Staking Her Claim...: Book 1 in the Patricks' Brothers series by Natasha Thomas

at me, he adds thoughtfully, “Just don’t give up on him okay. He might act tough, but he’s not. He needs someone that sees him for who he is not the guy he pretends to be.”
     
    Walking back to his friend, clapping him on the should, Thomas nods in my direction and is met with a grim scowl from Rob before he goes back to ignoring everyone and everything. His natural state of being.
     
    I stole sidelong glances at Rob all throughout gym class, only stopping when I had to go and change, getting ready to head into my only free period for the week when I’m stopped by a firm hand on my forearm dragging me into the opposite corridor.
    “Why are you staring at me all the time,” Rob demands.
     
    Unsure of what to say, I answer truthfully.
    “I like to watch you, and I want to be your friend.”
     
    “Why not just talk to me then? Why bother following me around all the time if you’re only going to retreat into hiding when I eve 1 ntually notice you?”
     
    Shaking free of his grip. I cross my arms protectively across my chest.
    “Because you weren’t ready yet.”
     
    “What the hell does that mean?” He snarls.
     
    Rolling my eyes, praying for patience I don’t have, I say bluntly.
    “You’re not ready for me to be your friend yet, you still need time. I’m sorry if I upset you, though.”
     
    Mirroring my stance, his muscled arms crossed over his chest, he cocks an eyebrow in question.
    “How will you know when I’m ready then, and what makes you think you’re qualified to be the judge of that? And why do you believe I’d even agree to be your friend anyway?”
     
    Now that’s a harder question for me to answer, because truthfully, I don’t know. It’s all based on this feeling I have in the pit of my stomach. An ache to be someone he confides in. A yearning to be someone else who cares about him. Someone other than, Thomas.
     
    Shrugging, I reply,
    “Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe because no one else seems to be making the effort to get to know you, or it might be because I see you, Rob. I see something in you that no one else can.” Reaching out and grabbing his hand, I hold on tight when he tries to shake me off. “You have a big heart you know. You just have to open it up a little and let me in.”
     
    With that, I drop his hand and walk away not knowing that would be the turning point in our soon to be friendship. From that afternoon on, I didn’t only walk home with Harper and Finn, I walked back with Rob and Thomas too.
     
    Our friendship started out slowly but developed into one of the closest I’d ever have. He was my best friend, Harper aside, there was nothing I wouldn’t do for him. And that included pulling him out of his comfort zone no matter how much opposition he put up when I did.
     
    Half the time we argued, the other half we laughed and confided in each other. For the most part, though, we were inseparable. Rob became fast friends with Brookes, Brandt, Finn, and Jett too. They shared a love of baseball, cars, and Nintendo, all things I could care less about.
     
    So, when they started one of their numerous debates about which muscle car was best, I made myself scarce. I chose to hang out with Harper, who was obsessed with painting her nails, listening to what I considered to be crappy boy bands, and gossiping about boys over having a conversation I’d never know enough about to partake in.
     
    Before long, Rob and Thomas were almost permanent fixtures in our house after school and on weekends. Not that I minded, I loved having them there, but I was more than a little curious about what their foster parents thought about them never being home. One day I made the mistake of asking him exactly that. Afterward, I realized my error and vowed not to be stupid enough to ask him something like that ever again.
     
    “Rob, how come you never want to go home. I mean, it’s not that I don’t want you here, I do, but don’t your parents miss you seeing as you’re never