Em sighed. It felt like she was fighting an impossible battle. “Okay. Then let’s say this is a real date. What kind of questions would you ask me over dinner?”
He sat up straighter, his eyes bright and eager. She didn’t know if she should laugh or groan. “Well, I already know that Finn is your older brother, but you don’t have any pictures of the rest of your family online.”
Em blinked a few times. He was coming out swinging, and he didn’t even know it. She bit her lip. “That’s because Finn is the only family I have.”
Grant reached out and grabbed her hand. His fingers were warm as they squeezed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize. How old were you when they died?”
“It’s not like that.” She pulled away her hand and shook her head. “Last time I checked, they were both very much alive, living out their lives in California.”
His brows lowered. “I’m confused.”
That made two of them. Em had made peace with the fact that her parents were complete pieces of crap years ago, but it always made questions like this uncomfortable for everyone.
She lifted her glass and swallowed the remaining contents of her glass. Might as well get it over with. The sooner he knows, the sooner he can move on to someone normal.
“Even though we lived with them until we graduated, they were never there.” She shook her head. “Lucky for me, Finn has always been a good big brother. When I was little, he always helped me with my homework after school. When I got older, he helped me get my first job and taught me to drive. Finn is the one who went to the store and bought a pack of pads when I first got my period.”
Her hand went to cover her mouth when she realized she’d said that last part. It was true, Finn had been the one who explained what was happening, despite being a young teenage boy at the time. But that wasn’t exactly something you shared on a first date—or ever.
It had to be the wine that made her speak so freely. The possibility of her being this comfortable with Grant already was too terrifying to consider.
“I-I’m sorry. That was way too much information.”
Grant gave her a small smile. “It wasn’t the answer I was expecting to my question, but it means a lot that you were willing to share something so personal. Plus, it explains a lot.”
“What does that mean?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Only that I’ve seen how protective your brother is when it comes to you.”
Em winced. “You heard about how he broke Parrera’s nose, didn’t you?”
And to think, they hadn’t even dated. That poor guy had only expressed interest. How Damien got away with taking her on such a terrible date after that without any repercussions still baffled her. But it was also a relief. She hated when Finn got all macho man.
Grant nodded. “When Bastian first told me, I was shocked that Finn would act like that. But now it makes a little more sense. My big sister gets the same way.” The corners of his mouth quirked up. “Though I don’t think she’s ever broken someone’s nose over it.”
Thankful for the shift in focus, Em smiled at Grant. “Maybe she’s never had a good reason to.”
He took a sip of his beer and leaned back in his chair. “Oh, I think she’s had plenty of reasons. I’ve had my share of devastating breakups.”
“You have?” Em couldn’t imagine anyone breaking up with Grant.
“I went through a phase where I had really bad taste in girls.”
She lifted a brow. “And how do you know you’re not on a streak?”
Grant put both hands on the table and leaned forward. “Because she’s already approved of you.”
Em jerked back. “You told your sister about me?”
He shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I? I figured you’d understand since you’re so close to Finn.”
She was close to her brother, but that didn’t mean they talked about dating. Not anymore.
Speaking of her brother...Em had hardly given the game they were supposed to be watching a passing glance. She was too focused on the charming guy sitting with her.
The soccer player sitting with her.
Why was this so hard?
It felt like she was being torn in two every time she was with Grant.
Her heart told her to open up with Grant more, to see where things led. Even on the surface, he was better than the guys she’d dated. He was considerate—loved his family.
But her brain reminded her that opening up to him was a bad idea. Just because he seemed sweet now didn’t mean he wouldn’t pull a one-eighty like the other guys. What kind of ammunition had she just given him with her story about her parents? Plus, he lived in Kansas City. He wasn’t going to stick around forever.
Fighting the panic rising in her chest, she stood up. “I’ve, uh, gotta go to the bathroom.”
Confusion flashed over Grant’s features.
Before he could say anything, she walked off—unsure of whether or not she was going to return.
Grant
Well, this isn’t going very well.
Grant hadn’t meant to scare Em off. He was only trying to find common ground after finding out what an awful childhood Em had. He’d mentioned that his sister had approved of Em instead of mentioning how supportive his parents were, but apparently that had been the wrong choice.
Why could he never seem to say the right thing to her once things got beyond the teasing? As long as they were joking and laughing, they were fine. But he’d finally had the chance to dig a little deeper, and he’d messed it up. Now he felt like a jerk and didn’t know how he would turn things around.
When Em didn’t return right away, Grant turned to the field. It was
