Read Online Dating the Guy Next Door by Amanda Ashby - Free Book Online

gotten older, some things had changed. Now instead of going out drinking all night, they preferred to have an afternoon BBQ with a couple of beers and maybe a game or two of golf, but all in all they were still friends.
    â€œAgreed. Thankfully the station’s lawyers insisted that Keith do a public retraction in case I decided to sue them, which means my doorstep has been woman-free since nine o’clock last night. Looks like my fifteen minutes of fame are up,” Matt said quickly. He forgot how vehemently Emma protected those who she loved. She was like a lioness hovering over her cubs. Their mother was the same and he could remember more than one occasion when she’d gone into battle with teachers, bus drivers and even a librarian because she’d felt that her kids hadn’t been treated fairly. Perhaps that was one of the reasons Matt was so eager to have a family. He wanted that same type of tight unit that he and Emma had been raised in and that his sister was re-creating in her own home.
    â€œI guess I’ll have to take your word for it,” his sister retorted skeptically. “But I still don’t understand where he got the idea from in the first place, do you?”
    He bit his lip and kept silent.
    â€œMatt,” Emma repeated. “Where did he get the idea from?”
    â€œOkay,” he finally admitted. “So maybe I mentioned something to Keith the other day.”
    â€œWhat exactly do you mean by
something
?”
    â€œSomething about wanting kids,” Matt sighed as he slumped back into his seat and waited for the ensuring explosion. He wasn’t disappointed.
    â€œYou what?”
    â€œWell, it’s true.” He tried to ignore his sister’s tone. “I do want kids. Soon. Hell, Emma, I’m not getting any younger.”
    â€œOr brighter,” she retorted caustically. “Considering that none of your girlfriends have been remotely maternal.”
    â€œYes, but that’s all going to change,” Matt told her as he thought about Kate and how much she seemed to dote on herhairy, ginger cat. Well, if she could love that, then she was obviously extremely maternal.
    â€œReally?”
    â€œNo more dating women who don’t want babies. And if it isn’t too much to ask, they might even like watching soccer as well.”
    â€œYou’ve got to be joking.”
    â€œOkay,” Matt conceded reluctantly. “I guess the soccer thing isn’t so important, but I’m not joking about the rest. I want kids and I don’t want to spend three years in a relationship before finding out that my partner doesn’t. Is that so bad?”
    â€œYes. It’s ridiculous.” He could almost see Emma shaking her head in disapproval. “Do you really think that you can run your love life like you run your business? What are you going to do? Have a frank discussion within the first five minutes of meeting someone? Perhaps you should get it printed on a T-shirt to save time? Or use it as your Twitter handle.”
    â€œOf course not,” he protested, and when his sister didn’t answer he let out a small sigh. “Fine, I might’ve made a very short list of questions.”
    â€œYou were going to survey potential girlfriends?” Emma groaned. “Matt, I know you like to be efficient, but life isn’t always about neat lines. You have to get messy.”
    â€œI can get messy,” Matt retorted as he thought of Kate and grinned. If hanging out with her in a chaotic studio was what messy felt like, then he was all for it.
    â€œPlease.” Emma gave an undignified grunt. “In fourth grade you refused to sit on the floor because of germs, and you can’t go and dictate how you want things to be, which is why Keith’s idea is stupid.”
    â€œNo arguments here,” Matt assured her. “No one thinks it’s more stupid than I do. In fact if stupid had a gold medal,