Almost.
Bran poured her a cup of black coffee, doctored his own with too much cream and sugar and leaned back in the chair, mug in hand. He was waiting for her to speak, and why shouldn’t he? She’d come to him.
“Why do you want to marry me?”
He blew out a soft chuckle. “I don’t.”
“You did,” she replied calmly.
“I...” He shook his head, frowning to himself. “Clearly, it was a mistake.”
“We hadn’t been on an official date in at least a week. And the chemistry wasn’t exactly sizzling those two times we kissed.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“Bran,” she said through a laugh. “I’m one of your best friends. Be honest with me.”
He stared down at his coffee for several beats before meeting her gaze. “The kisses could have been better. But. That wasn’t my fault.”
“And you thought an engagement would improve our odds?”
He set down his mug and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Engagements can last a long time. How do you know?”
There was something he wasn’t saying. Him being coy was getting them nowhere. Gia’s comment about Brannon looking like a better option for CEO made sense. And Taylor, despite coming in here to extend an olive branch, couldn’t do it knowing that she was nearly proposed to out of convenience.
“Royce lied to you.”
Brannon frowned.
“I didn’t apologize to him after kissing him. And while I regret the timing—I absolutely should have ended things between you and me a few weeks ago after that awful seafood dinner.”
Bran’s eyebrows jumped. “We’ve never had that difficult a time trying to hold a conversation.”
“Never,” she agreed. “You can tell me why, you know. I am your friend.”
She balled up her fist and slugged him in the arm. He smiled that cute Brannon smile she’d admired for as long as she’d known him. It might not light her up the way Royce’s did, but Bran was still ridiculously attractive.
“CEO means a lot to me. This company means a lot to me. I want a family and kids, but I thought I’d have that before my role at the company changed. Now that it’s a one out of two possibility, I felt like...” He shrugged. “I should get the ball rolling?”
He winced, probably not liking how that sounded out loud. But she knew him—had known him her whole life. Gia was right. He hadn’t used her. He’d been caught up in the race for CEO.
“So your ambition was in the lead. Admit it. You don’t want to marry me.”
“It was too soon,” he said instead, probably trying to spare her feelings. He might’ve been blowing by her like a stiff wind lately, but face-to-face, he couldn’t be unkind.
“For the record, I don’t think you did it on purpose. Your heart is as big and inclusive as your father’s. You’d do anything for your family, for this company. Even something as misguided as marriage.”
He put his hand to his forehead. “God, Taylor. What was I thinking?”
“I should have walked up to you when you were holding that ring and asked what it was.” She shrugged. “Instead...I panicked.”
Crap. She had panicked. One point for Royce.
“And locked yourself in a closet.”
“That was an accident.”
“Was the kiss an accident?” Bran looked genuinely curious. “You and Royce...” He shook his head. “You two are more mismatched than you and me.”