a cup of coffee. “Hey, Ness,” he says. “Special delivery latte. Sorry I can’t bring you one.”
“That’s okay. I’m getting brownies.”
“Atta girl.”
My heart feels so full. I love that my sister and I both have good men who bring us drinks and brownies and smile at us like we hung the damn moon. I know it’s early days with Dean, but it just feels right. I trust him, and I’m pretty sure he trusts me. I’ve never had that before, not really.
When I glance back at Val, the look on her face is pure love. She whispers something to Josh as he walks away, and my heart catches in my throat as he trails a hand along her arm. It’s like he can’t bear to stop touching her, and I suddenly want that more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
As I glance back toward the kitchen, Dean looks up. Grinning, he throws me a wink and mouths two simple words:
You’re beautiful.
God. Could I be falling in love with him?
I shift my gaze back to the phone and see Valerie assessing me. “I’ve never seen you this happy, Ness,” she murmurs. “Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
“I’ll try.”
She smiles and sips the wine Josh brought her. “I should go get ready. It’s our one month anniversary, so I’m shopping for a dress to wear to dinner.”
“A romantic anniversary dinner in Paris. Sounds amazing.”
“Say goodbye to Dean for me.” She smiles and lowers her voice to barely a whisper. “I really like him.”
“Me, too.”
“I’m glad it’s more than a fling.” Her words tilt up in an unspoken question, so I answer without thinking.
“Maybe?” I glance toward the kitchen, where Dean’s still humming as he piles brownies on a plate. “I’m glad I have your approval, though. That means a lot.”
She laughs. “Like you’ve ever needed my approval. You just need to trust yourself.”
I have to swallow a couple times to get rid of the lump in my throat. “Thanks. I’ll try.”
We say our goodbyes and hang up as Dean walks back into the room carrying a plate with brownies and a big glass of milk. “Shoot, did I miss her?”
“She had to go, but she said goodbye. Also, she approves of you.”
I say it with a teasing tone, but Dean’s whole face lights up. “Yeah? That’s huge. The sibling approval thing, I mean.”
I pluck a brownie off the plate and take a bite. It’s a little too hot and falling apart, but I scarf it down anyway and reach for the milk. “What do your siblings know?”
“About us, you mean?” He shrugs. “They all know we’re seeing each other.”
“All of them?” I swallow. “Even your brothers?”
“Yep. Everyone approves.”
I wait for more, not sure what else I’m expecting. “So they don’t see any sort of conflict with our work relationship?”
“Nope.” He pops a bite of brownie in his mouth and grins. “They’re nuts about you, and they see I’m happy. That’s pretty much all they need to know.”
“Huh.” Could it really be that simple? My sister approves. His brothers and sisters approve. I know it’s not what I planned when I took this job, but maybe changing my mind isn’t the worst thing. Maybe I could learn to think of it as growth, rather than flakiness.
“What’s going on in that beautiful brain of yours?” He grabs another brownie off the plate.
“Just wondering how to think about this,” I say slowly. “What we’re doing together, I mean.”
He stares at me blankly for a second, and I realize I’ve just spit out a big mouthful of nothing.
Be brave. Be specific. Be clear.
Dean smiles. “Did I just watch you give yourself a silent pep talk?”
“What?”
“Your lips moved a little.” He cocks his head. “I’m not sure, but I think you told yourself ‘bean bake, beet pacific, bee click.”
And now I’m laughing. “What the hell kind of pep talk is that?”
“Beats me.” He licks brownie off his thumb, then his forefinger. “You’re the one giving it.”
I take a deep breath. “This is me being brave, Dean. This is me telling you that I know I told you I didn’t want a relationship, but these last few weeks have changed my mind. Changed me. I like you a lot, but more than that, I trust you.”
“Wow.” He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s huge.”
The fact that he knows what a big deal it is means so much to me. “Right. It is.”
He laces his fingers through mine and smiles. “Thank