Flirting with Love

by Melissa Foster

  For a minute.

  “Oh hell. Yeah, so what? If you had Daisy to go home to, would you rather be here or home in bed with her?” Luke took a swig of his beer.

  “I’d rather be with Lis,” Ross admitted.

  “Says the man who said he’d never settle down,” Wes reminded him. “Pierce, too. What the hell? We all bit the bullet except Jake.”

  “He’ll never settle down,” Ross said with a shake of his head. “His loss, too.”

  Wes and Luke exchanged a look that Ross knew damn well meant, I told you so.

  “So Mr. I’ll Never Settle Down has met his match. Happened quickly, too, didn’t it?” Luke asked.

  “I think I got whiplash.” Ross took a pull of his beer.

  Wes leaned across the table and asked with a serious tone and a dark stare, “Is this the big L-O-V-E?”

  Ross met his stare and took another drink. Yeah, it was love. He had no doubt about it, but he didn’t need to admit it to his younger brothers before he told Elisabeth.

  Luke and Wes exchanged another glance.

  “Shit. You think we don’t know?” Luke smacked a hand down on the table. “I was the last one that was going to fall. Remember? Not me. Not Luke Braden. Women were like wine—too sweet not to enjoy a different one every night.”

  Ross kept a straight face and held his steely gaze.

  “You’re going to hold out on us? It’s us, man. We know. We’ve been there. We are there.” Luke ran his hand between him and Wes.

  “We’re in the thick of it, Ross. Why’re you holding back? Unless…” Wes sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Unless you’re not sure.” He slid another look to Luke.

  “True. Or maybe she’s not as into him as he is into her,” Luke suggested.

  They were egging him on, and it was working. Big-time. When the waitress asked if they wanted another round, he slapped a credit card on the table.

  “Struck a nerve,” Luke said. “The only question is, which one?”

  “There’s another option. Maybe she seems like she’s sweet and all that, but she’s really a two-timer and our brother here got wind of—”

  Ross reached across the table, grabbed Wes by the collar, and hauled him halfway across the table. “Shut the fuck up before I break your goddamn vocal cords.” He shoved him back to his seat.

  The waitress brought his card back, and he signed the slip and handed her the receipt, his eyes never leaving Wes, who had a shit-ass grin on his lips.

  A cell phone rang and they all reached for their phones.

  “Chip, what’s up?” Wes lifted his chin at his brothers. “Yeah. Good. Yup. Tomorrow. Okay, bud. See you then.” He ended the call and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

  “Y’all are assholes.” Ross rose to his feet.

  “Yeah, so are you,” Wes said.

  Ross slung an arm over each of his brothers, and they plowed out to the parking lot as they’d done hundreds of times before.

  “Daisy’s at Elisabeth’s house,” Luke said as they disengaged from one another.

  “So is Callie.”

  “Really? I thought just Emily was going over to discuss her kitchen plans.” The three of them whipped out their keys. “Elisabeth’s.”

  With a nod, they climbed into their trucks and followed Ross to Elisabeth’s house.

  The house was dark, save for a flash of light from the television in the living room.

  “What the hell are they doing?” Wes asked. “You hear that?”

  They listened as they ascended the porch steps. Luke went to the window and flagged them over with his hand. The three of them peered into the window at the four girls piled on the couch hugging one another, clutching tissues and wiping their eyes.

  “Aw, hell.” Ross turned his back to the window.

  “Tears.” Luke followed suit.

  “Fuck.” Wes fell into line.

  Ross leaned back in and looked in the window just as Emily glanced up and screamed. She fell off the couch, and all the girls started screaming.

  “Holy shit.” Wes barreled into the house. The girls were huddled together against the wall, still screaming. “It’s us. It’s us.”

  “You ass!” Emily threw a pillow at him.

  “Wes! What were you thinking? We thought you were Peeping Toms,” Callie said with a harsh stare.

  Luke wrapped Daisy into his arms. “Peeping Toms in Trusty?” He laughed and Daisy swatted his stomach.

  With the others beating on each other, Ross folded Elisabeth into his arms and brushed her tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry we scared you, babe.” He pressed his cheek to hers and whispered, “I love you.” He hadn’t planned on saying it, and he definitely hadn’t planned on saying it in front of his brothers as they tried to calm their drunken, upset girlfriends, but he couldn’t hold back any longer.

  Elisabeth leaned back and blinked her long lashes at him. “You…”

  He smiled down at her and nodded. “I do. I love you.”

  More tears sprang from her eyes. He buried his hand beneath her hair and kissed her. She tasted sugary sweet, and it was a taste he’d never forget.

  “Hey!” Emily yelled and slapped Ross on the back. “Look at you two making out while you nearly gave us heart attacks. Thank God we already ended our Skype call with Rebecca. She probably would have called the Trusty police.”

  Ross reluctantly parted lips with Elisabeth, then turned to face his sister. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glassy, and she was swaying on her feet. Ross wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “You’re either staying here tonight, or I’m driving you home, sis.”

  Emily banged her forehead against his chest. “I love your girlfriend,” Emily gushed.

  “Me too. What’ll it be? Here or your place?” He glanced at Wes and Luke, holding their girlfriends. Wes and Luke lifted their heads when Ross said, “Me too,” and passed him a smile and nod.

  “Mine,” Emily said. “But we have to clean up. We can’t leave Elisssssabeth with this mess.” She swayed back and Ross caught her.

  “I’ll clean up. Wes, can you take Callie and Daisy home? Luke, can you help me deliver cars so everyone has theirs in the morning?”

  “Sure.” Luke held Daisy against him.

  Ross assessed the room. “Pizza, cheese, crackers, chocolate, tears, and margaritas. Looks like we missed a great night, minus the tears.”

  Elisabeth ran her finger along the back of his neck. “We’ll have our own party.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  Ross and his brothers got everyone home safely; then Ross stopped at home and picked up the boys. By the time he arrived back at Elisabeth’s, she was fast asleep on the couch. Knight jumped onto the couch and snuggled in at her feet while Ranger and Sarge sprawled out on the living room floor. Ross cleaned up the living room and then sat in an armchair and drew in a deep breath. This was where he wanted to be, with Lis and the boys.

  He gathered her in his arms, and Knight gave him a look of disapproval as he carried her upstairs. He wondered if she’d remember what he’d said when she woke up. He laid her on the bed and undressed her, down to her skivvies and tank top, then drew the blankets up to her chest. She was so damn beautiful as she licked her lips in her sleep and settled into the mattress with a sleepy sigh. Ross stripped to his briefs and slipped beneath the blankets. Elisabeth instinctively snuggled against him.

  He kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Lis.” He didn’t care if she heard it or not. It felt damn good to say it.

  “I love you, too,” she said against his chest, and with the next breath she was fast asleep.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ELISABETH’S HEAD WAS pounding. She must be dying, or someone was surely torturing her. She opened her eyes to the morning light and slammed them immediately shut with a groan. It was Thursday, and she had to take care of the animals and deliver pies. Oh God. No, no, no. She rolled onto her side, and when she didn’t roll into Ross, she
reached an arm across the sheets and felt for him. The bed was empty. She didn’t dare call out for him, because even her thoughts echoed in her head, as the night before came back in bits and pieces. She smiled at the memory of the girls’ night, then cringed because smiling hurt. The familiar tapping of nails on hardwood came closer. Click, click, click! A wet nose pressed against her cheek, followed by a distinct doggy tongue that smelled like one of her puppy cookies. She reached a hand out and stroked the dog’s head. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know it was Knight. He and Ranger were the only ones who crawled onto the bed, and Ranger did it in stealth mode, pulling himself up by the front paws, whereas Knight came up in one giant leap. As he did now, landing on her feet.

  She groaned again and flung her pillow over her head. The bed beside her dipped and the very male, sexy scent of Ross filled her senses. She opened one eye and shoved the pillow to the side, drinking him in. Even through half-open, hungover eyes he looked like the god of hotness.

  “My poor girl.” Ross spoke quietly. “I brought you some ibuprofen, but I wasn’t sure of your cure of choice, so I brought tomato juice, which will help level out your blood sugar levels, or water, your choice.”

  She pulled the pillow over her head again. “How do people do this?”

  “Get through hangovers? I’ve gotten through many. You just face them head-on.”

  “I’ve only had one before, and it wasn’t this bad. Can you just shoot me?”

  He moved the pillow and kissed her forehead. “No, but I can love you through it.”

  She opened her eyes and remembered. I love you. She smiled, which sent another bolt of pain through her head. “You love me,” she whispered.

  “So I guess you remember.” He smiled down at her and brushed her hair off her shoulders.

  “I’ll never forget.” She pushed up so she was sitting and took a moment to get her bearings. Ross handed her the tablets and she whispered, “Water.” She gulped down the medicine and leaned in to his chest. “Can’t I just stay here all day?”

  “I’m not sure you want all my clients in the bedroom, but I did take care of the animals for you.”

  She fisted her hands in his shirt. “You’re the greatest boyfriend ever. No wonder I love you.”

  He lifted her chin so he could see her eyes, and he pressed a kiss to her lips.

  “My breath has to be nasty.” She turned away, and he drew her back again.

  “I don’t care.” He kissed her again. “I want you to know something. I’ve never said that I loved a single girlfriend before. Not a single one. Just you, babe.”

  She lowered her eyes. She couldn’t say the same, and she wondered if he knew that from their conversation in the truck before they made love.

  “It’s okay. I know you’ve said it before. You told me. I just wanted you to know.”

  She continued clutching his shirt. “Yes, I said it before, but what I had with Robbie wasn’t like what we have. I know that now. That wasn’t love, Ross. What we have is real and true. What I had with him was friendship.”

  “Lis, you don’t have to explain. We all have pasts. It’s okay if you loved him. Some people love many people in their lifetimes. You love me now, and that’s what matters.” Ross tried to stand, but she held on tight.

  “Ross.”

  He pressed his finger to her lips. “I don’t question your love for me, Lis. I believe you. That’s what love is, putting aside our insecurities and trusting in our partners. I have to get to work, but if you need me, just text, okay? I’m taking the boys with me to the clinic.”

  She nodded, gritting through the ache in her head. “Thank you for taking care of me and the animals.”

  “I always will.”

  Elisabeth listened as he went out the front door with the boys. She breathed deeply, wondering how on earth she got lucky enough to be with the kindest man on the planet—and how she was going to make it through her deliveries with a killer headache.

  Her cell phone vibrated, and she grabbed it from the nightstand and read the text from Emily.

  Are you alive?

  She texted back. Barely. You?

  A minute later her response came through. Did my brother tell you he loves you, or did I dream that?

  She closed her eyes for a beat, reveling in the answer and the friendship before texting back. YES!

  Emily texted back seconds later. OMG! Yay! Wait…Do you love him? Yes, I’m nosy. Get used to it!

  She didn’t hesitate to answer. LOL. YES!

  Emily didn’t text back right away. She showered, dressed, and was fifteen minutes into baking before she received another text from Emily.

  Okay, now the whole town knows.

  Elisabeth called her.

  “Hey,” Emily said just above a whisper.

  “You sound awful.”

  “Thanks,” Emily said. “Headache.”

  “Tell me about it. Why did you tell the whole town? They don’t exactly like me yet.”

  “Oh, shut up. We love you and that’s all that matters.”

  That made Elisabeth smile.

  “I didn’t really tell anyone. I stopped in at the diner for coffee, and I ran into Wes. Sorry it took so long to get back to you.”

  “You had me worried.”

  “I’m sorry. You know Margie. She can talk forever, and when Wes showed up, he gave me a hard time about last night. The bugger. Like he’s never gotten shitfaced before. I’m happy for you and Ross, but a little jealous. I’m starting to think I’m destined to be single forever. Maybe I should borrow some of Alice’s cats.” Emily laughed.

  Elisabeth finished mixing the beer batter for the cakes she was making and held the phone against her shoulder while she poured it into a bowl. “I think love finds us when we don’t even know we’re ready, so don’t give up. Whether you find your true love here or in Italy, it’s bound to happen. You’re too amazing for it not to.”

  “You’re so nice, Elisabeth. Daisy and Callie roll their eyes at me and tell me to start dating.”

  “Well, that would help, but I’ve never been big on dating, so I don’t think that’s the answer. The first time I saw Ross, I knew. You know how you get a flutter in your chest, and your stomach starts to do little flips? Ross made my entire body wake up and go weak at the same time. He was so in control when I turned his office upside down with my noisy piglet. He didn’t even get upset with me, or snappy or anything. He just looked at me and said, It’s okay. Take a deep breath. I could barely breathe looking at him. He—”

  “Okay, okay. Brother. Remember? I get it, so there’s probably hope for me yet.”

  “Sorry. I was gushing.” She slid the cakes into the oven. “Are you guys really going to help me at the fair tomorrow?”

  “Of course. It’ll be fun. What should we bring?”

  “Nothing. I’m making beer cakes, puppy cookies, and pies. We should be good. Oh, maybe bottled water? That would be good. Ross is going to put up the awning and help me with the refrigeration unit I rented. I’ll set up a grooming station and we’ll be all set.”

  “How are you going to do everything that you do when everyone suddenly wants you to care for their pets? I mean, think about it, Elisabeth, the pet massages, grooming, picking up and dropping off dogs, not to mention baking and delivering pies. My mom said Jade’s clients are all talking about you, too, which means your business is likely to really take off.”

  Just hearing there was a possibility of her business taking off made her pulse speed up. “Not all, just three. I’m not sure. I’ve been thinking about it and I’ll probably have to figure out a way to bring my grooming supplies and do what I did in LA, a mobile grooming van or something. I sold mine before I moved, but eventually I can get another one. That would give me a way to be a little more organized and not have to waste time running back and forth.”

  “I’m exhausted just listening to all you do. I’ve got to go figure out how to get through a meeting with a blinding headache. I’ll s
ee you bright and early tomorrow.”

  They ended the call and Elisabeth eyed the box by the wall. She knelt beside it, feeling much stronger than she had the last time she’d looked at its contents. She withdrew a few pictures of her aunt and closed the top flaps. Packing away Robbie was easy. She had no qualms or emotions about saying goodbye to their past, but packing away the letters from her aunt, and the few knickknacks she’d received from her over the years, was more emotional. But she wasn’t shutting her aunt or her aunt’s memories away. Aunt Cora was everywhere. This was her house Elisabeth was living in, her furniture, her photographs on the wall. Elisabeth used her aunt’s recipes to facilitate the business her aunt had grown from nothing more than an idea and a warm heart. She looked around the kitchen and sighed. It was time to start her own life. To put Robbie away for good and to put the heartache of her aunt’s passing behind her.

  As she carried the box to the hall closet, she mentally put away the comparisons of her mother to herself, and all the doubt and worry that went along with it. She was in the town she always knew would be her forever place, with a man who was her forever love. How could life get any sweeter?

  ROSS HEADED INTO his house to take care of the dogs and work out after work. The house was quiet without Elisabeth there. Knight stuck to his side, following him as he went upstairs to the bedroom, as if he missed Elisabeth, too. He hadn’t realized how used to her being there he’d become. He changed into his workout clothes, then texted Elisabeth before going down to his home gym.

  Just got home. Doing a quick workout. Then I’ll shower and come over. Okay?

  He was setting up his weights when she texted back.

  Want to stay at your place? My head is better. I can bring dinner. Xox.

  Damn, he’d forgotten the xox.

  He returned her text. Sounds good. Extra xox from me.

  He’d felt lighter since he’d told Elisabeth he loved her, freer, stronger. He’d always hoped that at some point he’d find the right woman, someone to build a life with. Someone he would love and protect and who he knew would love him for who he was and not for his money. Elisabeth was better than any woman he could have ever dreamed up, and loving her felt damn good. He’d liked taking care of her last night, and this morning, with the exception of how sad she’d looked about him not being the first man she said she loved, but Ross didn’t fret over it. He believed her when she said she loved him. He saw it in her eyes and felt it in her touch. He added extra weights to his bench press bar and turned on ESPN, then pushed through a rigorous workout. He was just finishing his last set of sit-ups, drenched in sweat, feeling strong and exhilarated, when he heard the dogs barking. He flicked off the television and headed upstairs.