Writing On The Wall (The King Brothers Duology #2)

Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

ETHAN

The snapping sound of a gloved fist hitting a punching bag fills the room.

Ooof.

“Sorry man.” I lift my chin to Colton. I can’t seem to find my focus this morning, and I’ve already taken too many hits from my big brother. And he’s loving it.

He pauses, dropping his fists as we both breathe heavily from exertion.

“What’s going on with you?”

“What’re you talking about? I’m golden.”

“Mmm, yeah, nope.” He shakes his head. “You’re not getting a pass on this. You were a gossiping little ass when I had that same look on my face.” He aims a gloved hand at me. “I’m not letting you off the hook that easily.”

“Colt, don’t be the marshmallow dust at the bottom of the Lucky Charms bag. We came here to work out. Now, punch me.”

“I’ve already punched you too many times today. Way more than usual, actually. I’d like my children to have a functioning uncle, and I’m concerned about your brain if I land any more hits in this same session.”

I shake my head. “You’d have to start knocking me around a lot harder than that for it to leave any lasting damage.”

He pulls his gloves off anyway, unwrapping his hands with a satisfied smirk on his face. “It’s a girl, isn’t it?”

I huff, unable to deny it, and his smile grows wider as he continues. “Oh, it’s definitely a girl. But, who? Did Sandra finally wear you down?”

I grimace. “What? No. Definitely not.” I thought Ivy was high maintenance, but she’s an angel compared to Sandra. That woman’s got straight up crazy eyes.

He purses his lips in deep thought while he wipes his neck with a towel. We’re both zipping up our gym bags and preparing to leave when he freezes, his eyes widening as his face snaps back to mine.

Crap.

A look of elation spreads across his face. “It’s Ivy.”

“Hmm? I don’t?—”

“Of course you like her. I should have known the grumpy attitude was just a front,” he says, crossing his arms and beaming at me.

I open my mouth to deny it again, but what’s the use? Colton’s already seen right through me. “Why do you look so happy about it?” I ask, scowling and moving toward the door. “It’s kind of a problem.”

“…Your voice just got real high.” He says after a pause.

“Yeah. Sorry,”

“Why’s it a problem?” He frowns and follows me out, sounding like a kid whose playdate just got canceled.

“Oh, I dunno, maybe cause she has a boyfriend, and it’s incredibly inconvenient,” I retort sarcastically .

“Which part’s inconvenient, the boyfriend or your feelings?”

“Both.” I sulk as we walk to our trucks.

“Okay, but the boyfriend thing—I honestly don’t buy it.”

“You don’t?” I ask a little too eagerly.

“I’ve seen Ivy and Toby together, and they’ve obviously friend-zoned one another a long time ago. I’m just not sure why she’d go through the trouble of faking something like that.” Colton unlocks his truck, tossing his bag in the back and leaning against the side. “Although, Ember says Ivy’s been acting a little weird and that she suspects something’s up but Ivy isn’t telling her ‘cause she doesn’t want to stress Ember out.”

She’s a little bag of secrets, that one, helping everyone else and wearing herself thin by the looks of it. I smile, thinking about how cute her selflessness makes her.

“So you’re admitting it? You do like her?” Colton grins and wags his eyebrows.

“What are you, twelve?” I scoff. The truth is, discussing this kind of stuff is new territory for me, even for a conversation with my brother. I’ve never had a problem joking about my many dates, but it’s always been lighthearted. None of them ever meet my family. Casual is the name of the game.

But with Ivy, I’m starting to realize there’s nothing casual about her or what I’m feeling. And I can’t decide whether I want to Bubble Wrap her or act as her bodyguard, shoving anyone and everything out of her way so she can roam free.

“What are you gonna do about it?” Colton asks, bringing me back.

“Besides my extreme empathy for Ember, not much I can do about your maturity, bro.”

“Your deflection is cute.” He crosses his arms again, still sporting that smug look on his face .

I turn to toss my things into my truck and run my hands through my hair. “What the hell can I do?”

“Is Ethan King asking his big brother for advice?”

“You don’t have to be an ass about it,” I grumble.

“Just talk to her man,” he says, still looking entirely too happy about my predicament. “Tell her how you feel…or show her what she’s missing out on. Stop messing around and get serious about a future with someone.”

“Yeah, okay.” My voice cracks, and I clear my throat awkwardly. I’m never this awkward. What is this woman turning me into? It’s not enough that I’m game for doing the whole DTR thing, but now I’ve got to deal with her having a boyfriend and all. Sure, I could tell her about the feelings I’ve developed for her, but I have no clue what her response will be. I’m still not sure she’d be willing to help me if I were on fire, instead of pulling out a bag of marshmallows.