Page 65 of Billionaire Bachelor

This is not the time to make jokes inside your head, Rosa!

I clear my throat. “Anyway…enough about my shitty ex. Why wereyoufree on Valentine’s? No hot date?”

“Nah.” He gives me a crooked grin. “But Ididhave an interesting date last weekend.”

Sylvie gasps. “Interesting, as in‘I want a second date,’or interesting as in,‘It was a complete shit show’?”

Ryan laughs. “A little of both, actually.”

Sylvie leans forward, propping her elbow on her knee, and her chin on her fist. “I’m listening…”

And just like that, the spotlight is off me.

Thank you, baby Jesus.

Ryan doesn’t need much prompting from our cousin to launch into a story about his wild date with the barista and her friend.

Between bites of Thai food, he spares no details—how he and Penny really vibed, how Mercedes couldn’t decide if she wanted to play the jealous ex, or if she wanted to flirt with him to make her ex jealous, and how the entire evening spiraled into super awkward passive-aggressive chaos—until he finally decided to call an Uber and get the hell out of there.

Sylvie, to absolutely no one’s surprise, loves every second of it, asking for more details along the way.

I watch my brother while they dominate the conversation, remembering whatLogan said about him.

“Ryan isn’t afraid to settle down, Rosie.”

I always assumed he’d be an eternal bachelor and love every second of it. But seeing how clearly frustrated he is that he didn’t get a chance to deepen the connection he felt with Penny…I can see what Logan was talking about. Maybe Ryan’snotsome dude-bro looking for easy fun. Maybe hedoeswant a real, long-term relationship with someone special.

“You know,” I say, eyeing him over my plate. “I think I was wrong about you, Ry.”

He freezes mid-bite, frowning in confusion. “What the hell does that mean?”

My lips quirk as I spear a piece of pineapple. “I had you pegged as the kind of guy who’d never settle down. Like, I could not picture youevergetting married. Or wanting kids…a house in the suburbs…the whole nine yards. But that’s not true, is it?”

He’s silent for a moment. “Have you been talking to Logan or something?”

My pulse spikes. “What?No.It was an observation I had just now.”

He snorts. “Well, congrats, Rosalie. It only took your whole life to figure that out.”

I roll my eyes. “God. Forget I said anything.”

Sylvielaughs. “Nope. No takebacks.”

I flip her off before turning back to my brother.

Ryan leans back, shaking his head. “I’m not necessarily looking for a wife. Or a white-picket-fence-epic-love-story romance. I’m a realist. I don’t need my life to look like one of your books.” He flicks the cover of a paperback on the table. “But…yeah, I would like to meet someone who intrigues me. Keeps me on my toes. Shares my interests.” His lips curve. “And if she happened to be a bombshell with a great rack, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.”

“Of course not,” I mumble, shaking my head.

“But seriously,” he continues. “I’m not the lost cause you seemed to think I am. I just know what I want, and I have no interest in settling for second best. If I ever get married, I wantforever, like Mom and Dad. As nauseating as they can be sometimes, I actually think it’s kinda cool they’re still into each other after all these years. If the right womanisout there somewhere, I’ll find her eventually. If not, I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

I absorb his words, soaking up the fact that my cocky, sarcastic brother is actually being vulnerable for a change.

And I have a bit of an epiphany.

Maybe Ryan and I aren’t so different after all.

I’ve never given my all in a relationship before Logan. It’s easy to see, in hindsight. Maybe that’s because my subconscious knew who she wanted, and she refused to settle for anyone else. Ryan and I may have different methods to our madness, but the logic behind it is the same.