“I never retreat.”
“Neither do I.” Brett pulled her in close and pressed his lips against hers. Jake’s assessment earlier had been spot-on. He’d found the woman meant for him.
Chapter Nine
They’d driven back to her house this morning in separate cars. During most of the ride home, she’d kept up a steady one-sided conversation with Bo, who sat in the passenger seat content to have his head halfway out the window. Despite all the reminders Brett’s family members were just people who got up every day and showered like her, she couldn’t shake the nervous jitters. The same jitters now had her looking at her reflection in the full-length mirror and thinking about changing her clothes. Again. She’d already put on and taken off three different outfits, not to mention the sundress she’d put on this morning at Brett’s house.
She turned to see a different angle and wished there was someone besides Brett around to ask for a second opinion. He’d insisted she looked great in her first choice. Of course he also told her she looked great dressed in one of his T-shirts, so she didn’t put much stock in his opinion.
“What do you think, Bo?” she asked the dog as he entered the room. He had been in the living room enjoying a treat. If he was here now, he’d finished it and was hoping for another one. Bo jumped on the bed and curled up on the sundress she’d worn home. “I guess you’re telling me not to wear that one.”
She gave the dog a scratch behind the ear and then picked up the lilac sundress she’d tried on before the outfit she wore now. Immediately, she put it back down.
That one might be better. She eyed the red floral dress on her pillow and reached for the zipper on her skirt. The knock on the partially open door stopped her from pulling it down.
“Can I come in?” Brett asked from the hallway.
She’d left him in the living room too. If he was looking for her, he must be getting antsy to leave. He’d seen her naked. She didn’t see any reason to make him wait in the hall while she dressed. “Sure.”
She waited until he came into the room before she picked up one of the dresses from the bed. “Do you think I should wear what I have on or this?” She held up the red floral dress.
“What was wrong with the one you had on when we got here?”
“Nothing. But I thought one of these outfits might be better.” She held the dress up against her body. “So, which one should I go with?” She moved the dress away again so he could see what she had on.
His eyes went from the dress she held to the one Bo was napping on and then to the clothes she wore. “Whatever you’re comfortable in. It’s only my family, Jen. They won’t care.”
She wanted to make a great impression this afternoon. “Whatever you’re comfortable in” wouldn’t cut it today. “You’re not very helpful.” Jen turned back to the mirror. She’d put back on the first dress she’d tried. “Give me two more minutes, and I’ll be ready.”
Brett took the dress she held and tossed it back on the bed. It landed on Bo’s head, but he didn’t seem bothered in the least. He didn’t so much as twitch an ear. “Trust me. You look amazing as is. No need to change. C’mon, let’s go.”
She’d driven through the Barrington area a few times and considered it one of the more beautiful towns in the state. Located along the coast, it attracted many of the wealthier Rhode Island residents. The houses they’d passed so far reinforced the fact Barrington was one of the most affluent areas in Rhode Island.
Elegant and classic were the two words best suited to describe the home they approached as they drove through the open gate and down the driveway. Although larger than some of the mansions she’d passed during a Hollywood sightseeing tour, this mansion didn’t look like it had been designed to catch people’s attention like the ones she’d seen in California.
“It looks like some people are already here,” she said. She checked out the other cars as he parked. She didn’t know the make and model of them all, but many were more in line with what she’d originally expected Brett to drive.
Brett turned off the car. “I’ll do my best to protect you from my cousins and siblings today. If one of them starts to annoy you too much, feel free to walk away or give them a smack on the back of the head. Especially my brother.” He sounded serious, but the tiny smile poking through ruined the moment.
“Oh, knock it off. I’ve seen you with your cousins. You love your family.”
He put his finger against his lips. “Ssh. Let’s keep it our little secret.” Dropping his hand, he leaned across the car and kissed her cheek. “In case my dad or one of my uncles is watching, will you please wait and let me open the door for you today? Dad will rip me a new one if catches me letting you open the car door for yourself.”
With her hand on the door handle, she paused and considered his request. He’d insisted on opening doors for her at Turin and Pirate’s Cove as well as whenever they got into his car. And once he’d complained when she’d gotten out of the car before he even opened his door. Until his statement, she hadn’t realized it was such a big deal to him. “Are you serious?”
Brett nodded and there wasn’t a hint of laughter in his expression. “Dad’s got views on how a gentleman should behave. Opening doors for women is on his list of things every gentleman must do. If they’re together, you’ll never see Mom open a door for herself. He along with my uncles drilled the entire list into me, my brother, and all my male cousins.”
The list sounded old fashioned, but there were worse things to be in the world than old fashioned. If Brett considered it so important, she’d concede on certain occasions. “Since I don’t want you getting in trouble and grounded, I’ll let you do it today.” She couldn’t contain a chuckle as she envisioned Brett’s dad scolding him. “But don’t make a habit of it. When we’re not around your family, I’ll take care of it myself. Understood?”
“Affirmative.”
While she waited for Brett to come around, she checked out the various license plates on the cars. Two were from Rhode Island, but there was also one from New Hampshire and another two from Virginia. Despite the short notice, it looked like plenty of family members had made it to this afternoon’s engagement party.
When he opened the door, Jen accepted the hand he held out. “One of these days you’ll have to tell me what other things are on your dad’s list,” she said.
“A conversation on that topic could ta
ke a while. Not to mention it’d be as boring as hell. Maybe one night if we have trouble falling asleep, I’ll share it with you.”