Page 41 of Stay for Me
I chuckle. “I am the walking billboard for hooking up and getting pregnant. We were together maybe three times before I was pregnant with Melanie. Luke and I just clicked, though, so he asked me to marry him right away.”
“And you said yes,” Jacob muses.
“I did. Luke was the only guy to ever tell me I was pretty. That night, my roommate did more than magic. God knows it was the only time I ever thought I was even mildly attractive.”
He blinks a few times. “You didn’t think you were pretty? You’re kidding, right?”
“I’m not pretty. I’m passable.”
Jacob’s green eyes lock on mine. “You’re more than passable, Brenna. I promise that you are so much more than passable.”
My heart begins to beat a little harder. Again, I wonder if he’s flirting. It’s not always outright, but it’s the way he says things and then he looks at me, stares really. Jacob is over-the-top gorgeous, which is why I know I have to be losing my mind. He could have any woman in the world, and there’s no way he’s interested in a single mom living in Pennsylvania.
“You don’t have to—”
“I am telling you that I am surrounded by women who think they’re pretty, who work way too hard to be passable, and you outshine every single one of them. You aren’t passable, you’re gorgeous. I’m not just saying that either. The moment I met you, I thought... holy shit, that woman is breathtaking.”
I don’t know what to say. Every ugly duckling part of me is screaming out that he’s crazy and lying, but the way he’s looking at me tells me he’s not. He really thinks I’m beautiful.
I swallow once and tuck my hair behind my ear, wanting to hide the blush that I’m sure is on my cheeks. “Thank you.”
“Did Luke never say this to you?”
I look up. “He did. He always told me how pretty I was, but . . . I don’t know . . .”
“You didn’t believe it.”
How does this man know my thoughts so easily? “I didn’t.”
“Then believe me, you’re beautiful, and if any man says different, he’s a fucking idiot.”
A nervous laugh escapes me. “You’re making me blush.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
He shrugs. “It means the words are affecting you.”
Oh, he’s definitely affecting me. My heart, my breathing, the intense tingling that’s running through my body. It’s all being affected.
“I appreciate you saying it.”
“I mean it.”
“I believe you,” I say.
“You should believe it too, Brenna. There is nothing wrong with knowing that you’re beautiful and that guys are looking.”
Now that causes me to jerk back a bit. “Guys are looking at me?”
He chuckles. “There are at least two men in here who keep trying to pretend they’re not, but they can’t keep their eyes off you.”
My head whips around as I try to find who he’s talking about. There are only about fifteen people in the whole place.
He leans forward, voice dropping. “One is with his wife over to the right.”
“The other?” I ask.
