The only thing about business I loathe is paperwork. The bar keeps growing, which just means I have to deal with schedules and time off requests, with employees who all want to be off on the same day – Valentine’s Day. Not only does everyone want off that day, but I don’t want to be here either. It’s my first Valentine’s Day with Lyric, and she’s where I want to be. Of course, it’s also one of the busiest days in this industry. Those who have steady relationships are going out on dates to the fancy, reservation-only restaurants while the single crowd shows up here looking for a one-night hookup.

Working last year on this particular holiday didn’t bother me, because things with Lyric were so new. We were just getting started, and even though I couldn’t get her off my mind, I didn’t know just how important she’d become over the next year. Now, we live together, in a house we bought together.

My life has done a complete one-eighty since this time last year. SarahBeth and Jeremy are together, they have a baby who is just over a month old, and they’re engaged. Planning their wedding and all that. When thinking about who would get married first, myself or my baby sister, I always thought it would be me. Of course, I never imagined she’d be with my closest friend either, so evidently, I didn’t think it through very clearly.

As though the direction my thoughts have taken conjured him, Jeremy drops into the chair in front of my desk with a huff. Before I can ask what’s wrong, he covers his face with his hands and his elbows hit the hard surface of my desk hard enough to make me wince.

“Jesus Christ,” he complains, “I feel like I haven’t slept in months.”

I can’t stop the grin that pulls up one side of my mouth. Part of me wants to tell him he deserves whatever he gets since he forgot to use protection, something I wouldn’t have hesitated to say in the past, but though we’ve moved past what happened, our relationship hasn’t fully recovered. “Amelia still not sleeping through the night?”

Jeremy shakes his head with a groan. “No, man, not even close.” He straightens in the seat, then leans back and tips his head towards the ceiling. “Apparently it’s normal, at least, that’s what Sarah says.” My grin widens at the frustration in his voice. Well, partly that. There’s also the fact that he’s the only person I know who calls my sister “Sarah”. She’s been SarahBeth or SB to everyone but him since she was a baby.

“Sorry,” I tell him, completely unapologetic. “It won’t always be like this though, right?” It’s obvious I have no clue what I’m talking about. Other than my sister, I haven’t been around many kids, and even though I was ten when she was born, I don’t really remember what it was like when she was a baby. Truthfully, I think I blocked it out.

“Asshole,” he says with a chuckle. “Just wait until you’re the one running on no sleep. See if I have any sympathy for you -” He cuts himself off when the door to my office opens, and when Lyric walks in, visibly relaxes.

I stand when she gets close, trying hard to keep from laughing at him. He was afraid the tiny spitfire he lives with was about to catch him running his mouth, although, Lyric catching him probably isn’t much better. Even after everything went down last year, she and SB are tight.

As soon as she’s within reach, I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her in close. Her arms automatically slide up my chest to rest on my shoulders as she melts into me. “Hey darlin’,” I murmur, her breathy reply lost when I press my lips against hers in a brief kiss.

Jeremy groans, muttering an expletive under his breath, and I remember we’re not alone. When Lyric turns to face him, her face is full of concern. “What’s wrong?” she asks with a frown.

“Nothing,” he gripes, jaw tight as he looks away.

Lyric looks back to me, one eyebrow raised. “Did I interrupt something?”

I lift one shoulder in a shrug, not sure what his problem is. When I don’t answer, she turns back to him, waiting for an answer. When no one speaks, he finally sighs heavily. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

“Uh, yeah.” She props one hand on her hip and says, “That was not a normal reaction. It’s not like we were going at it on the desk while you sat and watched.” The horrified look on his face makes me laugh, but the visual inspired by her words turns me the fuck on. Now I’m trying to figure out ways to get him gone so I can make that image a reality.

“Well, thank Christ for that,” he finally says. “Thanks for that, though. Just thinking about the things you two have likely done on that desk makes me want to shower.” My arm still around her waist, I pull Lyric back against me and laugh against the back of her head. “Shut up, dick.” An evil look crosses his face, and the only thing I can think is oh shit. Whatever he’s about to say is going to completely ruin my night.

“Look,” he starts, “you can laugh all you want, you’re getting laid.” I freeze. I knew I wasn’t going to like this. “Meanwhile, I haven’t had anything but hand jobs in almost two months,” he continues to complain. I want to tell him to shut the hell up, but it’s like a train wreck you can’t do anything to stop. “You know the really screwed up thing? This weekend, we’ll actually be clear for that, and it’s Valentine’s Day, our first. But, with a new baby, there’s no way we can do anything, not just the two of us.” He deflates as he finishes the sentence, and I feel Lyric relax against me.

I know before the words leave her mouth what she’s about to offer and it both makes me love her more, and want to duck tape her mouth shut. “Oh Jer,” she sighs, “that’s so sad!” She doesn’t even look at me before telling him, “You and SarahBeth deserve a night away after everything. How about David and I watch Amelia for the night so the two of you can spend some time together? If nothing else, you’ll get to sleep all night.”

Jeremy looks up at her like she’s his savior. “Are you serious? You want to keep her for the entire night? You know that’s till morning, right?” She nods, laughing a little, and he continues, “I’m saying yes before you can change your mind.” He stands so quickly the chair almost falls backwards, and then he’s standing directly in front of us. Taking her hands in his, he leans down to kiss her cheek. “I think I love you. Wait until I tell Sarah.”

Before she can reply, he’s gone, shutting the door behind him. As soon as it closes, she turns to face me with a worried look on her face. “I probably should have asked if it was okay with you first, huh?”

I stare down at her, trying to think of something to say that won’t sound dickish … I was looking forward to us spending Valentine’s together, and now she just signed us up to babysit. Lyric hurries to say, “Please don’t be mad. We can be together anytime. They’ve got this new baby, and I know it’s got to be hard on them. You understand, right?” She looks up at me with wide eyes, her lip between her teeth, and I know I can’t complain.

“Yeah, darlin’, it’s fine,” I say quietly, hoping I sound more reassuring than I feel. “I’m sure SarahBeth will appreciate the sleep.” I refuse to think about my sister having sex, even if she does have a kid. I’d rather pretend it was immaculate conception.

When Lyric sighs in relief, I know I said the right thing. Then, she says, “You’re such a good brother.” A mischievous grin lifts the corner of her mouth. “I promise I’ll make it up to you,” she says, going up on her toes so she can press her mouth to mine.

“Damn right you will,” I mutter against her lips, pulling her tight against me and loving the sound of her giggle, one that turns into a moan as I deepen the kiss. She will definitely be making it up to me, multiple times.