“I am.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m happy you’re not pregnant, because when we decide to have children, I don’t want it to be an accident. I want you to know how much I want kids with you and how hard I’ll work to be the best dad I can.”
Holy shit. “You want to have children?”
“With you?” he said. “Yes. Especially if we have a brainy, redheaded spitfire.”
Ireland swallowed. Was this really happening?
Everything he’d said was exactly what she’d ever wanted to hear from him. Yet he’d crushed her hopes for them only days ago. “You hurt me, and I don’t know if I can trust you.”
Chapter 32
Ireland returned to the head table with the rest of the wedding party, but she glanced every few minutes at Bran, and caught him looking back at her. When they’d parted, his demeanor said he hadn’t been pleased with how she’d left things, but he wasn’t pushing her.
Actually, right now, he was talking to the woman next to him, who was smiling and touching his arm.
Ireland wanted to punch the woman. But she didn’t need to go all cavewoman, because Bran gave no signs of interest. There were no heated looks like the ones he sent Ireland from across the room. He was being polite to his tablemate, and Ireland couldn’t fault him there. He was a good man.
A good man.And he wanted her back. Had acknowledged his mistakes and wanted to try again.
But would he stand by her no matter what? She’d been burned too many times in her professional and personal life. She couldn’t take it if Bran turned on her again.
Ireland danced with the wedding party and mingled with relatives on both sides of the family. Hunt was on the dance floor swooping in and dipping every beautiful woman he got his hands on, including Kerstin. Which had Gabe frowning and shifting his jaw.
Interesting.
Gabe never got jealous over women, not even his ex, Jennifer. And as far as Ireland knew, Gabe hadn’t been introduced to Kerstin until the wedding.
Maybe Ireland’s arrogant brother had finally found someone he wanted and couldn’t have?
Ireland walked across the room to the champagne table, musing over her brother’s love life, and heard her name mentioned.
“Ireland’s a good employee, but the software disaster at Club Tahoe cooled down our CEO’s interest in having her design a system for the Las Vegas facility,” Adam said to Levi. “It’s been put on permanent hold.”
Ireland stiffened. She’d heard nothing of this from her employer. But the program she’d designed for Club Tahoehadmalfunctioned, even if it hadn’t been her fault. Just the thought of her work at Club Tahoe tainting the good reputation she’d managed to build in Lake Tahoe sent her stomach roiling.
“What’s this?” Bran stepped away from a side conversation a few feet over and approached Adam and Levi, whose backs were to her. They didn’t appear to know she was there, and neither, it seemed, did Bran.
Adam shrugged and straightened the sleeve of his tux jacket. “Ireland is a nice girl, but the company won’t risk using her now. They’ll hire someone they can trust.”
“They can trusther,” Bran said. “Ireland is a brilliant programmer, and Blue is lucky to have her. In fact, if they don’t appreciate her, Club Tahoe will hire her.”
Ireland’s jaw dropped and she stared at Bran, who looked up at that moment and finally saw her.
Bran blinked and looked away. He ran a hand through his hair and stormed off.
Ireland watched him leave, his long stride cutting across the room.
He’d stood up for her.
When he didn’t have to. He didn’t know she was there listening.
Ireland had felt moderately responsible for how things had gone down with James. The Tech Banquet employee was a jerk, but her presence on the job had infuriated him further.
Ireland walked across the room, but she couldn’t find Bran. She wanted… She wasn’t sure what she wanted. But he’d defended her, and that meant something. He didn’t know if she’d give him a second chance.Shedidn’t know. Yet he’d spoken up for her in front of his family, the very brothers he’d said came first a few days ago.
