Page 8 of Wish You Were Mine

Years of being around my brothers had taught her the importance of secrecy when it came to dating. If they learned anything, they’d either tease me mercilessly or get insanely overprotective. There didn’t seem to be any middle ground. It didn’t even matter to them that I was a grown woman now. I was still their baby sister.

I grimaced. “Asher was there.”

I quickly explained what had happened.

“Ugh, I’m sorry.” She put the bowl of salad down and hugged me.

I buried my face in her silky black hair and breathed in the familiar scent of her favorite herbal shampoo.

“It’s fine,” I said, pulling back. “Ben wasn’t the right guy for me anyway.”

“He’s out there somewhere,” she said with forced cheer.

We both knew the only man I wanted was Asher. Just like the only man she wanted was Max, who always treated her kindly but still seemed to think she was twelve years old.

Mutual pining wasn’t the only thing that bonded us, but it certainly helped.

We took the bacon and salad out to the table, where the rest of the family were already seated. Since we’d been expanding, we’d had to get a second table, which was positioned end-to-end with the other to fit us all.

Mum and Dad sat at the end closest to the glass sliding doors that opened onto the deck. Nate, his daughter Tess, and Grace were nearby. Grace’s hands rested on her swollen belly. She looked about ready to pop, but there were still a few weeks before the baby was due.

Kennedy and Liam were beside them, with Asher, Toby, Connor, and Max on the other table. Two seats remained free for us. While neither Asher nor Bailey were technically members of the family, they came almost every time my parents hosted a brunch, so Mum made sure there was always room for them.

With a sigh, I sat on the chair closest to Asher, with only Connor between us, allowing Bailey to take the seat beside Max. She beamed and bounced over, practically giddy at the prospect of being close to him.

While I resented my feelings for Asher because he’d rejected me, Bailey had never made a move on Max and seemed reasonably content to enjoy his nearness however she could—although sometimes I caught her watching him wistfully.

As soon as we were seated, people began to reach for the food. I helped myself to some of Grace’s homemade granola, along with a dollop of yogurt and a little honey. I wasn’t much for heavy breakfasts.

“How was your date?” Toby asked Asher across the table.

I stared down at my meal, determined not to look at him. I wouldn’t give away how interested I was in his answer.

“Disappointing,” he said.

My heart lightened, even though I’d deny it until my dying breath.

“Bummer.” Toby pulled a face. “What didn’t you like about her?”

I crammed granola in my mouth, torn between listening and distracting myself.

“There was just no connection.”

I felt Asher’s gaze on the side of my head and continued to ignore him.

“How was your date, Summer?” he asked.

Damn the man.

Slowly, I turned to face him. “He was nice.”

“Nice?” Asher winced. “Ouch. Poor guy.”

Toby snickered. “The kiss of death, right?”

I glared at them both. “Like Asher said, there was no connection, but he was a good guy.”

I was hardly going to admit that I’d been willing to try again but he’d turned me down. After all, it wasn’t like I was upset about it, and I’d never hear the end of it from Toby if he found out I’d been rejected by a guy I’d called “nice.”