“Not yet,” I grumbled.
“Don’t you think you should tell her before you announce it to me?”
“No,” I said unhappily. “I don’t think she’s ready to hear it yet.”
“Why not?” he asked curiously.
“Something bad happened to her, Cole. Really bad. They’re her secrets to tell, but her past was worse than I ever could haveimagined. Hell, I wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to be in a committed relationship again.”
“She told you about her past?” he questioned.
“Everything,” I said flatly. “The truth nearly killed me. She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known.”
“Whatever happened, I’m sorry that Sierra had to go through it,” Cole said in a sincere voice.
“Me, too,” I said stoically.
I had no doubt that Sierra would share with the people she called friends at some point in the future, but she’d do it in her own time.
“So you’ve gone from not knowing what’s going to happen to marriage?” he joked. “I assume she’s definitely the one.”
“No question,” I said stiffly.
My brother and I hadn’t discussed romantic relationships in the past because neither one of us had one.
We’d both been workaholics in Austin.
I knew that Cole had gotten laid occasionally, but he’d never dated anyone seriously.
I hadn’t been with a woman in a long time before Sierra, but I’d had my share of liaisons when I was younger.
So yeah, discussing women and relationships was unusual for the two of us.
“Promise me you won’t get married before my honeymoon is over,” Cole said lightly.
“That won’t happen,” I said grumpily. “Sierra and I haven’t even talked about the future. Hell, I don’t want to rush her. She’s been through a lot.”
“Buy her stuff,” Cole suggested. “That helped me. A little.”
“Tried that,” I answered. “She’s not happy about me upgrading her phone and getting her a new laptop, but she needed them.”
Cole made a sound of disgust. “She has to give you something. We need to feel useful. Giving our women things that they might want or need comes naturally to us.”
“I don’t think she completely gets that,” I explained. “She’s got more project offers than she can handle. I know she can take care of herself. She doesn’t understand that giving her things she needs or wants makes me fucking happy.”
“Be patient,” Cole instructed. “Lauren used to argue when I bought her stuff. I think she finally accepted the fact that I just want to give her things. Not because she can’t take care of herself but because I love her.”
“We leave for Austin tomorrow,” I informed him. “I have a meeting I really want to do in person. We’re going to the Houston area afterward to see her mom. I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone, but I asked our cousins to check on our places and the horses while I’m gone.”
That was the reason I’d called Cole in the first place. I’d wanted him to know I’d be out of state for several days.
Maybe a week or two…
I wasn’t certain.
I had no idea how long Sierra was going to want to visit with her mother, and I was flexible.
I could work remotely.
