Outside, I caught my reflection in the glass, and smiled to myself. I was a genius. A handsome, goddamn genius.
There was a knock on the door as I filled a pot with water to boil the linguine.
“Come on in, Adams,” I called and placed the pot on the stove.
“Adams?” my brother Holden asked, walking into the kitchen.
I turned and frowned. “You can’t stay. I have a thing.” He didn’t need to know the details.
It wasn’t unusual for Holden to drop in like this, my brothers and I did this all the time. I didn’t want him to hang around and scare Avery off, though. Not before she knew what I could offer.
“Avery Adams?” He tilted his head at me and took a seat at the quartz counter, his gaze skimming over every surface, every plumbing connection. We had installed most of this kitchen ourselves
