Page 27 of Guarding My Love

“I’m not one that judges,” Foster said. He’d had it happen way too much to him.

“Everyone judges,” she said.

“You mean they could look at you through my eyes and might think you’re a ditzy blonde that can’t paint, cook, or mow a lawn without blowing up the engine and need a man to take care of you?”

She sighed. “Yeah.”

“And I just told you I don’t see that when I look at you. Someone who is trying and if you’re knocked down you get right back up and try it again. That is what I see.”

She nodded her head. “You’re not like other men I’m around.”

“Sounds like it’s a good thing I’m not,” he said. He’d probably want to put his fist in their face. Yep, that wouldn’t go over too well with West.

Or his mother.

“Good for me,” she said. “Considering how much I’m fumbling around.”

“You’re too hard on yourself too,” he said.

“Product of my upbringing,” she said.

Which made him wonder if she wanted an older man to take care of her because her father was a dick.

How do you ask that without being insulting?

And if he did, she might ask more about him and he had to watch what he said.

Just because he found he liked spending time with her, didn’t mean he was ready to let her know who his brother was. Or what his own worth was.

Seemed as if she liked men with money too, so he’d wait and see what happened if she just thought he was a regular guy.

Which was stupid considering she saw his house, which cost him over a million five years ago. Now it was worth close to triple that sitting on the land he owned with it, not to mention the updates he’d done.

Her little house was listed for over six hundred. Easy purchase for him and he should have done it, but now was kind of glad he hadn’t.

“Aren’t we all?” he asked.

“True,” she said. “Anyway, many would say I’m looking for someone to take care of me and that isn’t the truth though I end up with men that want to. It’s as if subconsciously I’m drawn to it. No clue. So I’ve sworn off anyone like I used to date.”

“So talking to me is just a game?” he asked.

“No!” she shouted loud enough that Marco woke up from his nap. “See, I’m hard on myself because I mess up around you. I’m normally all planned out when I’m dating.”

“Planned out?” he asked. He didn’t know if he liked where any of this was going, but he couldn’t bring himself to get up and walk out like other times he’d done on a date.

Yep, it’d been a dick move, but it was better than losing his shit that someone wanted him for who he was related to.

“I think I feel I have to be someone I might not be so it takes work to plan it out. I do like dressing up and being girlie yet I haven’t done that once since I’ve lived here. No reason for it. I have to go into the office next week so I’ll get dressed up for that. It might feel good. Or it might make me long for my home office.”

He nodded his head. He wanted to believe what she was saying considering he’d only seen her sporting one style.

“No one should be forced to be someone they aren’t,” he said.

“Sounds like someone who has had to do that too,” she said.

“At times,” he said.

“Like showing up for family events?” she asked.

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