Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(123)

Not that she knew how to do that. Or what to say. He was trying to force his will on her and she saw no reason to reward that. So no, she wasn’t going to go see him. Only... Only...

“Dammit!”

She headed for her car and drove across the island, then parked in front of his house. Before she could figure out what she was going to say or if it would be better to simply drive to the warehouse and move around some pallets with the forklift, she noticed there was some kind of wooden frame on the side of the house. What was he doing? The house was already huge. Was the man adding on?

Her body went cold. What if it was something like a kids’ playroom with toys and pinball machines and other loud, annoying crap? What if it was some creepy unicorn pink monstrosity for a little girl? What if Dugan had lied about not wanting children?

She hurried to the front door, which opened just as she arrived. Dugan stood there, looking really good in jeans and a T-shirt. His expression was more bemused than surprised.

“Sophie.”

She pushed past him and turned in the foyer. “No children.”

“You mentioned that before.”

“I mean it. No unicorns, no pinball machines. I don’t want to do that. I love running my business. I’m good at it. I have no desire to procreate.”

“I said I was okay with that.”

“Yeah, you say that now but what happens when your DNA starts pushing you to have a baby? Then what? I won’t do it and you’ll leave me and it will be horrible, so why even try to do this? What’s the point? It’s just a disaster waiting to happen. Why can’t you see that?”

“Anything else?”

He sounded so calm, she thought, wishing she could punch him in the stomach and have it hurt. Maybe she should be lifting weights instead of doing that stupid Tai Chi every damn Sunday morning like some grass-eating she-didn’t-know-what, but something.

“I don’t want to get married. I’m not a wedding person and I know marriage isn’t about a wedding, but that’s how they start and I don’t like it.”

He smiled. “You don’t care if you’re married or not. You’re worried about me taking all your money. Your heart says I wouldn’t but your head is less sure. Plus, you know I’m smarter than Mark, which scares you. I think a strong prenup would take care of your concerns, but I can live without being married.”

He smiled at her. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want to take anything from you and I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to do. I want you, Sophie. I want your work obsession, your love of cats, your prickly exterior and your giant sticky notes. I want you grumbling how you hate the world all the while you’re buying Amber a condo so Heather can get on with her life.”

“You’re the one who told me to do it,” she grumbled.

“Yes, but not a beautiful, waterfront unit. You could have bought something a lot cheaper, but you didn’t. Because you couldn’t help yourself. You’re a good person.”

“Don’t say that.”

He laughed. “You are. You’re smart and sexy and every time you walk in the room, my heart beats faster.”

“You should probably get that looked at.”

“I probably should. I love you, Sophie. I don’t want to change you. I just want to be with you.”

“What’s that thing you’re building on the side of the house? You said you didn’t want kids, so why make the house bigger?”

“It’s the cat room you were talking about before. It’s for Mrs. Bennet and Lily and all the other cats you’re going to drag home.”

“I was just thinking about that. You should have put it on the other side of the house. It wouldn’t be so visible.”

“Maybe, but this side gets more sun and cats like that.”

Her legs trembled and she had the thought that she was going to collapse in a heap right there on the hardwood floors. This couldn’t be happening.

“You’re too perfect,” she whispered.

“No, Sophie. But I’m perfect for you. That’s the whole point. I’ve been looking for you for a long time and now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to let go. But you have to be willing to join me or it doesn’t mean anything.”

Be brave. The words were whispered inside her head. She wasn’t sure where they were coming from, but she knew they were true. Be brave. Take a chance. If this was about the business, she would do the research, get as much information as possible, then jump without once looking back.

But love was a lot more terrifying. The truth was, she wasn’t very good at it. She never had been. She was good at CK Industries—although Dugan had shown her she could be better. Well, Dugan and Bear and Maggie and Elliot.

“I’m scared,” she admitted.

“I know. Me, too. You can still break my heart.”

“I don’t want to.”

He didn’t say anything. She supposed he’d already said it all.

She swallowed. “I love you.” She cleared her throat and said it again. “I love you. A lot. More than I’ve loved anyone, which I really don’t like. It scares me.”

“I’m scared, too.”

“Okay, so we’re both in love and we’re both scared. Now what?”