Page 46 of I'd Never Date my Best Friend's Brother

I needed to be the one to figure it all out for myself.

She’s looking down at her cup, her fingers circling the rim. It’s a nervous tick of hers that I’ve noticed over the lifetime that we’ve known each other. Anytime Evie is contemplating what to do, she fiddles with something in front of her.

I put my other hand on top of our entwined hands, and I squeeze. She meets my gaze, and I see her swallow hard.

I feel every part of my body settle in. Any doubt that I had about us is gone. But now I need to soothe hers.

I see her bite her bottom lip, and my heart aches for the pain I’ve caused her.

“Evie,” I say softly. “I am an idiot. We all know this.”

A small smile lifts her lips, accompanied by the tiniest of giggles, and my chest lifts.

“I promise you,” I pin her eyes with mine to make sure she understands that I am fully committed to us. To her. “I will never, ever do anything like this to you again. I will make sure that we talk about anything that affects the both of us first, and we will make a decision together.”

I feel her hand tighten under mine, and my voice comes out stronger.

“I can start my own business if I need to.”

“Or I can come with you,” she says so softly that I swear I misheard.

“What? You would give up Bake My Day?” My eyebrows furrow, and I frown.

“I don’t have to give it up; I can hire someone to run it. I’m not attached to the bakery, Jamie.”

I can’t believe how lucky I am to have the love of this woman. I know how much she loves her career, and I would never ask her to give up Bake My Day. Knowing that she would, for me, leaves me speechless.

I lean in to kiss her so full of gratitude that I swear my heart is going to burst when I feel a hand on my lips pushing back.

“Oh no, you don’t, mister.” My eyes pop open at her firm tone full of chastisement, but I see a bit of humor dancing in her eyes, too. “We need to finish talking about this.”

My lips pull up at the corners, and I sit back in my chair. “I’m all yours, Evelyn O’Connell.”

Her eyebrows shoot up, and her eyes are as wide as saucers. I don’t think she expected me to back off so easily. She clears her throat, and I just sit quietly back and wait for her terms.

I am not looking to negotiate a winning contract; it's just whatever I need to do to keep Evie with me.

As she’s recovering, I take a sip of my now lukewarm Peppermint Latte and sigh. What better way to spend time than sitting across from this beautiful woman with the taste of Christmas in my mouth. I press my lips together to keep the smile off my face from my thoughts.

“Evie?” I notice a tiny shake of her head. “Tell me what you need.”

“What I need?” Her eyes are wide again. No, I'm not acting normal. Usually, I’m much more concerned about the debate.

“Yes.” I nod my head and look directly into her eyes. “I messed up, and I need to know what you need to be certain about me.”

“Oh. Yes. That.” I hold back the smirk that wants to break free because I don’t want her to think I’m not taking this seriously. I am. Very.

“Okay. First, I need you to talk to me and tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Done.”

“Done?” She narrows her eyes and tilts her head. “Jamie, you are the absolute worst at that.”

“Was the absolute worst.” I notice the skepticism in her eyes and add. “Okay. I see your point. Can we at least agree that I’ve been better at it since I’ve been back home?”

She shakes her head and laughs while holding her fingers an inch apart. “This much better, but it still needs work.”

“Okay. And like I said, done.”

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