Page 76 of Seducing Bran
She rolled her eyes. “I wanted to be your girlfriend. You didn’t have to ask, because our feelings for each other didn’t need to be spelled out.”
He glanced down, then shook his head. “I like you, Ireland. Enough to know I can’t give you what you deserve.”
She swallowed the knot in her throat. “I’m glad you figured that out for me. My brain is so small, I might never have realized you weren’t good for me unless you told me so.” She stormed out of his office and through the restaurant, headed for the exit.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said from behind. “Your intelligence is one of my favorite things about you.”
Ireland stopped at the door, biting her lip to force back tears from pouring down her face. “I’ll be back tomorrow to finish looking at the orders.”
Bran didn’t say another word.
And Ireland walked out.
Wes enteredPrime with Harlow in his arms. “How’d you get the system up so quickly?” he asked Bran, who was sitting at the bar, looking over employee schedules.
“Ireland. She figured out what happened last night then came by this morning and updated our security system. We’d been hacked.”
Wes pressed Harlow’s head to his chest and covered her other ear with his hand. “What the fuck? Do we need to hire tech security or something?”
“Not according to Ireland. She installed security software so hard-core, I spent an hour this morning learning how to use it and memorizing complicated passwords.”
“Your girl is handy to have around.”
“Not my girlfriend,” Bran said, his throat dry.
Wes looked over in surprise—at the same time Harlow grabbed his nose. Which made Bran feel better. It wasn’t only his she favored.
Wes gently dislodged Harlow’s pincer-like fingers. “Since when? Don’t tell me you let her go. She was a keeper.”
“She deserves someone who can be there for her, take care of her—all of it.”
Wes covered Harlow’s ears again. “Is that the bullshit you tell yourself? Come on, Bran, what’s going on? If I’m not off the mark, and I rarely am, you’re in love with Ireland.”
Bran’s hands clenched. “Did you come by for some reason other than to discuss my love life?”
Wes handed Harlow to Bran. “The fact you admitted you have a love life is progress. Watch Harlow for a second. I gotta piss.”
Bran peppered Harlow’s soft cheek with kisses. While Wes stood by staring.
“Beat it, already,” Bran said. “I need Harlow time after the week I’ve had.”
“Don’t be so quick to ruin things with Ireland,” Wes said. “You may want one someday.” He glanced at Harlow.
“A kid?”
“Yes, a kid, you moron. And trust me, you’ll want it to be with a woman you love. Ireland’s the only woman I’ve ever seen you in love with. Don’t fuck it up.”
Bran hastily gave Harlow earmuffs. “Watch your mouth.” He walked toward the bar to show off his niece to the staff. And to get the hell away from Wes and his psychoanalysis.
“Hey,” Wes said, backing slowly toward the restroom. “I want her back when I’m done. No hogging.”
Bran ignored him and proceeded to show off Harlow to everyone who worked at Prime. They all knew her, but everyone loved Harlow time.
Wes was a hands-on dad. Which made Bran proud, considering they’d never had a proper role model. Even when their father was around, he’d never been mentally present. But Wes was a good father, showing Bran and his siblings how it was done. That didn’t mean Bran believed kids were in the cards for him, no matter what Wes said.
And then he remembered Ireland. And the birth control they’d forgotten.
Ireland was right. The chances of getting her pregnant after skipping protection once weren’t likely, but it was possible. No matter what, he needed to talk to her. He’d fumbled things the other night, but he had to do better. She deserved better.
