Page 87 of Hate to Love You

Now I’m getting pissed.

Scratch that…I’m already pissed.

“Is that what you want?”

Remaining silent, she jerks her shoulders.

I wrap my hand around the back of her neck and bring her face close to mine until our foreheads can touch. “Is that what you want, Natalie?” I repeat.

Dodging the question, she turns it on me. “Isn’t that what you want?”

I inhale a deep breath. One of us needs to dive into the deep end of the pool first, and I guess that someone is going to be me. “No, it’s not.”

“It isn’t?” A look of shock slides over her features.

I shake my head. “I know this started out as some fake, bullshit relationship, but that’s not what it is anymore. At least not to me. My feelings for you are real. And I don’t want to throw that away.”

“Really?”

“Really,” I confirm. If I’m going down, it’ll be in a blaze of glory.

Her lips curve sweetly. “I don’t want to either.”

“Thank fuck,” I say as a tidal wave of relief washes over me.

Her shoulders shake for a moment before she gets serious again. “Are you sure this is what you want, Brody?”

“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life,” I say with complete honesty. “I like you. I want the chance to explore it.”

Her smile widens right before she leans forward and brushes her lips against mine. “I want that, too.”

My arms tighten around her, holding her close.

I’m never letting this girl go.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Natalie

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I ask nervously.

I smooth a hand over my skirt for the hundredth time since Brody picked me up this morning. We’re on our way to his father’s house for Sunday brunch. This is the first time I’ll meet his family.

Any moment, I’m going to throw up. I’m not ready for this.

Brody squeezes my hand and glances over at me from the driver’s seat. A reassuring smile tilts his lips upward. His smile gets me every time. I used to grit my teeth whenever I saw him. Now my belly flips and desire sparks to life in my core.

It’s amazing how much something can change in one short month.

“I told you, it’s going to be fine,” he says, trying to comfort me. Which, of course, I appreciate, but it’s not doing much good. I’ve heard a lot about Brody’s dad. He sounds... controlling. Brody told me in the beginning that he wasn’t happy about us being together and at that point, we weren’t really even together. So, I can’t imagine anything has changed on that front.

If given the opportunity to back out of this brunch, I would do it in a heartbeat. I don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to it. Oh, right. I was over-the-moon-happy that Brody wanted me to meet his family. That he’s serious about us. How could I refuse?

But still…

I voice my deepest fear. “Your dad doesn’t want you dating. He wants you focused on school and hockey.” Not necessarily in that order.

A shadow crosses over Brody’s handsome face. “I’m not worried.” He shrugs, and the darkness that had been clouding his features disappears, leaving me to wonder if it was there in the first place. “He’ll get over it.”

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