Page 122 of All of Me

I smirk. “You do realize he’s Owen’s cousin, right?”

Brooke waves a hand. “Yeah, but don’t worry, Vince isn’t my target.”

Taylor perks up. “Okay, so who is?”

I tilt my head. “Oh god, it’s not Luke, is it? Please tell me it’s not Luke. As much as I would love for you to be my sister-in-law, I don’t think I’d be able to handle the two of you together.”

Brooke bursts into laughter so hard she nearly snorts. “Oh, absolutely not. That man is a walking red flag with an endearing smile. He’s like a golden retriever who thinks he’s a wolf.”

Taylor groans. “Why is that so accurate?”

Brooke leans forward, eyes glinting with mischief. “Because I know guys like him. The ones who act like they’re the ultimate bad boy but would absolutely cry if they got yelled at by an old lady in a grocery store.”

I shake my head, but I’m laughing now too. “I don’t even want to know how many of those guys you’ve encountered.”

Brooke shrugs. “Enough to spot the type from a mile away. Luke’s charming, I’ll give him that, but I’m not signing up for whatever brand of chaos he’s selling.”

Brooke takes a sip of her coffee, her grin turning even more wicked. “Although… his drunken proposal to fuck at your wedding was tempting with the tequila flowing through my veins.”

“He what?!” Taylor and I both say in unison, practically choking on our drinks.

Brooke beams, knowing she’s dropped an absolute bomb. “Oh yeah. He was all, ‘Brooke, we should just do it—two hot disasters colliding, we’d be unstoppable.’”

I stare at her, mouth slightly open. “And this is the first time I’m hearing about this?!”

Brooke shrugs. “What can I say? The moment wasn’t right.”

Taylor looks equal parts horrified and fascinated. “And what exactly did you say back?”

Brooke smirks. “I told him he couldn’t handle me.”

I press a hand to my forehead. “You might be the actual villain in Luke’s tragic backstory.”

“Probably,” Brooke agrees cheerfully.

Taylor sighs, rubbing her temples like she’s dealing with children. “Okay, so if it’s not Luke—who is it?”

Brooke’s smirk turns absolutely devious. “If this particular target doesn’t work out, do you think I could have both Vince and Luke? I mean, they aren’t related. Might be fun.”

I groan. “I can’t with you.”

Taylor just shakes her head. “I need you to focus, Brooke. Actual answer, please.”

Brooke dramatically sighs, leaning back in her chair like we’ve exhausted her. “Fine, fine.” She takes a slow, deliberate sip of coffee before tilting her head. “Are we talking about a guy or a woman?”

Taylor leans forward, practically vibrating with curiosity. “Tell us.”

Brooke shakes her head. “Not yet. You’ll find out soon enough.”

I squint at her. “You’re insufferable.”

Brooke winks. “And you love me for it.”

Taylor rolls her eyes but then gestures toward a nearby bookshelf, where Twilight and the rest of the books sit. “I feel like you belong in a book like that. You’d be the over-the-top supporting character who causes chaos but somehow always has the best love story in the end.”

Brooke gasps, pressing a hand to her chest. “First of all, thank you. Second of all, I would be the main character. But you’re right about the chaos.”

I laugh. “You’d be the character who shows up randomly halfway through the book and completely steals the show.”

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