Page 67 of How He Got the Girl
“Have you done any good fishing out in Washington?” Griffin, bless his heart, attempts to carry on the very one-sided conversation.
“A bit.”
“I fish as often as I can with my friend Rhett. He lives on a lake near Nashville. You’re welcome anytime.”
“Rhett?” My eyes fly to him. “As in the famous country singer Rhett Hayes?”
“Yeah, I didn’t tell you that he’s my best friend? He’s dying to meet you.”
“Rhett Hayes knows whoIam?”
“Why do you keep referring to him by his full name?”
“Because he’sRhett Hayes.”
Griffin cocks a brow. “I guess you’re a fan?”
“We listen to his music a lot in our house. I mean, not as much as Taylor, but his songs are great.”
“I bet you know all of Taylor’s lyrics by heart, too.” Griffin claps my brother on the shoulder.
“All the dances she and her friends made me watch are seared into my brain.”
“Rude,” I scoff. “Our routines wereamazing.”
Connor’s mouth presses into a firm line as arms wrap around my middle from behind. They’re little, and decidedly not Griffin’s.
I turn, causing Griffin to release his hold on me, and smile when I see my cousin, Emmy. Her long curly red hair bounces as she envelops me in a tight hug. The curls run on my mother’s side of the family, but while mine are more like uncontrollable waves that take on a different look every day, Emmy’s are perfect ringlets. While she’s only two years younger than me, she still has that youthful look and spirit about her—the spitting image of a Disney princess.
Even if we weren’t family by blood, I’d choose her as mine, along with my besties.
Emmy pulls back, looking at me wide-eyed, gesturing her head to the side at Griffin. “Are you going to introduce me to your totally famousboyfriend?”
Connor must take our cousin’s arrival as his exit cue, walking away without a glance back.
“Emmy,” I say dramatically. “This is my…” She already called him my boyfriend, so it feels redundant to repeat it. But it’s not like I’m about to call him the love of my life, so I change course. “Griffin.”
“Hello,herGriffin,” Emmy jests.
Griffin smiles the lopsided grin I’m coming to know like the back of my hand and pulls my cousin in for a hug. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emmy.”
A blush covers her cheeks. She looks at me and fans her face, mouthinghe’s so cute.
I know, I mouth back. My attraction to Griffin has never been the issue.
They pull back, and he turns his smile on me like he knows what we’re talking about, even though there was no way for him to see with his back to me. Unless he grew another pair of eyes on the back of his head that I don’t know about.
I narrow my eyes slightly, but I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips. “What?”
“I’m happy to be here with you.” He smiles at me, then Emmy. “And meeting all your family. Everyone’s been so welcoming.” Shaking his head, he adds, “Well, maybe not your brother, but we’ll work on it.”
“Oh, don’t be offended.” Emmy waves him off. “That’s how he is to everyone. I don’t even need one hand to count the number of times I’ve seen him smile.”
“She’s not wrong.”
Connor’s always been stoic and reserved, even since he was a child.
“Emmy.” My aunt waves my cousin over. “Come tell Griffin’s grandmother about your time in Italy. She says it’s her favorite place she’s ever visited.”
