more for us | grayson dolan (book two)

ten

"You attacked her?!" Lanie's eyes widen as she drips syrup all over her pancakes. Some of it leaks onto the glass table, so Ethan quickly grabs her hand and places the bottle back over her plate.

"It was so badass." Grayson says with a mouthful of waffle. "Another One Bites the Dust is my new favorite song."

"I don't care, she's been sending me snarky comments for weeks. She's always rubbing my failed relationship with Laura in my face." I roll my eyes while taking a sip from my glass of water.

"She's obviously jealous." Ethan chimes in while looking at me from across the table. "I wonder what happened to her mother."

"She's probably a rich New York housewife." I shrug my shoulders with a sigh.

"So, I'm guessing you aren't going to work at the record store?" Lanie questions.

"Clearly not. I'm probably banned from my favorite place all because of her. It's not fair."

"Trust me, I'll make sure you aren't banned." Grayson places his hand on my thigh and innocently caresses the outside fabric of my pajama pants.

"I've never hated a girl so much in my life. She's everything I hate about the world." I aggressively stab my fork into my pancake before shoving it in my mouth. The delicious taste overshadows it, causing my mood to slightly perk up.

"I wish I saw you push her against the shelf." Ethan smirks.

"Bro, it was so awesome." Grayson says with a small laugh.

"But you stopped her." His twin rolls his eyes.

"For good reason." Lanie shakes her head at her boyfriend. "Stella could have been arrested."

"Yeah, you guys would be visiting me in jail right now." I say in between bites.

"I would be right in there with you." Grayson says with a smile. His cute words make me blush, like always.

"Well, I would bail you both out." Ethan replies.

"You would be my one phone call, since Jake would probably hang up on me." I mutter while looking at my plate.

"Hey, stop that." Lanie's voice speaks up with a sigh. "Your brother doesn't hate you, he's just processing everything."

"You need to call him, make sure he's okay." Ethan adds.

"I know. I'm scared of what could happen if I stay away for too long." Jake has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for half his life. He's been clean for two years, but he could always relapse. That's my biggest fear.

"He wouldn't do anything stupid, right?" Grayson's low voice is laced with worry.

"I hope not."

I would like to think my brother's drug and drinking phase is long behind him, but addicts struggle their whole lives. Everyday is a battle, but Jake is strong. I would never let him lose control, especially since his life has been amazing recently. Despite the reappearance of our mother, his tattoo shop is busy and he's stably living on his own. I couldn't be more proud of him.

"So, what did you guys do last night?" Grayson shifts to a lighter topic.

"Went to dinner, then walked around for a bit." Ethan looks at Lanie with loving eyes.

"This city is beautiful. I love it so much." She lustfully sighs while looking back at him.

The sudden beeping of the monitor by the elevator starts filling the penthouse. "Miss Monroe, you have a visitor. A woman named Laura Koch is here to see you, should I buzz her up?" Martin's voice speaks.