Page 1 of The Fear
1
Oh,the idiot. What a total bonehead. She couldn’t believe this. Hala Hanan stood there, staring at the man she had known her entire life and wondered how she had missed it. He wasserious.
Gorgeousapparently wasn’t synonymous with brains.
“You…are beyond insane.” She gawked at the gorgeous man in front of her. He…was serious. Like a total fool, an idiot, and a complete and total ass. “I don’t want to dateyou,Grady Hiller.I’m definitely not here to complete some master matchmaking plan of your mother’s, either. That’s hilarious. Where did you even come up with that idea? I’m here to check on my family. That’s it. I certainly don’t have designs…onyou.Especially as future husband material.The idea is…kind of laughable. You are the last Hiller brother on the planet I would ever be attracted to.”
Hazel eyes just narrowed, and the dork’s scowl deepened. Well, so he was grumpy again. Imagine that. Grady wasalwaysgrumpy whenever she was around. Probably because his precious sanctuary had been invaded byherkind again.
Women—the scariest creatures of all, in Grady’s world.
She had long known that about this man. There probably wasn’t much his baby sister hadn’t told her abouthim.
Grady Hiller wasn’t exactly great withwomen,according to her main source of information. His youngest sister—and Hala’s closest friend ever—Greer had told her that time and time before.
He was far too pretty to be a boogerhead like he was. What a waste.
Grady acted like a troll at times, but hewasseriously hot and beautiful. Every Hiller brother was gorgeous. Drool-worthy completely.Everywoman in Value knew that.
Gorgeous Hiller brothers were just athingin Value, Texas. Grady thought his own mother had set a trap—forHalato catch him. Oh, hilarious.
“I never said you would. I said you had just…probably better not get any ideas. Get your hopes up.” His cheeks were red now. Good. He deserved to be embarrassed for this one. She was going to enjoy this.
“Why would I, to begin with? You are seriously not my type. Now…if Gunn would look in my direction, or Guthrie, then maybe it wouldn’t be so shocking. Butyou?”Him?She and Grady Hiller hadn’t liked each other for a good ten years now. Maybe longer, but since she’d been a teenager ten years ago, she hadn’t paid much attention to this guy nine years older than she was.
Other than as an irritating older brother of her best friend. A completely, beyond belief, irritating older brother of her closest friend on the planet. His grumpiness had no bounds, and had been present for a long, long time.
It had always driven her crazy.
Now Grady Treyton Hiller was standing there in his own hallway, telling her that he suspectedhis motherhad concocted some diabolical plan to see to it that all of her sons marriedher daughters’ friends. Because in the last few weeks, as Grady had so helpfully pointed out to Hala, Chantal had fallen head over heels for Gene Hiller, Chantal’s bestie Genny Hiller had fallen fast for Gene’s bestie Chad Fields. Who happened to beChantal’sbrother. Then there was whatever was going on with Genny’s other bestie Aubrey and Genny’s brother Guthrie—those two just burned when in range of each other. And…Aubrey’s baby sister Ayla had been seen making googly eyes at Grady’s identical twin Gunn recently. And Gunn had been turning bright red and adorable in return.
It was kind of hard for someone to keep up with all the romance around here lately. That was for sure.
Everyone was pairing off ridiculously fast. Like there was something in the water, maybe?
Next thing Hala knew, her own brother would romantically swoop the oldest Hiller sister off her feet and just carry Gia away forever. To live in his castle and have lots of babies. Lots and lots of babies—who would ironically look like a cross between Hala…and this goob right in front of her.
Not that Hala would mind that at all. In fact…thatwas a part of her own plan someday. Hudson and Gia so seriously belonged together—she’d long wondered why no one around here realized that.
No one understood Hudson like Gia did. Now…if Gia would just stop despising Hala’s brother with a passion and get down to business, turn that passion in a different direction…
Hala wanted more nieces and nephews someday, after all.
Every Hiller brother was pairing off right now. Except…
Thisone. Mr. Completely Cranky Pants.
Her. And Grady.Togethertogether.
Forreal? It was never going to happen.
He’d actually told her not to get her hopes up. That Hala didn’t have a shot with him. He was forewarning her. So she didn’t get any bigideas.
He was just standing there, waiting, those Hiller hazel eyes of his just…so patient.
OMG.He was utterly serious. She bit back a laugh.
She had never hadideasabout him in her entire life. She wasn’t about to start now.
