All Chapters of Knocked Up By My Brother’s Best Friend: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Sarah JoGracie was the one who called me. Her sister-in-law was in the bar while it was happening and texted her about it. So I had already heard the play-by-play commentary. My brother had lost his shit in the middle of Cecil’s, and according to Gracie’s sister-in-law, the reason for his high-speed come-apart was the fact that Luke Maddox stood up for me. She had been sitting at a table near the bar and heard most of it. And that Ryan had punched Luke in the face.It was humiliating. I was concerned about Ryan, but it was not a good time for me to go try and calm him down since he was throwing tantrums all over town apparently. All I knew was I had to go find Luke and make sure he was okay. He was caught up in a private family matter, and he had even stood up for me when my brother was talking shit about me in a public place. I was so embarrassed. There was no way to contain the damage. Everybody would be talking about it. And me showing up at Cecil’s to talk to Luke would only add

LukeI wasn’t the kind of guy who did drama. I didn’t say crap like ‘shaken to the core.’ I didn’t call a good cheeseburger ‘life-altering’ or refer to anyone as ‘the GOAT.’ I knew guys like that. I worked with some at the fire station. Men who liked to overstate, just to make a good story. I was more of a straightforward type. I would describe my encounter with Ryan as “He was complaining. I called him out on it. He got pissed off and punched me. The end.” No ranting and raving or whining about it. It was what it was.Which made it difficult for me to describe the kiss precisely as it was.Because that kiss left me shaken to the core. It was every over the top, Fourth-of-July fireworks adjective there was. Incredible. Amazing. Earth-shattering. Multiplied by about one billion. I was reeling from it. I released her, lifted my mouth from hers. As she almost staggered back from the impact of the kiss, I took her hands in mine. I held them, kissed them.“We can’t,” I said, hating every w

Sarah JoMy workout clothes hadn’t seen the light of day since I moved back home. I had been more of a yoga girl than the kind who went for a chilly morning run, but no one around here knew that. So I put on my yoga clothes and sneakers.I jogged a couple of blocks—not effortlessly—and decided to stroll the rest of the way while elegantly clutching the stitch in my left side and wondering if that was the side my appendix was on. I wondered if a twenty-four-year-old could die from struggling to run two blocks. I coughed and cussed for a block before straightening up and resolving to do some sit-ups or something else soon. It was a little embarrassing to be that out of shape that quick. I was strong—loading lumber and unloading supply trucks would do that—but my lung capacity sucked.A slight twinge of doubt settled in my chest as I approached the old ballfield. What if he hadn’t come? What if he changed his mind? I plunged back into my fifteen-year-old self for half a minute and consid

“I would, but I’m busy tonight,” I said.“Oh, on call at the station?”“No. I made plans. You’ll have to get somebody else,” I said. I felt a pang, I admit it. I wasn’t used to telling my dad no. Anytime he needed me at the bar, I went. I even went and wore my pager if I was on call at the firehouse. But tonight, I wasn’t going to lose any time with Sarah Jo. When she rang the doorbell, I answered. She had on jeans and a cute top with lacy sleeves. I waited until she was inside and the door was closed to hug her.“I parked two blocks over so no one will see my car and tell Ryan I was here.”“So you don’t think the people who could recognize your car couldn’t also recognize you while you walked the two blocks to my house?” I asked dubiously.“Fine. I’m not James Bond, okay?” she laughed. “What’s for dinner? I brought wine.”I took the bottle from her and threw away the crumpled paper bag with a grin. “So when you were in stealth mode parking two blocks away, you thought, ‘hey I’ll just

Sarah JoNothing had ever made me feel as wanted or as special as those words. Luke Maddox wanted me and nobody else. He’d said it so matter-of-factly like it was obvious, like why would I ever think he’d want anything other than for us to be together? His arms around me comforted me, made me feel cherished and guarded. The curve of muscle in his shoulders, the strong, thick arms around me gave evidence of grueling workouts. Without even indulging of a fantasy of him rescuing me from a fire, there was a lot there to unpack. Not just the brother’s best friend part that was a little forbidden, but also the brave hero angle where he’s a firefighter who risks his life. It was more than that, so much beyond that superficial attraction as his hands curved down my back to my hips.I felt my body relax, melt almost under his touch. Instead of growing tense or trying to hold in my stomach or pose attractively, I felt like every movement was natural. He was kissing me, his mouth rocking against