Say You're Mine (The Gallaghers Book 1) by Layla Hagen (comprehension books .txt) 📕

Dylan shook his head. “Not one word about us.”

“My daily phone calls didn’t clue you in?” I batted my eyelashes. “Or sometimes twice a day, Ian?”

“Wait a second. You spoke to him more than me?” Dylan asked, clutching at his heart theatrically.

Ian groaned. “Sis, don’t reveal that. I just got back in his good graces.”

“Oops.” The truth was Ian had needed a bit more cheering up than I thought. Dylan needed it too, but in his case, my tactics were more effective in person. I was hoping to get some alone time with him today.

“Let’s go upstairs and start building Sophie’s new crib,” I said. That was another reason why we met up today. Josie had ordered a new crib that came in about one hundred pieces. Hunter was caught up in a bid he was trying to win in London, so he was spending a lot of extra time at the office. Josie couldn’t do it on her own, but what good were three siblings if you couldn’t call them to help you with stuff like this?

“Josie, you said you needed help with something in the basement too, right? Ian can get on that while Dylan and I figure out instructions.” I looked pointedly at Ian and Josie.

My sister immediately caught on, but Ian said, “Why? It’s easier if we—”

Josie elbowed him discreetly, and he cleared his throat. “I mean, yeah, okay.”

“Okay, troops, let’s split up,” I declared, getting to my feet and hoping Dylan didn’t catch on. Sophie’s room was upstairs. I sighed when I stepped inside. The walls were pink, and there was glitter everywhere.

I swear to God, every time I saw her room, I became more aware that my inner child was still very much a part of me.

“That wasn’t obvious or anything,” Dylan said with a half smile as he took the booklet with instructions from the nightstand. The crib was still packed in a huge box.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“You’re just as smooth as Ian, I swear.”

“Oh, come on. I’m a tiny bit better.”

“I’m fine, Isabelle.”

“Fine as in ‘I’m not mad at my brother anymore’ or fine as in ‘I’m not going to be such a grinch when it comes to relationships’?”

Dylan laughed, and I was relieved that it reached his eyes. “Being cheated on is not an improvement over being dumped for other reasons. And I wasn’t exactly mad at Ian, just couldn’t understand why he didn’t tell me.”

“Maybe because he knew it wouldn’t make a difference? Not in the positive sense, anyway...”

“I don’t need anyone to coddle me, Isabelle.”

“Awww, but we’re your siblings. Coddling comes with the territory, whether you want it or not.” To prove my point—and maybe to annoy him a little—I hugged his arm, glancing at the instructions.

“Holy shit, these instructions make me miss IKEA.” There were seven pages of them, and every step was mind-boggling.

He chuckled. “Bet you wish you hadn’t volunteered us to read the instructions.”

“You don’t say.”

I spent half the day with my Gallaghers, and even with the nightmarish instructions, it was such a treat! Before we all moved to New York, we only had these gatherings once in a blue moon.

Paul picked me up afterward, of course. Dylan was riding with us, since dropping him off only required a few extra minutes.

“I’m glad you enjoyed the tour, Sis,” Dylan said. “Brayden said you were having fun.”

“When did you talk to him?”

My brother flashed a secretive smile. “Sometime in the past few days.”

“What did you talk about?”

“A bit about you, and the tour.”

“That sounds purposefully vague.”

“That’s because it is.”

“Dylan, you can’t tease me like this!”

“It’s coddling. Sibling privilege, remember?”

“As is revenge,” I reminded him just as we arrived at his place.

Paul looked at us in the rearview mirror with wide eyes. Yeah, the Gallagher craziness was not for the faint of heart.

Dylan kissed my forehead before getting out.

“What kind of revenge are you thinking about, miss?” Paul asked conversationally.

“Oh, nothing too serious. Don’t worry about it.”

“I wasn’t worrying, but I might have a few ideas.”

I grinned at him. Paul and I were going to be good friends.

He pulled the car up in front of Brayden’s building. There were no paps or fans, but we weren’t expecting any here anymore since it had been a long time since the concert and they were already old news.

The concierge let me in and called the elevator without alerting Brayden first.

I had butterflies in my stomach as I entered the apartment, which was ridiculous. I hadn’t seen him for all of seven hours, but there you go.

“Hello, sexy boyfriend,” I said loudly before I even closed the door completely.

***

Brayden

“I’m in the living room,” I replied.

I didn’t get nervous. It wasn’t who I was, but this evening was different. The team prepped everything the way I wanted it, but my nerves were still shot.

I didn’t go greet her at the door because I didn’t want to spoil the wow-effect.

She sauntered into the room, immediately stopping.

“Oooh, we’re having a romantic dinner,” she whispered. The table was covered in a white cloth, and on the side were several chafing dishes that still had the covers on.

“That’s what I call a welcome home dinner.” She peeked inside one chafing dish. “Wow, this is Tony’s beef Wellington. And mash potatoes with mixed vegetables. My favorites!”

“Exactly.”

“I didn’t know they did catering.”

“They don’t. I pulled some strings.”

“Did you now? Why?”

“I knew it would make you happy.”

She sighed, looking up from the dish. “You can’t make me swoon on an empty stomach. I’m even more susceptible.”

Good. I wanted all cards in my favor.

I pulled out the chair for her. She sat down and I pushed it up to the table, also stealing a kiss on the side of the neck.

She giggled, turning her head. “Oh, I see. This is a romantic dinner with an extra side of kisses? I’ll take it.”

I kissed her again, this time even biting her neck a little, before going to my seat. The chafing dishes had an extra plate