Page 91 of A Favor Owed

“You’re cute when you put your foot down, Ange.”

I make a noise somewhere between a growl and a resigned sigh.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” I ask. “Aren’t you supposed to be at Columbia?”

“I’m fully prepared to drop out and re-enroll here.”

My mouth drops open. “Why would youdothat?” I demand.

“You did something most people would consider impossible, Ange. You left a life of luxury and started a new life all on your own. That took a lot of work and a lot of courage. This is where you belong.”

Where I belong. He’s right, I realize with surprise. I do belong here. I never thought I’d fit in anywhere, but I created a home for myself. And I want Brady to be part of that.

“We’ve got to get out of here, though,” he adds.

I look at him and am instantly on guard at the sight of the mischievous grin on his face. I arch a “Why the hell is that?” eyebrow at him.

“My family’s at Finnegan’s. They’re waiting to meet you.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Brady

I practically have to drag Angela down the street to Finnegan’s. She’s holding her phone up on reverse camera mode, trying to fix her hair and wipe away mascara smudges.

“Would you stop? You look beautiful.”

She pops a Xanax and shoots me a glare.

I spot my family right away when we get inside. Mikey’s pelting Siobhan with what appear to be M&Ms. He stops when he sees us and nudges my dad. Connor looks up at us and smiles before sliding out of the booth. Two redheads turn to look at us, and my mom and sister also scramble out of their seats. Before we know it, Angie and I are surrounded by my family.

Connor wraps Angela in one of his bear hugs. “It’s good to see you again, Angela,” he says, letting her go.

“You, too,” she says, definitely overwhelmed but holding her own.

“This is Mikey and Siobhan,” says my dad. Mikey gives Angie a “How you doing” and a once-over that makes me smack the back of his head.

Siobhan is uncharacteristically shy and subdued, like she’s meeting her favorite TikTok star. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you? That’s it?” says Mikey. He turns to Angie. “You’re all she’s talked about for weeks. We haven’t been able to get her to shut up about you. It’s Angela this and Angela that and I can’t wait to meet Angela.”

“Shutup, asswipe,” hisses Siobhan, her cheeks burning red.

“Knock it off, Mikey,” says Connor mildly. “Angela, I believe you’ve met my wife, Deirdre.”

“No, no, no,” protests my mom, her pale skin red as a beet. “We’re going to pretend that never happened. Hi, Angela. I’m Brady’s perfectly nice and normal mom, and I hope you stay very close to my son for a very long time.” She pulls a gaping Angela into a fierce hug. “Unfortunately, Brady gets his lack of impulse control from me,” she says, stepping back and looking up at her with a sheepish grin.

“Fortunately, though, he gets his lack of a temper from his dad Brendan,” says Connor. “So there’s not as much flying off the handle as there is with this one.” He gently nudges my mom.

“Can we eat now?” says Mikey.

“Let’s definitely eat now,” says Angela, sliding into the booth. I slide in next to her, and she immediately leans against me. The sensation of her warm body against mine is only slightly less electrifying than her seeking comfort from me. I wrap an arm around her and feel, at least for this moment, like the luckiest guy on the planet.

Two hours later, Angie’s Xanax and two sambucas have caught up with her. My family’s incessant teasing of one another and Siobhan’s constant questioning of Angela about everything from what brand of eyeliner she wears to how she did her waterfall braid (whatever that is) surely hasn’t helped. In any event, I manage to extricate us from their well-intentioned suffocation and get us out of Finnegan’s and back to the law school parking garage.

I drive her home in my rental car, equal parts nervous and grateful to be in her presence. She sends a couple of texts while we drive, apparently not in the least bit fazed. I have no idea what happens now. I suppose I’ll drop her off and ask her to unblock my number so I can call her tomorrow and take her to breakfast.

I pull up in front of Lizette’s. She looks at me with a carefully blank expression. “You’re going to come in, right?” she asks.

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