It’s beenmonths. Even if I didn’t have Griffin to help me move on from that asshole, I’d still be over him by now. I frown. “Of course I’m over him. I’m good, Maddy. Promise.”
Apparently, that was the reassurance he needed, because his shoulders lose some of their tension as he runs a hand through his dark hair. “Good. I’m glad to hear that because I think I have something to tell you that you’re really going to like.”
Confusion muddies my already distracted thoughts. Does he have more wedding news or something to tell me? I arch an eyebrow and make a face at my brother, which makes him chuckle. “Okay?”
“I’ve been talking with my agent, and we had an idea.”
Griffin stiffens beside me, his knee pressing against mine. I glance at him and notice how tight his jaw is, but I don’t havetime to wonder about it further, because that’s when my brother drops a bomb at the dinner table.
“He has a nephew your age. The guy’s super smart, really driven, and when my agent showed him a photo of you, he said he’d be happy to go on a date with you. His name is Rhett, and I gave him your number. He’s going to text you this week to set something up.” My brother smiles so wide, he clearly thinks this is something I’ll be excited about. “Isn’t that great?”
My head is a chaotic mess. I was just considering telling my brother that I married his best friend and have been happier than I’ve been in…well, maybe ever, and now I have to switch gears to process the fact that he gave some guy my number without asking my permission and is trying to set me up on a date. It’s like I’m in one of those carnival rides that spins so fast, it pins you to the wall before the floor drops out. It’s impossible to get my bearings, and I’m not sure if I’m going to puke or pass out.
“You gave my number to a guy named Rhett?”
Completely unaware of the way my mind is spinning out of control, my brother grins. “He’s perfect for you, Mir. I told Mom about him, and even she agreed he sounds like he could be exactly what you need. Plus, he’s in marketing, so he can help you with your business.”
“She doesn’t need help with her business,” Griffin says, his voice low and dangerous. “She’s built it up from nothing all on her own.”
Maddox waves a hand dismissively. “I know, I’m not saying she hasn’t, just that dating someone else who’s business minded and experienced is perfect for her. They can bounce ideas off one another, and he can help her level up her branding.”
I get that he’s trying to be sweet, but my brother is way out of line with all of this.Wayout of line. To give a stranger my phone number and set this all up without talking to me is one thing, butto insinuate that I’m not capable and creative enough to succeed on my own is suchbullshit. I’ve worked so hard to prove myself. I’ve done everything I can to step out of his shadow, and now he wants me to step into some random guy’s because he’s good at marketing?
What the hell?
It makes my brain stall out.
“She doesn’t want you to set her up, do you, Mira?” Griffin presses his leg against mine, and I can practically feel him vibrating with barely restrained fury.
“I…” They’re all staring at me. Maddox with this expectant look on his face, Isla with concern, and Griffin—Griffin’s expression is a potent cocktail of rage, need, and worry. My throat going dry, all I can do is splutter like an idiot. “I…”
“Maybe this isn’t a good time to talk about this,” Isla says, her attention bouncing between me and Griffin. “In fact, maybe bringing this up at all was a mistake.”
Blissfully unaware of the minefield he just threw me into, Maddox scoffs. “It’s not a mistake. He’s perfect for Mira, and come on, let’s be real here. My sister doesn’t have the best track record with choosing men.”
Oh.His words are an arrow, and boy, do they find their target.
“Maddox!” Isla’s eyes flash with anger and a warning, but I barely notice. I’m stuck in an echo chamber where his words bounce around and around, leaving bruises and doubt in their wake.
“Oh, come on, Short-Stack, you know what I mean. Mira’s a hopeless romantic like our mom. It’s not a bad thing, it just means she’s prone to giving men who don’t deserve it a chance. I don’t want to see her make the same mistake our mom did and give some flaky asshole chances he doesn’t deserve. You know she’s too good for every guy she’s ever dated.” Maddox rolls hiseyes like all of this is obvious. Like he didn’t just inadvertently insult his best friend in the whole world by implying that, yes, my picker is, in fact, completely broken and that I must be incapable of choosing a good man for myself.
“Are you serious right now?” Griffin snarls. “Mira, you can’t possibly believe this shit, right?”
My brother likely doesn’t hear the worry in Griffin’s voice, but I do. I do, and I hate it. But my mind is reeling, my heart is hurting, and I’m so caught off guard by this entire situation that I can’t think straight.
“I…”
“Maddox,” Isla warns, her cheeks red with anger as she glances between me and Griffin. Does she see the rift growing between us right now? Does she have any idea what my brother just did?
“Mira?” Griffin’s voice grows ragged.
“That’s really what you think of me?” I ask my brother. The words waver as they leave my lips. “You think I need you to pick someone for me because I can’t?”
Finally, Maddox scowls, confusion skittering across his face. “That’s not what I said, Mir. I just think this guy would be perfect for you, that’s all. You deserve better than the man-children you usually go for. I don’t want to see you waste any more time on guys who don’t take life as seriously as you do.”
Griffin’s spine straightens at that, and I want to rage at my brother. I want to tell him to shut the fuck up. I want to tell him I don’t need him to choose for me, because I’ve chosen for myself, and the man I’ve picked is perfect. He doesn’t have to be serious all the time. He doesn’t have to be someone who works in a similar field as me. He just has toseeme andchooseme, which Griffin does. Every day.
But how can I say any of that to my brother now that he’s made it crystal clear he’ll never take anyone I choose seriously?Not only that, but he hit Griffin right in a soft spot, and he doesn’t even know.
