Page 42 of Harboring Secrets
“Says me. Says you. I don’t have a job, and I’m not entirely sure what I want to do, but I need to do something.”
Brodie tipped his head back and soaked his hair thoroughly before adding shampoo. “I thought rich people just played cards at the country club all day. Doesn’t your money make money?”
“I could, in theory, do that. But I want to be a man worth having. And you deserve someone who uses his time wisely. I want to be someone you can be proud to be with.” I hadn’t known those feelings were there until I unearthed them and I stood blinking at him while my heart caught up with my brain.
In my head, I had a specific image of the kind of man I wanted to be for him. I didn’t want to be just a body taking up space in his universe. I’d done that before at my old position at the family company. Carol, to her benefit, had tried to get me to branch out and explore life. To see what I wanted to do, but I’d been content where I was. It was familiar even if I never quite felt like I fit.
“I am proud to be with you.” Brodie’s assurance was a balm to my soul and it wasn’t that I didn’t believe him, but I wasn’t proud of myself.
“I know you are, but I need to find a purpose. Something outside of loving you. You mean everything to me, but if we’re going to make it, we need—I need—direction. I need a plan. A purpose.”
“We can figure it out together.” He kissed the corner of my mouth when he was finished rinsing his hair. “I’ll eventually have to get a job or something. I can’t mooch off my brother forever.”
“No, but you do have a wealthy boyfriend.”
He poked me in the ribs. “I could. But I won’t. You’re not the only one who has felt adrift lately. I’m just glad you’re here to help me figure all this shit out.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” Resting my hands on Brodie’s hips, I pulled him against me. “I’m crazy about you. I couldn’t breathe without you. Couldn’t think of anything else but you. Letting you go was the single most stupid thing I’ve ever done.”
“Don’t say you’re sorry. You’ve already apologized.”
A smile-ghosted across my lips. “I wasn’t going to. I was going to tell you that I love you.”
Brodie’s smile was sunlight. “You already told me.”
“I’ll tell you every day. Every hour.”
“I could live with that.”
I wasn’t sure who kissed who, but it was soft and sweet with none of the urgency behind it that tended to simmer below the surface waiting to explode. The kiss was gentle, patient, like we didn’t need to hurry it up because we had all the time in the world.
I pulled away and cupped Brodie’s cheek before kissing him again, but briefly. “Come on, love. Let’s get pancakes.”
“One-track mind.” Brodie rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t get the smile off his face.
Chapter 21
Brodie
Despitemybesteffortsto distract Liam and keep him home, and naked, and mine, he dragged me out of the house for breakfast. It was one of those crisp autumn mornings where the sky was clear and the air had a bite to it. I found myself smiling at the beauty of it. This was a postcard moment. Something that I’d have written about so I could hold on to the memory.
I was still thinking about postcards when we sat down at a booth. The thing I loved most about Bennett’s was that it really felt like a family place. Ethan and his youngest son, Taylor, worked here, but his other boys were here frequently.
Ethan came over with coffee and to get our orders. I took the opportunity to ask the question that had popped into my head the minute I walked in.
“Hey, Ethan. Who is sitting in your booth?” Ethan glanced over and his eyes went all soft.
“That’s Mickey. And the guy with the computer is Nash. He’s one of Taylor’s boyfriends.”
“Ah, the famous Mickey. Shane told me about him. I think I saw Nash here the other day.”
Ethan nodded. “He uses this place as his office away from home. WiFi. Coffee. Food. It’s a good thing he’s got going. What can I get you two?”
“Pancakes, please. Two stacks.”
“Extra bacon,” Liam added, shooting me a grin. He knew perfectly well I was going to steal it from him. My heart did a little kick-flip because he knew me. We might not know everything about each other, but not only was I unsure if that was possible, I also didn’t think it was necessary.
People didn’t have to know every detail about another person to love them. I didn’t need his life history to know that he made me feel like I was made of sunlight when he looked at me. I knew the important things. I also loved that we still had things to discover.
