Chapter 15

15

Reed

S omething changed after Chappaqua.

Dakota didn't give us too many details about her trip, except that she had to attend her grandmother's funeral. She may think she's good at keeping secrets, yet those beautiful brown eyes of hers betray her at every turn.

It's only a matter of time before we'll figure it out, but until then, my brothers and I have agreed to give her the space she needs to tell us when she's ready.

"Popcorn's done!" she calls out from the kitchen.

We've organized a movie night at our place while Trevor and Maisie are doing a sleepover at Chelsea's house. Maddox is in charge of drinks for the evening, while Archer picked out the movie options.

The more time we spend with Dakota, the deeper my brothers and I seem to be falling. I want it to work. I just don't know if she's ready to give it a try for the long term as much as we are.

"Has she said anything?" Archer asks in a hushed voice.

"About what?" I reply.

"Her grandmother's funeral and the trip to Chappaqua."

I shake my head slowly. "No. I didn't pressure her, either."

"Something is going on," Maddox grumbles as he takes his seat on the sofa. "Something happened at that funeral."

"Whatever it is, she knows we're here for her," I reply calmly. "Let her come to us on her own time."

"She's not a helpless little doe," Archer scoffs. "She needs to talk to us about it. Get it off her chest. It's clearly bothering her."

My brothers are more direct by nature, Archer, in particular. He gets straight to the point. Maddox usually waits until he feels the need to intervene, but they both function on similar strategies of ripping the Band-Aid off rather than peeling it off slowly.

"Dakota strikes me as the kind of woman who opens up in layers. We need a balance of forces here," I say, keeping my voice low. "It's not that I'm concerned that we're going to scare her away, but we have to be patient. It's that simple."

"It's annoying, is what it is," Archer sighs.

As soon as Dakota comes back into the room with a large bowl of freshly popped corn, the entire mood shifts. We make ourselves comfortable on the sofa, snacks and drinks on the coffee table in front of us while the beginning credits of the movie roll by on the large TV screen.

I can see what's bothering my brothers. I can feel it, too. It surrounds Dakota like an exotic scent, one that tickles my senses, begging me to ask the questions we're all itching to ask.

"What are we watching?" Dakota asks. "I didn't recognize any of the actors' names."

"It's supposed to be a really good Indie film, according to the crowds at the Tribeca Film Festival last year," I reply.

She briefly checks her phone. "The kids are doing well. Chelsea has them watching TV in separate rooms. Maisie wanted Bluey , and Trevor wanted Transformers . They couldn't compromise, so she made an executive decision."

"It's a good thing Chelsea has more than one TV," Archer says, his brow slightly furrowed. "Trevor can be so stubborn sometimes. Sorry if he's making it harder on Maisie, too."

"Don't worry about it," Dakota says. "She's a patient little girl. Besides, once she's busy doing or watching something she likes, she completely tunes out," she adds with a chuckle, then looks at me. "How are things coming along with Trevor? Is he opening up more?"

"Nah, if anything, he's stirring up some trouble at school. Twice this week, I've had to pick him up from detention," I reply. "I guess he needs to push the envelope a bit before he finally settles down."

"Is that what the child psychologist said?"

"Yeah. He's starting to come out of his shell a little bit, but the doctor believes he's stuck in the anger stage of grief. It will reach a boiling point eventually, and we're all going to have to be there for him tenfold when it does," I explain, remembering my last conversation with Trevor's therapist. "It's a natural process. We need to let it run its course."

"The therapist is right," Dakota says. "He's a good kid, though. Once he's able to go through all the stages, I think he'll be easier to handle, but that could take time, years even. The adjustment to a completely new family is hard for a child his age. Trust me, I've been there. Luckily, I landed at my grandma Sally's house. In Trevor's case, however, he isn't with immediate family, which could be making things worse."

"Speaking of grandmas," Archer cuts in, tentatively putting an arm around Dakota's shoulders.

He's seated to her right while I'm on her left, with Maddox next to me. I shoot Archer a dirty look because I already know where he's going with this.

"You never told us what happened at the funeral."

"There isn't much to tell," Dakota immediately replies, looking down.

That gesture is a subtle tell that she's lying. I plant a kiss on her temple, breathing her in, and I feel her softening beside me ever so slightly. "I might sound like a broken record, but you do know that you can talk to us about anything, right? We're here for you."

"I know," she says. "And thank you for that. But there's not much to talk about."

"Bullshit," Maddox mutters, his eyes glued to the TV screen.

Dakota leans forward a bit so she can stare at him with confusion. "Excuse me?"

"I mean the movie. There's no way you can jump off a rig like that and survive," Maddox says, covering for himself after I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow. I'm trying to keep this evening about the four of us connecting, relaxing, and spending time together.

But Archer clearly has other ideas. He turns himself to face her. "Babe, come on. It's obvious that something happened while you were there. What is it?" he asks.

"Nothing," she insists, and I can feel the tension stiffening her body. "I promise."

"Dakota, is there anything we can do to help you?" I ask, though I'd rather just punch Archer in the face for going off-script like that.

"It was uncomfortable," she sighs deeply. "I didn't know anybody there except Callie. And she wasn't any nicer to me than she was the first time I met her."

"Did she say anything to you?" Archer asks, carefully analyzing Dakota's expression.

She shrugs. "She's hurt and grieving Katherine's death. I went in there as a stranger, and I left the same way."

"Why did they insist you be there, then?"

And there it is. That meaningful hesitation that I'd noticed before, but it has become sharply clear now. She is definitely holding something back, something important.

"Katherine was my grandmother. I am one of her next of kin," Dakota replies and gets up. "I need more ice for these drinks. Do you guys want anything?"

Archer blocks her and wraps his arms around her. She doesn't try to get away, but she avoids his gaze altogether. "If you're not going to tell us what's bothering you, we're going to get it out of you one way or another," he says, his voice low and heavy.

"Maybe we should just forget movie night and head to the bedroom," Dakota says, completely changing course.

She's shaking like a leaf in my brother's arms. Whatever burden she's been carrying inside her since Chappaqua is putting tremendous pressure on her.

If we can't solve it for her, we can at least make her feel better and take the edge off.

And there's nothing I like more than to feel her when she comes, hard and wet all over me, while I lose myself inside her. My pants feel tighter as I get up and join Archer. Maddox stands as well, and Dakota melts between us. We kiss the troubles away, one inch of silky, soft skin at a time.

"Take me," she whispers in my ear and kisses the side of my neck.

I peel the shirt off her body and enjoy the feel of her full, heavy breasts in my bare hands, kneading the flesh as I listen to the sound of her ragged breathing. Maddox gets her out of her jeans, eager to spread her legs and lick her wet, delicious folds, while Archer gathers her long hair into a loose bun on the top of her head so he can kiss the back of her neck.

So much for movie night.