Page 28 of The Fake Fiance's Billionaire Adversary
Before spending time with him? No. But now? “With all my heart.”
“You don’t think I’m a bad guy anymore?”
“Let’s not get hasty.” She chuckled, making sure he knew she was teasing.
He flashed her lopsided grin. “You’re not that funny.”
It only made her laugh harder.
“Come on, comedian, let me show you the rest of the house.” He placed the flat of his hand on the small of her back, and that electric connection climbed her spine, frying her nerves the entire way up.
Each room had a story, and with each story, she learned more and more about him. When they reached his room, she looked it over, seeing little bits and pieces of him all over it.
“How long has it been since you stayed here?” she asked, turning to face him.
Hunter put his hands on his hips and blew out a puff of air. “Uh, maybe two or three Christmases ago.”
“I can’t picture all of you crowded into a house this small, but I bet you didn’t notice it too much, huh?”
“No, but now that Bear has that ranch house, there’s no denying it’s nice to have a little extra room. I can’t tell you how many times I had a drink spilled on me.” He laughed.
She nodded. “I can see that being a problem.”
He took a deep breath and tipped his head toward his mom’s bedroom. “Let’s find you a ring out of Grandma Jo’s jewelry box.”
“Okay.”
He led her back to his mom’s room, pulled the jewelry box from the shelf in the closet, and sat on the bed. She joined him on the bed as he opened the lid and a tiny ballerina sprang up. “There is all sorts of stuff in here. We call it Grandma Jo’s, but it’s more like generations of women in my family.”
Reagan moved things around, marveling at all the little rings, earrings, and necklaces filling the box. Some looked older than she was comfortable wearing, especially since their engagement was fake. The last word caused her to pause. “I don’t know if I can wear any of these. Our…engagement isn’t real. I don’t want something to happen or to lose it.”
“I trust you. Besides, I’m more scared of my mom than you losing that ring.”
She leveled her eyes at him. “Then you pick it.”
“Okay.”
After a few minutes of digging, he pulled out a ring with an aquamarine center lined with little diamonds. She was intrigued that he’d picked it. “What made you pick that one?”
He lifted her left hand, and as he slipped the ring on her finger, he said, “It’s bright and soft at the same time. Soothing and peaceful like the ocean.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “Like you.”
Her heart had climbed higher into her throat with each word spoken. It was sweet and sincere and wonderful, just like him. How had she not seen it before? Warmth spread from her chest to her face and raced to the tips of her ears. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. She was speechless. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
With a smile, he brought the back of her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it. Every nerve in her body felt frazzled and frayed. “How about don’t. Let’s go take that walk.”
Walk, run, jog, jet-fuel backpack, maybe even parachuting out of a plane…wherever he went, she’d be up for it. Okay, the plane thing not so much, but she’d be there for moral support if that’s what he liked doing for fun.
Inwardly, she groaned. She needed to tell him she knew about his money, but how? It wasn’t fair that he was being so great. This trip was supposed to end with her on one side and him on the other. Instead, the idea of not having him next to her made her want to cry. Maybe she’d figure out a way to tell him before the evening was over because she wasn’t sure she could keep it from him much longer.
Chapter 13
“So, what do you think of Caprock Canyon?” asked Hunter.
Their date so far had been fantastic. When he’d picked the ring out, he’d been afraid he’d said too much, but when he lifted his gaze to hers, the smile on her lips and the twinkle in her eyes were enough to melt him. He couldn’t understand why she hadn’t been told those kinds of things more often.
Reagan looked at him. “I love it.”
He pointed to the building where Gabby worked. “When Gabby isn’t at the orchard, she’s there. The newspaper shut down not long after the ranch, and when she returned home, she got it going again.”
