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“I could stay here forever.” Brooklyn snuggled closer and enjoyed the unobstructed view of the stars from the upper balcony.
“I know you love Rosewood.”
“I do, but you know I meant something else.” She listened to the continuous thump of his heart and got ready to pour out her own. Although she suspected he knew she loved him, she’d yet to say the words. “I love being in your arms.”
“Oh, so now it’s my arms you love. Well, that’s better than loving my dad’s house, I guess,” he teased.
If he planned on teasing and giving her a hard time, she could do the same. “Your arms aren’t the only part of your anatomy I love after today.”
“It’s yours anytime you want.” He pressed a kiss on her lips.
“And only mine, right? I hate sharing anything I love.”
“Is that your backhanded way of telling me you love me?” he asked. “If so, it’s about time.”
“Honestly, I’ve loved you since we were freshmen in college.” A piece of her conscience breathed a sigh of relief.
Derek pulled away so he could see her face. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Too scared. I wasn’t sure how you’d react, and I didn’t want to lose your friendship. Keeping it to myself seemed safest.”
“Wish I’d realized it sooner. Guess we have your father to thank for giving me the kick in the ass I needed.”
Apprehension rolled over her at the mention of her dad. She’d avoided his calls all week. At some point she’d have to face him and tell him about Derek. Doing so via the phone while in a country far away sounded like a solid plan.
“Hey, where did you go?” Derek asked, brushing her hair away and tucking it behind her ear.
“Thinking about how I’m going to break the news. I’ve avoided my dad’s calls all week. I haven’t even listened to the last few voice mail messages he’s left. But I can’t do it forever. He probably already knows I told Trevor I couldn’t see him again. When I tell him about us, it’s only going to make the situation worse.”
“What’s his problem with me?”
They both knew her dad didn’t like him, but they’d never talked about it. “Beats me. He’s never said. I just know he doesn’t like your father and I guess he extends the dislike to you.” Calling it dislike was a gross understatement. She saw no need to repeat some of the things her dad had said about Derek and his family.
“Doesn’t make any damn sense,” he grumbled, putting his head down alongside hers again.
“Agreed.” There were individuals in her life she liked more than others, but none she hated. Whatever had happened between her dad and Mark Sherbrooke must be huge. “Maybe if he stops shouting long enough when I tell him about us, I’ll ask.”
“Yeah, right. Like that’ll happen,” he said with sarcasm.
Her apprehension grew, causing tension to creep into her shoulders. “I don’t want to think about my family anymore. Let’s talk about something more pleasant.”
“This weekend your wish is my command. Is there anything special you want to do tomorrow?”
She considered how they’d spent much of their time here already. A boldness she hadn’t expected took over as heat began to gather in her stomach. “I really enjoyed how we spent tonight. Let’s repeat it tomorrow. We do have a lot of time to make up for.”
“I love your plan, sweetheart.”
Chapter 12
Hand in hand they walked away from his car and toward the stairwell door. They’d spent the entire weekend alone at Rosewood, but unfortunately the rest of the world was knocking. Tomorrow they were both expected at the office. The first thing he planned to do when he got there was check his calendar. As incredible as the weekend had been, he wanted a full two weeks just the two of them and no interruptions. Brooklyn had already agreed to do the same in the morning.
“Let’s play hooky tomorrow. Fly out to Vegas and get married.”
Brooklyn stumbled and he caught her around the waist before she hit the ground. “I have a trial starting tomorrow. I can’t play hooky.”
“Okay, we can visit city hall when you break for lunch instead. Fill out all the paperwork for a marriage license, and my dad can marry us tomorrow night.”
Brooklyn stepped away from him, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth hanging open to her knees. “You’re serious?”
