Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Though his concern is kind, I can’t help but wonder if it’s just part of him doing me a favor by being here, like his brother changing out my car battery as part of his mission to do good deeds.
The problem is that after what’s been going on between us, I want to believe that they’re here because they want to be with me, not because they see me as a girl in need of help.
The thought of them having genuine interest in me gives me a warm feeling all over, until I remember that there’s two of them, and only one of me. And that they’re brothers.
I don’t know what I’m thinking can come of this. Even if I had a fling with one of them, like Sadie first suggested, there’s a chance the other one would be hurt.
How did I get myself into this situation?
The only sensible way out is to lean into the fact that they’re doing me a favor. They’re just pretending, even if they’re doing much too good a job of it.
As dessert is being served, Mom comes by yet again, this time to remind me of my hair appointment at the resort’s salon tomorrow morning, even though we just went over that information at the rehearsal, and nothing has changed.
“Before you go to the salon, can you make sure all of the other bridesmaids are on their way, too, Callie? I don’t want anyone to be late. The whole schedule will be thrown off.”
As soon as I agree to that, she says, “Oh, and it looks like your sister’s in need of another glass of wine. Can you get her another from the bar? It’s chardonnay.”
I’m not sure why Adam wouldn’t fetch his bride-to-be a refill, or why my mom, who’s been flitting around the room all evening, wouldn’t grab it while she’s making her rounds, but I set my fork down and get up from my chair, telling Miles I’ll be right back.
He reaches for my arm before I can walk off. “I’ll get it.”
“I got it. Thank you, though.” It’s probably a good idea to put some distance between Miles and myself for a couple of minutes, anyway. Watching him eat the whipped cream on the strawberry shortcake isn’t going to do me or my hormones any favors.
Up at the bar, after I make my request, the bartender turns away to grab a glass from the shelf on the wall. Suddenly, there’s a voice in my ear, and the unpleasant weight of a body pressing against me. “Don’t move, Callie. You’re going to stay right here and listen to what I have to say.”
CHAPTER 42
CALLIE
There are both garlic and beer on Rick’s breath, but they’re not the reason I’m repulsed by him. I try to step to the side to get away from him, but he clamps an arm on the counter, blocking me in.
“You and I are done, and you know that,” he says, his voice like vinegar. “So you have no business running around telling Alexis stories about me. Your lies aren’t going to break us up. I’ll never get back with you, so you need to move on.”
I’m so shocked by the motivations he’s accusing me of, that I can’t speak. Surely, he doesn’t think I would ever—ever—want him back? I knew he was many things, but I had no idea he was this much of a narcissist.
The bartender sets the glass of chardonnay on a napkin in front of me. She gives Rick a look, but his voice was low enough that she wouldn’t have heard what he said. He’s probably smiling at her over my shoulder.
As soon as she turns away, he clamps his hand on my shoulder, so I’m no longer blocked in, but I still can’t move. “Now, get back to your pretty boy and stay out of my business, or you’ll regret it.”
“Get your hands off her.” It’s Miles. His voice is quiet but dangerous, and he’s in Rick’s face just enough to intimidate him without drawing attention from others in the room. He’s in his face as much as someone as tall as Miles can be with someone as short as Rick.
I already knew this, but up close, it’d be hard to label them both as men. And that’s not because of their height difference, but because Rick is pathetic, and contrasted with Miles, he’s an absolute joke.
Miles tucks me into his side, sheltering me under his arm, and angling his body to put distance between mine and Rick’s. “Is there anything else you’d like to say before you get the hell away from us?”
Clearly outmatched in every way, Rick shakes his head, his face tight like there’s something bitter in his mouth. What did I ever see in him?
“How about I’m sorry?” Miles demands, keeping his voice low. “How about you apologize to the best woman you’ll ever have the chance to know? How about you apologize for being such an asshole?”