Page 63 of The Proposal
The sound of my laughter catches me off guard. It’s breezy and easy. I sound … happy.
I don’t really know what to make of that.
“You going to speak to Brock?” he asks.
My shoulders slump, and my forehead falls to his shoulder.
Renn chuckles. “I’m taking that as a not yet.”
My brother has been on my mind since we left him in Las Vegas. I hate that we left things so strained between us—between him and me, and him and Renn, too. But despite that, I’m also irritated that he didn’t offer more support during the meltdown. And that he hasn’t called to offer it by now.
“He hasn’t called or texted me, and I haven’t contacted him either.” I raise my head off Renn. “I don’t know what to say. I mean, how do I tell him about our agreement?”
“That you’re having my baby?”
I laugh, ignoring the way my belly tightens. “No. That I’m …Mrs. Brewerfor the next ninety days.”
“Damn, I love the sound of that coming from your mouth.”
I gently push him away and jump off the counter.
My body tingles from his proximity and the gravel buried in his voice. Even though a nice breeze floats through the house from the ocean, I’m suddenly hot.
Renn’s eyes find mine. And bothered.
The muffled sound of a ringing phone in my pocket breaks the silence. I blow out a breath, thankful for the reprieve.
“That’s my ringtone for Ella,” I say.
He wipes his face with his shirt. “I need to make a few calls. We need food and toiletries because I’m sure Kellaway doesn’t have shit here. He never does.”
“What can I do to help?”
“What can you do?” He smiles. “Relax. That’s what you can do. Let me have Astrid figure out the logistics. She’ll be happy I need her for something.”
A bolt of jealousy fires through me. “Who is Astrid?”
“My assistant—our assistantnow.”
“I don’t need an assistant.”
“Well, I don’t either, but I have one. I’ll give you her number. Anything you need, you can ask her. She’s a magician. Sometimes I think of random shit to see if she can do it. And she always does.”
I giggle. “That poor woman.”
“Ah, she loves it.” He heads for the foyer. “I’ll take our stuff to our bedroom.”
My heart skips a beat. “Our bedroom?”
“Didn’t I mention that?” He spins around, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. “There’s only one bedroom here.”
“How convenient.”And probably utter bullshit, given the size of this place. But I’m not exactly mad about it. I’ll get to sleep next to this Adonis. I’m sure I’ll survive.
He shrugs like the innocent man he is not. “I’ll make some calls and then hop in the shower. Feel free to join me.”
With a wink, he walks away.
“Damn you,” I mutter, taking out my phone.
