Page 23 of My Best Friend's Grump Brother

The ends of my lips tipped upward, “Is that a hint of jealousy I hear in your voice?”

“Jealousy?” He scoffed, “I have no desire to fall in love. All love has ever brought upon people is misery and heartbreak. That’s how it all ends. It may not be a human error that tears you apart, but death will do the trick. No love exists for all eternity. Like all things, it comes to a brutal and destined end.”

“That’s rather…morbid.”

“It’s realistic, Selena. And besides, I am far too busy for trivial things like love. I have no time for a wife.”

“And won’t you want children someday? Won’t you want someone to carry on your legacy?” Isn’t that what rich people want? To produce heirs to their massive empires?

“I have a niece and nephew for that. And I don’t need a legacy. The line can end with me for all I care. I had no desire to pressurize a poor child with a future they did not pick for themselves.”

I could hear something in his tone that sounded more personal. I wanted to question it but thought better. It seemed like a topic that hit a very sensitive spot for him.

Regardless, his words did make me sad. I hated to think this man was so cynical that he had no desire to fall in love and find a happily ever after. If I was being honest, I was being a little hypocritical because I had no desire to get married and have babies. After Marcus, all hopes and dreams of that happening died. But just because I didn’t want it for myself didn’t mean I didn’t want it for others. Love existed, and everyone deserved to experience it.

But I could tell from how he shifted in his chair that he didn’t want to discuss it further. So, I decided to change the topic.

“You were drinking tonight.” It was a statement more so than a question. “Why? You don’t drink.”

“I do drink.”

I shook my head, “Rarely. So you were either drowning your sorrows in some absurdly priced whiskey, or you hit it big and won a million. What happened, Danny Boy? Did you become a trillionaire overnight? Or was it that you finally found the heart your soul has been missing since birth.”

His face flattened, and he gave me a deadpan look. “You’re hilarious.”

I smiled brightly; I loved getting under his skin like this. It had always been a favorite pastime of mine whenever I visited Claire and little Sammy. I realized how much I enjoyed being in his presence in those moments.

“Here we are,” Alberto placed our tacos in front of us. “Enjoy your meal. Oh, and my wife, Maria, said you are a beautiful young woman.”

I smiled and looked to where Maria stood in the truck with a smile. “Thank you, Maria. I think you are very beautiful as well!”

Alberto left us to enjoy our tacos in peace, but I didn’t miss how he looked at the two of us knowingly. I knew he likely thought I was with Daniel, but that was the farthest thing from the truth.

As soon as I took the first bite of the taco, my mouth was filled with an explosion of flavor.

“Good?”

“Heaven,” I chewed into my food again, loving all the flavors bursting in my mouth. We sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the meal under the Chicago night sky. If you had told me a few hours before this that this is how my night would have turned out, I would have laughed in your face.

“Why did you come to my apartment? I was told you had already asked your sister to check if I was okay?”

“I wanted to see for myself.” His answer was simple enough.

He continued to eat his tacos like he wasn’t causing internal turmoil within me. This man’s hot and cold nature was going to be the sure death of me. One minute, he wanted me to stay far away from him, and the next, he went out of his way to ensure I was okay.

“You know you’re an asshole, right?” I was never one to filter my words. “One minute, you are treating me like I am nothing; the next, you want to be my friend and buy me dinner. Which is it, Daniel? Am I friend or am I foe?”

He cocked his eyebrow at me, looking slightly amused. “Friend or foe? A little dramatic, aren’t we, Selena.”

Whenever he said my name, I got weak in the knees, and then I would forget why I was angry for a split second, which only made me angrier. He managed to play with my mind without even doing anything. All it took was one look, touch, glance, and word, and I was back in his web.

What was wrong with me?

“Answer the damn question, Daniel.”

He placed his taco down and stared at me for a moment. His eyes danced over my features, moving from my eyes to my lips and back again.

“I'm not your enemy, Selena.” He said shortly as he took another bite of his taco.

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