Only You (Adair Family #5)(89)

So when Brodan lifted his head, kissed me sweetly, looked deep in my eyes, and confessed thickly, “I love you so much, Monroe Sinclair,” I froze.

I literally froze in his arms.

Part ecstatic, part utterly terrified.

Because I loved him too. I knew, despite everything that had happened between us, that I had never stopped loving Brodan Adair.

But I … the people I loved tended to hurt me.

“Brodan …”

Disappointment flared in his eyes, but to my shock, he whispered against my lips, “It’s okay. I’m not a patient man, my love. But for you, I’d wait a thousand lifetimes.”

Tears burned in my eyes, and I cried shakily, “You’re such a romantic bastard. I hate you.”

Brodan threw his head back in laughter and, because he was still inside me, I felt the sensation through my whole body. I giggled through my tears until Brodan kissed them off my cheeks. “No, you don’t,” he murmured with each kiss. “You love me. But I can wait until you’re ready to tell me that yourself.”





32





Brodan





Over the hiss of the frying pan, I heard the cottage door open and shut.

“Ugh, that was the longest first week back at school ever,” Monroe called out, and I could hear her dropping her bags, possibly kicking off her shoes. Anticipation filled me, and I turned to watch her walk through the kitchen doorway.

I’d seen my face plastered over billboards, had hundreds of screaming fans greet me at premieres … but waiting for Monroe Sinclair to come home to me was the dream I couldn’t believe had come true.

She smiled a weary but happy smile. “Something smells good.”

“Chicken fajitas,” I told her seconds before I bent down to kiss the mouth she offered me. “Rough day?”

Roe sighed heavily, and I gestured to the glass of wine I’d already poured for her. “You are my hero.” She took the glass and leaned against the counter, pushing her hair off her face. “It was like the kids were bouncing off the walls . I mean, we all knew the first day back after Christmas would be bad, it always is … but this lasted the whole bloody week. Hyper doesn’t even cover it.”

I nodded, my gaze dancing between her and the chicken spice mix in the frying pan. “Thane got a phone call from the school this week about Eilidh. Apparently, another girl was bullying Eilidh’s wee pal about what she got, or didn’t get, for Christmas. So Eilidh took it upon herself to smack her across the face. Is it wrong that I’m proud of her?”

Monroe shoved me playfully. “You better not have told her that, Brodan Adair.”

“What? That I’m proud my niece stood up for her friend?”

“It’s not that simple, and you know it. She can’t go around smacking people in the face, no matter how much they deserve it.”

I grinned. “That’s a terrible rule.”

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Anyway, I heard about it from Eilidh’s teacher. It was quite a moment. Apparently, the girl was stunned. And while we can’t condone physical violence, perhaps she’ll think twice about tormenting people who have less than she does.”

“Aye. According to Thane, Eilidh was just as surprised by the moment as anyone. She cried, the wee darling. She knows she did wrong.”

Monroe moved closer to me. “I love how you love her.”

The words Do you love how I love you? hung on the tip of my tongue, but I forced them back. It had been two weeks since I told Monroe I loved her. I’d said it once more, and she hadn’t said it back. While it stung, I understood. And I could wait.

“Dinner is ready.” I took the pan off the heat and spooned the chicken into the tortillas I’d laid out.

“Do you know how amazing it is to come home after a hard week at work to a sexy man cooking dinner?” Monroe teased gleefully as she threw toppings onto her fajitas. “Where did you learn to cook?”

“I played a chef in a movie once.”

“Oh, aye, I remember that one. It was a horror film, right? Kind of gross, if I remember correctly.” She wrinkled her nose.

An ache panged in my chest. Over the last few months, I’d realized from the bits and pieces Roe told me that she’d probably watched every single one of my films. I never teased her about it because if things were the other way around, I would have watched every one of her films too. And it would have killed me to see her but feel so disconnected.

I cleared my throat. “Aye, it was a horror about a sous chef my character hires who starts putting human—”

“Ick, don’t. Eating.” She took a massive bite of fajita to make her point, and I snorted.

“Anyway,” I said, following her into the living room with my dinner, “the director wanted me to take some culinary lessons, so I looked like I knew what I was doing. A top British chef trained me on how to slice and dice like a real chef, and I got him to give me some cooking tips and recipes. He said I was a natural.”

“Of course you are.” She sat down, her feet curled under her. “You’re good at anything you put your mind to.”

“Do you think so?” I asked in all seriousness.

Catching my tone, Roe swallowed her bite and asked, “What’s going on?”