Page 55 of Made for You
“You look very handsome, Bruce. Well done.” Rosie twirled her finger in the air and I followed suit, rotating with my arms held out so she could inspect the three-sixty view. “Yes, very good. And my Nikki? What do you think?”
I glanced at Nikki where she stood at the edge of the colorful living room rug, still grinning, face softened as she watched me twirl for her gram’s inspection. And she was, as I’d said earlier, completely beautiful.
Her beauty and my attraction to it wasn’t a secret. I’d made no effort to hide it, nor would I, because what would be the point? She was absolute magic, and I saw no benefit in shying away from that.
“I think she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” I said plainly.
Rosie’s brows arched high, but a satisfied smirk settled into her features. “Well, I suppose that’s an acceptable answer.”
“Okay, that’s enough. We’re off, Gram. See you in a few hours.” Nikki looped her arm through mine and led me away.
“No rush on my account.” The amusement and more than that, the insinuation in Rosie’s voice had me chuckling under my breath.
“She’s relentless,” Nikki said quietly.
I took her hand and knit our fingers together, the contact notching my pulse a little higher. We exited the house, and I held the passenger door for her. Rosie embodied relentless in a few ways, but I wanted Nikki to know one thing, so before I shut her door, I caught her eye. “If her determination is aimed at pushing us together, I have to tell you I have no intention of fighting it.”
* * *
The exposed brick of the Silver Ridge Brewery’s restaurant build-out maintained the charm of the original mill building where their brewery and pub room were located, but they’d found a perfect expansion at the far end of Snow Street, and now they had two locations, one of which was a full-fledged restaurant and bar.
“That’s a good beer,” Nikki said, tongue flicking over her upper lip to wipe away the lingering foam of her drink and effectively slaying any other thoughts in my head like toy soldiers cut down by an unseen explosion.
After a beat, during which my mind said really smart things likeI want herandmore pleaseandif I take a drink will you lick me, too?, her brow furrowed and she waved her hand in front of my face to break the trance that’d overtaken me.
“You in there? Everything okay?”
I blinked reality back into place and chuckled. “I’m great. And yes, their beer really is good. Utah has a lot of great craft brews, but so far, Silver Ridge is my favorite. Plus the owners are great.”
“Do you feel like you know everyone in town by now? Is a year and a half long enough to be that enmeshed?” She studied my face like she relished the view.
Likewise, Nik.
“I made it a point to get to know people. I wanted to be sure Kiley felt like she belonged here. It’s not like it’s a foreign country, but there’s some culture shock—moving away from a military community, far away from where she grew up… it’s a big change. I figured the best way for her to feel at home here was tomakeit home.”
Her grin creased her cheek. “That’s a great plan. I know I’ve only known you guys for a few months, but I think you’ve done that. She seems at home here.”
I shifted in my seat, sipping my beer before setting it carefully on an SRB coaster.
“I hope. All this crap with her dad…” I let out a breath. “I don’t want to keep him from her if she wants to know him, but I have a bad feeling about this. I don’t know what he stands to gain. It just feels like he’s after something, and the cynic in me, or maybe the realist, just doesn’t think it’s for the sake of a relationship with her.”
She set her hand over mine where it rested on the table. “I’m guessing your instincts are pretty well honed.”
I nodded. “They are. But not necessarily forthis—for my sister. My family. It’s always been for work, and I don’t know if I can trust this feeling when I might have ulterior motives.”
“What motives are those?” she asked, retreating a little to take her drink in hand again.
There was no judgment or skepticism, just pure curiosity. Just asking the question and giving me room to answer it.
I bit down on the desire to justify myself or even to soften the real thoughts. “I don’t want to deal with it. I feel like we’re just getting into a really good place. She’s still on eggshells sometimes, still forgetting she’s safe and loved no matter what, and I don’t want this to set her back. Selfishly, I want him to disappear. And”—I swallowed the impulse to shy away from this most insidious truth—“I don’t want to lose her.”
It was ugly, maybe, that her talking with her dad made me anxious. That the thought of her getting taken away from me would send my pulse skittering through my veins like a nervous cat, and yet, there it was.
“You realize none of that is bad, right?”
My gaze snapped to hers, the bald statement surprising me. I’d expected softening, gentle words to soothe me, maybe, and for her to tell me I was a good brother, sure, but not such a plain agreement. “Keeping her from her parents for my own sake?”
She shook her head forcefully. “That’s not what you’re doing. Granted, I don’t know all the details, but I know enough that I can tell it wouldn’t be just foryoursake. I know we’re early on here, Bruce, but I can tell you’re not doing this foryou.Maybe you aren’t doing it solely for her, but she is the main factor here. You’re naturally protective of her and it’s not out of nowhere. It’s because of a history of neglect or abuse or whatever brought you to this place, thousands of miles from her old home and as herlegal guardian.That wouldn’t be the case if there wasn’t a reason, and I am not about to believe that you wanting to shield her from a person who didn’t step up when he needed to is all bad.”
