Page 55 of The Way We Touch
“Ah, no.” I exhale a laugh. “I wanted to go alone, because I want to spend time with her. I like her.”
“Everybody likes Dylan.” His brow furrows, and this dumb oaf still doesn’t get what I’m saying. “She’s a great girl.”
“I think so, too, and I want to spend more time with her. On a more serious basis.”
He takes a few more steps as the words sink in, then he stops. A frown tightens his forehead, and my muscles tense.
I do some quick, mental math on his size versus my size, and yep, Garrett could seriously beat me to a pulp if that’s the direction he decides to take it.
Flexing my hands, I brace for the worst.
“You want to date my sister?”
“Is that okay?”
Shaking his head, he starts to walk, this time he’s moving faster. “I don’t know. You’re kind of a player, Logan, and Dylan’s not like the girls you normally date. I’d hate to have to kick your ass, because I consider you a really good friend, a best friend.”
“I feel the same. It’s why I’m talking to you.” I swallow the desert in my throat. “I have no intention of playing with Dylan. She’s real and sweet and beautiful. She’s kind, and she makes me want to be a better man.”
“You’re damn straight you’ll be a better man. You’ll be the best man.”
“That’s what I said.”
We walk a few paces in silence. “My little sister is special. She’s the kind of woman you marry.”
I think about her sweet face and satisfaction unfurls in my chest. “I know.”
Damn. She really is.
“What are you going to do when we have to go back to New York?”
And the dread rushes in. “We haven’t really gotten that far. This is all pretty new.”
“Well, you’d better get there. We’re only here a few more weeks.”
Fuck. “I know.”
“Are you going to try and do some sort of long-distance thing?”
“Maybe? If she’s up for that.” I rub my hand over the back of my neck. “I’d like to try.”
“Can you do that?” He glares at me, and I cut my eyes up at him.
“Yes.” I’m dead serious.
He is, too. “If you tell her you will, you won’t try. You will.”
“You think I’d be talking to you this way if I wasn’t serious? You, of all people?”
He’s satisfied with that answer, and we’re approaching the restaurant. “How did this happen?”
“Have you seen your sister? She’s amazing.” He doesn’t answer, and I look out at the bay. “You told me if I came here, I’d find what I was looking for.”
“So you’re blaming me for this?” His voice rises.
“Maybe I am. You’re my best friend, and she’s your sister. It makes sense I’d like her better than I like you. She’s a lot prettier than you are.”
“Let’s get one thing straight now.” He stops walking again, and I turn to face him. “As far as all that goes, you’re waiting until marriage to touch her. No, I take it back. You are never sleeping with my sister. Even if you wind up having kids, they’re getting dropped off by a stork. I’m not thinking of you with Dylan.”