Faked (Ward Family #2)(53)

Bauer took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't ... I don't know what it's like to have that." His smile was rueful, but I still saw the sadness clinging to the edges. "So I'm sorry if it sounded like I was questioning your sister. You've got a pretty big leg up on this whole family deal."

In answer, I squeezed his hand, and I saw the way his chest and shoulders relaxed.

"You'll be fine." At his skeptical look, I laughed. "You will."

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me, princess." His tone was wry, but I heard what was buried beneath it. "Don't know that I've earned it, but it's appreciated."

My finger traced small circles over the rough knuckles on his big, warm hand. "Will you come with me to family dinner tonight?"

A sweeter, softer kind of butterfly took off inside of my body the moment I asked.

It wasn't about sex.

It wasn't about how he made me feel when he looked at me with want and desire.

This was about having him sitting next to me at a dinner table and knowing I could reach for his hand.

It was letting him know that his presence mattered to me.

That I'd crave the normal, in-between things when he wasn't around me.

Bauer took a moment to answer, but when he did, his voice was a little rough, a little low.

"Yeah, princess. I can give it a shot."

The rest of our drive was music and easy conversation, and the closer we got to Seattle, I felt a slow tension creeping in-between my shoulder blades.

The scenery was so familiar to me that I couldn't use it as a suitable distraction over what may or may not wait for us at dinner.

I hadn't prepared anyone that I was bringing this guy who'd just consumed the past four days of my life.

Bauer took the exit for my apartment as I tried—really, really hard—not to let my brain freak out over the fact that I felt this way about someone I'd known for less than a week.

My heart thought it was freaking romantic.

My gut was all arrows, pointing straight at Bauer.

But for one moment, I had a horrible thought that I couldn't immediately banish in the back of my overthinking brain. Didn't Brooke leave because she felt something this big and all-encompassing? She didn't care what her family thought or what the consequences of her actions were. She just took a leap and never looked back.

My fingers tightened around his hand before I realized what I was doing.

"You okay?"

I nodded furiously. "Fine. Just ... still trying to mentally prepare to be back."

"I miss that cabin too, princess."

Smiling, I thought about something he'd said right before we left. "You gonna warn Scotty that you're shipping him a new mattress?"

"I better." He grimaced. "If I were him, I'd want to sleep on the couch until something shows up that wasn't defiled the way we defiled that mattress."

I was still laughing when we pulled up in front of my apartment building, and my whole body froze when I saw Lia standing next to Finn's car, her arms crossed and a sour expression on her face when she caught sight of Bauer. Finn was next to her, tall and handsome, with something a bit more polite on his face than my sister had managed.

Sitting next to Bauer, I was relieved to realize that Finn didn't cause any sort of reaction at all.

No wings. No flutters. No second thoughts.

Bauer whistled as he pulled the Jeep into a parking spot. "Remind me what you said about Lia again?"

Sighing, I gave his hand another squeeze. "Let me talk to her for a second, okay?"

He pulled off his glasses, and completely ignoring the way that they were both staring unabashedly, he leaned in to give me a soft kiss on the lips. "You sure you want to face that firing squad alone, princess?"

I nodded slowly, then risked a glance out of the windshield.

Finn was watching us with a curious expression on his face, one that held only the smallest resemblance to Bauer.

When I saw Lia's face, I decided firing squad was a pretty apt description to how she was glaring at the man beside me.

The bubble of the cabin was well and truly popped.





Chapter Twenty





Bauer





By the time my booted foot hit the concrete, Lia had grabbed Claire's hand and started dragging her around the front of Finn's car.

"Hey," Claire objected, planting her feet and refusing to be dragged anywhere. "Chill, okay?"

Lia gave me an unfathomable look, which softened when her gaze came back to her twin. "Are you okay? I thought we could talk in private."

Finn shuffled his feet and settled a shoulder against his car. "Bauer."

I nodded. "I see you're feeling better."

Claire watched our stiff greeting over her shoulder and gave me a tiny smile.

Lia said something to Claire quietly enough that I couldn't hear her, and after a second, Claire nodded.

"Give us a second, okay?" she said to me.

I smiled. "I'll be right here."

"Oh, gross," Lia mumbled.

"Lia," Claire snapped.

With interest, I watched Lia take a deep breath, slick her tongue over her teeth, and give me a tiny, tight smile. "Sorry. Force of habit."