“Can you stop staring at yourself and take me to Leanna’s now?”
I meet Emery’s gaze in the mirror. She has her hands on her waist and is completely over me, for no reason whatsoever other than being my little sister. I annoy her by breathing, apparently. But soon, annoyance moves over my face. “Em, I can’t take you. My date is gonna be here in seconds.”
Her eyes widen. “You told Mom and Dad you’d take me. We’re going out to the mall with a bunch of our friends.”
Shit. I did say that. “I’m sorry. I forgot. I’ll make it up—”
“You’re taking me. Tell your date you’ll be late.”
“Emery! I can’t be late when he’s picking me up at home. That’s so tacky.”
“It’s tacky to say you’re going to take your sister and then not take her for some dick.”
“Whoa! Excuse me, it’s not about getting dick. He’s taking me on a date.”
“Whatever. We all know your legs will be pinned back before the night is over, so take me so I can have fun too.”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“No!”
Then the doorbell rings. She looks at me and I look at her, but then the little shit takes off, and I know I can’t catch her. Not if I want to look nice once Wes sees me, and I don’t want to break my heels. So, I power walk very fast for the door. Unfortunately, we live in a fucking mansion and she is on the track team, so when I reach the bottom stair, she is already throwing open the big door and setting Wes with a look.
“Hey, is, um…does, shit, sorry…um, is this Stella Brooks’s house?”
Emery laughs like a jackass. “I mean, she lives here.”
“Oh my God,” I snap at her. “Sorry—” I start, but then my eyes meet his. Jesus Christ, why does he look so good? He may only be in khaki shorts and a light-yellow collared shirt, but he is so sexy.
“Wait. Aren’t you Aiden’s best friend?” Emery asks before she sets me with a shit-eating grin. Wes’s eyes widen, and I sigh heavily. “Damn, your face is jacked. Does the other guy look worse?”
“I hate you…greatly,” I mutter at her before I hold out my hand to Wes. “Wes, this is my sister, Emery. Emery, this is Wes.”
“Didn’t Aiden say you aren’t allowed to date him when I brought up you were trying to bang him at the wedding?”
I press my lips together. “Um. Wow, that’s exaggerated like no other.”
“No. I said, ‘Stella is trying to bang your best man,’ and after Posey freaked out, thinking it was Boon, I cleared that up, and Aiden told you to quit.”
I blink. “Okay, but he never said I couldn’t date him.”
“Oh. So, if I call Aiden right now to come get me because you aren’t able to take me to Leanna’s since you’re going on a date to bang his best friend, that would be cool?”
I don’t even have to look at Wes to see the terror on his face. I’m sure it matches mine because telling Aiden would end this before it starts. We need this. Hell, I want this. I take in a deep, cleansing breath. My mom would be very upset to lose her youngest child. Emery has a purpose in this world. Not sure if that’s to be a gang leader in jail or a murderer or the first female US president, but it’s fucking something, and I can’t kill her. “Emery, you are very lucky these are my favorite shoes,” I mutter to her. She, of course, grins like she won.
Which she did.
“I’m sorry. Do you mind if we drop her off at her friend’s house?” I ask Wes sweetly. “It’s like ten minutes away in this neighborhood but in the very, very back. Or if you wanna wait, I’ll go drop her off—”
“No, it’s totally fine. We can drop her off. I actually entered through the back. Aiden says it’s faster to the highway.”
“Great.” I reach for my bag that’s behind Emery and sneer, “Get in the fucking car.”
“Yes, darling sister of mine.”
She steps out onto the porch, and I follow, locking the door behind us. I find it very sweet that Wes waits for me and even walks with me down the path. Unfortunately, though, he walks with Emery too. “What grade are you in now, Emery?”
“Tenth.”
“That’s cool. You enjoying school?”
“No. I’d rather stay home and watch Netflix.”
“I hear ya, kid,” he says, reaching for the back door of his truck for her. She climbs in, saying thank you, and he does the same for me.
I smile a thanks, though I am dying of embarrassment inside. Only my sister would crash my date like this. Anyone else, I wouldn’t care. But Wes is, like, Wes McMillan. Hello, he’s a hot hockey player. I’ve never been out with such an accomplished man. All the guys I’ve dated just spend their parents’ money. Not Wes. He has his own. Even the older guys I dated only spent their parents’ money. So yeah, I bet I have a strike against me now. All because of Emery.