Page 133 of Surprisingly Us

It takes me a moment to realize what he said.

Does he mean that hypothetically for our fake engagement we don’t need to worry about being married and having no siblings to make us an aunt or uncle? Or that even if we were really together there’s no chance of being uncle and aunt because again, we don’t have any siblings?

My phone buzzes on the counter. “That’s probably the food. I asked them not to ring the doorbell since the girls are asleep.”

“That’s for sure something Aunt Lettie would do.” He winks at me. “I’ll get it.”

While Rhys goes to get the takeout, I think about our conversation. Rhys is fun and goofy and charismatic and playful, but he’s also thoughtful and generous and sweet. Everybody is allowed to want a certain life for themselves, family or not, but it’s wild to me that he doesn’t see how much he has to offer someone.

I wonder if our fake relationship will change him, and he’ll be interested in being with only one woman, or if he’ll return to whatever it was he was doing before we started this arrangement.

For the first time since this started between us, the idea of seeing Rhys with another woman makes me nauseas. Which is not great for all the food we just ordered.

Rhys is back a few minutes later and he starts unpacking the food.

I watch as he distributes the various dishes onto two plates. He starts picking off mushrooms from one of the dishes and putting it onto the other plate.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“They forgot to hold the mushrooms in your Moo Goo Gai Pan so I’m picking them out.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can eat around them.”

“I got you, Princess.” He winks and that simple flash of his eyelashes sends a shockwave through my body. I feel it deep. All the way down in my bone marrow.

This right here. Rhys being this sweet, thoughtful man, is going to be trouble.

CHAPTER 39

Rhys

“Okay, that’s about all I can take of that show. It’s my turn to pick.” I motion for Lettie to give me the remote control. We’re two episodes into this show and it’s starting to give me an eye twitch.

She shakes her head, a sly smile pulling at her lips. “90 Day Fiancéis a classic. I think you could learn a lot from it.”

“Lettie,” I warn. There’s an edge to my voice, but she’s not fazed at all.

“What are you going to do?” she asks. “Take the remote away?”

When I don’t respond, her lips twist in amusement. “For such a bad boy, you’re actually quite a softie, Rhys Spencer.”

She’s goading me. Sitting there cross-legged in her leggings and cropped t-shirt. Her hair piled high on her head, face free of makeup. She looks like a fucking dream. An angel with a wicked smile that has every muscle in my body on high alert. The way she’s defiantly pursing her lips and cocking her eyebrow, she’s exactly like dream Lettie that has been wreaking havoc on my subconscious every night.

Testing my resolve, I learn forward, letting her warm, feminine scent wash over me. My fingers slide under her chin, tilting it up until her blue eyes are level with mine.

“For such a good girl, you’re awfully disobedient.”

“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She pulls away and my fingers immediately miss touching her. Then with that beautiful grin pulling at her lips, she side-eyes me while slowly lifting the remote toward the screen.

“It’s cute that you think you’ve won.” I stretch my arms toward the ceiling before casually placing my hands behind my head. “If I want that remote, I will take it from you.”

Her lips press together and her chest starts to vibrate with the laughter she’s holding in.

“Yeah? I’d like to see you tr—” her words are cut off when I suddenly lunge toward her. She shrieks, scrambling toward the other end of the couch, but she’s not quick enough. I’m on her so fast, my larger frame covering the space between us and easily pinning her beneath me. Her hand holding the remote is now tucked beneath her back.

“I’m sorry, what was that you were saying?” My finger pads find the smooth skin exposed by her cropped shirt and tease her there. A laugh bursts out of her as she squirms from side to side trying to get away from my torturous fingers, but I’m relentless.

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