Page 19 of The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
Whoa. This was big. “You’ve always loved doing it. I can’t even picture you not on a bull, but I’d never be disappointed in you. No one would.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
A small smile quirked on his lips, and he covered her hand with his, making her skin tingle. His lips were too close and kissable. She tried to pull free, but he held on to her hand. “You came to all my events?”
Her expression softened. “I thought you needed someone there.”
He tilted his head as his eyebrows knitted together. “Then why didn’t you let me know you were there?”
Why? Because it wasn’t long after seeing him with all those girls that Lori stepped into the picture. For a while, Gabby held on to hope that he’d see she was just using him, but that never happened. They’d break up, and it felt like seconds later that they were back together.
The last event she went to, she’d found enough courage to tell him how she felt, only to find him lip-locked with Lori. They’d broken up, he’d said, for good, but there Lori was…all over him. It had broken her heart. That was the day Gabby had put feelers out for other colleges.
And then the final straw that sent her packing was the summer before her sophomore year…him asking Lori to marry him. But it was pointless to even talk about it.
“I…” She slipped from his grip and stood. “I should get to bed. So should you.”
He jumped up with her and took her by the arms. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Cripes. She needed to get some distance. “It’s water under the bridge.” This time when she pulled free, she took off for the stairs as quickly as she could, not stopping until she was in the safety of her room.
Crawling into bed, she curled on her side and quietly wished she’d stayed in Charleston. Nothing she said would make Wyatt see her any different. No, it was better for both of them if she kept her lips locked and her feelings to herself. As much as she tried to tell herself she was over Wyatt, she wasn’t.
New Year’s Eve. Not that far away at all. She could keep it together until then. Maybe.
Chapter 8
Continuously checking the clock wasn’t working for Wyatt. It was much like waiting for water to boil. The more he checked it, the longer it took for the girls to get back home. Surely, they’d be home any second. How much Black Friday shopping could they do? Were they buying the store?
He needed to talk to Gabby. After their middle-of-the-night conversation, he’d been desperate to find out why she’d run off. He’d spent all of Thanksgiving Day trying to get her alone so they could talk, but it seemed she was deliberately avoiding him. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what he’d done to make her bolt like that.
After all this time, he’d found out she’d been to all his events, even the one in Arkansas. Why hadn’t she ever let him know? It would have made his day to know family was with him. She’d looked so…upset when he’d asked her about it. Her lips had turned down, and there was a sadness to her voice he’d never heard before. It made no sense to him.
When the sound of his mom’s diesel Excursion rumbled outside, he couldn’t get to the door fast enough. They’d taken it to make sure they had enough room for everything. He couldn’t imagine themneedingall that room, but again, women were strange creatures. They did things all the time that baffled him.
He grabbed his coat from the hook and pushed his arms through the sleeves as he jogged down the front steps and stopped next to Gabby. “Did ya’ll have fun?”
“Yeah, I had fun,” Gabby said through a yawn as she got out of the car.
“I can help bring in stuff,” he offered.
Carrie Anne bounced over to him and hugged his bicep. “That’s very sweet, big brother, but then you’d see your gifts. You’ll ruin the surprise.”
A grin stretched on his lips. “I won’t peek.”
His sister eyed him. “You’re as bad as Josiah when it comes to sneaking and peeking.”
He chuckled. “I’ll be good this time, Scout’s honor.”
Carrie Anne shook her head. “We’ve got it.”
He looked at Gabby. “You trust me, doncha?”
She hugged herself. “Not with presents.”
His mouth dropped open. “Where is the love, people?”
