‘Thank you,’ I reply, forcing a gracious smile. I’ve received compliments on my looks my entire life, but I don’t think I’ll ever be entirely comfortable hearing them. And although the look Brendan gives me isn’t sleazy or creepy, Brock picks up on my uneasiness.
‘Can you give us a second alone?’ he says to Brendan, before leading me back into the main foyer. ‘Are you okay?’ he asks, cupping my face in his hands.
‘I’m fine.’ Because I am, but I don’t elaborate.
‘He’s gay,’ he says. ‘You have nothing to worry about.’
I let out a small laugh. He’s obviously misread my uneasiness. ‘He can try all he wants,’ I reply, sliding my arms around Brock’s waist. ‘I only have eyes for one man.’
‘Really. And who would that be?’
‘I’m not sure if you know him,’ I say. When he growls, I laugh. I place a soft kiss on his mouth. ‘You,’ I whisper.
It’s hard for me to put myself out there like this. When you’ve been rejected your entire life, you come to expect that from everyone you meet. So letting your true feelings be known is only setting yourself up for heartache.
Brock gives me the most beautiful smile, revealing his perfectly straight teeth. ‘I’m glad to hear that because I only have eyes for you too, sweetheart.’
I finally manage to convince him that I’m comfortable being alone with Brendan, so Brock heads into his home office to do some work. I hate that I’ve been keeping him away from his business for the majority of the week.
While Brendan takes my measurements, his assistants wheel in two racks full of beautiful gowns. I’m used to this kind of treatment, but I’m touched that Brock has gone to so much trouble to please me.
I jump when I hear the front door slam shut, it makes my heart rate accelerates. I hate being on edge like this. What if it’s M?
‘Anyone home?’ I hear a male voice call.
An attractive young man comes barrelling into the room a few seconds later. ‘Well. I’ll be damned,’ he says, approaching me. ‘You must be the woman who’s captivated my brother’s heart.’
‘Shut up, Joshua,’ Brock snaps from behind him as he enters the room as well. While Brock appears to be unimpressed by his brother’s outburst, Joshua seems quite amused. I even hear Brendan snicker beside me.
‘I’m Joshua,’ the new arrival says, extending his hand to me. ‘I’m the good-looking one in the family.’
I laugh. He’s very handsome. His features are similar to Brock’s, but in my eyes, he has nothing on his brother. Brock is perfection in every sense of the word.
‘I’m Jade.’
‘Wow. I can see why my brother is so taken with you.’
‘Ignore him,’ Brock says, coming to stand beside me and draping his arm possessively over my shoulder. ‘What brings you here, anyway?’
Joshua winks at me before turning his attention to his brother. ‘I just needed to see her with my own eyes.’
‘I don’t understand what the big deal is.’ Brock’s words only seem to amuse Joshua more. When my gaze moves to Brock, I find his eyes narrowed.
‘Calm down, bro, you did well,’ Joshua says, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
Brock clears his throat while shoving his free hand into his pocket. He’s clearly uncomfortable with this situation. They’ve totally lost me. I have no idea what they’re talking about.
‘Well, you’ve seen, now you can leave.’
‘Nope,’ Joshua says, taking a seat on the couch and placing his feet on the coffee table. ‘I think I might hang around for a while.’
‘How did you get in here anyway?’
‘I still have my key.’ Joshua removes it from his pocket and dangles it from his finger. I can tell he’s enjoying getting under his brother’s skin, but despite that, I like him. My gut instincts are usually pretty spot on. Their playful banter tells me they have a good relationship. I’ve heard the way Brock talks about Joshua, so I know they’re close.
‘If you’re going to continue to drop in unannounced, you can return it.’
Joshua chuckles before shoving the keys back into his pocket. I find myself envying their relationship. I pined for a sibling growing up. I still do. A real family of my very own—someone who would love me unconditionally and make me feel like I wasn’t so alone in this world.
The pair of them sit on the couch while my fitting continues. However, I only get to try on three of the dresses that Brendan brought to the house. The moment I enter the room wearing the strapless emerald green gown, the guys unanimously choose it. They all say the colour of the dress makes my green eyes pop. It feels weird parading around in front of them, even though it’s something I’ve been forced into doing my whole adult life. Being on show is something I’m not fond of. Remembering two of the men are gay and the other is Brock makes it a little easier.