Maybe Matt's Miracle (The Reed Brothers 4)

Matt

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I f**ked that up. I stop outside her office and look back toward the door. I want to go back in there and continue to apologize, but now she’s in a meeting. I already barged in when I shouldn’t have. Fuck.

There’s a florist on the corner so I drop in and order flowers for her. Girls like flowers, right? I don’t go overboard, because I just can’t afford to, but I get her a pretty red rose and make arrangements for them to take it to her with a note. Is she in love with me yet? I snort. Not even close, particularly not after what I said.

I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m not that guy. I’m not overtly sexual and out of control. Well, with her I might be a little. Last night when I reached up and unhooked her stockings, I almost came in my pants. And when she asked me if everything worked and I pressed the side of her foot against my dick, oh my God, I could barely stand it.

But I want so much more from her. Someone bumps into my shoulder, and I look up. Her ex-boyfriend smirks up at me. I am a few inches taller than him and I like that. “Pardon me,” I say. I turn to walk away when what I really want to do is flatten him.

“Pardon you for what?” he asks. “Fucking my girlfriend?”

I crack my knuckles really quickly because what I’m about to do is going to hurt. He doesn’t even see it coming. I punch him directly in the face, and he goes down like one of those blow-up clowns that falls over when you hit it. He lies there, rubbing his jaw. “Don’t ever talk about her like that again,” I say.

I shake out the pain in my hand. It hurts, but it’s a good hurt. I’d be willing to make it hurt a lot more if he’ll get up and say something else. I adjust my jeans over my thighs and squat down next to him. People are stopping in the street to look at us, but I don’t care. He’s lying there in his fancy suit, looking like a jackass. Probably because he is one. He’s a stupid motherfucker if he thinks he can talk about Sky like that. I stick out my hand.

“Want some help getting up?” I ask.

Warily, he reaches for my extended palm. He lets me pull him to his feet, and I make a production of brushing him off. “That’s enough,” he says.

“Yeah,” I warn. “It was. Don’t let it happen again.”

He knows what I’m talking about.

“If you’d wanted her, you could have kept her. You didn’t. So step aside like a man.”

He nods, rubbing his jaw.

“Sorry I hit you, man,” I say. I’m not. I’d do it again. But maybe now he’ll keep his f**king mouth shut. “You’re done with her, right?” I ask. With my history, I have to know.

“Yeah, I’m done,” he says. “Still don’t like it. But it is what it is.”

I want so badly to ask why it fell apart, but I need to get that information from her.

“She’s pretty damn awesome. But she has some issues.”

I hold up a hand to stop him. “Don’t tell me anything.”

“She’s never had anyone who loved her.”

“She does now.” Fuck me. Where did that come from?

“Yeah, I can tell.” He rubs his face again. “I was just going to give you shit and warn you off her.” He chuckles. “Got to respect a man with a right hook and decency on his side.” He sticks out his hand to shake. “Best of luck to you.”

I take his hand and squeeze it tightly. Not tight enough to hurt him, but tight enough to warn him. I’ll take him out if he does anything to hurt her.

“Daddy issues,” he says.

“What?”

“I may not love her enough, but I like her. And there’s one thing I know: she has daddy issues. Get through those and you might have a chance with her.”

I don’t know why he’s telling me all this.

He goes on. “She holds back. She’s willing to settle for less than she deserves because it’s what she knows. Or at least she did with me. Then she was willing to chuck it all for some kids she just met. So she’s not the one for me. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get in there.”

Oh, hell. Now I know more than I wanted to know. I make a mental note to throw out everything he just said because it’s all probably bullshit. And he’s still a dickwad.

But what if it’s not bullshit?

Shit. Now I’ll think about it.

“Thanks.” I don’t know what else to tell him.

He waves at me and goes into the building.

I walk to toward the subway so I can go to work. It’s not thirty minutes later that my phone buzzes.

Sky: You hit him?

Me: Yep.

Sky: Seriously?

Me: Yep.

There’s a long pause that makes me worry. But then my phone dings.

Sky: Thank you.

I grin. I can’t help it.

Me: My pleasure.

Sky: Can I ask why you hit him? He wouldn’t tell me.

Me: Because he’s a douche.

Sky: What did he say to you?

Me: Something he shouldn’t have.

Sky: Was it about me?

Me: Yep.

Sky: Tell me what it was. Please.

I heave a sigh and throw my head back.

Me: He accused me of f**king his girlfriend. So I hit him.

Sky: But…you’re not.

Me: I plan to.

Long pause.

Me: After I make you fall in love with me.

Sky: This is too fast, Matt.

Me: I almost died. Twice. I don’t like to waste time.