Page 15 of Promise You Forever

“You don’t get to talk to me like this.” I turn to leave the kitchen in search of Brandon and Gramps.

“Are you even actually in love with him?” Luke asks just as I hit the threshold of the door.

“Of course, I love him,” I turn and say over my shoulder.

“To love and to be in love are two very different things, Sunbeam.”

I don’t turn to acknowledge that comment. Mainly because I don’t want him to see how my chest still flushes when he calls me that. I hate him. I hate the hold he has over me and the reaction he pulls from deep within me.

“What do you think your parents will do with the ranch now that your grandpa isn’t fit to run it?” Brandon slips his tie off and sets it on the dresser. “I could run comps for you.”

“I don’t know what their plan is. Who even knows if Grandma had a will or directive.” My nose stings as I fight back tears. “It was so sudden. This whole thing could be so messy.”

He slips off his shirt as I watch him methodically undress. A sense of numbness fills me even as I let my eyes wander along his lean muscles and objectively handsome face. There’s not a drop of desire within me.

When he walks over to me and presses his lips against mine, it feels so wrong. I would love nothing more than to part my lips and lose myself to a passionate encounter, but as a tear slips down my cheek, I know I can’t.

“I’m sorry,” I say against his lips. “I’m too sad with everything going on.”

A disappointed sigh falls from his lips as he steps back. “It’s fine. I have some work to catch up on anyway.” He grabs his laptop and gets in bed.

“I’m going to take a bath.”

He grunts in acknowledgment but never looks up from his screen as I walk into the bathroom. It’s funny how everything can look exactly the same as the last time you were at a place but feel so much different. Every surface of this room has memories for me. Ones I’m trying so hard to ignore, but as I fill the tub and throw some bath salts in, I can’t help but remember the tender way Luke took care of me that first time.

No.

I’m not going to slide those rose-colored glasses back on and forget how deeply he hurt me. There’s no trust left. I can appreciate what he’s done for my family but never forget what he did.

I’m just slipping into the steaming, fragrant water when Brandon walks in, laptop in hand. “Do you know how much we could get for this place? Just off land prices alone?”

“No, and to be honest, I don’t care.” I close my eyes and lean my head back, hoping he’ll take the hint and go.

“Should I talk to your dad about it after the funeral?”

“Please don’t.”

The last thing I want to think about right now is what my parents are planning. They called me earlier to let me know they made it to their motel room in town and that’s it. Which is fine by me. I’m glad they decided not to stay here. If I had to sit around and pretend to be fine with them while grieving, I’m pretty sure I’d lose my mind.

“If you don’t want to talk about this, how about we finally nail a date down for the wedding?” He closes his computer and sits on the edge of the tub. “We’ve been engaged for months, and you haven’t even bought a bridal magazine yet.”

“What time of year do you want to get married?”

“April is out, I don’t want to get married in the same month as my birthday.”

“So that means August is as well.” I finally latch onto the idea of planning this wedding as a way to distract myself.

“Why would August be out?”

I look up at him, wondering if he’s serious right now. “If April is out because of your birthday, then August would be out because of mine.”

He’s either forgotten when my birthday is, or the birthday rule is only for him. Either way, he’s an asshole.

“What about November?”

That’s in two months; surely, he means next November.

“Next November,” he clarifies. “I doubt you could buy a dress off the rack at your size on such short notice.”

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