All the Way (Romancing Manhattan #1)(54)

He frowns.

“Unless you’d rather I didn’t. You have seen how in love he is with his wife, right? They have, like, twelve kids. He can’t keep his hands off her.”

“I know that feeling,” Finn replies as he wraps his arms around me and hugs me close. “Can I have a veto in those things?”

“In the jobs I take?” I stare up at him in horror. “Do I get a say in the jobs you take?”

“Trust me when I say I don’t work with sexy celebrities.”

“You get one veto.”

“Ryan Reynolds,” he says with a satisfied smile. “He’s the veto.”

“You’re weird.” I laugh and then grab my phone when it rings. “This is Sasha. Hello?”

“I did it,” she says.

“What did you do?”

“I went out on a date with him.”

“Wait. We just had this conversation yesterday, and you already changed your mind and went out with him?”

“He was persuasive.”

“So how was it? Did it ruin the fuck life?”

“It didn’t suck,” she says.

“Be more specific.”

“Okay, I had fun. He’s way nicer than I thought. It seems like he has an ego the size of Alaska, but really he’s just shy.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Yeah. And then we did the hookup thing after the date, and it didn’t ruin it.”

“So the sex was still on point?”

Finn glances over, raising a brow, and I throw him a kiss.

“Totally on point,” she confirms. “In fact, we’re going on a picnic in Central Park today after class.”

“I won’t be in class today,” I warn her. “I’m hanging out with Finn.”

“Tell him I said hi.”

“I will. And, Sasha, I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

She hangs up and Finn passes me a plate with an omelet and fresh fruit.

“Yum,” I say, and kiss him in thanks.

“What’s up with Sasha?”

I give him the rundown from yesterday. “So, it sounds like they’ve moved past fuck life and into dating material.”

“Gotcha.” He nods, but then frowns.

“What’s wrong?”

“Did you describe us as a fuck life?”

“No. I described us as a love life.”

He grins. “Good girl.”





Chapter Fifteen

~London~


“This line feels weird,” I mutter, and highlight it in orange. I write a reminder to talk to Gerald about it when I see him. I’ve been running lines alone in my condo all morning, trying to memorize them.

It’s a slow process.

My phone rings at my elbow, and I answer without looking at it. “Hello.”

“Hey there, London Bridge.”

“Kyle.” I look up and check the time, then rub my eyes. I’ve been at this for about three hours already. “How are you?”

“I’m doing pretty well,” he says, and I’m waiting for the but.

But I could use some money.

But I need . . .

But I don’t want to check into rehab.

What’s it going to be this time?

“But I could use your help.”

Here we go.

“What do you need?”

“Well, I’m kind of nervous to check into this place down here in North Carolina. To be honest, it’s a scary thing, London.”

“I can see that.” My voice sounds distant and cold, and part of me hates that, but the other part of me knows that it’s just how I have to be where Kyle is concerned.

“It would help so much if you could come down here and be with me when I check in.”

I frown and pull the phone away to look at it and then press it back to my ear. “You want me to come there?”

“Yeah, I really do,” he says.

“I don’t think that’s possible, Kyle. I’m gearing up for a new job, and I don’t think I can get away to come down there.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” he says. “I know that I’m not your favorite person. But will you please just think about it? It would make it a lot easier for me, not that you owe me anything.”

I want to say, I’m sorry, is this my brother?

But I know that’ll just start a fight, so I keep my mouth shut.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” he continues. “With Mom and Dad gone, you’re all I have, and you’re my baby sister. I should have done a better job of taking care of you. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you, and I’m especially sorry for the way I acted after they died. You didn’t deserve that.

“I love you a lot, and I want us to have a relationship.”

“Well, maybe once you’re out of rehab, we can work on that.”

“Yeah, that’s what I want.” His voice is full of excitement now, rather than the resentment I’m expecting. “That’s all I want, London. It would mean a lot to me if we could have a relationship, and if I have to get through rehab to make that happen, I’m all for it.”