Page 26 of Chasing Forever
“Why don’t you sit?” I tip my head toward the bench behind her and place the box of doughnuts on the table. It’s my workstation when I fix trucks, dodge responsibilities, and apparently, propose deals to the one woman who drives me certifiably insane.
“I don’t need to sit.” She takes another giant bite of her doughnut, and a tiny piece of glaze catches on her bottom lip.
Jesus. My eyes zero in on it, and I fight the urge to lean in, lick it off, and taste her.
“Just sit. Please.”
She huffs, her tongue flicking out, catching the glaze—and nearly making my dick jump. She drops onto the bench with her typical Lottie flare, crossing her legs, chin tilted up, a defiant glint in her eyes.
I open the box, only to get punched in the gut when I see the goddamn Mr. and Mrs. doughnut again.
After getting back from my parents’ last night, I second-guessed this whole mess with Lottie. Not because I want the annulment. Far from it. But she deserves better than to be a part of the Watson family shitshow. If my dad wins his re-election campaign and is the mayor for another term, it won’t be easy for her to be with me. That’s if I could eventually win her over anyway.
Now I’m the idiot staring at a pastry as if it’s a crystal ball, envisioning my dream. Wishing Lottie had padded out here this morning in nothing but one of my old T-shirts, hair messy, Mack trotting along behind her, like this was our home. Wishing she’d wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her face into my back as if it was the most natural damn thing in the world.
“Brooks!” Her voice slices through the fantasy, dragging me back to reality—where she’s watching me with narrowed, suspicious eyes.
Mack parks himself at her feet, and she absently pets him, her gaze pinned on me.
I clear my throat. “I’ll give you the annulment.”
She bolts up as though she’s been dismissed from jury duty. “Perfect. Thank you. I’ll take care of the lawyer and get the papers sent over to you.”
Her words are what I expect, but there’s no smug smile. No victorious smirk. Just this quiet tension that knots up my gut because I’m not so sure she’s as happy as she’s trying to appear.
“After you go on seven dates with me.”
She freezes mid-step, her mouth dropping open. “What?”
“You heard me.” I swallow past the dryness in my throat.
I’m not afraid of Lottie, but this is me putting myself out there fully. Telling her my intentions and giving her the opportunity to crush me. Lottie is part of the Noughton family tree, and I love them like my own. If this goes bad for me, or us, it will change everything. Losing all of them is a hard consequence if I’m wrong about what I think Lottie wants deep down. Although I think even a treasure map wouldn’t help her discover what she really wants at this point.
“You can’t make me go on a date with you, let alone seven.”
I lean back against the truck I’ve been getting mud off of all morning, arms crossed. “Actually, I can.”
“This is blackmail,” she accuses, flinging open the doughnut box as though she’s going to use a Boston cream as a weapon and whip it at my head. Instead, she snags a glazed and chomps into it as if it’s my head.
“No, it’s not. You want something, and I want something. We’re going to meet in the middle. Think of it as a negotiation.”
She wipes her mouth, scowling, then notices the fridge and stomps over to it. Mack trails her like a furry bodyguard.
She slams back a bottle of water and turns, arms crossed. “Why?” Her voice is quieter now. A little rough around the edges.
“You know why.” I hold her gaze, daring her to look away first.
Her silence unnerves me. Ben’s right, my parents’ suspicions are right. I do feel as if I love Lottie, but I have no idea how we’ll be as a couple. Will she ever open up to the idea of it after my brother ruined her world for so long? There’s so much uncertainty when it comes to us and what we could be.
She shakes her head. “You’re crazy.”
“Am I?” I grin, letting her see just how little that accusation bothers me. Hell, maybe I am. Definitely crazy enough to want her without knowing if she’ll ever admit she wants me too.
She turns her back, and Mack plants himself at her side again. Traitorous bastard.
“Just give me a shot. Seven dates. If you still hate me after, I’ll sign the papers. I’ll even pay your legal fees.”
She circles back around, Mack sticking close, both of them sizing me up as though I’m some weird new animal at the county fair. “What else?”
