Page 86 of Let Me Love You
They’re the worst.
“Yo, Blake. What’s going on?” Knox’s voice crackles slightly through the computer’s speakers, and I turn to the screen.
“Hey, big brother. What’s up? How’s everything on base?”
“It’s good. I’m being transferred to a new base in a couple of months, so I should be closer to home.”
“Ah, yay!” I clap my hands quietly and scoot closer to the computer resting on the coffee table in front of the couch. “That makes me happy.”
“Yeah. Sorry I couldn’t be there in person, though.”
“Oh, it’s not a big deal,” I lie, shoving my hair over my opposite shoulder when Garrett chimes in, “Wait, is that an engagement ring?”
Shit.
I should’ve taken the stupid thing off before we came here.
Tucking my hand beneath my thigh, I cut into the last bit of distance between Theo and me while pasting a fake smile on my face. “Oh, I, uh…”
“Blake?” Mom murmurs. She’s been so quiet, sitting on the floral accent chair in the corner of the room, sipping a glass of red wine. I’d almost forgotten she was here.
She frowns and turns to my fiancé beside me. “Theo?”
Theo’s eyes practically sparkle with pride. Not an ounce of regret or shame pollutes them as he looks down at me, waiting for me to take the lead. To tell them the truth. To announce something I’m pretty freaking happy and excited about, no matter how delusional it might seem from the outside looking in. Because they don’t get it. They don’t know Theo. Okay, they do. But they don’t know him like I know him.
How he’s thoughtful. And sweet. And stubborn. And sexy. How he’s the last person I think of when I close my eyes and the first one I want to see when I open them. How he bought a house with me without giving a shit what others would think because he knew none of them mattered. Their opinions. Their judgments. Nothing. The only thing that matters is if I’m happy. And dammit. I am.
So. Freaking. Happy.
All because of the man beside me and how he treats me. How he makes me feel. How he looks at me like I’m his world. Like I’m the only person who matters.
The reminder leaves my veins buzzing with anticipation as I reach up with my left hand and touch Theo’s cheek, tugging him down and kissing him, giving the whole damn room a perfect view of the ring on my finger. The ring Theodore Taylor gave me when he asked if I’d be his wife. It’s cheesy and romantic, and I smile against his lips. Pulling away, I stare each of my family members in the eye, one by one. The room is so fucking quiet I swear I could hear a pin drop.
“Theo and I are—”
“Yes!” Knox interrupts. “I fucking won! Pay up, assholes!”
I jerk back, surprised by his fist pumping into the air on the computer screen along with his whoop of victory.
“Wait, what?” I screech.
Colt explains, “I promised Garrett and Knox I’d keep them updated, and—”
“Updated on what?” I demand. “My relationship with Theo?”
“All right, back up a bit, Colt,” Garrett suggests. “Start from the beginning.”
Colt nods at our oldest brother, his eyes meeting mine. “Remember the one night when you were like, I dunno, thirteen? Fourteen? And Garrett was home from school for Christmas break? When mom convinced you to wear a dress for once?”
“Uh…yeah?” I answer.
“Yeah, well. You came down the stairs while we were all playing COD, and Theo blew up in the game because he was too busy staring at you,” Colt finishes.
“So?”
“So, afterward, we all made bets about whether or not you guys would wind up together.” He shifts Ash in his lap, the same shit-eating grin plastered across his face.
“I didn’t want to acknowledge it,” Garrett admits beside me. “‘Cause you’re my baby sister, so I said nothing was gonna happen.”