“What promise?”
“I will never stop telling you how much you mean to me. I will never hold back from showing you that you are the sexiest woman in the world to me. That I love you. And I want you. I don’t ever want to give you a reason to doubt us or me again.”
“I love you too.” A smile kisses her lips.
Owen was right. She hasn’t smiled lately. I didn’t realize it until now.
“You’re my world.” I rest my forehead against hers. “You will always be the most important person in my life. You and these babies...” I cover the side of her belly with my hand, “are everything to me. Nothing will ever change that. Now I’m going to take you to bed and show you all over again how sexy you are.”
23
Summer
“That sounds good.” I can’t help the yawn that escapes me. I might be doing better, but low-level tiredness is still my constant companion. Also, I might not have been this relaxed in weeks.
Rebel shuts off the water and steps out of the shower before he places me on my feet. He wraps us both in towels before using my special microfiber towel to squeeze the water out of my curls.
His gaze drinks me in. It’s serious, calculating.
“What?”
“Is there something else on your mind?”
Other than the engagement ring in the closet back in L.A., and every time one of my brothers brings up how he should marry me he looks like he wants to run for the hills…nope.
I slip past him into the bedroom and open the closet.
Rebel follows me. “Red?”
I can’t mention I’ve seen the ring when I’m not supposed to be aware of its existence. And I don’t want him to feel obligated to rush a level of commitment he’s not ready for, because I’m pregnant.
He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me. “Clothes? You know I’m just going to tear them off you.”
Does it matter if there’s a ring on my finger as long as he wants me? I’m not the traditional girl my brothers want me to be. I don’t need to get married to have love and family. They’re the ones who keep harping on it. I’m certainly not going to marry or not marry him based on goats, pigs, and blessings. They don’t get a say in the choices I make about my life.
But I do want the white wedding dress. And the declaration of forever in front of our friends and family. And I want to be able to shove a big fuck off shiny ring under the nose of any starlet who makes eyes at my man. I want him to want that with me. “Sorry, baby brain.”
His chest rises and falls at my back. “Sum—”
“Hollywood.” Owen’s voice is loud despite the closed door between us. “Get out here right fucking now.”
You have got to be kidding me.
Rebel snags a pair of jeans from a shelf stacked with his favorites and drags them up his muscular legs. “What does he want now?”
“Let me handle it.” I cinch the oversized towel tighter as I march across the room and fling open the door.
Owen hulks in the hallway. A muscle under his eye tics, but his gaze rounds when he realizes I’m not Rebel. And then he notices I’m wearing a towel, and his face turns red. Ruddier still when he looks into the room behind me and sees Rebel who is dragging a T-shirt over his head and smoothing it down his abs. The fly on his jeans still undone. “Hollywood, you b—”
I slam my hand over my brother’s mouth. Damn it. I hoped Burke would get through to him. “Stop it, Owen. You’re a grown man. Act like one.”
Riot and Rogue rush into the hallway, almost colliding with Burke who comes charging from the opposite direction. Burke’s eyes widen when he takes in the scene.
The shit thing about my brothers helping to raise me is they can make me feel like a child. Still. To this day. Slowly I withdraw my hand. “You’re acting like an ass.”
“He impregnates my sister and refuses to marry her.” Owen glares daggers at Rebel. “He cost me an ATV. And—”
“No. You cost you the ATV.” I shove his chest, hot, wet rage pricking at my eyes. “Christ, Owen. You left him at the pit. What if Burke hadn’t gotten him out? You could have broken my heart. Is that what you want? I love him, and I’m having his babies. You could have taken their father with that stupidity. You know how dangerous it can be.”
