Page 69 of Guarding My Love

“Yes,” he said. “It does. It does to me.”

“It wasn’t my sister,” she said. “Do you know Drew? I’d think all billionaires know each other. I mean it’s kind of a small circle, right?”

The sarcasm wasn’t lost on him. “I do not know Drew. West does know Drew’s father and has met Drew. I’m not a billionaire. I’m not in that circle.”

“You’ve talked to your brother about me?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I have. You wanted me to give you something. I am. West, Laken, Braylon and Nelson knew about you Memorial Day weekend. I was in a mood and they saw it and got it out of me.”

“We hadn’t even started dating at that point,” she said. Her fingers relaxed and she moved over to sit on a stool.

“No,” he said. “But you had me all messed up inside. I told them a tiny bit about you. Then some more later on. I mentioned to West who your brother-in-law was. I even called my brother Elias, who I’m close with, last week to talk about you.”

“Really?” she asked. Her shoulders drooped and then she popped back up in fighting mode. As if she wasn’t ready to give in yet. He could appreciate that. “What did you say to him?”

“That I was dating you,” he said. “He warned me that I should tell you my last name. Everyone has.”

“But you didn’t,” she said. “Why? I don’t understand that at this point. You say you know me and I’m a truthful person. You have told your family about me. But you couldn’t admit what your last name was. I need to understand this.”

“I told you why,” he said. “I just wanted to be looked at as Foster. Not West’s brother. Not anything else other than what you saw of me. The same way I only looked at you as Charlotte. Not Charlotte Moore.”

She seemed taken back by his words.

Maybe he was getting through to her.

He at least hoped so.

“I get it now,” she said. “I think I did all along before I stopped you. But I still feel like a fool.”

“Don’t feel that way,” he said.

“Would you have told me if I hadn’t found out?”

“Of course,” he said. “The fact that my siblings knew, meant they were going to push to meet you soon.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t make it a habit of introducing people to my family.”

“Then why say that?” she asked.

“Because you asked me to give you something and that is what I’m doing. I’m telling you this thing we’ve got—the thing that has no name—whatever it is, is enough that I’m willing to share when I don’t like to. That you’ve felt as if I’ve been hiding things, but I haven’t been hiding you to those that mean the most in my life.”

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Great way to stop her thoughts in mid-rant.

Would she be a wuss if she went and hugged him right now?

She wanted to go with her gut and that was what she did.

She got off the stool and moved toward him.

“Are you going to hit me?” he asked. He was smirking. She loved it when he did that and wondered how weak she really was.

“No,” she said. “I’m not a violent person.”

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