Page 21 of Hooked On Him

“Ew.” I shake my head. “What is with the Darwood children and sex at this event?”

“Love is in the air, my brother,” she says dreamily.

Love? Yeah, I wouldn’t go that far. More like lust. It’s very lust-filled, for sure.

“Okay, so this is new. That's exciting. How did you two start dating?”

Fuck. I have no idea what to say. The bigger the lie, the more it’s going to show that I’m not telling the truth.

“We talked. Told each other what we wanted out of life, and it happens that we both want similar things. So, we decided who better to date than someone you already know and feel comfortable with?” It’s not exactly a lie. It’s as close to the truth I’m able to get.

“That's so sweet.” Megan pouts. “I’m so happy for the both of you. Austin is perfect for you. He’s kind, sweet, a good guy, and has a great head on his shoulders. And god.” She bites her lip. “He’s so damn dreamy,” she gushes, fanning her face.

“Really?” I raise a brow. “You know this is your wedding we’re at, right? Your new husband is around here somewhere.”

“Stop it,” she laughs. “I’m madly in love with Roland. Doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes.” She rolls hers. “You’re not the only one who had a crush on Austin Cade, you know.”

“When?” My brows furrow.

“As if you don’t remember me pretty much begging to hang out with you guys all the time.”

“I thought you just wanted to be with me.” I blink. “We did everything together.”

“Oh my sweet, sweet twin.” She places a hand on my shoulder. “I love you dearly, and loved hanging out with you, but it wasn’t you I wanted to be around when Austin was over.”

“Gee, thanks,” I huff.

“Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t the twin he was interested in.” She shrugs. “Makes a lot of sense now.”

“What does?”

“Why Austin was over all the time.”

“Because of Charlie,” I point out.

“Well, yeah, I’m sure Charlie was half of it. But were you really that blind?” she asks, shaking her head. “That man liked you, even back then.”

“He did not,” I scoff, waving her off.

“Whatever you say, little bro.”

“I’m not your little brother,” I sigh. “We’re twins.”

“I’m older by two minutes,” she says, holding two of her fingers up.

“And you never let me forget it,” I sigh.

“Never,” she chuckles, then her face falls into something soft. “Really, Levi, I’m so happy for you.” She steps up to me, gripping both of my shoulders. “I’ve always wanted you to be happy. To find a man who will treat you right. After everything with Brogan, I hated seeing you so down on yourself and throwing yourself into work to try to get him off your mind. I’m glad you have Austin now. Maybe you will slow down and just enjoy living.”

I was starting to feel guilty about how happy she was for me, until she brought up work. “What are you talking about? I didn’t throw myself into work to forget my ex. I did it because I needed the money.”

“True. But was it just about the money?”

Huh. I’ve never thought about that. Is she right? Did I throw myself into work to forget about how wrecked I was over the breakup? Not because I lost Brogan, he was an asshole. But because of all the time I lost dating him. And not just time, but pieces of myself.

“Doesn’t matter.” I shake my head. “Brogan isn’t a factor in my life anymore.”

“No, because you have a real man. A real, fine man.” Megan fans herself.