Page 67
“Nope,” he answers confidently. “The great thing about being friends for so long is that we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We know how to encourage each other, and how to solve conflict. Vanderwin Technologies has never gotten in the way of our friendship, so why would anything change when adding romance to the mix?”
His words give me peace. He’s so confident in us. It reminds me of when he approached me in college with the idea of starting a company. He believed in us then, and he believes in us now. “That’s very true. So, you don’t think we’ll get sick of each other?”
He snorts. “I could never get sick of you. You’re my favorite human.”
I smile sleepily, exhaustion making my eyelids feel heavy. I close them and whisper, “You’re my favorite human too,” before falling asleep.
The next morning, I wake up to the sound of the shower running. Surprised Brooks woke up before me, I check my phone on the nightstand.
I gasp when I see it’s already five past ten. I never sleep this late, but I was so physically and emotionally exhausted from yesterday. I can’t complain though; it ended wonderfully.
My dream last night wasn’t of shirtless Vikings or pillaging … but of Brooks as a dad, with a bunch of little blonde boys wrestling with him, his hair greying at the temples and adorable crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes as he smiles.
It was even better than the Viking dream. Which is impressive, because the Viking dream was really good.
Brooks steps out of the bathroom. His hair is wet from the shower, but he’s dressed for the day.
He grins at me. “Good morning, sleeping beauty.”
I flop over and groan into my pillow. The bed dips down as I feel him sit on the edge of the bed by my legs.
“We kind of need to figure out how today is going to go,” he says, his voice sounding hesitant. “I don’t fly out until this afternoon, and I’m pretty sure your mother still hates my guts.”
Rolling over, I prop myself up against the headboard. “Yeah, it’s going to be a little awkward. And I’m not supposed to leave until the day after Christmas. Maybe we can move our flights up?”
His mouth pulls up in a half smile. “I’m not trying to move too fast, or freak you out … but I’m gonna be upfront with you, okay?” He raises an eyebrow in question.
“Okay …” I say with hesitation.
“I don’t just want to date you, Molly. I want to pursue you. I want to be with you. I know it will take time for you to see how serious I am, since I have a reputation for dating a different person every week.” He inhales a deep breath and breathes it out slowly. “But I’ll spend every waking moment showing you that you’re the only one for me.”
A grin slowly spreads across my face. He’s been showing me for the past six years how he feels about me. If that’s not playing the long game, I don’t know what is. “I believe you. Your dating history is in the past, as is mine.”
He sighs in relief. “But being with you means also being with your family. It’s a package deal. So, I think we should rip off the band-aid instead of fleeing for our lives.”
My smile droops and I stare at him for a moment, trying to wrap my mind around this new (to me) version of my best friend. This serious, passionate version. Finally, I nod in agreement. “You’re right. We’re going to have several hurdles to get past for this to work. One being owning a company together … the other being my family. So we’ll get one of them out of the way today, then?”
He chuckles. “Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day. But I’ll never earn their respect or approval by running away like a scaredy-cat.”
“But what if I want to run away like a scaredy-cat?” I stick my bottom lip out, making him laugh.
“You can fly home. But I’m not leaving until your parents adore me.” He winks.
“Well, it’s been nice knowing you. I guess I’ll never see you again.”
He lunges forward and starts tickling my sides. Brooks is touching me, and he smells really good. I wish we could stay locked up in this room, basking in our happiness for a while. But, alas, my parents.
His tickling comes to a stop, and he grows serious, almost self-conscious—which is a new expression for him. “You really don’t think they’ll ever come around?” he asks, looking genuinely bummed.
I place my hand on top of his, rubbing my thumb against his skin in an attempt to ease his worries. “It’s impossible not to like you, Brooks. But it’s definitely going to take some time.”
“You’re right,” he concedes. “Well, get dressed muffin butt. Let’s do this.”
I roll my eyes at the pet name, but get out of bed and head toward the closet. I don’t move fast enough though, and he smacks my butt as I walk by him.
Half an hour later, Brooks and I walk into the living room. The perk of sleeping in today is that everyone else has already departed. I’m sure Preston and Mildred are halfway to their honeymoon in Bali by now. I’m not worried about them anyway; I’m pretty sure they’re both team Brooks after the past few days.
The house is put back in order already. You can’t even tell there had been an extravagant wedding that took place here just last night. My parents are sitting in the armchairs in front of the fireplace, my mother reading a book, and my father working on his laptop.
