Saved by the Crush's Brother - Maggie Dallen Page 0,33

take your own advice for once?” he said, turning back to me. “Stop trying to be the hero and just be selfish. Go after what you want.” He arched his brows in challenge. “You want Avery, right? You like her, don’t try to deny it.”

“Of course I like her,” I snapped, my voice a little too loud. “I like her alot. Enough to get out of the way so you two can—”

“Oh please,” Alex groaned, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling with another shake of his head. “You’re running because you’re scared that she’ll pick me so you’re not even giving her a chance to choose.” He dropped his gaze to meet mine. “For once, just be man enough to take what you want. Stop trying to sacrifice yourself like you’re some freakin’ white knight.”

I narrowed my eyes, a million different retorts itching to come out, but I was trying not to make things worse with Alex.

Pointing out how freakin’ selfish he was wasn’t going to help things.

“I’m trying to do the right thing by both of you,” I said. “So after I’m gone, man up and ask Avery out. A girl like her is never going to come along again.”

Alex shook his head slowly, his expression somewhere between exasperated and amused. But then he turned his head to look down the hallway again. “What did I tell you? Always the martyr.”

I blinked at his profile. What the…?

Who was he talking to?

A second later, I had my answer because she was there in the doorway next to my brother.

Avery.

Standing right next to Alex with that ugly baby in her arms. Her smile was small and sweet and...sad.

Ah crap. Had I done that?

“See?” Alex said, sounding like the little brat that he was. “I told you. He always has to be the martyr.”

Avery gave Alex a sympathetic look that made me want to shove him out a window.

She turned to me and bit her lip. “Sorry, we didn’t set out to...trap you like this.”

Alex grinned at me, totally unapologetic. “Just great timing.” He turned to Avery and that taunting smile turned softer, and far more genuine. “I told you he likes you.”

Her cheeks turned pink and she ducked her head. “Alex, can we have a minute?”

“Yeah, but before I go…” He shot me a funny little grin. Taunting but not necessarily cruel. He looked back to Avery. “Let’s set him straight on one thing, shall we?”

Her mischievous little smile made me certain that Alex was going to be shoved into a wall in the very near future if he didn’t walk away from this girl.

My girl.

The caveman voice in my head might have been primitive and crude, but it was shouting at me to push Alex aside and take her into my arms.

Alex crossed his arms and faced her with a smile. “Avery Lawson, will you go to homecoming with me?”

My stomach dropped to my feet. My heart...my freakin’ heart felt like it was imploding. It was one thing to know this was for the best, but it was another thing entirely to witness their big romantic moment.

Avery laughed. She laughed!

The sweetest girl I’d ever met laughed as my heart broke.

“No, Alex,” she said, her voice light and filled with laughter. “I will not go to homecoming with you.”

She shot me a haughty look that said, See? Take that!

I blinked in surprise and a whole lot of confusion.

Alex’s voice took on a talk-show host tone and it was clear he was enjoying himself. “And why is that, Avery?”

Her smile was big and brilliant. “Because I’m afraid I don’t like you that way, Alex.”

Now it was his turn to look over at me with a gloat. “My job here is done.” He leaned forward and gave Avery a peck on her cheek before casting me a quick look. “I assume I’ll see you both at homecoming...assuming my brother can stop acting like an idiot long enough to ask you.”

I growled and lunged toward him, but he was already out in the hallway, laughing as he walked away. Which left me standing way too close to the girl of my dreams as she gave me a beatific smile. “Now…” she said in a teacherly tone. “Was there something you wanted to ask me?”

11

Avery

Okay, I’d admit it.

I was sort of having fun at Cristian’s expense. His expression was pretty hilarious right now. Part anger, part confusion...part hope.

The hope I saw there made me warm all over.

But yeah. I was having fun right now,