I went straight from boxing to building earlier,’ Hugo says friendly as he offers Amber his hand. ‘Hugo Mason.’


    Amber quickly recovers and offers my big brother a genuine smile. ‘Amber Scott,’ Amber replies, introducing herself and shaking Hugo’s hand without hesitation. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Hugo. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you from Jake.’


    ‘What, just about him?’ Cooper asks, pretending to be insulted.


    ‘We don’t count anymore?’ Nate scowls at me, at the exact same time.


    ‘Save me from a life in foster care and I might talk about you too some time,’ I reply with a shrug. I laugh and duck away when their fists are punching in my direction, but I don’t bother getting up from my stool.


    ‘It’s good to meet you too, Amber,’ Hugo says warmly, ignoring our banter. ‘It was incredibly nice of you to put aside your own plans and come here today. Lily nearly jumped through the roof with relief when Jake told us you were willing to help her out. We all really appreciate it,’ he nods at her.


    ‘Happy to help,’ Amber says, her smile widening. She offers Hugo the tray with the leftover brownie hats. Standing so close, she has to tilt her head nearly all the way back to meet his gaze. ‘Would you like to try a brownie too?’


    ‘I wouldn’t dream of saying no to that.’ Hugo gratefully accepts the brownie from her and sits down on an empty stool. ‘How do you like working for Ray and Marjorie, Amber? Do they make their nanny work as hard as their foreman?’ he asks her interestedly.


    I lean back a little and can’t help but smile as I watch Amber engage in conversation with my brothers. I knew they would like her. How could they not? Amber is practically the nicest creature on this planet. Fluffy kittens have got nothing on her. I’ve seen it happen with everyone she meets. Her genuine kindness and interest in others just draw people in. Or maybe that’s just my biased view, but who the fuck cares? I just know I love watching her get along with my siblings.


    An arm slides around my shoulders. ‘I like seeing you like this.’


    I turn my head and see Lily standing next to me. I hadn’t noticed she had come to my side. She has some flour on her cheek, which I affectionately brush away with my thumb.


    ‘Like what?’ I ask.


    ‘You like her. Like, really like her,’ Lily says softly. She smiles as she nods toward Amber. It''s more of a statement than a question. She gives me a knowing look, and I return it with a gentle smile.


    ‘Yeah, I do, Lil. I really do,’ I confirm.


    ‘I think it’s great,’ she sighs, standing up straight again. Then she turns her head and speaks a little louder in a menacing tone, glaring at our brothers. ‘At least when you finally bring home a woman, it''s one who is actually nice.’


    ‘I feel very personally addressed here,’ Cooper hums suspiciously, scowling at her.


    ‘You should! I have still not forgiven you for that mirror, Coop. Or the complete ruination of my favorite bra,’ Lily replies coolly.


    ‘I bought us a new mirror!’


    ‘But my bra is still ruined!’


    ‘She’s right though, you do bring a fair share of crazy skanks around,’ Nate laughs, throwing a broken cookie at Cooper’s head. Cooper easily snatches it from the air and puts it in his mouth with a grin.


    ‘Oh please, as if you’re such a Saint,’ Lily mocks Nate. ‘Do you honestly think we don''t know about the girls you bring home? You can usher them out through the fire escape next to your room all you want, but we still see them when they get to their vehicles. Cooper’s and my bedroom windows face the parking lot, dumbass!’


    Nate looks at Lily in shock and then turns beet red. He opens his mouth a couple of times, but he seems completely tongue-tied. The rest of us can’t help but laugh at his discomfort. Without saying a word, he shoves his stool back and stomps away in the direction of his room.


    I smirk as I watch him leave, shaking my head in amusement. We all know Nate is just pissed because he tries to keep his dating life hidden from Lily. Fuck knows why, because as far as I know, Lily has never cared about anything other than us being happy. But Nate clearly can''t stand that she called him out on it. I’m not worried, though. He’ll be back soon enough, probably after he’s taken a shower.


    ‘Serves him right for acting all high and mighty,’ Lily says smugly. She pushes herself away from the kitchen island with a mischievous grin. ‘Anyway, I’m gonna go pack my stuff. Herc, I''ll be staying at Isabella’s tonight after the assembly. We’re going to have a movie night. Cool?’ she checks in with Hugo.


    ‘Homework?’ he asks in reply.


    ‘All done. I''m about a week ahead in most classes.’


    ‘Wait, I thought you and I were going on a hike tomorrow?’ Cooper protests.


    ‘We still are. I’ll be back early,’ Lily reassures him.


    ‘Why don''t your friends ever come over to our house? You can have movie nights here too, you know,’ Cooper says with a frown. ‘We have plenty of space and I bet we have a better set up for movie nights than most households.’


    ‘Uh, yeah, no thanks,’ Lily replies dryly.


    ‘You do know you can have people over, right?’ Hugo says calmly, while he holds her gaze. ‘This is your home. Your friends are always welcome here.’


    ‘Yeah, what''s the deal, Lil? Are you embarrassed of us or something?’ I chime in as well.


    ‘Please,’ Lily rolls her eyes at us. ‘All of my friends are either freakishly intimidated by Herc,’ she nods her head towards Hugo, ‘or put off by the perpetually cranky Grinch over there,’ she gestures with her thumb in the direction in which Nate has disappeared, ‘or they can’t stop swooning over this pretty cowboy.’ Lily pats my shoulder twice. Then she glances from me to Amber and her lips creep into a smirk. ‘Although I guess that last one might not be an issue anymore, if they know that this wrangler has finally been caught.’


    I let out a chuckle when I see a red blush appear on Amber’s face, but I don’t argue with Lily’s choice of words. Consider me caught, hobbled and tied down.


    ‘And what exactly is wrong with me?’ Cooper asks with an inquisitive frown.


    ‘Nothing at all, Coop. You’re actually fine. You could easily pass for one of the girls.’ Lily blows him a kiss as she walks around the kitchen island.


    ‘You’re damn right, I could. I’d look phenomenal in a dress,’ Cooper agrees without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He nods contentedly and high-fives Lily without looking as she walks past him toward her bedroom.


    I shake my head at them in disbelief, before my gaze moves back to Amber. She seems thoroughly amused by their exchange and softly giggles. I chuckle over her clear delight.


    ‘Come on, Amber,’ I say as I stand up and walk towards her, reaching for her hand. ‘Now that you’re all done baking, let me give you a tour of the house.’


    ‘Oh, that would be nice!’ Amber’s eyes light up as she takes my hand.


    I pull her along with me and lead her to the living room. From the center I point out all the different areas that can be accessed from here. The door that leads to the area where Cooper and Lily have their bedrooms and bathroom, the door to Hugo’s private chambers, the separate toilet, the laundry room, our guest room, the double sliding doors that lead to our outside area, where we are currently building the new porch, and the door that leads to the gym and workplace in the back.


    Our living room is spacious but we’ve tried to give it a homey feel. In one corner, we’ve set up a TV area with two giant, comfortable couches and a lazy chair. Across the room, there’s another seating area with a couch and several comfortable chairs arranged around a set of coffee tables. We also have a reading nook, tucked slightly apart from the rest of the room by a floor-to-ceiling bookcase—Lily’s idea—that holds a comfortable chaise longue. Perfect for curling up with a book, if you enjoy such a thing.


    ‘This was one of our projects from last year,’ I tell Amber, knocking on the wood of the bookcase. I take great pleasure in showing her the hidden compartments in the lining of the wood, where we have hidden away our passports and other important documents.


    Amber doesn’t disappoint when she lets out a surprised gasp. ‘Seriously? You guys made this yourselves?’


    ‘Yeah, Cooper designed it and then the four of us built it together,’ I smile proudly.


    Deeply impressed, Amber slides her hand over the intricate carvings on the bookcase, studying them carefully. I move to stand behind her, slipping my arms around her shoulders. Gently, I pull her against my chest, resting my chin on top of her head. I can feel Amber''s chuckle vibrating through my arms as she smiles.


    ‘What’s funny?’ I ask her, curious.


    ‘Those hiding areas are pretty cool, but for such a large bookcase it’s kind of lacking some books,’ Amber laughs, glancing up at me over her shoulder.


    ‘Fair point,’ I concede, grinning along with her. ‘Cooper and I aren’t very big readers, and Hugo is old school. He prefers to read the paper. There are a couple of books in here from Nate, although I think he keeps some of them in his room too. The rest are Lily’s.’


    ‘Well, it’s still a really cool bookcase,’ Amber says genuinely. She tilts her head slightly to read the titles.


    I smile and patiently wait as Amber continues examining the books. From the corner of my eye, I spot Lily coming out of the laundry room, the blue fabric in her hands immediately catching my attention. I raise my eyebrows, instantly recognizing what it is.


    ‘I’ll be right back. Take any book you want to read. I’m sure Lily will be fine with you borrowing them,’ I say, planting a kiss on Amber’s cheekbone before reluctantly letting her slip out of my embrace.


    I head towards Lily’s bedroom, where I find her sitting on her bed, stuffing clothes and makeup supplies into an overnight bag. I knock twice on the half-open door.


    ‘Hi, Lil,’ I greet her, opening the door all the way and casually leaning against the doorframe.


    ‘Jake,’ she acknowledges, without actually looking at me. ‘What do you want?’


    ‘I’m just curious about where you are really going tonight.’


    That catches her attention. Lily sits up straight, her head snapping in my direction, a surprised look crossing her face.


    ‘What do you mean? I just told you guys, we’re having a movie night at Isabella’s,’ she says warily.


    ‘Are you sure about that?’ I ask, arching my eyebrows at her.


    ‘What makes you think I’m not?’ Lily retorts defensively.


    ‘I’ve never seen you in anything other than comfortable sweats or pajamas during movie nights. You certainly never wear your fancy blue dress,’ I smirk, nodding knowingly towards her bag. A small piece of fabric from the dress is still visible.


    ‘Okay, fine,’ Lily admits with a blush creeping up her cheeks. ‘Isabella’s parents are away for the weekend, so she invited a few other people from school too. It’s just going to be a small party. And we’ll probably end up watching a movie anyway, so technically, I didn’t lie.’


    ‘Since you’re packing that dress, I’m guessing there are going to be some boys tonight as well?’


    ‘Yes,’ Lily admits reluctantly.


    ‘Any guy in particular you want to wear it for?’


    ‘Perhaps. Maybe,’ Lily confesses as her blush deepens. ‘I don’t know. There’s this one guy who is kind of nice.’


    ‘What’s his name?’ I ask curiously.


    ‘Do I really have to tell you?’ Lily groans, covering her eyes with her hands.


    ‘Of course not. I’m just curious, but it’s up to you,’ I smile warmly. I think it’s great that she likes someone. Although this guy better be good to her, or he will have four very menacing big brothers to deal with.


    ‘I mean, there''s nothing to tell yet, really,’ Lily says, sending me a pleading look. ‘I don’t even know if he likes me.’


    ‘If you ask me, any guy in his right mind won’t be able to fucking resist you. You’re an amazing person, Lil, and you look great in that dress,’ I say, trying to offer her some encouragement.


    ‘Thanks, Jake,’ Lily sighs with a faint smile. She glances at me hesitantly. ‘Anyway, could you…? Just keep this to yourself, yeah, Jake? At least until there’s actually something to tell. I don’t want this to be a big deal.’


    ‘Yeah, I’ve got you,’ I wink at her.


    We both know she’s referring to Nate. He can be pretty annoying when it comes to this kind of stuff. We are all protective of Lily, but Nate can really overdo it sometimes. Not only does he hide his own dating life from Lily, he also dislikes it when she goes to parties or shows any interest in guys.


    I step inside her room and press a kiss to Lily’s forehead. ‘Have fun tonight. Be safe. And call me if you need me, yeah?’


    ‘Aren’t you going out with Amber?’


    ‘Doesn’t matter. She’ll understand. You call me if you need me.’


    ‘I will, promise,’ Lily agrees. ‘And you too—have fun, I mean.’


    ‘Will do,’ I say, smiling as I think about my plans for Amber tonight. When I return to the living room, I find her still browsing through the bookshelves, three titles already stacked in her left hand.


    ‘I’d love to read these,’ she says, her face lighting up when she spots me. ‘Are you sure Lily won’t mind if I borrow them?’


    ‘After you baked her a lifetime supply of brownies today? I’m positive,’ I assure her. ‘But if it makes you feel better, we can ask her later,’ I shrug, wrapping my hand around hers. ‘Now, let’s continue with the tour. I haven’t even shown you my bedroom yet!’