Page 144 of The Playboy

See you then.

Brooklyn

Really??? You can make it?

Me

Brooklyn … stop. (I’m using your words.) I wouldn’t miss it.

Brooklyn

<3

* * *

The last time I’d met the parents of a woman I was dating was more than seven years ago when my high school girlfriend invited me over for the first of many dinners. So, I felt a little rusty when I walked through the door of Brooklyn’s home and everyone inside immediately turned toward me. Brooklyn, who had greeted me at the door and given me a kiss as soon as I walked in, took the bag out of my hands that I’d filled with bottles of champagne, along with red and white wine. Since I didn’t know anyone’s preference, I’d brought it all. And as she set the bag in the kitchen and poured everyone a glass, I had time to make all the introductions and connect the faces to the names that I’d been hearing a lot.

Like my siblings and me, the three sisters shared many similar physical characteristics, but when it came to their personalities, they were nothing alike. Clementine appeared to be the fill-in mom. I sensed that right away by the way she looked at her youngest sister and spoke about her, how she touched her in a protective way. Jesse was the wild one, outspoken with no filter, but the kind of woman who would be your alibi with no questions asked.

And then there were her parents. A father whose eyes were never far from me, as though he was assessing every move I made and whether I was right for his daughter. A mother who couldn’t stop talking and hugging her girls, soaking up every second she was around them.

From the minute I’d arrived, there hadn’t been a quiet moment.

Nor was there ever a vacant spot next to me, one side constantly occupied by her father and the other side rotated between her sisters, questions thrown at me from every direction.

I understood the need to know who I was.

I wasn’t just a boyfriend who Brooklyn was introducing to her family for the first time. I was also the man who had gotten her an interview and the reason she was moving away to the mainland. And there was a heavy focus on that, on the job and her role within our company, and her living situation from everyone in this room.

Something I’d expected and something I didn’t balk at.

Because despite things still being new and fresh, and we weren’t even in LA yet, I saw the future, and even though I’d told Brooklyn that I wanted her in it, I didn’t think she realized the strength and meaning behind that statement.

The gorgeous woman standing across the living room, having a one-on-one with her mom, was going to be my wife. And this family, the rest who surrounded me, would, at some point, be my family too.

Some would say it was too soon to know, but I knew.

There would never be a woman who captured my heart like Brooklyn.

“I’ve got to tell you,” Jesse started, adding more wine to my glass before setting the bottle on a small table behind me, “you weren’t on her bingo card.”

I turned toward her, holding the heavy pour tightly in my hand. “She wasn’t on mine either. To be honest, I wasn’t even playing the game—that was how uninterested I was in finding someone.”

Her hair was like springs, and she tucked some behind her ear. “What makes her so different? I mean, I know the answer to that, but I’d love to hear it from you.”

I was positive her dad was listening. Not that it mattered. I wasn’t formulating an answer for him. I was speaking straight from me.

“The thing about your sister is that the person she is on the outside doesn’t even come close to matching how beautiful she is on the inside, and that’s hard to believe, given how drop-dead gorgeous she is.”

I shifted my gaze in her direction, seeing the smile covering her face, hearing the laughter from her lips, feeling the excitement as she spoke to her mom. “When you learn who Brooklyn really is and what she stands for and the things that matter to her, you realize how incredibly unique she is. Women like her don’t exist.” I connected eyes with Clementine, who nodded in agreement, and then Jesse before slowly moving my stare to her father.

“Most women care about status, money, and the importance of my family’s last name—not her.” I ran my hand down my arm, meeting the leather bracelets wrapped around my wrists. “She wants to do it all on her own.”

And that was so fucking sexy to me, but I wasn’t going to tell them that.

I let a moment pass before I added, “The biggest thing was that I wasn’t looking. I wasn’t planning. I was content with my life and the way things were, and then I spotted her in a crowd of people. This feeling came over me, and I knew I couldn’t leave unless I spoke to her. When I did, something became painfully obvious.” I remembered the feeling well because it was happening again as I looked at her. I took a breath, waiting for it to ease up, and when it didn’t, I continued, “I didn’t want another day to pass by without her in my life.” I made eye contact with both sisters. “I care about her. A lot.”

“I literally just melted into a puddle,” Jesse cooed.

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