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The buttery-sweet scent of popcorn and minidonuts drifts between us as his eyes sneak over to my face, his sad attempt to pretend he’s not looking at me.
“Is it serious?”
I run my tongue over my teeth, trying not to give anything away. I want it to be serious.
Badly.
But I’m a practical person. There are so many obstacles in our way. I want Emmett for myself, and I want him to cash in and save his family farm too. I haven’t even let myself wallow in the reality that even if we let this turn into something real, it will need to be in secret. For at least a year, until the show airs and his contract expires.
And yet…
“Yes.”
He sniffs and scrubs a hand over his cheek. “I’m not a fan of it, to be honest.”
A slow smile tips my lips as I tilt my head toward my brother. “Good thing you’re not the one involved with him then.”
“You’re my sister, Jules.”
“And you’re my brother, Theo. But you’re a cool brother. Not like other brothers. Which means you’re not going to do the gross thing where you get worked up over who your sister dates.”
A low grumble emanates from his throat, and I know I’ve hit him with something he can’t deny. We’ve always prided ourselves on having a healthy, open, nonjudgmental relationship.
Something that won’t be changing now just because Theo has professional friction with the guy.
“I believe in you,” I tease, bumping my shoulder against his. I expect him to smile and give me a brotherly side hug before we carry on. Back to normal. Enjoying the rest of our mom’s birthday.
But that’s not what happens.
Theo peers down at me, his expression grave. “I just hope you know what you’re doing. I don’t want you to get hurt. Because I’m familiar with Emmett. I’ve seen him on tour. He breaks hearts. He gets around, Jules. He’s not a one-woman guy.”
My cheeks heat and I roll my lips together to cover my discomfort. When Theo turns serious, it’s u
His warning lands with unexpected weight, dropping like a rock in my stomach. Today was perfect in so many ways. I left that lunch feeling hopeful and brimming with love.
And Theo decided to ruin it for me in the name of being a protective big brother. A little irritating, especially considering his reputation before meeting Winter.
Planting this seed of unease isn’t what I needed from him, and I won’t give him the satisfaction of feeding into his warning.
Instead, I cross my arms, offering him a stiff shrug and a pointed smirk. “Well, once upon a time you weren’t either.”
Then I step away and order myself a popcorn, pretending like this conversation never happened.