Matt nodded as he reached for his drink. “And I’m going to ask Liv to move in with me.”
He’d almost done it before he left for Virginia, but he’d decided to wait until maybe next month. While it felt as though they’d been together a long time and he couldn’t imagine not having Liv in his life, their relationship was still new. And although he was ready to take the next step, she might need more time.
The annoying car horn came from his brother’s phone again. “Now I’ve got to meet her,” Aiden said as he responded to his newest text.
Pulling out a chair, Adam sat in time to hear Aiden’s comment. “Me too. Evie and I plan to visit the second week of August. Why don’t you join us?”
Back in May, they’d briefly discussed Adam, Evie, and Reagan visiting, but they’d never finalized things. “When did you plan on telling me?”
Adam slapped him on the shoulder. “I just did.”
“Not a bad idea.” Aiden opened the calendar app on his phone. “Can’t. It looks like I’ll be in Dallas for three days that week and then in Phoenix for the rest. However, I don’t have anything important scheduled for Monday or Tuesday. I think I’ll fly back with Matt on Sunday.”
Fifteen
Rolling over for what seemed like the hundredth time Friday night, Liv stared into the darkness. Most nights, she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. But for the third night in a row, sleep refused to come. She wished she could blame it on drinking coffee too late in the day or because she’d taken a nap in the afternoon. She couldn’t, though. Her inability to fall asleep was the result of the other side of the bed being empty. Over the past few weeks, she’d gotten too accustomed to falling asleep with Matt’s arm around her. If she’d known insomnia would be a withdrawal symptom when he wasn’t around, she would’ve thought long and hard before spending so many nights with him.
Who am I kidding? I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Since sleep seemed impossible, Liv switched on the bedside light and grabbed her phone. Checking out social media wouldn’t help her fall asleep, but it would pass the time.
Most people used social media to keep in touch with friends or to see what their favorite celebrities were up to. While she certainly used it for both, she also used it for new recipe ideas.
A quick scroll through her friends’ profiles showed most hadn’t posted anything since the last time she checked their pages. She was about to switch over to her favorite cooking page when she noticed a new post on Sylvie’s profile.
“Now, that’s what I call eye candy.” Her post was followed by a link and a picture of Matt with his cousin Jake Sherbrooke.
Well, her college roommate wasn’t wrong. Both men were gorgeous. Then again, everyone in that family had hit the genetic jackpot.
Nothing about the picture indicated whether it had been taken recently or even where. Curious about what information might accompany the photo, Liv clicked on the link.
Immediately, the Star Report’s website popped up. An extremely popular celebrity magazine, it prided itself on getting celebrity news out first. While Liv questioned the accuracy of everything they printed, she did occasionally enjoy reading the magazine or its website.
Tonight, the first story on the website’s main page was about Matt.
“Matt Sherbrooke Spotted at Cormac’s Brewery,” the headline read.
Sources familiar with the event shared that he was attending a bachelor/bachelorette party for his cousin and that following the tasting at Cormac’s, the party enjoyed a private dinner cruise. The guest list included several family members, including President Sherbrooke’s son, Jake, Senator Brett Sherbrooke, and Juliette Belmont.
Notably missing from the group was the woman seen with Matt numerous times over the past few weeks. Although pretty in a girl-next-door type of way, she can’t compete with the beautiful women usually attached to Matt’s arm. Was her absence yesterday a clue that Matt is once again single? Or has the new mystery woman photographed with Matt last night already caught his attention? Women around the world, including this reporter, are dying to know.
She had a mirror and perfect eyesight, so she knew the reporter was telling the truth. Still, the sentence insinuating she wasn’t attractive enough to be with Matt stung.
She’s probably a relative.
Despite the mental reminder, unease settled in Liv’s chest as she scrolled down to the photos, the first being the one she’d seen on Sylvie’s page. The next one featured Matt chatting with his cousin Juliette. Since the man standing next to her had his arm around her waist, she assumed they were a couple.
When she reached the third photo, she stopped scrolling. In it, Matt had his arm slung over the shoulders of a gorgeous brunette, one she didn’t recognize.
That doesn’t mean she isn’t a relative or family friend.
Four more pictures accompanied the article. While she recognized Matt’s brothers, she didn’t know anyone else in those photos. Whoever they were, she doubted they catered retirement parties at the local VFW hall or waited tables when their family’s restaurant needed help. Although she didn’t own one and never would be able to afford one, she recognized the Louis Vuitton purse the blonde in the last picture was holding.
Scrolling up, she studied the first two pictures. When it was just the two of them, it was easy to forget that not only did people around the world know who Matt was, but also what family he belonged to. These photos did an excellent job of reminding her.
How would the people in these pictures react if Matt brought her to an event like the party last night, wearing a dress she’d purchased off the clearance rack at Macy’s?
He insisted his parents were nothing like the aunt and uncle who disapproved of his cousin’s fiancée. That they would accept her, no questions asked. Maybe that was true. It was also possible he’d just never introduced them to women they didn’t like. And even if they didn’t object, Matt’s parents weren’t his only family. At gatherings when his cousins or siblings were talking about their stock portfolios or their vacations to exclusive locations, what would she have to share? She didn’t imagine they cared or even thought about how the cost of milk or seafood affected her small catering company’s profit margin.
