“Bree, you’ve got this, honey. No sweat.”
“Thank you. If I show up at your house in need of tissues and chocolate, you’ll know why. And by the way, don’t ever convince me to go out with a guy again. Jesus, Kat. I fell asleep. I really do suck. I love ya. Thanks for not calling me a slut.”
“Bree?”
“Yeah?”
“I am so looking forward to the time I can call you a slut. Please go have sex with that gorgeous creature!”
“Goodbye, Kat.”
She snagged her purse from the nightstand, and went in search of the kindest man she’d met in a very long time.
The bedroom she’d slept in was bigger than her living room and kitchen combined. She followed the hardwood floor down a long hallway and into an enormous great room with a wall of French doors, a stone fireplace that crawled to the ceiling, two chocolate-colored couches that she was sure were like heaven to sit on, and a shiny glass coffee table. She’d never seen anything like Hugh’s house, except in magazines and on shows like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. She quickly took her boots off again, worried about scuffing the floor.
“Good morning, Bree.”
Brianna spun around and nearly lost her footing. Hugh wore a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt that looked like it had been painted on. Every curve of his magnificent muscles were evident beneath the thin material, from his rippled six-pack to his massive biceps that threatened to burst through his sleeves. In the daylight, his face took on a softer, sexier look—which she wouldn’t have believed was possible.
“Morning,” she said.
He approached her, and she held her breath. Why am I so damn nervous? “I’m so sorry that I fell asleep last night.” She covered her face with her hands.
Hugh lowered her hands as he’d done the evening before. “You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “We all sleep. It’s not like you got drunk and passed out.”
That would have been more reasonable. Who falls asleep when they’re alone with a man like you?
“Come on. I made breakfast.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her past the couches to a sparkling white kitchen with earthtone marble countertops and a breakfast room that was surrounded by windows on three sides. The view of the gardens didn’t compare to the warmth that emanated from his hand on her back, causing a pull in her lower regions that until last night she’d done a great job of shutting out.
“Do you like Belgian waffles?” Hugh pulled out a tall chair by the curved edge of the gourmet island.
“I love them.” Brianna was sure she was in some kind of time warp. A dream she couldn’t wake up from. This type of man did not just waltz into the life of a woman like her. Brianna noticed photographs on the refrigerator. More candid shots. “Is this your family?” she asked.
“Yeah, my expanding family.” He pointed to each one as he explained who they were. “This is Treat and his wife, Max. They just got married. Treat’s my oldest brother. And this is Rex with his fiancée, Jade.”
Holy cow. Even their girlfriends are hot. “They’re a gorgeous couple.”
“Yeah, they are. They live in Colorado. So do Treat and Max, right near my father’s ranch. And this is my sister, Savannah, with her fiancé, Jack, and my other brother, Josh, with Riley. They all live in New York.” Hugh touched a photo of an incredibly tan and sexy couple. “This is Dane with his girlfriend, Lacy. They live on their boat in Florida but travel a lot. And see the man in the back? That’s my dad. This was taken on Dane’s boat right after Lacy moved in.”
She noticed how thoughtful Hugh’s voice became as he spoke of his family.
“So you grew up in Colorado?” Why do I find that sexy?
“Yup, on a ranch. My father breeds thoroughbreds. Rex and Treat help him on the ranch, but Treat also owns several resorts around the world. He settled back in Colorado when he met Max because she was from a town nearby.”
“Your whole family is so…attractive.”
Hugh set a bowl of fruit on the island, then two plates of waffles. “I guess. To me they’re just family. I don’t mean just, as in only. Family is everything to me. I mean I don’t notice the rest—the looks and stuff other people see.”
“I saw a picture of your family in your room,” she admitted.
“Yeah, that’s one of my favorite memories. We were having a barbeque in my dad’s backyard with a few relatives and friends for my father’s birthday. That’s my dad’s thing, barbeques. Actually, from what Treat told me, it was something my mom started. She thought the sun filled our souls with happiness or something. Anyway, that day we all had so much fun. We all gathered around, you know, to watch him blow out the candles, and he was making a wish, and Josh asked him what he was wishing for, and all of us at the same time, even my dad, said, Mom.” Hugh shrugged. “Now that I think of it, we probably shouldn’t have laughed. He was serious, and so were we. We know how much he misses her, but it was still funny.”
“I think that’s so sweet.”
“What’s your favorite memory?” Hugh asked.
She shrugged. “I could say the day Layla was born, but it wouldn’t really be true. As wonderful of a moment that it was, it was painful and lonely and filled with mixed emotions. Probably my favorite memory was from when I was eight. It was right before my father left us. He took me somewhere, just me and him. I think it was a park, but I’m not really sure. It looked like a park, but there was a carousel, and he said I could ride it as many times as I’d like. Then we got cotton candy, and I just remember music and thinking that it was such a special day.” She looked down at the counter, remembering the next morning. “I realized later that that afternoon was his way of saying goodbye. He left the next day, and I never saw him again.”
“Bree, that’s awful.”
“No, it’s a happy memory. It’s just what came afterward that wasn’t happy. But at least I have that afternoon.”
She watched Hugh process the heaviness of what she’d revealed, and she felt guilty for telling him, but something told her that he wanted to know the truth, not a fabrication of her happiest memory.
He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. “You’re right. At least you have that afternoon, and even if there’s something not so happy afterward, he gave you that memory to cherish.”
And there it was, the reason he needed to know. So she could see how he reacted. Now she felt validated in continuing to hold that afternoon in the high regard she always had without feeling like she shouldn’t. Her mother saw that afternoon for what it was. A big show so his little girl would always think of him in a happy light. Brianna knew it, too, but she didn’t care. She wanted to see him in that light. It was easier than seeing him as the man who left without anything bigger to block out the hurt.
“Would you like some coffee? Juice?” Hugh moved comfortably in his bare feet and he spoke easily, as if they’d been having breakfast together forever.
“Either’s fine, thank you. Can I do something to help?” She stepped down from the tall chair, and Hugh smiled.
“Don’t be silly. Sit. Relax. I never get to cook breakfast. It’s a treat for me.” He set a glass of orange juice and a mug of coffee before her. “French vanilla, hazelnut? Milk? What’s your pleasure?”
Your lips on mine again. “Mmm. French vanilla would be delicious.” She rarely splurged on flavored creamers. “Do you have Sweet’N Low or sugar?”
“Both.” He set out a little ceramic bowl with several different types of sweeteners in it.
“I feel like I’m in a restaurant,” she teased.
“You can thank my sister, Savannah, for that. She hired a woman who cleans the house and keeps my schedule. When I’m in town, she makes sure the house is fully stocked.” Hugh handed her a glass bottle of maple syrup.
“Your sister did that for you? Now I do wish I had a sister.” She laughed, but Hugh’s economic status was so far out of her league that even hearing about his lifestyle seemed unreal.
“Savannah thinks I need taking care of. She worries about all of us. I guess as the only girl, and without our mom around, she probably feels a sort of obligation.”
Brianna noticed his eyes soften when he spoke of his family. I have to stop noticing things about you.
“What time do you have to be at work today?” he asked.
“Ten.” She took a bite of a waffle. “Hugh, these are amazing. Thank you.”
“I have an appointment at ten, so you can either borrow a car or I can drop you off. Didn’t you say you wanted to buy Layla a birthday present today?” He finished his waffles and dished fruit onto his plate.
You remembered. “Yeah. I need to do that, but I’m sure I can take a bus to the mall.” She couldn’t eat more than a few bites.
“Nonsense. How late are you working? I didn’t even know bars opened at ten in the morning.” He pushed his plate to the side while he finished his coffee.
“I’m not working at the bar this morning. I’m helping my friend Claude in his studio. I should be out by one or so.” She stood to clear the dishes, and Hugh stood as well. He took the dish from her hands and began washing it while Brianna cleared the glasses.