Page 109 of Worth the Risk

“Not exactly—”

“Can I just call it now? He’s trying to sabotage it because she’s actually a keeper, and that scares the fuck out of him,” Grant says with a sarcastic edge that has me clenching my fists and my mom patting my arm to calm me down.

“Hey, Grant? Stay the fuck out of my—”

“Look who I found at the store!” My dad’s voice cuts me off and has everyone turning toward the patio door.

Every part of me falls at the sight of her. She looks nothing like the girl I saw the other day on the street with her friend. She has on jean shorts, a red tank top, and red Converse. Her hair is piled on top of her head, and her face is completely free of makeup.

She steals my fucking breath is what she does.

Our eyes meet. Hold. And I hate the hurt that flickers through hers. The hurt that I put there.

A chorus of greetings ring out, but I just nod, needing to say so much to her but scared to fucking death to form the words. I know that if I do, all I’ll be doing is opening myself to more hurt.

To more of everything I swore I’d never allow myself to feel again.

“Shit, Gray,” Grant whispers as he leans in to my ear, “beg, borrow, and steal, but don’t let that walk away, especially when she looks at you like that.”

“Fuck off,” I mutter under my breath as Sidney is pushed into my family with introductions. I wait to see if she shrieks when Moose comes up and puts a wet nose against her hand.

She doesn’t.

I study the looks on my sisters-in-law’s faces as they meet her because women are judgmental and an approval from them goes a long way.

They approve.

“She was walking in when I was walking out, and I thought she might like to have some company.”

“How noble of you,” I mutter to myself, knowing damn well my mom and her matchmaking skills are starting to rub off on my old man.

I get a glare of a rebuke from my mother and then just shake my head, telling her I’m confused as fuck about what to do.

“She said she had been looking for Gray so she could give him some good news. That he must be so busy he isn’t returning her calls,” my dad says, and I see Grady shake his head in my periphery.

Yeah. Yeah. I’m a disgrace. I get it.

“What’s the good news?” This comes from my mom, who has graciously taken a break from mapping out my and Sidney’s wedding, honeymoon, and first three children together.

“You’re a finalist. You made the top five.” I know she’s addressing me, and I let the cheer go up around the table. I grit my teeth at the pats on my back and let them distract me from meeting her eyes because . . . fuck, Grant’s right. She looks goddamn gorgeous as she stands with my family. Fitting in when I don’t think I want her to. Think being the operative word.

“Calm down, guys. It’s just a popularity contest,” I say and roll my eyes.

“No, it isn’t,” Dylan interjects. “It’s a beefcake contest, and you’re grade-A prime.”

Grady turns his head to spit out his beer because he’s laughing too hard to swallow it. “See why I married her?” he says of his wife. “She gives as good as you fuckers.”

“Grady.” A warning by our mom that gets completely ignored. “You’ll have to excuse the manners of my boys. They seem to have reverted back to second grade for some reason.”

“It’s fine. I promise you I’ve heard the F-word before,” Sidney whispers and winks, a smile warming on her lips.

“Sit. Drink,” my mom says as she wraps her arms around her in a motherly welcome and then ushers her to the table. “Food will be cooked shortly.”

“Thank you. I feel bad, though. This was so unexpected, I should have brought something to contribute to the meal.”

“Nonsense. The more the merrier, I say.” Mom is clearly in her entertaining element. “I’ll grab you a chair.”

And she does. She grabs a chair while Sidney stands there awkwardly and waits to see where she puts it. Of course, she positions it right next to me.