Page 112 of Get Undressed With Me

“We’re fine,” Brittany told him. Her voice was tight, and Gus suddenly remembered that the last time they saw each other Robbie had been a drunken ass that had to be dragged out of the party.

Robbie shuffled his feet.

“Look, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I didn’t take the news well when you two got together, and that was after I had been an ass about our breakup. I think part of me always knew you two belonged together, and I couldn’t stop myself from being a jerk. But I’m sorry. You both deserve happiness, especially after everything I put you through. And I’m going to be less of an ass about it from now on.”

Gus waited. He appreciated the apology, but he knew it wasn’t necessarily for him to accept—it was Brittany’s. She stared at Robbie for a minute, then nodded.

“Apology accepted. I’d like to put all that crap behind us, especially since I’m with your brother now. You’re important to him, and I don’t want there to be a rift because of me.”

At that, Gus stood up and pulled his brother into a hug. “Thank you.”

Robbie hugged him, hard, and Gus felt a little proud of how much he seemed to have grown up. It was a big step. When Gus stepped back, Robbie slapped his back.

“I’ll see you around?” Robbie asked, his voice gruff.

“Damn straight.”

Robbie nodded and, with a wave, headed out the door, leaving them alone. Brittany turned and looked at him.

“I don’t know about you, but I am having the weirdest morning.”

He scooted his chair closer and put his arm around her.

“I don’t know, mine’s going pretty well.”

“Yeah? This is real?” She said it lightly, but there was something in her eyes that told Gus she needed validation.

“This is real, killer.”

He pulled her in for a kiss, sweet and soft.

“Tell me we’re not running off to some panel or something.”

She snorted. “Nope. But I was going to stop by Randall’s booth and do another stream. Which means I need to get dressed.”

“Aren’t your followers going to have questions about your bruises?”

“Yes. And I’m going to tell them, because I don’t want this to happen again.”

“Then let’s go.”

Gus pulled her out of the restaurant, and they ambled back to his condo. He helped Brittany set up her area for streaming and then ducked back to the kitchen, close enough to help if she needed it but out of her way so she could focus. She was so strong and capable, it was hard to watch her struggle with the bruises she was carrying thanks to that asshole.

When she hit the button to go live, she had a smile on her face.

“Hey everyone, thanks for joining. I had something happen yesterday that I want to address…”

EPILOGUE

GUS

“You can’t propose to me.” Brittany tapped her heeled toe against the hardwood floors of the event space, glaring up at Gus where he was simply grinning down at her.

“Good, because I’m not going to.”

Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. Her very first collection was about to debut in a small loft in Los Angeles. Champagne had flipped for the lingerie designs and had immediately signed on to invest. Now, Brittany was part of a larger showcase featuring new and upcoming designers, and she was nervous as fuck. She was overloaded on caffeine and jitters, had a thousand loose threads to snip and adjust and didn’t have time for whatever sweet gesture Gus had in mind.

Shortly after Kickoff, Brittany had relocated to Kimball, figuring she could design and stream anywhere. Gus had offered to move to LA, but Brittany decided she needed a new start, and something about living in Kimball where her life had completely changed felt right. The two of them had been together ever since, with Gus occasionally traveling for a job and Brittany oftendriving to LA for meetings or to see Min. It had been a rocky start, but they made it work, and Brittany couldn’t be happier.

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