Would she even believe him after his siblings’ comments?
“I don’t make it a habit of lying to my family. I had told my mother last night I wasn’t alone. She thought I was joking when I said I had a nurse here with me.”
“Because you’re always one to joke?” she asked.
“Yes. But I was honest.”
“Can I ask what some of those comments were they said?”
“I figured you would. The comment by Foster about stepping up was that my brothers have a history of intervening or saving the women they ended up with.”
“Oh, really?” she asked. “This I’ve got to hear. If you trust me.”
He had no reason not to. Which surprised him when he was always doubting women’s intentions.
“I do. Abby was getting hit on in a bar and West went over to be her pretend boyfriend.”
“Awww, that’s so sweet.”
“Braylon did the same for Lily, except, Lily was wearing a fake engagement ring to keep people away, so it was a fake fiancé.”
“Wow, that’s taking chivalry far.”
“It worked out for them. Laken and Jamie met through work. West partnered with Jamie for his company and it was Laken’s job to get it up and going. Charlotte bought the house next to Foster. He saw her fall carrying a ladder and stopped to help. Then helped her with a lot of other things she was trying to do as a new homeowner.”
“Okay, so it seems this is a natural thing for the men in your family.”
He shrugged. “My mother raised us well.”
His father had too. From the memories he had of him.
“Who is next?”
“Elias. Phoebe’s car slid into his truck after a snowstorm. He might have needed to save himself there, though it was just a tiny tap.”
“That’s cute.”
“We are all cute,” he said. “Next is Talia. She came home from a flight and turned the oven on to heat to make cookies, then went to her basement apartment to shower. My mother had a package of chicken thawing in the oven that Talia hadn’t known.”
“Oh no,” she said.
“Did I tell you her husband, Jace, is a fireman?”
“No,” she said. “Get out.” She shoved his arm and laughed.
“The house filled with smoke. No fire. Talia had no clue. She was downstairs in the shower with the music going for over ten minutes. She gets out, hears the alarms, races upstairs in a towel to a kitchen full of firemen.”
“Nowthatis embarrassing. I don’t feel so bad over my meltdown at the airport.”
He pulled her into his arms. “How many times do I have to tell you that wasn’t a meltdown?”
“I’ll stop saying it. But I guess you do come from a long line of heroes. I should have thanked your mom again.”
If he had anything to say about it, Saylor would have another chance to do it.
11
READ HER MIND
