You Will Be Mine (Forever and Ever #7)(12)

“Not really. We don’t talk very often. And he’s closer with my dad so that makes me push him away even more. If my brother knows anything about me, he might tell my father.”

The waitress came over with the pizza box. “Enjoy.”

I pulled the cash out of my wallet and handed it to her.

Beatrice pulled her money out. “Let’s split it.”

“It’s okay, really.”

“Take it,” she said firmly.

“How about you just get the next one?” I said.

She took her money back hesitantly. “Okay.”

I wasn’t sure why she was so adamant about paying all the time but I let it go.

We headed back to the truck then decided to go to my place since it was closer. After we parked, we headed up the stairs. Thankfully, I’d just cleaned my place. Now Beatrice wouldn’t know how much of a pig I was.

“The bachelor pad,” Beatrice said as she walked inside.

I laughed. “More like a man cave.” I tossed the pizza box on the table.

She took a look around then noticed my large TV. “Nice.”

“It’s good for football.” I grabbed a few plates then set them down. “What would you like to drink? Beer or water?”

“Beer.”

Really? “Okay.” I retrieved the bottles then handed one to her.

She sat down and drank it like she drank beer often. When she caught my look, she turned to me. “I don’t like wine,” she explained.

That made sense.

I put the movie in then turned off all the lights. “Are you ready to see the greatest movie of all time?”

“Always ready.” She pulled the pizza onto her plate then sat at the opposite end of the couch.

“Let the awesomeness commence.”

We ate our pizza while we watched the movie. When I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, I saw her mouth some of the lines. She really was a hardcore fan. It made me more attracted to her.

Damn.

“R2-D2 is my favorite. He’s so cute.”

I rolled my eyes. “Everyone thinks he’s cute.”

“Because he is,” she said firmly. She pulled out her phone then showed me a picture. “Look at my trashcan.”

It was an R2-D2 replica. It looked just like the robot but it was a garbage can. “Wow…that’s so cool!” I looked at her with crazed eyes. “How did you get that?”

“Ebay.”

“I’m so jealous.”

“It’s cool, huh? It makes little noises every time you walk up to it.”

“Wow.” I handed the phone back to her. “Coolest chick in the galaxy.”

She chuckled then blushed. “Maybe the nerdiest.”

“For guys, it means the same thing.”

She leaned back on the couch then tightened her arms around her waist.

“Cold?”

“A little.”

I grabbed a blanket my mom made and handed it to her.

She covered herself with it then examined the stitching. There were different t-shirts from my youth on it. Most of them were sports t-shirts from championships I played in. When I grew out of them, I was going to throw them away but my mom kept them and made a blanket instead. “Are these your old t-shirts?”

“Yeah, my mom made that for me before I left for college. I guess she wanted to keep my youth alive even after I left the house.”

She felt the fabric in her hands and smiled. “That’s sweet.”

“Yeah…when she’s not being annoying, she’s alright.”

“Do you have pictures of your family?”

I didn’t keep picture frames around the house. That was too girly. But I had a few on my phone. “Yeah.” I pulled it out then handed it to her. “This was us last Christmas.” The four of us stood in front of our house wearing the ugliest Christmas sweaters we could find.

Her eyes softened. “Wow…so cute.”

“I guess,” I said with a shrug.

She stared at the picture for a long time. “Your family is beautiful. They look like models.”

“Well, I do. I don’t know about them…”

“Is that your sister?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“Very pretty. And your parents look so young.”

“They aren’t,” I said immediately. “They just look like it.”

She tapped the screen then made the image bigger. “You do look so much like your father…”

“I know,” I said with a sigh. “I get that a lot.”

“He’s very handsome.”

I cringed. “Don’t check out my dad. Gross!”

“What?” she said. “I meant it as a compliment.”

“Nasty.”

She laughed then turned back to the phone. “Your mom is gorgeous too. Your sister looks just like her.”

“I think they’re both hideous.”

She eyed me for a moment, a smirk on her lips. “You aren’t fooling me, Conrad. The fact you have this adorable picture on your phone is proof that you actually love your family and don’t find them annoying.”

“Who said that had to be mutually exclusive?”