The Engagement Arrangement (Boots and Bouquets #2) - Jaci Burton Page 0,90
her back downstairs. But the cramped quarters and the lure of more fishing made him rethink that idea. Besides, there was always later.
Brenna pulled out a thermos of iced tea and poured it into their cups. They settled back into their seats and Finn adjusted the fishing poles back in the water.
After several hours they caught a couple more fish, and then the skies clouded up.
“Looks like rain’s coming in,” he said. “We should head back.”
She nodded and they packed everything up. Finn started the engine and they headed back to the dock. They got the boat on the trailer and out of the water just in time for fat droplets of rain to start falling.
By the time they’d exited the park, it was a deluge of rain.
Finn looked through the windshield. “We left the water just in time.”
“We sure did. I would have hated to be out in this.”
“We could have gone below to stay dry.”
She looked over him. “Uh-huh. With high waves and everything. Sounds utterly nauseating.”
He laughed. “But romantic, right?”
“Sure, Finn. Totally romantic. Until I throw up on you.”
“You get seasick when the boat rocks?”
“Definitely. Just ask my dad about the time the waves were high and he insisted on taking us fishing anyway. It was not a fun day for me—or for him.”
“I’m sorry. Not easy when you get seasick.”
“I’m sure you’ve never had a seasick day in your life.”
“That’s true, but I grew up by the sea, was out on boats a lot, so I got my sea legs when I was old enough to stand. You’re not used to being out on the water a lot. You did good today, though.”
She looked out the window. “The water was calm. And we weren’t at sea.”
Somehow he got the idea it was more than just one bad lake adventure.
“What else happened on the water?”
She waved her hand. “Ancient history.”
“Brenna.”
“Mitchell and I went to Barbados for our honeymoon. We booked this catamaran cruise. It . . . didn’t go well. I got so sick. Mitchell was pissed off that we wasted money and he didn’t have fun.”
Finn rolled his eyes. “Because it’s always all about him. Didn’t he care that you didn’t feel well?”
“Not really. He walked me up to the room, I passed out on the bed and he went down to the bar. He ended up having dinner in the restaurant that night, and didn’t even come up to check on me.”
“What a dick.”
“Yes. I should have seen the writing on the wall then, but I was too sick to notice.”
“I’m glad you didn’t waste too long on him. See? You’re smart.”
She laughed. “Not smart enough. I still married him.”
The worst of the storm had passed just as Finn got on the expressway, but there was a lot of water on the road so he stayed in the right lane since they were towing a boat. He glanced quickly at Brenna. “Don’t you think it’s time you let it go?”
She frowned. “Let what go?”
“Mitchell. So you married him and he turned out to be a jackass. That wasn’t your fault, Brenna. Quit beating yourself up over it. Lots of people end up with bad marriages. You got out of yours quickly, but you haven’t really moved on yet.”
“Sure I have.”
“Have you? It’s like every decision you make revolves around what happened in your marriage. It’s as if it defines you.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Really? This whole engagement thing came about because of Mitchell and Allison. How you didn’t want to be seen as single, which shouldn’t have mattered because you’re smart and successful and gorgeous as fuck. You should have been rubbing that in their faces instead of dragging me along as some kind of trophy fiancé.”
She went dead silent and he knew he shouldn’t have said it, but fuck it, he had and it was the truth. She was an amazing woman who should be proud to stand on her own.
When he pulled up in front of the house, he figured Brenna would bail for the front door as soon as the truck stopped. He grasped her hand before she could make a run for it. “Brenna, look. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. You know I would never want to hurt you. I care about you. But I also want you to be free.”
“Free of what? Of you?”
He frowned. “No, not of me. Of the pain you keep holding on to from the past. Of Mitchell and whatever hold Allison seems to have on