Page 101 of The Billionaire Experience

“So, why didn’t it? Why do I look forward to you walking through the door? Why do I want your lips on mine before I fall asleep and first thing in the morning? Why isn’t a housewarming party or a charity ball complete without you?” He cleared his throat. “Why did I let you leave without telling you the truth?”

Reagan watched him cautiously, her expression giving nothing away.

Dante and Dad taking him to task had been one thing, but his mom had delivered the felling blow. If not for her, he might still be in denial.

“I have never seen you like you were with Reagan. She moved, you moved. You didn’t leave her side. You certainly didn’t have that with any other woman you dated. Reagan does it too. You turned, she turned with you. It was so clear you’d found a partner, I honestly had no idea whether to invite her for coffee or bridal gown shopping.

He’d waited for the panic attack to come, but it hadn’t. His mother had confirmed what he’d been afraid to admit. Everything felt different with Reagan because it was different. He’d built a life with her in Merriweather Springs without trying. They’d crafted a delicate dance, each stepping around the obvious. He and Reagan had shared far more than a physical relationship. He’d fallen in love with her—heart and soul.

It was past time he told her.

“I’m not selling you the house because I want to live there with you,” he blurted out. “I’ll live anywhere with you. Settling down isn’t a death sentence—you taught me that. You, Reagan Palmer, are the one who made that house a home. And it doesn’t even have to be that house. Wherever you are, that’s home. I didn’t plan on falling in love, but a certain tall, blond handywoman entered my life, and I fell like a ton of bricks. Which is alarming to a certain dedicated bachelor part of me, but there it is.”

“Brody—”

“Almost done.” He had to get this out before he heard her response. Which could very well be that he was crazy and she didn’t want anything to do with him after he’d let her walk away. “I want to give you everything. And not because I want to dress you up like a doll and parade you around. I want to give you everything because you deserve to be treated like gold. You deserve to have the fairy tale—everything you’ve ever wanted. I will fill that jewelry box with real diamond rings. Or hunt down every plastic one in the world. Whatever you want.”

A smile tickled the edges of her full pink mouth. He wanted to kiss her so badly, his teeth ached. As he peered into the depths of her green eyes, he felt both lost and found. Himself but someone different.

“For the first time in my life, waking up alone sounds awful,” he said. “Whenever I wake up without you I wonder where you are. And then you slept next to me last night, and I didn’t have to wonder. I opened my eyes and there you were. I have been lying to myself, Reagan. I convinced myself that I didn’t need anyone. Turns out I need you.”

She took a deep breath but kept quiet.

“Say something,” he said.

“I want to believe you,” she whispered. “So bad.”

“I found it!” Jaylyn scrambled into the cabin once again, her cell phone aloft.

“J, I swear to God…”

“She needs proof, dumbass,” she said between her teeth. Then she tapped her phone’s screen and played a voice memo that Dante had, apparently, secretly recorded. Brody’s voice was muffled, but there was no denying it was him.

How the fuck am I supposed to know if I’m in love?

You tell us, his mother said.

I mean, yeah, she’s beautiful. Her green eyes make my heart skip a beat, and her smile breaks it in half. She understands me and never asks me to be something I’m not. Recorded Brody continued, his voice losing its gruffness. I let her walk away. She always puts others first. And I let her convince me that she wanted to go home. I let her leave. That realization had made him damn miserable. Why did I let her leave? Being away from her makes me feel so…empty, he finished quietly.

You love her, dumbass. That was Dante.

Jaylyn smiled smugly up at him.

I do love her. It doesn’t feel like I thought it would—it’s not soul-sucking. I don’t feel weak. I feel strong.

It’s supposed to feel that way, darling. His mother had winked at him before sending a sideways glance at Octavius. Or so I hear.

Jaylyn ended the playback. “He means it.” She squeezed Reagan’s shoulder before narrowing her eyes at Brody “I’m going!” This time she exited the plane with the assistance of the pilot.

Reagan was watching Brody, her eyes shining. There wasn’t much to add, was there? He’d laid himself bare, then and now. Opened his chest cavity and handed over his still-beating heart. But that couldn’t be right, because his heart was hammering his ribcage while he waited for her to speak.

“How can I trust you won’t run off when your next adventure calls?” she asked.

“Because you’re the best adventure I’ve had. Everywhere else tames in comparison. The pyramids, Stonehenge, Great Barrier Reef? Yawn.”

Her lips pulled into a smile. A good sign.

“You don’t have to compromise, Reagan. You want to live in that house for the rest of your life, I’ll be there. Maybe a vacation on occasion if it’s not too much trouble. You’re my home now.” He swallowed heavily. “If you’ll have me.”

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