Free Happily Ever After by E. L. Todd Page A

would love to have you.”
    Mike took a drink of his coffee and averted his gaze.
    I leaned into Scarlet. “I think something is bothering him.”
    She whispered back. “He’s just going through a hard time.”
    My mom grabbed a plate of snacks and set it on the table. “This weekend just got even better. When are you moving?”
    “Sometime after the honeymoon,” I said. “There’s no rush.”
    “And what will Scarlet do without her brother?”
    “He’s coming with me,” Scarlet said. “We’re a set.”
    “I feel like I’m always sharing her with him,” I said.
    My mom raised an eyebrow. “You’re moving to New York?”
    “Yep,” Ryan said. “She forced me.”
    “I’m coming too,” Cortland said. “We’re traveling circus.”
    “Wow,” my dad said. “Scarlet seems to touch people everywhere she goes.”
    Scarlet looked down at his words. I wasn’t sure if she was embarrassed by the comment. I wasn’t sure what there was to be embarrassed about. My dad didn’t mean anything negative by it.
    Mike stood up. “I should get ready.”
    He was already ready. I knew he was just trying to get away from us. When he left the room, I turned to Scarlet. “I’ll be back.”
    My mom looked at me. “Persuade him, Sean.”
    “I’ll try,” I said with a nod.
    I walked up the stairs until I arrived at his old bedroom. After I knocked, it was quiet. His feet thudded against the floorboards as he walked across the room. Finally, he opened the door. “Yeah?”
    “Can we talk for a second?”
    “I’m busy.”
    “Don’t be an ass. Let me in.”
    He sighed then stepped away, allowing me to come inside.
    “What’s up?”
    “You tell me. You’re the one who’s here.”
    “Why won’t you take the company with me? It’s equally yours. It’s good money, great hours, and a perfect job. It has your name on it.”
    “I said I don’t want it.”
    “I thought we were past this? I thought we worked out our differences and became brothers again? What did I do?”
    Mike looked at the floor and crossed his arms over his chest. He shifted his weight then shifted it back, stalling for time. “Nothing.”
    “Come on. Tell me.”
    “I need to get ready.”
    “Why will you only talk to my fiancé but not me? I’m your family.”
    “Just go, Sean.”
    “No. You’re going to tell me.”
    “I just don’t want to, okay? I have a great job in New York. I don’t need to steal your thunder.”
    “What? Steal my thunder?”
    “Your life is perfect. You got the girl and now you got the company. I won’t stand in your way. Go ahead.”
    “Mike, what are you talking about? I want you to be my partner. You’re my brother.”
    “Drop it.”
    “What’s this really about? Why won’t you do this with me? It would make mom and dad happy. It would make me and Scarlet happy. She loves you and wants you to be close with us.”
    “You always get everything. I don’t need your charity. I’m good.”
    I sighed, frustrated. I had no idea what he was trying to say. I was never good at understanding people’s emotions. I could understand Scarlet’s because she was always blunt about them. I was also in tune with her body. “Is it because I’m getting married?”
    Mike sat on the foot of his bed and stared at the floor.
    “You’ll settle down eventually.”
    “I find that unlikely.”
    I sat beside him and faced forward. “What are you scared of?”
    “It’s too late for me. I’ve made too many mistakes, burned too many bridges. I’ll never find a woman to love me the way Scarlet loves you. I’ll never be able to take back what I did to you. I’m a failure, Sean. A total failure.”
    “No, you aren’t.”
    “Yeah, I am.”
    “Mike, I forgive you for everything that happened with Penelope. Honestly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Now I’m spending the rest of my life with Scarlet, the girl I was supposed to be with to begin with. You did me a favor.”
    “I thought it would make me