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“You were being big brother West,” Laken said. “Just like he did with Abby.”
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have done it if she had a ring on her finger,” West argued.
“I don’t know what came over me. I just saw my sisters being bothered and had to step in.”
“I know that feeling,” West said.
“Come to find out she works in the building,” he said. Braylon went on to tell them about her being on the second floor and how they ran into each other another time. He apologized for stepping on toes and she admitted she wasn’t engaged.
“So now you’re newly dating someone, people in this building know you, and they think you’re engaged because of a ruse she was playing?”
He let out a sigh. “Yes. That about sums it up.”
Laken started to laugh. “I never thought you’d get into some kind of mess like this.”
He frowned. “It’s not a mess. We are dating. She only wore the ring to the coffee shop. Some guy at work had been asking her out and she forgot to take the ring off one day. He noticed it and jumped to conclusions forcing her to wear it there too. Then he saw us at lunch the first time.”
“She admitted you were engaged?” West asked, lifting his eyebrow.
He knew that look. The one where his big brother was trying to look out for him and he didn’t need it.
“She didn’t. She never acknowledged it and hasn’t once. It’s just a ring on her finger that people assumed was an engagement ring. It’s a cheap one she got online. She has never once told anyone she was engaged. As she and I said, it’s a symbol in people’s minds, but that doesn’t mean it’s what it is to her.
“Is she denying it?” Laken asked. “That’s kind of the same thing as not acknowledging if she’s not denying.”
“I get it. But if she says I’m not her fiancé now then people will think she’s cheating on some guy. That’s not right either. It’s not like her at all.”
West held his hand up. “You’re getting worked up. You can handle that any way you want.”
“That’s right,” he said. “I can. It’s just a stupid ring and people’s assumptions. We’ve been dating for over a month now. We get along great.”
“Tell us about her,” Laken said.
This was where it might be tricky. “She’s younger.”
“How much younger?” Laken asked.
“Nine years,” he said.
“She’s Nelson’s age?” Laken asked. “Oh my God.”
“Laken,” West said. “Abby is nine years younger than me. Stop it.”
“Yeah, but she doesn’t act it,” Laken said.
“And you don’t know Lilian to know if she acts her age either. She doesn’t. Not even close. I get the feeling she’s had a little bit of a hard life, but she’s strong and independent. I don’t want to say she’s naive because she’s not, but she didn’t even know who I was. She’s only been in Manhattan a few months.”
“One of those,” Laken said. “She wants to be an actress or something?”
He wanted to growl but didn’t. “When did you get to be so cynical?”
“Yeah,” West said. “When?”
“Sorry,” Laken said. “I’m hungry and hormonal. I should have ordered food for this meeting.”
“You set this meeting up,” West said. “So you should have.”
Laken turned and walked over to West's mini bar, opened the fridge, didn’t see anything she wanted, then opened some cabinets and came out with some breakfast bars.
