He chuckled as he caressed her fingers. “You have no idea how stressed I was, but my mother kept pushing me to work harder. When I finally graduated, I thought my life would get somewhat back to normal, but once again, Mother had something different in store for me. She hounded me about making changes in the company, and when I did, she complained because of it. Then she was on my back about settling down and getting married.” He took a breath, pausing in thought. Now would be a good time to tell her the truth, since this was what led into meeting Robin and getting engaged. He opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted when the telephone rang.
Both of them looked at the phone on the end table near the couch.
“I wonder who that could be?” she asked.
Only one person knew where he was. He pulled away from her and picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Justin, you’re not going to believe what I found out,” the familiar voice began.
“Brad? Is that you?”
His friend’s voice rang with laughter. “Who else would know where you are?”
“Are you sure nobody else knows?”
“Nobody, but Robin has her father’s men looking everywhere for you. I tell you, she’s one upset woman. You don’t want to mess with her just yet. She’d tear you apart limb from limb, man.”
“Yeah, if her father’s henchman doesn’t do it first.” Justin threaded his fingers through his hair.
“You’re not kidding!” Brad proceeded to tell him everything that happened after Justin left the church – pretty much what Brooke had related to him after talking to her sister yesterday.
When Brooke snuggled against him, Justin’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. Hopefully, she hadn’t heard anything... not until he told her, anyway.
He glanced at her. She looked at him through confused, hooded eyes. Could she be piecing together the story this very moment? His gut twisted.
“Thanks for the warning, Brad. Unfortunately, we can’t go anywhere right now. We’ve been snowed in.”
A long pause came from the other end of the phone before he heard his friend’s wary voice, “We’vebeen snowed in?We? I thought you were at the cabin by yourself.”
Justin chuckled as he slipped his arm around Brooke, now looking at him with wide eyes. “Yes, I said it right. I happened to find a little angel sleeping in the Jeep when I arrived at the cabin.”
Brad chuckled. “Is this so-called angel a woman, by chance?”
Justin gave Brooke a wink, but her body stiffened. “Yes, and she’s the prettiest angel I’ve ever seen.”
Brad laughed harder. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Monroe. Now fess up. What happened after you left the church yesterday?”
“Sorry, Young. But I have more important things to do besides explain things to you.” He caressed Brooke’s cheek, but she remained stiff, her gaze locked to his.
“Monroe, you better tell me.”
Justin grinned. “Goodbye, Brad.” He turned to hang up the phone all the while his friend kept calling his name. “Monroe? Monroe!”
With his heart lodged in his throat now, he tried to wrap Brooke back in his arms, but she pushed him away.
“Is your last name Monroe?” she asked in a shaky voice, tears welling up in her eyes.
He clenched his teeth.She knows!
