“Alright.” Brady chuckled, raising a brow. “My girlfriend’s got some taste. Thriller, huh?”

Colleen wasn’t the type to enjoy sappy love stories; thrillers were more her thing.

“Hmm?” Colleen narrowed her eyes. “Are you judging me?”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“You totally are!” She lunged forward and began tickling him.

Brady laughed and twisted away, and soon they were locked in a playful scuffle.

“Mercy, Dr. Hayes!” He laughed, squirming under her hands.

Just then, a phone rang.

It was Brady’s.

Brady glanced at the screen, frowned, and then ignored the call.

“Let’s start the movie,” he said, brushing it off.

“Okay,” Colleen replied. But she’d noticed—it was just a string of numbers. No name.

After a beat, she asked quietly, “Who was that?”

“It was…” Brady began, but his phone rang again. This time, he picked up.

“Hello? Mom…”

“Brady!”

Even without the speaker on, Noreen’s voice was so loud that Colleen could hear every word.

“You little rascal! Where are you?! You agreed to a blind date today. Why didn’t you show up?”

“Mom!” Brady glanced at Colleen and quickly squeezed her hand. “I didn’t agree to anything. That was you agreeing for me!”

“You’re going to drive me mad! The poor girl waited nearly an hour! She said she called, and you didn’t even answer!”

galnσνels.c○m hosts fresh updates

“Oh.” Brady quickly pieced it together. “So that unknown number earlier was her? I didn’t answer—and I won’t. Mom, you set this up, so you deal with it. I’ve got something more important going on. I’m hanging up.”

And just like that, he ended the call.

Colleen sat still, her bright eyes blinking once. She didn’t say anything. Brady glanced at her, sensing tension. He rushed to explain.

“That was all my mom’s doing. I never agreed to it. Please don’t be upset.”

Hearing that, Colleen pressed her lips together.

“Why would I be mad?” she said, but it was clear she was.

Brady softened his tone. “She thought we’d broken up, so she started setting up blind dates. But you know me. My heart, my time—everything I’ve got is already yours.”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Don’t be mad, alright?”

Colleen pouted slightly. She wasn’t mad, just uneasy. The thought of his family arranging dates for him left a sour taste in her mouth.

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