“I like it when you act all chivalrous,.” she said, squeezing my arm. Her megawatt smile shone brighter than the sun.
The floodgates opened.
One sentence. One admission.
From anyone else, it meant nothing.
From Madi, it meant everything.
The feelings I’d been denying rose up and flooded my system.
My heart hopped, skipped, and jumped.
All it took was one confession.
“If you tell my brothers, I’ll castrate you.”
God I love this woman.
Wild horses couldn’t have dragged the idiotic smile off my face.
Not wanting the moment to end, I slowed to a snail’s pace.
“Madi?” Cate called out.
Wild horses couldn’t, but that did.
“Hey sis,” Jay added without taking his eyes off me. “Robinson.”
He sees it. He knows this is personal.
“Hey guys. Fancy meeting you here,” Madi’s voice squeaked, so I squeezed her hand to offer what little support I could.
“Thought I’d treat my fiancée to a nice dinner,” Jay said, finally shifting his gaze towards Madi.
“That’s so sweet,” Madi said, patting his arm. “You grew up good.”
Her smile lit up the dim entryway as she praised her brother.
“Thanks. Do you have reservations?” Jay asked.
“We do.”
“Then you won’t mind if I keep Cate to myself?”
“No, sir. Have fun,” I answered.
Madi hugged each of them, then returned to my side and clasped my hand. She looked calm, but her death grip told a different story.
I leaned in and kissed her temple before whispering, “You’ve got this, Red.”
She tilted her head, just enough to make eye contact without actually turning toward me. “Thanks, Robin.”
Aw fuck. Now I’m hard as a rock.
I reminded myself her brother was nearby and just like that, I was soft as a noodle.
“Table for two?” the hostess asked.
