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The silence that follows is deafening. Neither Reed brother moves or blinks, just stares at me. Do they want to beat the shit out of me or just think I’m certifiably insane?
Finally, Maxon rakes a hand over the top of his short, spiked hair. “I’d say you’re fucking kidding us…but I can see you’re not.”
I shake my head.
“She said no.” Griff sounds as if he’s sure of that.
With a jerk of my head, I refute him. “She’s said she’ll give me an answer this weekend.”
Another exchanged glance. Now they look impressed.
I don’t mention how badly she wants a baby. If I do, one—or both—of them may plant their fist in my face.
“I’m shocked she didn’t give you a full-out fuck no,” Maxon admits. “Especially after Mercedes Fleet cropped up.”
“I don’t know that woman,” I insist. “I didn’t fuck her. I’ve never even met her.”
Neither brother says a word. No idea if they’re convinced. I don’t have proof, just the truth.
“So why do you want to marry Harlow? As a shield from the press?”
“Hell no.” Don’t they get it?
“Well, it’s not for the speech therapy. You can get more experienced help with that anywhere.” Griff sips his beer. “So why?”
“Keeping it real? I’ve never been in love, but I’m pretty sure I am now. That notion scares the shit out of your sister. Why? And why doesn’t she believe in love? Your wives both suggested I look at her relationship with your parents.”
Neither brother seems to want to look at me for a long moment, then Griff sighs. “Probably a good place to start.”
Maxon turns a shade of dull red. “Yeah.”
Like talking to their sister, there’s a wealth of information in what Maxon and Griff aren’t saying. I wonder what they’ve endured with their parents.
“Maybe I should meet them.”
Both brothers look at me in horror. “No!”
“Why would you want to do that?” Maxon spits.
“It’s insane,” Griff confirms. “And they’ll just spend time figuring out how they can use you to their advantage. Trust me, if they did something to Harlow, they’ll never own up to it, much less apologize.”
There’s a family history here I don’t understand. Maybe I never will. But they’re the experts.
I shrug. “I have to try something. Talking to Harlow can be like talking to a wall.”
“Another Reed family trait,” Griff quips.
Maxon nods. “I keep coming back to that first year of college. I noticed it that Christmas when I flew home for the holidays. Have you asked her about that time of her life?”
“No. I can try.” But she’s not speaking to me a lot right now, and if I interrogate her too much before she answers my proposal, I’m pretty certain her maybe will become a quick no.
“Don’t. Let me get the girls to see what they can pry out of her. More soon.” Maxon claps me on the back, then texts Keeley.
Griff sends off a quick message to Britta and quickly gets a reply. “They’re on it.”
It strikes me then that her brothers are actually on my side. “Thanks. You want Harlow to marry me?”
Neither says anything for a long moment. Finally Griff breaks the silence. “We want Harlow happy. As soon as I met Simon Butler, I knew he wasn’t going to do the job.”
