Page 98 of How to Break My Heart 1
Maddy is the type of drunk to get sad and cry about first-world problems. I’m the exact opposite. I want to party harder and dance my life away like I’m eighteen without a care in the world.
“I think I should get some water into you soon,” I tell her, observing her glazed eyes. “You look ready to crash.”
“You ever loved someone so much you can’t think about anything else? And it hurts so much when you’re not with them?” Maddy’s questions come out as a giant slur.
“Maddy, you’re just drunk. I’m sure that’s how you feel about Myles.”
She points her finger into my chest, pushing a little too hard and hurting me. “But what if I don’t?”
“Well, you’re lying because why would you agree to marry someone you’re not in love with?”
She bursts out laughing. “You’re right!”
“See, everything is going to be okay.”
“But what about you?”
I raise my brow. “What about me?”
Maddy motions for me to come closer, then giggles in my ear. “I gave the stripper your number. He thought you were hot.”
“Why would you do that?” I raise my voice, only for two girls across from us to look over. “I’m not interested in dating someone. I already—” I cut myself off, almost carelessly mentioning Aston.
“Relax, why not have a little fun? You sure need to. It’s not like anything is happening with the doctor or anyone else. You wouldn’t lie to me, now would you?”
I shake my head without even thinking.
Maddy hiccups this time, her face looks pale. She reaches for another drink, quick to distract herself.
“Speaking of dating,” Hailey, Myles’s other cousin, pipes up. “What is the story with your brother, Maddy?”
My body stiffens at the change of topic, but I quickly add, “We tried to set him up with Ramona, but apparently, he’s seeing someone.”
The moment it leaves my mouth, I hide my satisfaction. There’s no chance in hell any of these girls will touch what’s mine.
Did I just saywhat’s mine?
“I tried stalking him on Instagram. Turns out he doesn’t haveone.” Hailey pouts. “Everyone has Instagram. He’s probably sneaking around with someone he wants no one else to know about.”
For some odd reason, it never occurred to me to stalk Aston online. Talk about a red flag on my end. How could I have been so distracted with everything going on to not cyberstalk the man I’ve slept with?
“My brother refuses”—another one of Maddy’s loud, obnoxious hiccups breaks her train of thought, but she continues, slurring—“to go online. He likes things to remain private. I don’t even know who he is supposedly dating, but whoever it is, he’s not breathing a word. God, she could be my sister-in-law.”
I clear my throat. “I highly doubt he will get married. That’s not his style.”
“How do you know?” Maddy accuses, her brows furrowing. “What if he meets the one woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life, huh? He’s not a robot, Eva. Just because you hate him doesn’t mean other women do.”
“I never said he was a robot. Plus I don’t hate him.” I drag the words out and then take a drink to ease the tension building inside me. “Aston doesn’t strike me as someone who wants tosettle down. That’s all.”
“Yeah, well, you weren’t there this morning when he was rambling on about one day wanting to get married and have kids. Trust me, I know my brother. He has changed.”
The lump inside my throat thickens, forcing me to stand up and say, “I’m going inside to get you a bottle of water. You need to sober up.”
But truthfully,Ineed to sober up.
Aston wants to get married and have kids.
That is absurd.
