Page 157 of Lost in Love

Harsh? Oh, just wait until she starts in.

“Oh, please.” She pushes me into the wall with a quick jab to my shoulder. “I’m not talking her into anything.You’vedone this all on your own.”

Why do people keep saying that?

“Well, she agreed to go on a date with me,” I say, half tempted to stick my tongue out.

Nathalie rolls her eyes. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to fuck it up.” She sticks her head in the bedroom. “Boys, dinner’s ready.”

And then they both come running.

Nobody listens to me lately.

“SO I HEARDyou got your balls waxed, Ridley.”

Choking on a mouthful of steak, I shoot Madison a glare. “You told her?”

Luckily the boys aren’t at the table with us. They’re in the backyard playing basketball. Well, Noah and Grady are. Callan’s sitting by the pool with his feet in the water reading his book.

Madison smiles, her eyes lighting up and you know, it’s been a long fucking time since I’ve seen this smile.

I turn to Nathalie and force a grin. “Fuck off, Natalie.”

“It’s Nathalie.”

“I don’t care.”

Brantley stares at me, a slow smile creeping across his face. “Is that why you were walking weird?”

I nod, not knowing what else to say. I fucking knew she was going to tell everyone.

“Does it, you know, make it look bigger?” he asks, laughing now.

I refuse to look at any of them and cut into my steak again. “Stop talking about this. It’s not appropriate.”

“Ha!” Nathalie laughs. “You’reneverappropriate.”

She’s right, but I refuse to ever agree with her. “And neither are you so shut the fuck up.”

Madison kicks me under the table. “Ridley, knock it off.”

I know what you’re thinking, geez, you’re in a bad mood now.

Yeah, well, have you had your ball skin ripped off? No? Then don’t judge me.

Grady walks up to us, takes my steak from my plate and throws it on the ground. I want to take my steak knife and stab his hand for doing that. But I don’t.

Instead, I glare at Nathalie. “Control your kid.”

She laughs. “He doesn’t like men.”

It’s not even that he doesn’t like men, which she’s partially right. The only man he’s ever tolerated is Brantley, but I think Nathalie secretly tells him what a jerk she thinks I am.

Did you know at mine and Madison’s wedding, Nathalie objected to the wedding? Yep. Fucking stood there and said, “Don’t marry him!”

Can you also believe she was her maid of honor and shitfaced?

I can.

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