"But what about later?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me when we were together?"
"I tried," I said. "But it was such a sore subject, and we both had things to be sorry for. I mean, I didn't like you bringing up what happened with the truck, so…" With a loose shrug, I finished by saying, "It just seemed better to let it go. Or at least, I tried to let it go."
His gaze softened as he said, "But the lab explosion – it didn't just cost you the scholarship. It cost you the house, too."
I saw what he meant. And there was a time not too long ago when I would've agreed. But I had to be fair. "It wasn't just you," I said. "I'm sure there are things I could've done better, too. And besides, I never could've fixed up the house like you did." Now, I did smile. "And you know what?"
"What?"
"I'm glad you own it." I searched deep in my heart and realized that I truly meant it. I looked around, taking in how beautiful the place looked now. My grandparents would've loved it.
And I loved it, too.
But more than that, I loved the guy who'd made it happen. As I stared into his eyes, I couldn’t stop myself from saying, "I love you, Brody Blast."
His eyes warmed, and he smiled in a way that tugged at my heart. He was still smiling when he pulled me close and wrapped me in his arms just the way I liked.
Into my hair, he teased, "You were supposed to wait."
I laughed against his chest. "I didn't want to wait." As I spoke, I burrowed tighter against him. I never wanted to let go. The feel of him, the scent of him, the sound of him – all of it was like coming home to a place I'd been searching for my whole life.
And this had nothing to do with real estate.
Thinking of the camera crews, I asked, "Where is everyone, anyway?"
"Gone," he said.
"For how long?"
"Forever."
That word, forever – it sounded so good on his lips. I smiled against him. "Are you sure? Like no one's gonna come back to reclaim an extension cord or something?"
"They can try," Brody said. "But they'll need permission first. The place is firmly off-limits. And you wanna know why?"
"Why?" I asked.
"Because the owner deserves some privacy."
I laughed. "Yes, you do."
"I don't mean me."
I pulled back to look at him. "What?"
"I mean you."
I blinked. "What are you saying? You're willing to sell it?"
He shook his head. "I was never willing to sell. But I am going to make things right."
I smiled up at him. "They're already right."
"Not yet," he said. "But almost." He flicked his head toward a nearby kitchen drawer. "In there, there's something I want you to see."
"What is it?" I asked.
With a smile, he replied, "You won't know 'til you look."
Slowly, I turned and opened the drawer where he'd indicated. Inside, I spotted a neat stack of papers. When I read the big, bold letters on the top sheet, my heart leapt into my throat. "It's the deed."
"You mean your deed."
Holy crap.
He was right. There was my name, right there in black and white. From what I could tell, he'd actually gifted me the house.
I whirled to face him. "You don't mean it?"
"The hell I don't," he said. "I told you, I was going to make it right."
"But I didn't pay you."
"You payed me plenty."
"But that's not true," I said. "I can't accept it."
"You can. And you will." He smiled. "You belong here. You know it's true."
"Yeah, but I wanted to buy it, not force you to give it to me."
"Force me, huh?" He laughed. "Good luck with that."
I couldn’t help but smile. Brody was one of the most stubborn people I'd ever met. And the most wonderful. But I'd meant what I told him. I couldn't accept it.
And I told him so repeatedly until he finally said, "Alright. How about this? I'll ask you again in a month."
"Why a month?"
He grinned. "Why not?"
Well, I couldn’t argue with that – so I didn't.
Instead, I melted into his arms and said, "Do you remember that day we picked out the cabinets?"
His chest was hard, and his embrace was steady. "Uh-huh."
"Do you remember what we talked about?"
With a smile in his voice, he replied, "Oh yeah."
"So, um…What do you think?"
Chapter 76
Arden
Brody pulled back and gazed deep into my eyes. "I think you're mine."
I almost giggled. "You think I'm yours. What, you don't know?"
"Oh, I know," he said. "Do you?"
For all kinds of reasons, I couldn’t stop smiling. "I do now."
"You bet your ass, you do." Slowly, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine. He kissed me like he meant it, and I leaned into him, savoring the feel of his lips and the taste of his tongue.
I'd missed him so very much – the sound of his voice, the feel of his body, the smell of his soap. In every possible way, he filled my senses, making me ache deep in my core.
I wanted him.
I'd wanted him almost from the start, even back when we'd supposedly hated each other. But that was then. This was now.
Now, he was mine. And I loved him so very much.
And he loved me.
Talk about a crazy wonderful world.
When his hands slid up the back of my shirt, I felt the familiar tingle of anticipation. His hands were big and warm – not smooth, but strong and steady.
Beyond eager, I reached under his shirt, too – yanking and pulling at the fabric until with a laugh, he pulled back and let me practically rip the polo shirt over his head, leaving him naked from the waist up.
His waist was lean, and his chest was picture-perfect, just like I remembered. But it wasn't his body, or even his handsome face, that made my breath hitch and my heart skip a beat.
It was the look
