Looking down, she smoothed her hands over the pretty fabric. “I like it. And it’s actually pretty comfortable,” she noted with more than a little surprise.
Her jeans and T-shirts were easy to wear, but as they made their way down the stairs, for the first time she wondered if they were also a way to hide. She honestly didn’t think that she harbored any issues about sex. She truly appreciated all the things her body was capable of—be it exercise, work, or pleasure.
But maybe one of the biggest reasons she’d never wanted to put her femininity on display was because her fears ran deeper than that. Though she swore she wanted to find love, she couldn’t deny that any time things got semiserious or the slightest bit intense with a guy she was dating, she freaked out. Coming from a legacy of love-gone-wrong did that to a girl.
Other women might be looking for a whirlwind, swept-off-her-feet romance, but Suzanne’s dreams of finding “the one” had never looked like that. Not when her parents had lived that fantasy romance only to have it all come crashing down in the worst way possible.
Rosa, Drake, Harry, and her father were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, while Alec was out on the front porch making a call.
“What a fantastic dress!” Rosa said when she spotted Suzanne.
Suzanne appreciated the support from her brother’s girlfriend. “I love yours too.”
Rosa was one of the most drooled-over women on the planet, and anything she wore looked amazing. Though she was wearing a simple off-white linen dress tonight, she absolutely glowed in it. Love, Suzanne had often noted, did that to a person. All her cousins who had fallen head over heels in love now shone even brighter than before.
Alec walked back inside, and his eyes widened when he saw what she was wearing. Suzanne braced for the controlling comment that was sure to come out of his mouth. Instead, he said, “I was out of line earlier.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. “Are you apologizing to me?”
A muscle jumped in his jaw as if it pained him to admit it, but he nodded.
Of all her brothers, Alec was the worst at admitting he was wrong. Which made this a really big deal. She hugged him. “Thank you.”
Her brother kissed the top of her head. “I just want you to be happy,” he said in a low voice.
“I know you do,” she said softly as she drew back. “But I’m not a little girl anymore. You’ve got to trust me to make the right decisions.”
Though he didn’t look entirely convinced, he nodded. “I’ll try.”
“Good,” she said with a smile, “because I’ve just realized I like dressing up and looking pretty sometimes.”
“You always look pretty, Suz. If you think you need to change out of jeans to try to impress a guy, he’s the wrong guy.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Is that your version of trying to trust me?”
He grimaced. “Sorry. Old habits die hard.”
“Especially for an old man like you.”
“Thirty-four isn’t old.”
She laughed as she walked away, throwing an, “If you say so,” over her shoulder.
As the seven of them left the house to head to the Inn on Main Street for Smith and Valentina’s cocktail party, Suzanne and Rosa walked side by side in front.
“Alec was so upset with me before I went upstairs,” Suzanne mused quietly enough that her brother wouldn’t be able to hear. “I wonder what turned him around?”
“Your bodyguard,” Rosa informed her in a low-pitched voice.
“Roman? He’s the one who got Alec to see the light about laying off on the whole overbearing big brother thing?”
“He flat-out told Alex to apologize to you for acting like an ass.”
“Wow.”
“I know you didn’t want a bodyguard, but if you’re going to be stuck with one for a little while, Roman doesn’t seem half bad.”
Suzanne laughed. “I agree that he isn’t hard to look at.”
“Not only that,” Rosa said, “but he really seems to care about you. As more than just his client, I mean.”
Hope fluttered in Suzanne’s belly. Trying to act casual, she asked, “Why do you say that?”
“The security details I’ve worked with before have always kept to themselves. They did their jobs, but there was no connection on either side. Whereas the two of you not only seem like friends, it’s also clear that lots of chemistry is there if you ever wanted to become more in the future.” When Suzanne didn’t reply right away, Rosa bit her lip. “I’m probably totally overstepping. I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I feel so close to you already.”