Page 28 of One Night in My Rival's Bed

‘Like what?’

I rose from the sofa and smoothed my hands down my dress. ‘You and Ethan for one.’

Niamh’s eyes took on a stubborn light. ‘You don’t think I’m ready for marriage but I am. I love Ethan and he loves me.’

‘I’m happy for you, I really am. It’s just I agree with Grayson that you’re rushing it a bit.’

‘Is it because of his disability or mine?’

‘No, of course not. But both must be factored in when you plan your life together. Relationships are hard at the best of times, but you and Ethan have other obstacles most people don’t have to face. You have to be realistic about what to expect. You’ll need support.’

‘But we’ll have each other.’

‘It might not be enough.’

Niamh picked at her fingers—a nervous habit she had developed since the accident. ‘But you’ll be around, won’t you?’ She was looking at her fingers rather than meeting my gaze.

I bent down in front of her where she was sitting on the sofa, and I put my hands on both of her knees. ‘I will alwaysbe around to support you.’

Her gaze met mine briefly and then shifted back to stare at her hands. ‘But what if you fall in love and get married one day?’

‘I amnotgoing to fall in love and get married.’ I may have sounded a little too adamant about the falling in love bit because... Grayson. I couldn’t get him out of my mind. I could still feel the press of his lips, the stroke and glide of his hands, the powerful, passionate possession of his male body in mine.

Niamh’s gaze met mine. ‘Why don’t you want to fall in love again? It’s the best feeling in the world.’

I took one of her hands and held it in mine. ‘I wasn’t in love with Ryan, I just thought I was at the time. That’s why it’s so important not to rush things.’ Who am I to talk after sleeping with Grayson Barlowe last night? If that wasn’t rushing things, I don’t know what was, but I couldn’t help myself.

‘You were with Ryan for three years,’ Niamh pointed out. ‘How could you not have known you weren’t in love with him?’

I released her hand and straightened with a sigh. ‘On one level, I think I probably did realise it wasn’t the real deal, but it took a lot longer than it should have for me to admit it.’ I painted a smile on my lips and added, ‘Now, enough about the past. Are you staying for dinner?’

Niamh got off the sofa. ‘No, I’m meeting Ethan back at the gym, his session will be over soon. I just wanted to pick up a couple of things and check on you.’

I frowned in confusion. I was the one who checked on her, not her on me. ‘Why would you feel the need to check on me?’

She gave me an unreadable look that was slightly unnerving, to say the least. ‘You spent the night with Grayson Barlowe.’ Her tone didn’t contain any hint of disapproval or accusation but rather was stating an indisputable fact.

I licked my suddenly dry lips. ‘We had dinner and talked about stuff.’

‘You must’ve had a lot to talk about. Every time I checked my phone, you were still there.’

I could feel heat storming into my cheeks and other parts of my body. But I comforted myself that Niamh couldn’t have possibly checked her phone all through the night. She had to sleep after all.

‘It was a late night,’ I said. ‘But I managed to avoid getting into an argument with him.’

Niamh tilted her head and narrowed her gaze like an inquisitive bird. ‘So, you’re starting to like him?’

I pursed my lips for a moment, wondering why my sister was so interested in my feelings about her fiancé’s older brother. I expelled a short breath and decided to lure her away from the conversation. ‘Do you need a lift to the gym?’

‘No, Ethan booked a car for me. It should be here any minute.’ She glanced at the rideshare app on her phone and added, ‘It’s just pulling up outside now.’ She came over and gave me a hug and a kiss. ‘Can you and Grayson come to dinner on Saturday night? Ethan and I would like to cook for you both.’

My sister wasn’t exactly a gourmet cook, but then I had done most of the cooking for her. I only hoped Ethan had a few more skills in the kitchen than her. I suspected they were determined to show they could look after themselves, to convince Grayson and me that they were ready for marriage.

‘That sounds...nice.’

‘Great. I’ll see you then.’ Niamh grabbed her tote bag in one hand and another small bag of clothes in the other. ‘See you on Saturday. Shall we say eight p.m.?’

‘Eight it is.’

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