Page 117 of Double Daddies
“Oh, wow. Were you expecting him?”
She shakes her head. “He wants to go to dinner.”
“When?”
“Uh… tonight, actually.”
I shrug, still not understanding why she’s being so squirrelly. “Okay. So, we’ll go.”
Her smile looks more like a grimace now and she turns it on Ryle. “All of us?”
Ah. There it is. “Ryle has an important call with Japan.”
Ryle lifts his chin, looking at me, his gaze searching.
Tilting my head to Cami, I try to get my eyes to pass the message:better reschedule. She needs us.I already know he’s got good game in the fashion department, and he certainly knows a thing or two about fitness. Here’s to hoping he’s a mind reader as well.
“I could push that off an hour or so,” he says.
“Really?” Cami’s eyes widen and she clasps her hands together, as though folded in prayer.
“Really. The call’s scheduled for 10 o’clock tonight, but if you need, I can reschedule to occur around midnight. That would make it early afternoon on their end. Is that good for you?”
“It is!” She claps and hops. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She hops up the stair and wraps her arms around him.
Chuckling, he hugs her back and then releases her.
She bounds down and promptly wraps me in a hug, too. “Thank you,” she whispers in my ear.
I grin wryly. “Did you at least give him a hint?”
She glances at Ryle then back at me again, slowly shaking her head.
“I see.”
“Well… where are we going?” Ryle asks. “What’s the dress code?”
“You can wear whatever you want. Whatever you feel comfortable in,” Cami replies with a wave of her hand.
“Oh, no. I’m meeting your brother. I’m dressing to impress.”
“Kingslay won’t even notice what you wear,” I predict. “But he’ll have a ton of questions.”
Ryle arches his brows, and since I know he can read minds now, I hope he can read this:I hope you’re as dedicated to our girl as I am. Just remember, I’ve got your back.
Ryle
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell Cami, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“I know. Of course it is. You’re going to love my brother. He’s awesome—isn’t he awesome, Ben?”
“Certified grade-A awesome,” he answers from the driver’s seat.
“See?”
She smiles, but it is clearly for my benefit. I can tell by the way she keeps fidgeting in her seat and averting her gaze to the window. It’s obvious she cares about her brother, and I’ve never had trouble charming family in the past, but this is different. I’ve never cared as deeply for the woman in question as I do for Cami.
I just have to convince him this is the right thing for his sister. That together, Ben and I are what she needs. If he loves her, that’s all that will matter.
