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“Nothing about this is fucking easy,” he continued, “and you’ll think about it until the day you die. But it’s necessary—we both know that.”
THIRTY-FOUR
Lily
Brady stared at me from the other side of the main cabin with the most devilish smile on his face. We were only three hours into our trip to Bangkok, and every few minutes, I would find myself glancing in his direction, and each time, his eyes would already be on me. It didn’t matter if he was in deep conversation with his brothers and Jenner or that I was sitting on the opposite side of the plane, chatting with the ladies.
When it came to him, his gaze was never far.
That was one of the many things I loved about him.
And I wanted him to feel the love flowing through me, but Jo was dragging my attention back to our group of girls as she said, “I have to tell you that I’ve never seen Brady like this in my entire life.” She tapped her hand over the side of my leg. “He has heart eyes over you, girl.”
I didn’t know if it was her lotion or perfume—or both—that was the most delicious scent of pumpkin.
Wedged between Jo and Macon’s girlfriend, Brooklyn, with Rowan sitting across from us, all of us forming a small circle, I took my time looking at each of their faces as I replied, “I’m nuts about him.” I grinned and then gave my man a quick glance, our gazes locking before I added, “Honestly, he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Within the first twenty minutes of the flight, it almost felt as though I had three new best friends. Brooklyn and Rowan were just as warm as Jo and immediately embraced me. It was shocking, given that I was employed by the Spades, that I hadn’t met either of them yet, but so far, Brady was the only person I’d flown with.
“Is it just me, or does it look like Brady’s about to take you into the back bedroom and do the extra naughty to you?” Brooklyn said.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Rowan agreed. “He can’t take those heart eyes off you.”
Jo smiled and laughed. “He’s my cousin, I can’t go there, you guys.”
“He won’t go there either,” I said, giggling to Jo. “And don’t worry; he might look like he wants to take me into the bedroom, but he wouldn’t dare with all of you on the plane.”
“But when we’re not on the plane …” Brooklyn sang.
I shrugged. “Admittedly, anything is possible.”
Everyone laughed.
“It’s funny, when I first met Brady, I wasn’t a fan.” Rowan kept her voice down as she spoke. “He wasn’t super excited about my relationship with Cooper. One, because he was losing his drinking buddy and partner in crime, and he hated that. Two, because I had become an executive at the company, and he didn’t think, in our position, we should be dating.”
“Even though Macon did the same thing.” Brooklyn rolled her eyes.
“No kidding,” Rowan replied to her. “And three, he didn’t want my family’s business to merge with his, and that pissed him off to no end.”
“It was quite the trifecta,” Jo added.
Rowan said, “One I didn’t think we’d survive, but fortunately, we did.”
I’d heard Brady’s side of the story. I’d never heard Rowan’s.
So, I asked cautiously, “Was Brady … mean to you?”
“Not mean. He was just spicy.” Rowan let out a laugh. “Which is something I understand well. My oldest brother, Rhett, is just like Brady, so I know the behavior. Good thing is, Brady came around pretty fast, and underneath that rough, growly exterior is someone absolutely amazing.” Her grin grew. “But seeing you two together puts things in perspective. You could say, it gives me hope for Rhett.”
“Brady’s problem was that he was missing love.” Brooklyn’s icy-blue eyes held me while she talked. “Now that he has it, he’s a whole different person. He’s fulfilled, and his attitude—or lack thereof—really shows it.”
Rowan put her mocha-colored hair into a low ponytail. “His smile gives that away.” Her eyes shifted to me. “Your boy never smiled before.”
“It’s like an emoji has taken over his face,” Jo said, laughing.
“The heart-eye emoji!” Brooklyn said a little too loud.
They were all trying to inconspicuously glance in Brady’s direction.
