He didn’t have to.
He was a man of honor who was present and put his only remaining family first.
I was emotional, knowing Boden and his sister, Brooke, shared an inseparable bond. One rooted in indescribable pain. Bonding them in roles neither had a say in choosing but grew into a lifeline that no temptation was too great to risk.
“You’re a good man, Boden.”
“Don’t be fooled. We all have our moments,” he murmured.
“Don’t we all . . . don’t we all.” I washed my sigh down with a swig of the pale ale.
A stillness rolled in while I pushed away the dark clouds threatening to sour my mood.
“How many places have you flipped and sold, or do you rent them all out like mine?” I asked.
“I’ve sold three, kept yours, and plan to sell this place once it’s complete. Being a landlord was never something I saw myself doing, then when the place across from me popped up, it seemed like an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. After I gutted everything and put it back together—truthfully speaking, I posted it just for fun.” He paused before finishing. “And I’m not unhappy with the results.”
I snickered. “Even though your tenant flooded the place and nearly ruined all your laborious work?”
“There’s nothing about what happened that night that I’d change.”
“Let me guess, because your tenant made such a lasting impression.”
A snicker crossed his lips, and his head dropped back on his shoulders. Boden peered up into the depth of the brilliant blue sky for a beat before shifting his focus to the bottle in his hand. “That’s a loaded statement, beautiful.” I watched with bated breath as he took another swig of his beer, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “The gentleman side of me should politely refute I saw anything, but I . . . I just can’t.” His eyes met mine again but this time with an unparalleled heat. “And part of being a gentleman is also speaking the truth, and the truth is, the image from that night . . . it’s one that will be seared into my brain for eternity . . . if I’m being honest.” He shrugged.
Boden’s admission caused an audible sharp intake of breath on my part as my attraction to him, which I’d been actively trying to brush under the carpet, bubbled to the surface. My heart beat feverishly inside my chest, and silence hung heavily, nearly drowning out the rustling of the leaves on the trees framing the backyard.
“God.” I shook my head, pulled my knees up to my chest, and wrapped my arms around them. “Is there a hole anywhere around here that I can literally crawl into and die of embarrassment?”
“Nah, plus, you’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“Typical guy.” I all but deadpanned.
“Hey now, don’t go looping me with all the past bad apples you’ve come across.”
“Are you saying your eyes didn’t linger before,” I pinned him with my stare, “you scared the bejesus out of me?”
“Lakelyn, you’re undeniably the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” his admission was whisper-soft, “who also just so happens to be equipped with a mean right hook.”
“That’s what you get for sneaking up on a woman in distress, no less.”
“True, but you have to admit, it was quite the ice-breaker.” He chuckled.
I snickered and shook my head. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I hope you stay around long enough to figure that out, because I’ve grown quite accustomed to having you here.”
“You’d miss me?”
“I think we’ve already established I like your company.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“A personal one.”
“Have at it.”
