I nod, though I do take a step back. “I like all food.”
She takes ahold of my arm. “You’re my only chance. Have sushi at y’all’s wedding.”
I snort. “Wait. What?”
She snaps her fingers in my face. A feat for how little she is. “Focus, McMillan. I need you to promise me. All the events for you and Stella will have sushi.”
“I thought you were crazy before, but come on, kid—”
“Oh, are you still at the point in your life where you don’t think you’ll marry my sister? Let me correct that for you, my friend,” she says, moving closer, terrifying me to the depths of my soul. “You haven’t stopped looking at my sister. She moves, you think of a way to be right there with her and to help. She grins at you, and, dude, you basically turn to goo and grin like you’re Ron, high on a love potion from Romilda Vane—”
“I don’t know who any of those people are.”
She looks at me. “Oh, you’re a muggle. I forgot. We’ll fix that.”
“A muggle?” Why am I offended by that?
“Yes, focus. Moving on,” she says quickly, snapping her fingers again. “You are so unbelievably in love with my sister, it’s sickening. I mean, I’m sure if she farted, you’d see rainbows.”
“Wow.”
“Exactly. You’re gonna marry her, knock her up, and we’ll spend holidays together,” she says so matter-of-factly, I actually see myself on one knee with a ring.
“How do you know this?” I find myself asking, and she looks up at me like I’m the idiot.
“You may have thought it was a first date, lover boy, but it was actually the first and last date for either of you.”
I scrunch up my face. “Huh?”
“You blew my sister away.”
“That was the goal. Make sure all guys do the same for you.”
She rolls her eyes. “Wesley, I appreciate that. But my father is Lucas Brooks, my mother, Fallon Brooks. Then you add in all the descendants of all the players from all the Assassins teams, and do you honestly think I wouldn’t know my worth?”
I look around, and as she said, the backyard is full of old and new Assassins players with their families. I may not know them all, but they all treat one another like one big family. It’s one of my favorite things about the Assassins. We are a family. “You’re not wrong.”
“It’s basically shoved down my throat. I actually feel sorry for the guy I find and make mine.”
“We all do, Emery,” I say, and she glares.
“As. I. Was. Saying,” she says harshly. “Stella fell in love, and you’ve been in love with her for like a year. You just fought it. So, really, my request for sushi at all future parties is valid.”
I don’t know what to do with that. I could fight it. I could act as if I don’t think about Stella in a white dress and being mine forever. As if I weren’t just imagining us in this backyard and her with a swollen belly. I know my past is shit. I know I’ve got demons that would love nothing more than to watch me fail, but being with Stella, I feel like I can fight them.
“Request is acknowledged.”
She smiles proudly. “Thank you.”
I hold up my fist, and she pounds it like she has two older brothers. I must have thought him into existence, because Asher comes up then with his beautiful wife, Ally. I hear they used to be best friends, which must make marriage easy. I sometimes feel like that’s Stella and me. Luckily, we actually like each other, not just yearn for each other. Though, if I’m honest, those boots she’s got on have me wound tighter than a taped-up stick.
“Hey, bro. I know we’ve met in passing, but my sister told me you’re her boyfriend. Wanted to introduce myself as her big brother Asher.”
“Oh my God, could you be any more of a loser? Oh, I’m big brother Asher. Rawr, rawr, I’m a man,” Emery says, mocking him.
Ally cracks up, but I keep it together as I shake his hand. “It’s great to meet you. Ignore her. She’s hungry.”
Emery smiles at me. “I am. Thank you for understanding that.”
Asher doesn’t seem to care. “Bit of advice. Emery and Stella are the baby spawns of Satan. I would run while you can.”
Emery’s eyes narrow to slits, but what no one sees is Stella coming up and hearing everything. She moves between Ally and Asher, and she grins up at her big brother. “Hey, did y’all plan on telling Mom and Dad you’re married so I can come to the real wedding with a date?”
Emery grins as Asher glares. Ally glances around as Asher looks back at me. “Baby spawns of Satan.”
He then pulls his wife away as the girls giggle. Stella moves to my side, and I wrap my arm around her. “It’s almost too easy,” she says, and Emery nods.