“Ready?” Danielle asks.
“Yes, of course.” I get to my feet and follow her out.
Immediately, the brunette hooks her arm with Danielle’s and makes her way forward. Nicole and another blonde are at the end. I start to move down the aisle, but someone grips my forearm.
“Can I help you?” I ask Nicole.
“What’s your game?”
“Game?”
The blonde huffs and crosses her arm. “Whatever you’re doing, don’t,” she warns.
“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about,” I say.
Nicole takes a step close, and though she’s much smaller than me, she’s quite scary at the moment. “She’s like a sister to me. She’s family.”
“Well, dear sister-in-law, we are as well,” I point out.
“But I like her.”
“I’m wounded.” I clutch my chest.
“Yes, you will be,” she threatens. “Heather is a cop and knows all the best places to bury a body.”
I look over to the blonde who just nods with a smile. “Understood,” I say.
“Good.” Nicole smiles and hooks her arm with mine. “Now that we’ve got that settled, tell me all the dirt on Callum that I can use against him later.”
I laugh hard. “I might just love you.”
She looks up with a grin. “I don’t doubt you will.”
Seems my brother has beat me in yet another aspect of life. He’s found a woman who is clearly amazing.
Nicole and I exit past where Danielle stands, her brunette friend comforting her. I try to imagine how today must’ve felt for her, but I can’t.
This man knew her husband on some level. He was aware that Peter had a wife and family, but because he was facing a possibility of jail time and couldn’t handle his rage, he killed the person who was defending his worthless life.
He’s a pitiful soul.
“Thanks for being here,” Danielle says to her friends.
“Of course we’re here, dumbass.”
Danielle’s lip starts to tremble and a tear falls. “I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t know if I could do it, so if I didn’t tell you, it wasn’t real.”
Nicole releases my arm and rushes to her. “We get it, but you never have to hide with us. If you couldn’t do it, we would’ve stayed at your house and watched movies.”
Fucking hell. Who has friends like this? Not me, that’s for damn sure. My mates were more worried about beer and sex than even asking how I was after my father died. Callum was at university and thought I needed to step up more.
No one understood how it felt or cared for that matter. I was filled with rage at the incident. I wanted justice, answers, for him to come back.
I needed someone to give a damn, but they didn’t. So I got angrier, drank more, and gave the world the middle finger.
I turned out just fine if you ask me.
“I’m so sorry. I love you guys,” Danielle cries harder.
Women.
“I don’t know about all of you,” I say, breaking their tearful moment. “But I think we could all do well with a pint or two?” No one answers. In fact, they stand there as if I’m speaking another language. “You know, we should get pissed?” I clarify.
Nicole shakes her head. “He means beer and drunk.”
“You don’t have to stay.” Danielle comes close to me. “I appreciate that you came at all, Milo. I really do, but I can’t imagine you would want to stick around.”
Here’s the out every man waits for.
She’s gift wrapped it.
And I’m going to return it—like a fool.
“My treat.” I wink. “I insist.”
Danielle places her hand on my arm, pushing me further back from her friends.
“If this is some . . .”
“It’s not.” I cut her off before she can say game or whatever other word she might come up with. “Let me do this,” I implore her.
“Why?”
That is the million-dollar question.
Because I like her.
Because she’s strong, resilient, and I see my life in hers.
Which is a very bad thing.
Chapter Twelve
Danielle
Why can’t I stop looking his way? Was Ava right when she said he was “sex on a stick hot”? I don’t think he’s ugly by any means, but . . . it’s been a long time since I looked at a man like that.
Is it his personality that people are drawn to? My friends sure were laughing at his jokes, smiling with him, and having a good time last night. Not to mention the waitress who practically fell in his lap towards the end.
They know he’s trying to take my job. I know this as well, but here I am, staring at him, trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with me.
“Can I help you?” Milo asks as he catches me.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re staring,” he calls me out.
“I’m just trying to figure out something,” I confess.
“Is it why I’m so deliciously sexy?”
I laugh. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Your mouth totally ruined that.”
Once again, I really look at him, trying to see him through a single girl’s eyes. His scruff is a few days old, giving him a gruffer look than when he’s clean shaven. He definitely works out by the way his shirts fit, unless he buys them too small to look bigger. Heather’s ex-husband Matt did that, and we would all make fun of him for it too. I don’t think Milo would stoop to that level, but I wouldn’t put it past him either.
“You think the accent is sexy then?”
I sigh. “Why do you think it has anything to do with what you look like?”
“Because those blue eyes are roaming all over my body.”
Busted.
“Fine,” I acquiesce. “I was staring because everyone thinks you’re hot, but I wasn’t sure. I was trying to understand what all the hype is about.”
His jaw falls open as if what I said is completely insane. “I’m sorry, you’re what?”
“I’m trying to understand the hype,” I say unapologetically. “I was just putting the pieces together.”
“On whether or not I’m?”
“Hot.”
Milo stares at me, his green eyes darkening. “And?”
“And what?”
He groans, running his hand down his face. “And what have you concluded?”
He’s really not going to like this, but I’ve already inserted my foot in my mouth enough, might as well swallow it now.
“I’m still not sure.”
“Unbelievable. I’m offended,” he huffs.
Shit.
I’m his boss and I basically told him I was checking him out. Way to go, Danielle. Why don’t you just slap yourself with a sexual harassment suit while you’re at it. I need to fix this.
“I’m sorry, that was out of line. As your boss, I shouldn’t have said that.”
He scoffs. “I’m not offended because you’re my boss!”
“I just know I have a position of power over you. There’s the whole “me too” movement and I wasn’t trying to make you think . . .”
“That you’re bloody insane? I already do thanks to this. How do you not know if you find me sexually attractive?”
“Okay,” I say slowly. “I can see that this is a touchy subject for you. I don’t want you to think that since I’m your boss, I was trying to take advantage of that.”
Milo’s brows raise and he stops speaking.
Well, if I didn’t screw myself the first time, I sure did now, pointing out my major professionalism fail.
“Milo?” I finally say after a few minutes of awkward silence.
“I’ve been told by many that I’m irresistible.”
“And humble?”
“No, never that, but I can’t believe you’re questioning whether or not I’m attractive.”
I shrug. “Do you consider yourself hot?”
“Damn right I do,” he stands, pulling his jacket off.
“Okay, keep your clothes on!”
“I’m merely showing you what you need to see,” he says while unbuttoning his shirt.
“Milo!” I laugh.
He sits back down, still not happy. “I have never had a woman be unsure if I’m good looking. What is wrong with you?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you!”
This wasn’t going the way I’d hoped. “Maybe it’s you,” I point out. “Do you think I’m attractive?”
“Yes,” he answers without a pause.