Page 94 of The Love You Win

“Not your fault,” Logan says, taking a break from flirting with our waitress. He rolls his eyes at Navarro. “The success of the team doesn’t rest solely on your self-deprecating shoulders.”

“Oooh.” Griffin waggles his eyebrows. “Nice vocab word, Byrne. Was that part of your word-of-the-day calendar?”

“Shut the hell up.” Logan throws a piece of broccoli at Griffin’s head, but Wright dodges it. They both laugh.

Mira shakes her head. “I’m surrounded by children. Giant, six-foot tall children.” She turns to Isla and her face softens. “The point is, as much as those shit-for-brains guys around us would love to blame you, that’s ridiculous. You are not responsible for anyone else’s actions or performance. If Maddy sucks, that’s on him. If he’s distracted, that’s on him. He’s responsible for his own damned self.”

“She’s right,” I tell Isla, lightly gripping her chin so she has to meet my gaze and see how serious I am. “Besides, having you there was motivating. Please don’t let this turn you off from coming to more of our games.”

“I won’t,” she murmurs, her pretty lips tilting up into the first smile I’ve seen from her since the end of the game.

I don’t care if we’re surrounded by my teammates and my sister. It doesn’t matter that the other patrons are watching us and some of them have their phones out. None of that matters. All that matters to me is that I help my girlfriend understand how much I want her, and that no bad game will change that. So I dip my face to meet hers and take her pouty lips in a possessive kiss. Her response is instant and perfect. She presses into me, one hand moving to my neck, the other tangling in my hair. And when I open my mouth and encourage her to do the same, she lets out a breathy sigh that I swallow up. Her sexy little noises are for me to hear, and me alone.

Everyone at the table hoots and shouts, even Mira. And by the time Isla and I pull away from each other, she’s breathless and pink-cheeked. She glances around the table, adorably embarrassed, then covers her face in her hands.

“Oh my god,” she mumbles into her palms.

“Aren’t they sickeningly cute?” Griffin asks Mira.

My sister chuckles, her smile stretching wide across her face as she turns my way. “Yeah. Yeah, they are.”

After that, Isla relaxes.

“So.” Griffin turns to my sister. “Madds said you moved in with your boyfriend. Things are pretty serious, huh?”

Mira shifts in her seat. Her eyes dart to me before returning her attention to Griffin. “Uh, yeah. About that.” Mira clears her throat. “I didn’t want to say anything, but since this night has turned into a bit of a downer anyway, I guess it can’t hurt.”

The table falls silent, and I lean toward my sister. “What can’t hurt, Mi-Mi?”

She lets out a nervous giggle. “Um, well, I moved in with Jared, and it… It became clear pretty quickly that our relationship wasn’t as strong as I thought.”

A frown pulls at Griffin’s mouth. “What does that mean, Lil’ Gravesy?”

“It means I’m glad I wasn’t done unpacking because I need to find somewhere new to live.” Mira shrugs, a fake-ass smile plastered on her face.

“What?” My voice is deadly. I’m going to kill her asshole boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend.

“Look, don’t make it into a whole thing, Maddy. I’ve taken it as a sign that I should move back home. Chicago’s great and all, but I miss Minneapolis and you and Mom.” Mira leans to the side and bumps shoulders with Griffin. “Plus, it’s been fun hanging out with these weirdos again.”

“Did he hurt you, Mira?” Griffin’s not amused. In fact, his tone is just as dangerous as mine.

Mira sighs. “No, nothing like that, okay? We just got in a few fights and he made some comments about our future that didn’t line up with where I thought we were going, and one thing led to another…” Her lips twist to the side. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that now I need a place to stay. So if you guys know of anyone with a spare room to rent, let me know, okay?”

Shit. I should offer a room in my place, but things are going so well with Isla. I don’t want to screw that up. But this is my little sister. And she needs help.

Clearing my throat, I glance at Isla before opening my mouth. “Mir, if you need a place to stay…”

“No,” she says, cutting me off. “I will not cock block my older brother and his girlfriend right as things are getting serious. Not doing it.”

“Mi-Mi,” I shake my head.

“Nope. Seriously, Maddy. I didn’t bring it up to guilt trip you into offering me a place to live. Just putting it out there in case you know someone who’s looking for a roommate.”

Griffin’s gaze bounces to me before he turns and faces my sister. “I’ve got a spare room, Little Gravesy. It’s a suite, so it has a bathroom and everything. You can live with me.”

I open my mouth to say absolutely not, but Mira beats me to it.

“I couldn’t do that, Griffin.”

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