My Grumpy Old Bear - Jayda Marx Page 0,9
on his front door and hid the bouquet behind my back. I only had to wait a moment for the door to swing open.
“Hey honeybear,” I greeted cheerfully, and smiled at the way his lips twitched. “You look very handsome today.” He was dressed in khaki cargo shorts, an olive green t-shirt and tennis shoes. He rocked the dad bod vibe effortlessly and I found it insanely hot. I was dressed casually too, in a pair of jeans, Converse sneakers and a white tee. The early June Tennessee sun was intense, but I was used to it. Wearing jeans in summertime didn’t bother me.
“I got you something,” I told him when I realized a compliment wasn’t coming back to me. It was fine, though; that just wasn’t Brooks’ way. I could tell he was happy to see me from the glimmer in his eyes, and that was enough for me. I brought the vase from behind my back and Brooks’ eyes widened when they landed on the flowers.
“I saw these flowers and thought of you because they’re pretty, and thought you might like them because you’re pretty. But I like you anyway!”
Brooks licked his teeth. “Sunshine, did you just quote Shrek to me?”
I gasped. “Did you just get my random movie reference?” His lips twitched again. “Brooks, do you believe in soulmates?”
“No.”
I snorted. “Of course you don’t.” I handed him the vase and my heart melted as his eyes eagerly roamed over the bright yellow petals. I wondered if he’d ever gotten flowers before.
“I’ll just go put these in the kitchen,” he said as he thumbed over his shoulder without taking his eyes off of the blossoms.
“I’ll follow you.” Brooks stared at me for a moment before shrugging and walking into the house. I smirked and followed him inside, shutting the door behind me.
His house was cute and comfortable. The living room was large and held a brown leather sofa, a matching recliner, a coffee table, a huge TV, and not much else. I saw a couple of doors down a short hallway that I assumed led to his bedroom and bathroom. I followed him through an archway into his kitchen. It was spotlessly clean and had a white and black tiled floor, black appliances and white cabinets. Besides a blue dish towel hanging from the oven handle, there weren’t any decorations in here either. Brooks was a simple man with simple tastes.
He placed the vase on his kitchen counter (he didn’t have a table, which I assumed meant he ate in front of the TV) and positioned them so that the sunlight from the window hit the petals. I smiled at the gesture.
Brooks scrubbed a hand over his face. “Thank you for these; I didn’t say that, did I?” he asked, motioning toward the bouquet. He’d thanked me plenty with his grateful and excited expressions, but hearing the words warmed my heart.
“You’re very welcome.” I stepped closer to him and kissed his cheek, but didn’t mention the barely audible whimper that came from him. When I pulled away, his eyes were widened and he looked confused as to what to do next. He was either very out of practice at dating, or he’d been through the wringer his last go around and was scared out of his skull. It was okay, though; I was patient, and just glad to be here with him. “Would you mind giving me a tour of the rest of your house?”
“Oh...yeah, I can do that.” He nodded determinedly and stepped around me. I smirked, shook my head, and trailed behind him as he marched back through the archway. “Well, you already saw the living room.” That was all I got until we made our way down the hall. “In here’s a bathroom.” He flicked on the light to reveal an all white bathroom with a blue shower curtain and furry bathmat. Okay, note to self; Brooks likes blue. It was really the only hint I could get from his place, except that he was very clean.
“And here’s my bedroom,” he announced as we reached the last door. Once again, he turned on a light, allowing me to see the space. The room was large and had a huge bed in the center, dressed in (shocker) a blue striped comforter. The bed itself was dark wood, along with his nightstand and matching dresser. They were simple pieces, but had a beautiful vine design etched into their surface. Another smaller TV hung above the dresser, and