Page 106 of Out on a Limb
Now I understood why my grandmother married my granddad.
He might be an asshole.
He might be arrogant.
He might have just been after her money.
But at least he was consistent.
I turned away, forcing my face to the small waterfall. Making myself focus on something besides all the bullshit.
But I could still feel him there.
I could feel the weight of his gaze pressing into my skin.
I spun around. “I told you to go.”
Andrew’s mouth pressed into a thin line that curved down at the edges. He shook his head at me. “No.”
“Fine.” I picked up the hem of my dress with both hands and started to march past him. “I’ll go.”
I almost made it.
Andrew grabbed my elbow, not just stopping me, but swinging me his way. His eyes pierced mine as his hand held firm.
My stomach clenched. “Are you mad at me?”
It was almost impossible to believe, but there was only one way to interpret the look on his face.
The man was pissed.
And I was the only one here.
His expression softened immediately. “I’m not mad at you.” His hand dropped from my arm. “I’m mad at myself.”
I wrapped my palm around the spot where he’d held me so firm but still so carefully. “Why?”
He let out a breath, his eyes dropping between us. “I’m not like most people, Pickles.”
The anger was completely gone now, replaced by something that made my chest ache.
Sadness.
“I know.” I wanted to reach out to touch him, but the threat of rejection kept my hands to myself. “That’s why I like you.”
His gaze lifted to meet mine, filled with a longing I felt in my own soul.
And it loosened my lips yet again.
“I like that you don’t pretend to be something you’re not.” I fingered the fabric of my dress as I fought the desire to move closer to him. “I like that you don’t say what you don’t mean.”
I’d seen it time and again over the years. If Andrew said he’d do something then he did. If it came out of his mouth he meant it. No lies. No broken promises.
No manipulation.
So different from the man my grandmother chose.
“You’re not dramatic.” It was almost laughable how much my granddad loved attention of any sort. He loved it enough to stir up anything he could to get it.
