Hearts Ablaze (Courageous Hearts Series Book 2), стр. 5

“I’m sorry,” I admitted as she reached forward and gave me a tight motherly hug.

She laughed off her statement and grabbed the bowl from my hands. “Go sit with Ethan and his brothers.” She pointed at them, sitting beneath a canopy near the pond. Garrett caught her eye and waved.

I nodded. “We’ll have to catch up later,” I promised.

Pam smiled and gave me a small shove toward her boys. I glanced at Derrick and found him playing with the other children without a problem. As I made my way across the yard, nobody stopped me. Most of the faces were unfamiliar, but when I was close enough to Ethan and his brother, my heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t just Ethan and Garrett there. To the left sat Lance Jones, the third of the Jones brothers.

The Jones brothers were widely known in our town for their good looks and kind hearts. All close in age, bagging one of the brothers was thought of as the ultimate win in life. When I was close with Ethan years ago, I struggled to understand the hype, as he was my best friend and the novelty had long worn away. But seeing them all sitting together—each as handsome as the last—reminded me of why our town loved the Jones’s.

Lance Jones leaned forward, one hand on his girlfriend’s knee. He was in the navy, and I knew he was an expert with computers. As the only Jones brother with slightly lighter than black hair, he stood out. His tattooed biceps were on full display in a muscle tee, and his purple haired girl sat expressionless at his side. From afar, she was not someone I’d choose to befriend. Her resting expression was something of nightmares, and her pale skin and colored hair made her vibe more intimidating.

Garrett stood shirtless in nothing but flip flops and neon green swimming trunks. His black hair was cut shorter than Ethan’s—no more than half an inch long on top. While his stomach wasn’t chiseled, he had a few bulges that surely represented abs. They were masked by more fluff than I remembered, though. His genuine happiness oozed toward the sweet-looking woman in his chair. He stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders while talking to Ethan.

Ethan was the first to notice me approaching. A smile pulled at his lips and his right dimple grew prominent. His clothes were the most conservative. He wore a long sleeve black dry-fit shirt and blue swimming trunks. His charcoal black hair was damp and tousled. He showed less skin than his brothers, and his clothes were less flamboyant and noticeable, but he was, without a doubt, the most mesmerizing of the three.

He stood and gestured at his chair. “Ladies first,” he said.

I smiled and shook my head. “I’m good standing. I need to keep my eye on the little man,” I said. All three of the brothers looked toward the group of kids, attempting to build a human pyramid.

“Which one’s yours?” Lance asked, scanning the children with squinted eyes.

I chuckled. “The one trying to get to the top of the pyramid.”

Lance’s laugh boomed, and the girl at his side scowled at him. He turned as if he could feel the heat of her glance. “Nobody’s going to jump out and kill you at our family barbecue, Linds,” he told her sarcastically, but his hand on her knee tightened before he turned back to me. “He doesn’t look much like you.”

I nodded and watched as Ethan turned the chair so it was angled toward Derrick. I threw a smile at him and sat. His skin was far darker than mine, and he was a carbon copy of Bruce. There was no disputing that we looked nothing alike. “He looks just like my husband,” I said. The memory was sweet, hardly tinged in the sadness I was used to. I cleared my throat. “By the way, it’s nice seeing you again. How’s the navy? You look way different.”

“Loving the navy,” Lance said, leaning back in his chair. “I’m stationed up in Chicago right now. And I bulked up, baby,” he said, flexing through his muscle shirt.

The girl at his side scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t let him fool you. I could take him.”

Lance didn’t argue as he looked at her. His eyes narrowed in an expression that said “don’t shit on my moment. I’m trying to impress my friends.” Something between them told me that she was right. I had no doubt that the little purple haired women could take us all on and win. “Are you in the navy, too?” I asked her.

She shook her head but didn’t verbally respond as she stared me down.

“Ignore Lindsey,” the other woman said. She sat beside me as Garrett rubbed her shoulders gently. “She’s not exactly well-versed in proper manners. I’m Sylvia, Garrett’s wife.” She extended a hand and I took it with a polite smile.

“Elena.” I eyed Lindsey, expecting a rude rebuttal, but she only smirked at Sylvia’s words.

The men all resumed conversation around us, and I felt Ethan’s deep rumbling voice above me as he spoke and laughed with his brothers. I couldn’t help but be hyper aware of every word as Sylvia continued talking. “You mentioned you’re married?”

“Was,” I replied. “He passed away.”

That was the point in the conversation where things typically grew awkward and tense. Her expression didn’t grow pitiful, though. “How long ago?” she asked.

“Three years,” I admitted. I didn’t like talking about it, so I didn’t offer more.

“Are you and Ethan together now?”

I snorted. “Absolutely not. I’m designing his house.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re that girl,” she remarked. “Garrett told me that they were considering hiring a girl to redecorate their rentals. That’s so exciting. Is it a fun job?”

The change in subject