“Way to go!” Amelia slid over to Brooke’s vacated seat and smacked Gabe’s arm.
Although it didn’t hurt, he rubbed the spot. “What?”
Amelia hit him again, this time with more force.
“What?”
“You’re being mean!”
Two minutes ago, she’d been on his side. Confused, Gabe replied, “You don’t even like Brooke. What do you care?”
“It’s not that I don’t like her. I don’t know her. I don’t like what she did to you in high school, but she seems different now.”
“I know.”
“So why are you being such an asshat?”
“I’m not.”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “Total asshat.”
“She didn’t want to come.”
“I don’t blame her. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to walk through my front door.”
Gabe had known it would be hard for both of them, but Amelia was right. Brooke had shown real bravery by accompanying him tonight. He was about to comment on his sister’s insight when she said, “Not to mention everything else she’s got going on right now.”
Gabe paused. Was she talking about the contract? How would Amelia even know about that? “What do you mean?”
“Well, with her mom dying, the last thing she needs is you jumping all over her back.”
Shock held Gabe still for all of three seconds. “When did you hear that her mom died? When did that happen?”
“Happening, not happened. She’s sick. She told me about it when we were upstairs.”
Nick sat forward in the armchair. “What’s wrong with her?”
“I’m not sure.” Amelia frowned, then turned to Gabe. “You didn’t know?”
Damn. How could Brooke not tell him something like that? They were playing a part, and that was vital information. Although, if he was honest with himself, it was more than that. He was a little hurt she’d chosen not to tell him.
Ignoring Amelia’s question, he looked at Nick. “That’s why she’s back in town.”
“That’d be my guess.” Nick nodded. “Do you think Kevin knows?”
“Jesus.” On top of everything else, she’d been dumped. “No idea. They aren’t speaking to each other, so maybe he doesn’t.”
Panic seized Gabe’s gut, causing his stomach to lurch. If Kevin didn’t know, would that change everything? Would Kevin charge in to comfort her? In the past, that had always been the pattern. Would Brooke replace him that easily?
“Yeah, but they were close before. He must know,” Nick insisted.
That didn’t make any sense. There was no way Kevin would have dumped Brooke at a time like this. “He can’t know. He wouldn’t do that.”
Nick shrugged.
“Who cares if he knows?” Amelia gave Gabe a pointed look. “How could you not know?”
Gabe didn’t have a ready-made answer. He said lamely, “We just started dating.”
“What the hell have you been talking about? Because that’s kind of a big topic.”
Nick grinned. “Maybe they haven’t done much talking. Maybe they’ve been busy with other things.”
Glaring at Nick, Gabe was thankful his grandparents weren’t in the room. He could hear his mom and grandmother talking in the kitchen. Gabe wasn’t sure where his grandpa had disappeared to, but he was pretty sure his dad was having a smoke on the back deck. Amy and Brent returned, each with a fresh beverage.
Amelia glanced between Nick and Gabe. The moment she got the joke was clear as her lip coiled in revulsion. “Ew. Gross.”
Nick’s smile widened.
“Brooke was right,” Amelia said. “You don’t know enough about each other to play this game. We would have creamed you.”
Gabe had figured that out on his own.
“Seems they know the important stuff.” Nick picked up his glass and nearly spilled it when Amelia swatted him. Nick grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to sit with him. Despite her ire, she went willingly.
Gabe envied them for their easy companionship. Nick and Amelia had grown exceedingly close over the last year. They were nearly inseparable. Whenever they argued, it was always lighthearted. He wondered how they got along so well and if they ever worried about the future.
His father’s parents had died within months of each other. She’d had cancer, and the doctors said he’d died of a broken heart. Gabe had been little when it happened but old enough to remember the pain. He feared being that close to anyone, that much in love. No matter how it ended, relationships always ended. Having a broken heart, literally or figuratively, was something Gabe had wanted no part in.
Now, when he thought of Brooke, it made him question his beliefs.
In the last few weeks, he’d enjoyed the time he’d spent with her more than he should have.
And that scared the hell out of him.
The front door opened, and Gabe was surprised to see not only Brooke but also his grandfather. Brooke was suspiciously quiet, but his grandpa gave nothing away, leaving Gabe to wonder why he’d gone outside.
When the break ended, everyone settled back into the living room, and the game continued. This time, Gabe didn’t argue. His mind was busy concentrating on other things. He pulled Brooke against him, silently urging her to cuddle with him. He linked their fingers and stroked his thumb over her palm. He knew how to play the boyfriend; he’d practiced multiple times, but with Brooke, it was different.
Often, the group would get sidetracked from the game, and conversations would swirl around the wedding, work, and plans for the future. Amy told them about her wedding plans, which featured a destination wedding in Jamaica.
Gabe’s grandparents asked him how his business was going. He explained about the contract from Miles. That prompted a whole slew of questions for Brooke. She told them about her job, her education, and her apartment. Even though she was four cities away, the drive was less than two hours. But she rarely came back to their hometown. She explained that she was back for an extended stay with her mother, but she never mentioned any illness.
Eventually, the party began to break up. Not long after Amy and Brent left, Brooke announced she should get going, too. Gabe offered to walk her to her car.
With the sun beginning to dip below the horizon, a chill had taken over the evening. Wanting to talk a bit before she left, Gabe leaned on the driver’s side door of her little Mazda.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Not the worst night ever.”
Gabe frowned. Had she enjoyed herself at all? “Either way, thanks for coming.” Brooke played with her keys. “I should probably take you on an actual date now.”
She froze. Slowly, she raised her chin and looked at him. “You mean for the sake of the performance, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that what you normally do? It’s not just the big social events?”
“It’s got to look real, doesn’t it? How else would we convince people?” He would usually take them to the movies or out for dinner. Sometimes alone, sometimes as a double date. He’d send flowers to their workplace. He could be a doting, devoted boyfriend.
“How long is this going to go on for?”
“What do you mean?”
“I know you needed a date for the engagement party, but this isn’t going to keep going until the wedding, right? They haven’t solidified a date yet, but it sounds like it’ll be a year from now. I can’t be available for that long. I’ll eventually be going back home.”
He could have told her that, normally, it lasted about four to six months. He could have lied and hoped she’d commit to being his date to the wedding, regardless of the length of time. He could have been honest and told her he wanted a real date, not a pretend one.
What came out was the thing foremost on his mind. “Why didn’t you tell me about your mother?”
Brooke blinked. “How do you…?”
“Amelia spilled the beans.”
“I’m sorry if it throws a wrench in your plans.”
“I was blindsided by it. It doesn’t look so good when the girl I’m supposed to be dating keeps important things from me.”
“I’m a private person,” Brooke said, as though that explained everything. “I’m sorry if I made you look bad.”
Gabe ran a hand through his hair. She wasn’t getting it. “I’m not upset because of that. I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t have told me. It’s important.”
She looked down at her sandals and wiggled her toes. “Because of the relationship?”
He reached out and touched her chin, forcing her gaze to his. “Because we’re sleeping together, and that means something.”
He could see the confusion in her eyes. “What?”
He lowered his voice. “I want to get to know you better.”
“Okay.” She leaned a little closer to him.
“What are your plans for the next little while?”
“I spend most of my time with my mother. Whenever she’s sleeping, I try to get a little work done. Miles has been lenient, letting me work reduced hours and away from the office.”
“What if I want to get together next weekend?”
“At the motel?”
Gabe shook his head. His thumb toyed with her lower lip. “No, I meant socially. You and me.”
“I was thinking of doing a little shopping on Saturday afternoon. My stepdad will be around the house then, so I feel better about leaving my mom.”
“I could go with you.”
Brooke hesitated. Gabe couldn’t stand it anymore—he closed the gap between them and lowered his lips to hers. With a purr, she tipped her head up and kissed him back. She slid one arm around his waist and wrapped the other around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair at his nape.
He didn’t linger as long as he wanted. When he eased back, she stood with her eyes closed, seemingly soaking up the moment. She licked over her lips. “Now it’s a pretty good night.”
Gabe smiled at her. “You’re pretty darn cute, you know that?” Her eyelids flickered open, but she said nothing. “I’ll go shopping with you next week.”
She touched a button on his shirt. “I don’t think so.”
He clasped her hand, stopping her finger from creating patterns on his chest. “Why not?”
She glanced around before leaning in to whisper, “I’m going lingerie shopping.”
Gabe’s eyes widened. His blood heated.
“You know, for matching sets. Bras and panties.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Timidly, she asked, “Why?”
Drawing her body closer to his, Gabe rubbed his hands up and down the lines of her back. “Because I want to. I think it’ll be a lot of fun. Maybe afterward, we can have dinner with my parents.”
With her forehead against his chest, she nodded. He’d break down the walls she’d erected and maybe gain a little of her trust in the process.