My Favorite Souvenir(5)

Milo’s brows rose. “Whoa. That’s a pretty shitty story.”

I laughed. “Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better.”

“Sorry.” He chuckled.

The bartender brought over my drink. “You want to start a tab?”

“Put hers on my tab, Ed.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay. I’m just going to have this one, so I’ll pay for it.”

“I insist.” He winked at me. “Mom wouldn’t like me letting my little sister pay.”

I placed the forty dollars I owed him in front of him on the bar. “Thank you. At least take the money I owe you for the room.”

Fake Milo nodded. “So what happened?”

Why did I seem to keep getting lost in conversation with this man? “What happened, what?”

“You said your fiancé called off the wedding. Was he always an asshole and you just figured it out now, or is there more to the story?”

“That’s sort of a personal question, isn’t it?”

He shrugged. “I’m your brother. You can tell me anything. Plus, I’m thinking I might need to go kick his ass for hurting you—defend my sister’s honor and all.”

I liked Fake Milo. He had a dry sense of humor. But there wasn’t an easy answer as to what had led to the demise of my engagement. Though it looked like the man next to me was waiting for one.

“No need to kick his ass. I actually take part of the blame.”

His eyes widened. “Say what? You take part of the blame for that asshole canceling the wedding?”

“Well, not for how he handled it, but perhaps for what led to it.”

“What could possibly give him an excuse to cancel a wedding? If you’re not sure, you don’t propose.”

How to explain…

“Well, when he first met me, I was a free spirit, fun-loving—the total opposite of him. But you know, opposites attract, right? Even though he was more straight-laced, he was attracted to my wild personality. But over the years, I lost my way. I became…more like him. And I think despite a mutual respect for each other, he woke up one day and realized he needed to step back before he made a lifelong commitment to someone who wasn’t the same person anymore.”

“How long were you engaged?”

“A year.”

Milo frowned. “That’s fucking bullshit, and you know it, right? There’s no reason to lead someone on until right before a wedding.” He took a drink of his beer and slammed the bottle down. “Anyway, you think there was more to it? Like maybe he was fucking someone else and felt guilty? Not that he would’ve had any reason to do that if he had you at home.”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t think he would do something like that. I mean, there have been times when I wondered about a couple of his female co-workers. A group of people from his office go out a lot together after work. They drink a little too much. But I don’t think he ever did more than flirt with them.”

Rehashing anything having to do with Brady was starting to make me feel sick to my stomach.

“How did he tell you…that he didn’t want to get married?” Milo asked.

“He just said he wasn’t sure it was the right decision anymore. He kept things very vague. It was all so sudden. Even though I probably should’ve seen it coming, I didn’t. I truly believed he loved me, even if our relationship might have changed since the beginning. Like I said, I don’t really blame him for his change of heart.”

“Well, you should blame him for how he handled things. That’s messed up to let you plan a wedding and then pull that shit.”

“It definitely seemed like it hurt him to have to do it. I don’t think it was an easy decision. He’d probably known about it for a while but was just reluctant to tell me. He was very apologetic.”

“Christ! As he should be.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah.”

“But you know what?”

“What?”

He paused. “He’s an idiot. He’ll regret it someday.”

My cheeks felt hot, and our eyes locked for a few moments.

“Well, that’s very nice of you to say. You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you actually were my brother,” I said in a low voice. “You’re awfully protective of someone you don’t even know.”

He turned to the bartender. “Ed, can you get my sister here another drink?”

Holding out my palms, I said, “I’m not sure I should have another.”

“Trust me. You’re gonna need it.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’m about to set you straight. You might need something to take the edge off.”

I squinted. “Is that right?”

“Yes.”

Ed placed another vodka cranberry in front of me.

Milo grinned. “Drink up.”

I took a long sip. The alcohol burned my throat. “So what is it that I need to be intoxicated in order to hear?”

Milo leaned in. “This guy of yours, he’s gonna come back, begging you to give him another chance.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do, okay? Men are fucking dumb, and he’s going to realize his mistake and try to get you back.”