Page 41 of Rough and Rugged
Gemma had been counting on the money to start her photography business. She was talented and loved photography but didn’t have enough time or extra income to build a viable business. Her inheritance would have given her both.
Now though…like she’d said, no wedding meant no inheritance and the end of her dream.
A crazy thought sparked at the edge of my mind, spiraling bigger as the others’ voices faded into the background. I stood there, lost in my own world, turning it over and over in my brain.
What if…? Would Gemma do it?
It would guarantee her inheritance when the time came, give her certainty and peace of mind knowing she’d be receiving it, and provide her with the safety net of my military benefits in the meantime. And me? I’d get the satisfaction of knowing I was taking care of her. I’d get to make her dream come true and take a tiny sliver of mine in return.
“You still have time, Gemma.” Cade’s words broke through my spinning thoughts. “You won’t turn twenty-five for what? A year and a half?”
She shook her head at Cade sadly. “It’s not that easy, Cade. It’s hard enough to meet someone, let alone get to know them and trust them.”
She knew me, had known me for years. She trusted me. She wasn’t in love with me, not like I was with her, but still…
Carson was newly married; Cade had a serious girlfriend. I was the only one of us who could do this for her.
Ineededto do this for her…and for myself.
“You’re right, Gem.” I looked into her eyes and said the words that meant more to me than she’d ever know. “That’s why you should marry me.”
PRESENT
I thought back on that moment as I walked toward the house – the shock in Gemma’s eyes, then the flood of gratitude even as she’d said she couldn’t let me do it. I’d pushed back, giving her all the reasons it was the best solution. And I remembered the knowing looks on my brothers’ faces, telling me they saw more than I wanted them to, and heard everything I wasn’t saying to Gemma.
A few days later, I’d married her – a quick, civil ceremony, minus the “you may kiss the bride” part, with Carson and Cade as witnesses, and officiated by a judge who was a friend of Carson’s. Three days after that, with a hug and her thousandth “thank you” whispered in my ear, I’d left her behind and reported back overseas.
Little did I know a year later, her life would take another unexpected turn right alongside mine.
Chapter Four
Gemma
IheardhimbeforeI saw him. A guy Caleb’s size was never exactly quiet. I listened as he dumped his boots in the mudroom at the back of the house, the same place I’d left my shoes, then looked up from the stove as he appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“I need a shower, then I’ll help.” His eyes flicked down me and back up, and I looked down, checking my sweater and jeans for anything I may have spilled on myself, before looking back up to find an empty doorway.
Shaking my head and wondering what that had been about, I went back to what I’d been doing. I’d found the ingredients for chicken broccoli alfredo in Caleb’s kitchen and had jumped at the chance to make it, knowing it was his favorite. Any weapon I could use to put him in a better frame of mind to listen to me, I’d take.
I had the chicken cooking and was steaming the broccoli when Caleb reappeared, barefoot, his dark hair still damp, wearing a t-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders and a pair of gray sweatpants. My lips quirked up in a smile as I thought about our earlier conversation in the driveway. Caleb was a shoo-in for a mountain man calendar, true, but he’d absolutely steal the show in a “hot men in gray sweatpants” calendar. Knowing how much he’d love that thought – not – I kept it to myself, focusing on the chicken even as I felt Caleb giving me the eye.
We worked together in companionable silence. Though it had been a while, it was far from the first time we’d cooked together. We’d done it plenty of times both when I’d lived next to the guys and in the years since. As always, I forced myself not to overreact each time Caleb’s big body brushed against mine. Step by step we pulled the meal together and sat down to eat.
I bided my time, waiting as Caleb inhaled his food. Knowing him, he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, either because he’d forgotten, been too busy, or both. If I hadn’t been here to force dinner on him, it was an even bet whether he’d have eaten anything at all before he’d eventually dropped into bed.
After a few minutes, Caleb finished his plateful and sat back.
“It’s always better when you make it. Thanks.”
I shrugged as a thread of warmth swirled through me.
“I’ll have to make it for you more often.” Why did I suddenly feel like I was flirting with him? A weird tension ran between us. “Besides, you helped.”
Caleb stood without a word, carrying our plates to the kitchen. Once everything was cleaned up, the dishes and pans stacked neatly in the dishwasher, we settled back at the kitchen table. Caleb leaned back in his chair, crossing his muscled arms across his chest. I couldn’t help my smile, earning me a frown in return.
“What?”
“You look like you’re bracing yourself for an onslaught. Am I that intimidating?”