Fight for Love by E. L. Todd Page B

Anya.”
    “Hello,” she said as she waved at all of us.
    Janice introduced us individually. When she introduced Mike, Anya smiled wider.
    More people came from the living room. How big was her family?
    Scott introduced the middle age couple as their family friend, Emily and Fred. They smiled at us and shook our hands. A man my age came forward and smiled at Janice, his hand glancing down to her arm through Ryan’s. He had blond hair like hers with green eyes.
    “Hey,” he said as he hugged Janice.
    Janice returned his affection quickly and pulled away, touching Ryan again. “Adam, this is my boyfriend, Ryan.”
    I saw the sudden stiffness in Ryan’s shoulders and the change in his eyes. The name obviously meant something to him. He extended his hand and shook Adam’s, grasping it tightly. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said with confidence. His eyes were glued to Adam’s, silently exerting his dominance and power. I could tell it was a standoff.
    “Likewise,” Adam said in a monotone voice. He turned to us and introduced himself. I wondered if this was an ex-boyfriend or an old flame. He definitely didn’t look related to Janice.
    “Let’s eat,” Scott said.
    Janice wrapped her arm around Ryan, holding him close. “My mom is the best cook.”
    “That’s the reason why I came over.”
    She laughed and rubbed her nose against his before she pulled him to the kitchen.
    “It seems to be going well,” Mike whispered in my ear.
    “Yeah. Her family is really nice.”
    “So, what do you know about Anya?” he asked with a smile.
    “Since she’s my best friend ’s sister, nothing.”
    His frown fell. “Come on.”
    “She’s off limits.”
    “Don’t leave your brother hanging.”
    “Too bad,” I said as we walked into the kitchen.
    We took our seats at the table, which was lad en with bowls of food. There were hamburgers, pasta salad, salad, produce, and chips. It was like an indoor barbeque.
    Ryan pulled out Janice’s chair and helped her sit down before he took his own seat. I sat next to Ryan to give him confidence and Mike sat next to me, which happened to be right next to Anya. I gave him the eye, silently warning him to behave. He just smiled at me, that bastard.
    They passed the plates around and everyone took their share of dinner. Ryan grabbed everything for Janice, treating her the same way as he would at home. I was glad he took my advice and was being himself. Everyone loved Ryan and I had no doubt that Janice’s family would love him too.
    “So, Ryan,” Erin said. “How did you meet Janice?”
    He chewed his food while he thought of a response. “Through my sister. She introduced us.”
    “Awe. How sweet,” her mom said.
    “I was pretty excited when she agreed to go out with me.”
    “Well, why wouldn’t she?” her mom said with a smile.
    Ryan cheeks turned red.
    Janice patted his thigh. “I was immediately smitten.”
    “So have you done modeling?” she asked.
    Ryan’s face was as red as a tomato. “Uh, no.”
    “He’s pretty, huh?” Janice said with a smile.
    My brother averted his gaze, looking at his plate.
    “And he’s not stupid or annoying,” Janice added. “The inside of the package is just as good as the outside.”
    Her dad looked uncomfortable because he wasn’t making eye contact with anyone. My brother knew he was a good looking guy, that’s how he got laid so much, but he never talked about his looks or even admitted that he was attractive. He was always humble about it. If someone kept making comments about my appearance I would feel uncomfortable too.
    Ryan took a bite of his burger. “This is really good.”
    “Thank you,” Erin said. “I love to cook.”
    “Your daughter has learned a lot of your secrets.”
    “I’ve told her since she was a little girl to never let your man be hungry. Men turn into feral assholes when they’re starving.”
    “Well, she’s always makes sure that I’m well fed.”
    “Are you living together?” her