Page 3 of Undeniable Love

“Sure. I’ll have a vodka cranberry and Meredith usually drinks whiskey.”

A whiskey girl. I liked it.

But I’d been attracted to her for two years without ever meeting her face-to-face, so that wasn’t a surprise.

“Hailey!” Meredith called for her, and Hailey smiled at her friend. “Come meet my brothers!”

“Thanks again for the drinks,” she told me before heading into the madness that was the Kelley family.

“No problem.”

By the time I came back, Meredith had her head thrown back with loud, boisterous laughter echoing across a group of ten. Her long red hair fell back, and as the guys thanked me for the round, I handed Meredith her drink.

“Hailey told me you liked whiskey. Whiskey sour okay?”

Her eyes, the color of the drink in my hand, widened. “Perfect, actually. Thank you.”

“Any sister of Kelley’s is a friend of mine.”

Those eyes narrowed. “Friend…”

“Sure. Caleb talks about you more than he talks about your mom or hockey. Feel like I’ve already known you for years.”

She brought her thin, red straw to her lips, wrapped them around it, and took a sip. All the while, her eyes were on me, scanning my face. If I thought it’d help my situation, I’d puff out my chest.

She didn’t seem to be the kind of girl all that impressed with nice pecs and chiseled abs. This was a girl who needed more than that. Attention. Conversation. Affection.

It was also too damn bad her brother was my friend. That made her off-limits regardless of how my body reacted to her, so much more visceral than to pictures.

A line of sweat dripped down the back of my neck as she watched me. As I waited for her to say something.

Anything.

She blinked, lowering the drink while her fingers twisted the straw. “We can’t be friends, Tuevo.”

Disappointing, for sure. “Why not?”

“Yeah, Mere. Tuevo’s a great guy! The best.”

She grinned up at Caleb and then smirked. “Because, Caleb…”

His jaw dropped. His eyes flashed to me and then he barked out a laugh.

From the other side of the table, Hailey’s giggle grew louder.

I was the fool standing there. Totally lost.

“You’re fucking with me right now, Meredith. Aren’t you? My best goddamn friend?”

But Caleb didn’t sound all that upset about it. Whatever it was…

“Nope.” She was still wearing that same shit-eating grin as she shook her head at her brother. “Sorry, Caleb. Not joking.”

I shuffled on my feet. Not only were her brothers laughing—Dalton hiding his behind his full beard and fist—but if I hadn’t known what Caleb was wearing before we left the hotel tonight, I wouldn’t have been able to tell the two apart. They were both laughing so damn hard we were gaining the attention of everyone around us.

“What am I missing?”

“Meredith has a gift—” Caleb said.

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