I needed some time to think, and to come to terms with the fact that she didn’t want to get married.
She nodded as she tried to rub the tears from her face before she finally unlocked the door.
Once it was open, she fled like her ass was on fire.
Devon’s eyes widened as he watched Hannah step into the open elevator door, and punch the control pad.
As soon as the elevator door closed, he strode into my office. “What in the hell just happened?” he demanded to know. “Hannah looked like she was crying, and she’s nevernotsmiled at me and thrown herself into my arms when she sees me.”
“She brought lunch,” I said tightly as I waved toward the food on my desk.
Devon surveyed the items. “It doesn’t look like you two touched the food.”
He started opening the containers, walked to the microwave, and popped what looked like lasagna into it. “You should eat,” he said seriously. “Although honestly, you look like you could really use a stiff drink. What happened?”
“I think Hannah and I just broke up,” I said morosely.
Devon shook his head. “No, you didn’t,” he said like he didn’t have a doubt in his mind that what he was saying was the truth. “I’m thinking you had a disagreement, but you two are never breaking up.”
I plopped my ass into my chair behind my desk, still confused. “I told her I wanted to get married. She didn’t seem so crazy about the idea.”
“Just like that?” Devon asked. “You just told her you wanted to get married? Don’t you think that’s a little…abrupt. And where in the hell is the romantic proposal and the ring she deserves?”
Since I wasn’t about to tell Devon that I’d fucked Hannah senseless in my office, and that it was a statement that I made in the heat of the moment, I simply said, “I fucked up.”
“Why was Hannah crying?” he asked as he took the container out of the microwave.
“I’m assuming it was because she didn’t want to marry me, and didn’t really want to tell me that,” I replied as I watchedDevon take the food out of the microwave, curse because he burned his finger, and then plop the hot food in front of me.
“Eat,” he demanded as he handed me a fork from the bag. “I think your brain is lacking some essential nutrients right now.”
He took a seat in a chair in front of the desk before he continued, “Start from the beginning. I know that Hannah wasn’t breaking up with you. Let’s figure this out. Although I must say, your proposal delivery doesn’t sound very promising. I don’t think I’d want to marry you, either.”
If I wasn’t completely miserable, I’d probably find it amusing that my little brother was actually trying to take care ofme.
“I didn’t exactly ask her,” I confessed before I took a bite of the lasagna.
Since Hannah had gone to the trouble of bringing the food, I thought I should probably eat it.
I was also pretty certain that Devon would force feed me right now if necessary.
Devon folded his arms over his chest and glared at me. “Has anyone informed you that it’s customary to ask?”
“It was a spontaneous thing,” I grumbled. “I suddenly realized that it didn’t make sense for us to have two separate places anymore. I told her to marry me and put me out of my misery.”
“Very smooth,” Devon said drily. “At any time during this romantic revelation, did you happen to tell her that you loved her?”
I shook my head as I swallowed another bite of my food. “It didn’t come up.”
“But you have told her, right?” he asked.
“Not exactly,” I said defensively. “But she knows.”
Devon let out a disgusted sound. “There’s a certain order to love and romance,” he told me. “First you tell her you love her, and then you do the romantic proposal.”
I lifted a brow. “What in the hell do you know about real love and romance. You date plenty of women, but you’ve never gotten serious.”
“I know because I watched our father romance our mother until the day he died. He’d have your ass for this, you know.”