Page 53 of Mr. Big Mistake
14
Brenden
Zane wheezed, he laughed so hard. “I still can’t believe you fucked up this royally.”
I slid down in my office chair. “I hate you.”
“I mean--holy shit--dude, come on. It just…”
I rolled my eyes. “You can stop laughing now.”
He held his stomach. “I’m trying. I really am. Oh, man. I haven’t laughed this hard in a while. Thank you. Holy fuck, I needed that.”
My voice fell flat. “Glad I could help. And by the way, I don’t find this funny at all.”
Zane was too busy catching his breath to answer. I was glad he didn’t, either. Because the last thing I needed to admit to anyone was the fact that I’d be living with that smoking hot girl for an entire month that I couldn't even put my hands on.
But, my brother had always been intuitive. And he called me out anyway.
“Okay, okay, okay. No long faces. I saw you two at the barbecue at my place. And if you guys’ interactions are any indication of how this month will go? The two of you will still fulfill the actual purpose of all of this. Ten times over.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure.”
“No. Seriously, Brenden. The two of you were in sync at that party. You just have to get back to that point.”
I shrugged. “What if I don’t want to get back to that point?”
“You’ve always been a shit liar, Brenden. Don’t start now.”
“Whatever.”
“You have feelings for her, don’t you?”
I really do.“How are you and Karina?”
“Diverting the topic? Really? Like it wasn’t obvious?”
I shrugged. “Don’t care what it is. I’m done talking. How are you and Karina? How’s the pregnancy going?”
He leaned back against the chair in front of my desk. “It’s… amazing. Really. The way her body morphs and shifts and grows this--this life. I mean, I can’t do that. My body can’t grow things. It can’t grow a damn human, Brenden. And that’s what she’s doing. While still working in H.R.”
“And keeping up with you.”
He held his hand out. “Exactly. I mean, there’s nothing about this woman I don’t love. Even if she likes to put up way too much pink in our place.”
“Awww, you said ‘our.’”
“I mean, it is our place. We’re going to raise our family there. We’re going to live out our lives there. I’m going to have a life I never thought possible for myself after what happened in that car accident with my first love, and it’s all because of her. It’s all because she didn’t give up on me when I’d given up on myself.”
“If I didn’t love you so much, I’d barf.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. Because if looks could tell anything, you and Kelly will find your own happy ending.”
I shook my head. “I need to get back to work.”
“Never thought I’d hear those words from your mouth.”
“You know, believe it or not, I actually do work around here. Just because I don’t stay until midnight like you do doesn’t mean--.”
