Page 53 of Tripped Up

“Why not?”

“Because it should be… special. You’ve been in love with her forever.”

“Shut up. It’s not like that.”

She laughs. “Dude, you are so far gone for her. Ever since that first night I introduced you.”

And for several years before then.

Glancing around the room, I make sure we’re still alone.

“So you’re okay with this? We have your blessing?”

“Are you kidding?” She grins. “My brother and my best friend. What could be better? I love it.”

“Don’t make it weird.”

“I want to be your best man at the wedding,” she says. “Besides, she’ll probably ask Mitch to stand up with her. I can’t wait to finally meet the guy after all these years.”

“You’ve never met Mitchell?” He’s played in the league as long as I have. I’d have thought with the way she and Elsy are attached at the hip, they’d have crossed paths more than once. Then again, they’d only been living in Boston together for two years.

“Nope. Whenever he’s been in town, I’ve had a conflict or the flu or a date. I’ll meet him eventually.” Bex smirks. “Hopefully, before the wedding.”

“Shut up with that.” I shove her off the stool and she stumbles, gasping at me.

“You asshole.” She tries to shove me back, but I steal her abandoned plate and fork, taking a bite of the salmon. “Get your own food.”

“But I’m hungry,” I tease my little sister. She growls at me, baring her teeth.

Except she’s not so little anymore. She celebrates her thirtieth birthday in a few months.

“Wow,” Elsy says, walking into the lounge with her phone in her hand. “I leave for five minutes and the Whitney siblings revert to their true forms.”

I clear my throat. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. That IV… no wonder you guys never have hangovers.” She grins. “I could get used to that kind of recovery.”

“Or you could not get drunk at brunch.” I can’t help the censure in my voice.

Her eyes flash. “Fuck off, Wyatt. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

Irritated, I glare at her. “That’s not what I’m trying to do.” I only want to protect her. But I can’t do that if she’s getting wasted when I’m not there to look out for her.

“Really? Because it sure sounds like it.”

Bex steps between us. “Okay, let’s all calm down a bit here,” she says, ever the peacemaker. “Elsy, Wyatt is a dick and spoke without thinking. He does it all the time.”

To my surprise, Elsy’s face crumples. “Yeah, I remember that all too well.”

She spins on her heel, stalking out of the room. I stare after her, trying to figure out what just happened.

Bex glares at me. “Fix it,” she hisses.

“How? You said it yourself, I’m a dick. I spoke without thinking.”

“Go after her.” She shoves me. “Show her you love her.”

Fuck. That’s exactly what I have to do.