Page 84 of Stuck with Mr. Grump

I massage the corner of my forehead with my fingers. Spencer’s been calling him that stupid nickname since we were kids.

“My name’s Carson, dickhead.”

“It has ‘car’ in it, doesn’t it? And you should be flattered. I could be calling you Toyota.” My brother smirks.

I jab my elbow into the side of his stomach. “Behave. What are you, five?”

“Right, you need to ride his dick so he’ll let you date his sister. My bad. Sorry,Carson,” Spencer states.

My eyes fall shut as I groan.

“Should have left him at home, Ster,” Carson says, but he has on an amused smirk. “Nice to see you haven’t changed, Spencer.”

“Change is underrated,” he replies. “Hey, since this is your city, what do you say about us hitting the club after you clock out of work?”

He went from teasing him to inviting him to party. The duality of Spencer Harrington.

Carson shrugs. “Sure, I’d be down.”

My eyebrows rise. I’m well aware of the problems Carson’s had in the past when it came to partying too much. He must read the expression on my face.

“It’s fine, Sterling. I’m older now. I can handle myself. Plus, someone’s gotta watch him right?”

“Right,” I murmur. “Whatever you both do is frankly none of my business. I’m here to see Emilia. Where is she?”

Carson leans back in his chair, expression growing serious. “Why should I tell you?”

“Because I want her back,” I say hoarsely. “It’s been two years. I missed her.”

He huffs out a breath. “I’m glad you came back, man. I was frankly this close to calling you myself, but Emilia’s stubborn. And I wanted to give you more time.”

This is weird. I thought he’d be wanting to punch me in the face for hurting his sister. I guess Anika was right and he’s changed. But why?

“All will become clear eventually,” Carson says, reading the expression on my face and confusing the hell out of me. “As for Emilia, she’s at work right now. But she should be leaving there soon. After that, she’s got a hot date.”

My heart stops for a moment. “Come again?”

“You heard me. She’s got a date. You really chose the best time to come back, man. It’s her first date since you left. Took a lot of convincing before she agreed to give the guy a chance.”

I clench my jaw. “Where’s she meeting him?”

“You’re going to crash her date?” my brother asks, glancing at me.

Carson’s the one to reply with a chuckle. “That is exactly what he’s going to do. I like the way you think, Ster. And I absolutely support you crashing the date. I’ll give you the location and everything.”

“You don’t like the guy?” Spencer frowns.

“There’s nothing wrong with him, per se. He’s just boring. My sister deserves better. I’d say she deserves you, actually,” he states, looking at me. “But you have a lot of work to do to prove it to me. You have a lot of work to do, period. I’ll be watching you, Sterling. The way you handle things from now on is going to show if you’re meant to be together or not.”

I’m getting tired of all the vague comments. I’d ask him to explain further but my senses are wired. I’m more concerned about the fact that Emilia’s meeting someone else. I imagine another man touching her and my vision goes red.

She’s fucking mine.

Carson’s happy to provide the address of the restaurant where she’s meeting her date. He wishes me good luck as we leave. Spencer decides to drive, because I haven’t stopped clenching and unclenching my fist since I heard what Carson said. We arrive at the restaurant soon enough. It’s fancy, probably one of the most exclusive dining spots in the city.

My stomach twists into knots as I stare up at the building. Stepping out of the car, Spencer claps me on the back.

“You need to chill, Sterling. I’m pretty sure we’re this close to crossing into stalker territory,” he states, his easy manner a stark contrast to my simmering mood.

---