Page 34 of Rebel Heart
He shook his head. “No. You go first.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. What’s goingon?”
My mind was spinning with thoughts of what Beau might have wanted to talk to me about. Maybe it was whatever had put that look on his face just a few minutes ago. Recognizing that I’d likely get some answers about what was on his mind the faster I asked what I had to, I decided not to waste any more time.
“I’m not sure if you recall me mentioning it, but my birthday is coming up on the twenty-second of this month, and I was wondering if you would like to or, perhaps, be willing to join me at the birthday party my family is throwing for me.”
I’d been thinking about it for the past few days, and while I had initially liked the idea of keeping Beau to myself, the reality was that I liked him and what was happening between us enough to want my family to meet him. I couldn’t think of a better time to make introductions.
“Oh, uh, well, family gatherings aren’t really my thing.” He seemed rather flustered, which I thought was strange. For a man who was always so confident, Beau’s reaction caught me off guard.
I wanted to reassure him. “Look, I realize it might be a bit terrifying on the surface, considering you’re an only child, I’m one of six, and we’ve only recently met each other. The last thing I would ever want to do is scare you off, but I think it’s best you know the truth up front.”
Tipping his head to the side, his eyes roamed over my face. “The truth?”
I nodded. “Being involved with a Westwood means learning to love celebrating. My family hasn’t met areason for a celebration they didn’t love. It’s just our thing. But I promise that everyone is really nice, and it’s always a great time.”
Beau jerked his head back and blinked rapidly. “What?”
“Are you confused about something?”
“Did you just say… Is your last name Westwood?”
“Yes. Didn’t I already tell you that?”
He shook his head. “You absolutely did not mention that.”
I studied him, trying to read the concern on his handsome face. “Okay. Well, now you know. I don’t understand why you seem so… bothered by it. What does it matter?”
Beau ignored my question. “So, your name is Jules Westwood?”
“Yes.”
“And would I be correct in assuming your family owns Westwood’s.”
I thought that much was obvious. “The Westwood Company, in its entirety.”
His concerned gaze didn’t move from my face. Beau just sat there, staring and thinking. Quite frankly, I thought it was the oddest reaction to learning I was a Westwood.
“Beau?” I called when he remained silent for far too long.
“Yeah?”
Since he seemed to be having such a tough time, Ireached out and placed my hand on his arm. “Is everything okay?”
“You’re like royalty in this town.”
I rolled my eyes and let out a laugh. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Trust me, I’m no princess. And nobody in my family thinks they’re a king or a prince or anything else like that.”
Despite my reassurances and the fact that I’d laughed it off, Beau was still as serious as ever. “But you’re the baby of the family, right?”
“I mean, I’m going to be twenty-five, so I’m hardly a baby. But yes, I am the youngest. What does that have to do with anything?”
He shot up off the bed and began pacing. “You’ve got four older brothers.”
“I have an older sister, too.”
