Page 9 of Claimed By The Other Brother

"The city council investigation is consuming everything. We've got evidence of kickbacks, falsified contracts, the whole nine yards. The story's going to be big."

"That's exciting." I sip my iced tea.

"When does it publish?"

"Hopefully in a couple weeks. After..." He trails off.

"After the wedding," I finish.

"Yeah."

We eat in silence for a moment. I watch him, noting the tension in his jaw, the way he's not quite making eye contact.

"Are you going to tell me what's really bothering you?" I ask finally.

He looks up, surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"Miles, I've known you for three years. I can tell when something's on your mind."

He sets down his sandwich, wiping his hands on a napkin.

"I'm just thinking about everything changing. After next Saturday, we're not just Scarlett and Miles anymore. We're husband and wife. It's permanent."

"That's kind of the point of marriage," I say gently.

"I know. I know that. It's just..." He runs a hand through his hair. "My whole life, I've avoided permanent. I moved to Chicago to get away from New York, from the family business, from all of that pressure.Journalism felt like freedom, you know? I could write stories, move around, not be tied down to anything."

My stomach twists.

"And now you feel tied down?"

"No. That's not what I meant." He reaches across the table for my hand.

"You're not a burden, Scarlett. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Then what is it?"

He's quiet for a long moment, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand.

"I guess I'm just wondering if I'm ready. If I'm the right person for this. For you."

The honesty stings more than I expected.

"Where is this coming from?"

"I don't know. Cold feet, maybe? Everyone says that's normal, right?"

Everyone says a lot of things are normal. That doesn't make them true.

"Your mom's flying in Friday morning," I say, trying to redirect.

"She'll be at the rehearsal dinner that night. I'm looking forward to seeing her again."

Barbara and I have met a few times—once when she visited Chicago last year, and I flew down to Florida with Miles for a long weekend about eight months ago. She's warm but reserved, the kind of woman who keeps her emotions carefully controlled. I liked her well enough, though I never felt like I truly knew what she was thinking.

"Yeah, she's excited about the wedding." Miles picks up his sandwich again.