Flirting With Disaster (17 page)

Pierce raised a brow. Brooke sighed. “Needed
him.”

“
And you're mad at him
because you wanted to be with him,
needed
to be with him.” He spread his
hands. “Somebody has to apologize. Somebody who is an asshole and
pushed the person she loved away...should really, really
apologize.”

“
Somebody?”

Pierce shrugged. “Not naming names.”

He was right. She hated that about him.
“Being with him forces me to walk such a fine line, Pierce,” she
said and sounded frustrated. “I can't be the girl I used to be.
You're right. She had no spine. There was nothing of her but the
man she was with. And I've crossed that line and I'll cross it
again. And again I'll likely get mad at him and he'll walk because
I pushed him.”

“
Likely.”

Exhaustion washed over her. She placed a
hand on her forehead. “Then why bother?”

“
You love each other. You
miss him. I can go back home and not worry that you're killing
yourself with work.”

“
You didn't have to baby
me.”

“
Thin line, Brooke. I was
taking care of you.” He flicked her in the forehead. “Think about
the difference, and you'll get to the right answer.” He started to
walk away, down to his car.

She yelled at his back, “If I don't?”

He didn't even bother to turn around to
answer, “I'll carry you to his doorstep.”

“
That's the chauvinistic
shit I hate.”

He paused at his car door, still not looking
at her. “And I still love you.”

She smiled, but when he turned around to
grin at her, she made sure to flip him off.

*****

“
Are you ever going to open
that?” Tate motioned to the gift-wrapped book on Dane's
desk.

“
I plan to return it to the
person who gave it to me.” Before his friend could push the point,
Dane put out his hand. “Let me see it.”

Tate put the ring box in his hand. Dane
flicked it open, raising his brows. Smaller diamonds surrounded a
canary diamond in a platinum setting. It was the one he'd told his
friend would likely make Peyton cry.

“
Good?” Tate
asked.

He closed the box and handed it right back
over. “If she doesn't cry, then I don't know what will. Glad I
could help.”

Tate took him in, sighed before leaning back
in the chair. “Why are you returning the book?”

Both Tate and Reid had tried to talk to him
over the past few days. He was done arguing about what he should do
with Brooke. Had lost the taste for it. “Do you want help in what
you plan to say to Peyton?”

“
I know she's going to say
yes.”

Must be nice
he wanted to reply. He realized how bitter that
sounded and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Tate flicked open the box. “You are such a
pussy.”

His brows went up. “What?”

“
You let her bully you
right out that door.”

His teeth clenched. “Fuck you, Tate.”

He shrugged. “She started an argument over a
sandwich, which is very much like Brooke. Especially with you.
Everything you do...is likely to piss her off. Why? Because she’s
scared and you left her. That makes you a dick, too.”

He would have argued if he didn't think Tate
was remotely right. He'd seen her fear, damn near tasted it. What
was he supposed to do when at every turn she stopped him, put him
back into the box that felt comfortable to her. He had his pride,
his own heart on the line. “What the hell was I supposed to
do?”

“
Fight
for
her.”

He looked at his friend sideways.
“What?”

“
Did you think to kiss her?
Apologizing would have worked too. She's not…soft. You know
that.”

“
She didn't trust me,” he
shot back, suddenly filled with frustration again.

“
Two words: long haul. Stop
expecting perfection. She or you will screw up.” Tate laughed. “I
still have to give Peyton a look when she won't kiss me in public.
You can't undo the past but you can damn sure show her all the ways
the future will be better.”

Dane pinched the bridge of his nose this
time, his aggravation growing. “Is that part of your speech to
Peyton? Nice. You're right. She is going to say yes.”

Tate glowered at him. “Brooke pushed you
away and you let her. Ask yourself why.” He shrugged. “Don't give
her back the book. If she wants it, she'll come and get it.
Otherwise, you just want to see her and you're taking any excuse
you can get.”

With that, Tate stood. He grinned at him,
knowing he was right and it was the best parting shot.

Dane scrubbed his hands over his face,
straightened, and pulled the book to him.

He'd looked up the clues she'd thrown at
him. He had nothing else to do with his time. And, God, he missed
her. Everything about her. He replayed their argument in his head
when he wasn't doing that. He couldn't think of any other way it
could have gone. She wouldn't have kissed him. She'd have kept
right on giving him the silent treatment.

You could have
stayed
.

It would have been awkward, tense and…one of
those moments when people in relationships fought.

Why did you let her push you away?

He closed his eyes, guessing the author,
because he knew Brooke. “Edgar Allen Poe.”

He opened his eyes and ripped off the paper
on the book. It looked like an old school hymnal—red on the outside
with gold-edged paper. Nothing was written on the spine so he
opened it to the copyright page. Edgar Allen Poe. The original
publisher had long since been bought out and changed their name.
There was no copyright date. When he did a quick search there was
no trace of the book ever being published.

Brooke hadn't given him a first edition, not
solely. She'd given him a mystery, something truly one of a kind, a
controversy just by existing. She did know him. What made him tick,
what he liked, what would drive him up a wall or soothe him. In a
moment when both of their tempers had flared, their soft spot
stabbed with reminders, he'd let her push him away.

Tate was right. Dane had spent over a year
fighting with her. Why hadn't he spent the last week fighting for
her?

Because they were two sides of the same
coin. He had wanted her to ask him to stay. To convince him that he
wasn't the only one in love. And she hadn't, and it felt like
someone had kicked him with steel-toed boots right in his damn
heart. She had her pride, was stubborn as hell and…he was no
different.

“
You're supposed to read
it, not drool over it.”

His breath caught in his lungs so he gave
himself a moment before looking up. Brooke stood there in her
coveralls. The arms were tied around her waist. She looked like
she’d had a long day. Her ball cap had left a crease in her
forehead. And, yet, she had never looked more beautiful to him.

“
Brooke.”

“
Why don't you ever say
'hi' to me?”

She didn't sound irritated, but she hadn't
closed the space between them either. He had wanted her to ask him
to stay but had he ever said anything that made her believe he
didn't ever want to be anywhere else? No. They were both right and
wrong during the argument, but what mattered is that they had both
wanted to stay. They had both needed that and had been too stubborn
to just fucking say it.

That had to change.

She'd come to him. And since he knew Brooke,
he knew her coming to him had to take all of her gumption. He had
to meet her halfway, so he said, “I can't think of anything else
when I see you.”

Her mouth formed into a small 'o' and she
blinked. “And the book?”

He smiled and said, “I was going to give it
back to you but figured I deserved it as combat pay.”

Her mouth twitched. “And I was about to
apologize.”

He leaned back in his chair and thought
about his next words. He could keep joking with her or be honest.
They always got it right when they were honest and open with each
other.

“
I've missed you.” He could
see tears forming in her eyes after he said it.

She started to cross her arms and then put
them down at her sides. “What's the secret?”

He sighed. “I can't tell you.”

Her eyes lit with anger. “Trust me. You
wanted me to do that with you then reciprocate.”

He considered what he had to lose if he
didn't. Too much. “Tate wanted my opinion on engagement rings.”

Her eyes widened. The fight in her stance
loosened. “Oh.”

He pointed at her. “And that's why I didn't
tell you.”

“
Jackass, that's not a
woman thing.”

He nodded in agreement. “It's a best-friend
woman thing, which is worse.”

She made a guttural sound and leaned on his
desk. “That is so sexist.”

Her scent washed over him and he inhaled
long and hard. “Tell me you won't act strangely the next time you
see Peyton, and I'll take it back. You can't lie for shit, Brooke.
Tell me you didn't discuss sex, when you fell in love with me,
everything that we did with your best friends, and I'll apologize
right now.”

“
I—You're
wrong.”

He glared at her.

She sighed and added, “I told my brother, no
one else, that I loved you, but he was flicking me in the forehead
at the time so I don't think it counts.”

Dane didn't even know he was moving until he
was standing in front of her, dragging her to him. “Say it
again.”

“
Neanderthal,” she sounded
breathless.

“
Tell me.”

She met his gaze. “I'm sorry. I was feeling
so...what I feel for you scares me, because a part of me is just
expecting the day you make me wait for you. The day you make me
feel stupid for loving you. The day I don't even recognize the
woman I've become.”

He closed his eyes and saw the truth. All
she wanted was reassurance. He opened his eyes and held her gaze.
“I don't want you docile. I want you prickly. Jesus, help me. If I
ever come home with you sitting there with candles, in pearls and
high heels, I'll take you to the emergency room to make sure you
didn't bump your head. I promise, Brooke.”

She laughed. “I think we're doing this
wrong.”

“
You're here,” he murmured.
“Nothing has ever been more right. Now, say it.”

She put her hands on his chest, right above
his heart. “I don't want to change you.”

He sighed. “I'm sorry, Brooke. I'm sorry
that I didn't tell you sooner how much I love you.”

“
Dane,” she said, her voice
thick from the unshed tears. “I love you.”

He brushed his lips over hers. “I know.” He
kissed her harder this time. “I know.”

“
What happens the next time
we fight?”

He kissed her again in place of a verbal
answer. She sighed, melding into him. He sighed too, completely
content. “Seven days since I've touched you,” he said.

“
Too long,” she finished
for him.

“
I'm not going anywhere.
Neither are you. We stick. We stay. Won't be easy but anything
worth having isn't.”

“
Yes. We stay. We stick.” A
tear fell, but she smiled at him. “Now say it.”

He grinned. “Since we're not fighting
anymore, not really, we should probably call off the bet...”

“
Fine. Say it.”

“
Are you sure? You don't
want to know who is going to win?”

“
Say. It.”

Dane kissed her forehead and then said what
he always did when he looked at her, and his throat just felt tight
and no other words mattered. “Brooke.”

She kissed him, finally understanding and
hearing what he'd been telling her this whole time.

Epilogue

Six Weeks Later

Brooke stepped out of the coffee shop and
froze. The town square was packed with people. She dropped her chin
to her chest and sighed. Goddamn small towns.

Naomi stepped next to her and laughed.
“You're going to kill me later, aren’t you?”

“
You and Peyton. Where is
she, anyway? She's part of the problem.”

“
She's setting up her
makeshift bar for the event. Come on. You might as well get this
over with.”

“
If I had known this many
people would be here for the preliminary numbers for the calendars
I would have stayed at home.” She gestured to her chest. “I
wouldn't have worn this shirt. Everybody is going to give me
shit.”

Naomi hooked her arm around Brooke's. “You
should have known better, and I personally think the shirt is cute
and sweet. And awwww.”

Brooke intensified her
glare. A few weeks ago she'd informed her friends the bet was off,
and that she and Dane were a couple. They weren't surprised at the
latter. They had naturally assumed that was the case eons ago, but
the bet
couldn't
be off. The whole town had chipped in on a money
wager.

That wasn't entirely shocking for Brooke
since Peyton turned everything into a town event, and Naomi was a
shark when it came to potential town revenue. What floored her was
that the bet had steamrolled into chaos. Shirts were made, a
barbeque in the town square was planned, and from the looks of it,
the entire town had showed up to find out which calendar was
currently the bestseller. It wasn't even the final numbers.

This was Tanner Creek. So, yeah, Brooke
should have known better to think only a few people would show up.
She sighed, her stomach getting that weightless feeling because
Dane would like her shirt too. “Just so you know I'm only wearing
this for hot sex later.”