Page 31 of The Bad Boy's Good Girl

“With Nola? Great. But odd. I’m having a great time, I love being with her and I care about her and the baby. But I have this weird feeling lately that I can’t explain.”

Brooks smiled. “Racing heart?”

“Yeah.”

“Lack of concentration?”

Bronx nodded again.

“You’re finding it hard to focus on work, driving, hobbies?”

Shit.“Yeah, how do you know?” He was impressed but terrified but his brother’s accuracy.

“You can’t sleep because one particular thought is plaguing you?”

He smacked his palms on his desk and frowned. “Okay now you’re freaking me the fuck out, Brooks. What is wrong with me? Is it stress?”

His brother smiled, hands steepled in front of him and legs crossed at the ankles. “Oh my poor clueless baby brother,” he chuckled. “I’ve waited for this day for years. Ever since you teased me about that hot sorority chick.”

“That girl was a cock tease and a snob.”

“Still. I didn’t think this day could get any better and yet, it has.”

“What day,” he growled.

“The day you fell in love,” he said simply, smiling like a man who’d just gotten laid.

Love. He let the word roll around on his tongue before it settled on his chest, his shoulders and his mind like a ton of bricks. “It can’t be…can it?” Bronx had never been in love before, wasn’t even sure he believed in love. He loved Brooks and he already felt love for his baby, but a woman? He’d never even let himself trust a woman more than was required for a quick roll in the sack. Though…he did trust Nola. With his business and with their baby, but his heart? He didn’t know. Did he? “Shit.”

Brooks’ laugh echoed in the office and he wore a shit eating grin. “Cheer up, baby brother. You’ve chosen the best woman I know to love. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

His shoulders sagged. “No fucking clue. Do you have anything helpful to add?”

Brooks’ eyebrows rose and he opened his mouth to speak at the same time Gabriela knocked and entered without waiting for an invitation. “I’m sorry to interrupt but I found this note on Nola’s desk and it looked important so I figured you’d want to see it.” She smiled sweetly and left quickly.

Bronx looked at the note and frowned. “It looks like a message from General Howard. It’s a week old!”

Brooks frowned. “Sounds to me like your assistant is kicking up shit again.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean Nola is the queen of paperless. She sends me messages on e-sticky notes. The only thing she prints are contracts. When was the last time she handed you a sheet of paper?”

Unfortunately, Bronx couldn’t say he’d noticed one way or the other. “I hear what you’re saying but I’ve talked to Gabriela about her beef with Nola and it’s done.” He couldn’t believe that Nola would forget a message like this but, “She has been kind of forgetful at home. Left her cell phone in the fridge. I’ll just call her desk.”

Brooks frowned and Bronx was really getting sick of that look from his brother. “She’s not in until after lunch today. How could you not know that?”

Half-listening to his brother, Bronx dialed her cell phone. “How should I know…Yeah, Nola where in the hell are you? I have a message found on your desk a week ago that I never received dammit. What is-,” he stared at the phone flashing the call time. “She hung up on me.” Nola had never done that, not even when he’d been a bigger asshole.

Brooks shook his head though amusement still shone on his face. “Maybe next time try asking a question or I don’t know, acting like a goddamn human.” He held a finger up when his phone rang and pulled it out of his pocket, turning the screen so Bronx could see an image of Nola with her tongue stuck out and a dollop of ketchup on her cheek.

“Let me talk to her.”

“No. Hey Nola, how’s it going?” He listened, a bland smile on his face while Bronx struggled not to leap over the desk and snatch the phone form his brother. “Right, that’s what I thought,” he said and continued to listen, smiling and laughing. Chatting like Bronx wasn’t waiting impatiently. Hell, like he wasn’t waiting at all. “Okay, I’ll pass it on. Congratulations, I think.” He laughed and then made arrangements to meet for lunch. “See you at noon thirty-ish, then. Yes, I do think that’s vague enough. Bye.”

“Well?” Brooks for some reason had decided to torture him. “Brooks!”

“What? Oh, right. She said to tell “asshole jerk face” which is you,” he said and pointed right at Bronx. She spoke to the general when he called during her ultrasound that you apparently forgot about.”

---