Page 92 of Snowed In
“And yet here you stand.”
“She can do better than you,” he says flatly. “She deserves better too. She’s had a rough time these last few years, and the last thing she needs is to get her heart broken again.”
“Who says I’m going to break her heart?”
“The dozen different girlfriends featured on your social media? She’s softer than she thinks she is.” And something in his voice makes me bite back my retort. “She cares. She tries. And she’s…” He looks at me then. Looks at me like he can see right through me. “You’re the first boyfriend she’s told us about since Isaac, you know that?”
I didn’t.
“You’re a smart guy; everyone remembers that. And you left here to make something of yourself, but you failed, and now you’re back, and you’ve latched yourself onto her to hide it.”
What’s funny is that he’s not even wrong. The only thing that hasn’t occurred to him is that Megan’s using me to hide too. But while I can’t tell him that, I’m sure as hell not going to put up with him speaking to me like he has a right to her.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” I say. “I make your sister happy. And that’s all I care about right now. So, I’m going to dance with her at her mother’s fundraiser. I’m going to get her champagne, and I’m going to talk her up to everyone here, and I am going to do all the things you pretend you want nothing to do with. And you? You can just fly back to Australia for all I care. You don’t get to come home and play the brother card just because it suits you. And what your sister does and who she does it with is none of your business.” I clap him on the shoulder with more force than I should, and raise my voice. “Merry Christmas, Aidan. Have a good night.”
And with that new spike of adrenaline humming through my veins, I go off to find Megan.
It doesn’t take long. As soon as I turn back to the room, I spot her hurry through the patio doors on the other side. But any good mood I had at the sight of her drops as soon as I see the look on her face, tight-lipped and unhappy, and not how I left her.
I weave my way over, keeping my smile bright.
“What happened?” I ask as soon as I reach her side.
“Nothing,” she lies. “But I think I’m done.”
“Done?”
“Yeah,” she says, not meeting my eye. “Social battery and all that. Can we go? I just need to say goodbye to my mam. She won’t be mad.”
I’m about to try and talk her out of it, confused as to where this sudden change came from before I remember this is what I promised her.
“No problem. Let’s go find Emily.”
She relaxes at my quick agreement and starts looking through the crowd, unaware of the figure who emerges from the same door she just came through.
Isaac steps back into the ballroom with a false smile on his face that does nothing to hide the angry line on his brow. His eyes go straight to Megan, and he takes a step toward her before he finally sees me. He stops instantly, and for a moment, the two of us just stare at each other before he turns swiftly in the other direction.
And I don’t know what it is. Maybe the conversation with Aidan, maybe her obvious unhappiness at whatever happened in the few minutes we’ve been apart, but possessiveness surges through me, heavy and intense, and it’s only the touch of Megan’s hand on mine that stops me from going after him.
Not my girlfriend, I remind myself. Not my place. Not real.
But I wasn’t lying to her before. As I follow her across the room to her mother, I realize I’m getting so good at pretending that I’m starting to fool myself.
TWENTY
MEGAN
Christian’s acting weird.
He’s been acting weird ever since I asked him if we could leave, ushering me through the required goodbyes before striding out to the car with his hand on my back the entire way. Maybe he thought I was about to freak out. And maybe I was. But I feel better now we’re out of the lights and heat of the ballroom. Better in the darkness. Better just us.
I thought he’d drive me home or that we’d go to the pub to continue the evening. But we haven’t gone anywhere. A minute ago, he closed his door, and for that minute, we’ve been sitting here. He hasn’t even turned the engine on.
“Are we going to stay here all night?” I finally ask.
“No.”
Okay. “What’s happening right now?”
