Page 60 of Runaway Bride's Guide to Love

“You bought shoes yesterday that I’m pretty sure are a mortgage payment. I don’t know much about purses, but I’d venture to say the one you’re carrying also cost a pretty penny. But when I ask you the one place you want to go to dinner, you say Chili’s.”

I dab the corners of my mouth with a napkin. “I’m an enigma, Cap. Get used to it.”

We share a smile as I see his cell phone light up on the table. I can’t help but look at it, because I’m a nosy human. I also can’t stop myself from grabbing it, because I see the background and fall in love.

“Oh my God, I forgot you have a dog!” The golden retriever is so adorable I ignore that a girl named Maddie is texting him. Well, I don’t completely ignore. I just swallow the twinge ofjealousy, because I’m not allowed to be jealous because this is just Florida fun times and by no means anything serious. “What’s its name?”

His face lights up as he takes the phone back. “That’s my girl Winnie. She’s the most golden retriever to ever exist.”

“I always wanted a dog growing up,” I say. “But we had Simon.”

I’m smiling from ear to ear as I watch Emmett do his best not to spit out the sip of beer he just took.

“Now that was a good joke.” His laugh continues as he types something in his phone before turning it around to me. “This is the photo my sister just sent me of Winnie and my nephew, Jack.”

I feel my shoulders immediately relax.

Maddie is his sister.

“Jack loves Winnie,” he continues. “He was so excited to keep her for the week. I’m about to make his day when I tell him I’m staying longer.”

He’s staying? I had wondered why he was still here, but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. No, I’ll do that by myself later.

“That’s adorable,” I say, picking up my glass and taking a healthy sip of my margarita, being cool and totally nonchalant.

“Relieved?”

I look to him with wide eyes and fake confusion. “What? No. Why would I need to be relieved?”

He gives me a knowing look with an adorably cocky smile. “You don’t hide your crazy well.”

I let out a dramatic gasp. “I don’t know what you mean! I’ve hid my crazy for years! I’ve perfected my crazy hiding.”

When Emmett Collins laughs, there’s something about it that hits me in the heart. Maybe because it sounds genuine. It’s not boisterous or loud. It’s subtle, but it’s true.

Actually, that describes Emmett perfectly. The man is calmand collected. Everything he does is low key. Which makes the bigger things he does that much more meaningful. There’s something pretty great in that.

He reaches over and takes my hand, and I try not to relish in how good it feels. “Stella, you are many things. But what you aren’t is a good actress. Or calm. Your crazy is a part of you. Embrace it.”

“I disagree.” Though the smile I can feel on my face is proving his point. “I’m tame, completely sane, and an amazing actress.”

“You keep telling yourself that.”

We share a smile as our main courses are dropped off—cajun pasta for me and a steak and a baked potato for him.

“If I’m being honest, none of my sisters are good actors,” I say. “No one could keep an act up for anything.”

“I still can’t believe after all these years of being friends with Simon, I never met any of the sisters other than Maeve.”

“Actually, given the age difference, it makes sense,” I say. “Maeve is closest in age to Simon. Quinn, Ainsley, and I weren’t old enough to go visit Simon alone. If we did, it was family tailgate outings. Plus, I don’t know if that town could have handled all five Banks children in one spot.”

“What’s that like?” Emmett asks. “When you’re all together?”

When I think about my siblings, I can’t help but light up from the inside. “Chaotic. Amazing. Borderline anarchy. Loving.”

I trail off, because I could go on and on. Between Simon and me, there’s an eleven-year age span, and all of us are different in our own ways. But when it comes down to it, I’d dare anyone to find a family tighter than ours.

“I can’t fathom growing up in a house with five siblings,” Emmett says. “Then again, I can’t imagine growing up in a normal house, either.”

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