Temptation on Ocean Drive - Jennifer Probst Page 0,90
of business for more top-rated clients. And then we can decide who we want to take on.”
“You sure?” Avery asked.
“Yeah.”
Pierce rolled his eyes. “Still don’t know what the big deal is. Hell, I’ll pose in bikini briefs if it will triple my clientele.”
Everyone laughed. “You would,” Gabe told his friend. “Maybe I’ll officially hand over my title of Beach Bachelor to you.”
“Bring it.”
“I know the Bachelor!” Zoe piped up. “Mama and Aunt TT watch it together! But they say I can’t watch ’cause it’s too adult.”
Bella winced. Taylor suddenly looked focused on her meal.
“Hmm, not quite feminist, is it?” Pierce teased. “Giving out a rose based on sex appeal and evening gowns? I’m shocked.”
Avery threw up her hands. “I’ve never watched it, but they’re addicted. Once, I was calling them in an emergency, and they refused to pick up their phones!”
Bella cleared her throat. “It’s brain candy,” she explained. “I don’t really care about the outcome. I read on my Kindle while it’s on.”
Gabe laughed, loving her pink cheeks and the crap way she lied. “Sure, sweetheart. We believe you.”
“What does bachelor mean?” Zoe asked.
Bella handed her a glass of milk. “It means someone who’s single,” she said.
“I like married better,” she said with an adorable frown. “And no one is single at the table anymore!”
Bella cocked her head. “Yes, we are, honey. No one is married here.”
Zoe puffed up her chest and beamed. “They will be. Aunt Avery is marrying Uncle Carter, and I’m going to be the flower girl. I’ve been practicing. Mama will marry Gabe, and I’ll have a new daddy, and Aunt TT will marry Pierce ’cause they’re bestest friends and love each other!”
Silence fell.
It was Taylor who laughed first. “Everyone gets our own happily ever after, huh?” she asked teasingly, reaching over and tugging on a wayward golden curl. “I feel like I’m a series installment in a romance novel,” she said. “But I’m tired of being last, so my story would have to be told first.”
Avery nudged Carter. “She’s always bitched about being last, but if she’s the youngest, her story would be third. We’d be first,” she said with a wink.
Gabe blocked out everyone but Bella, focused on her reaction to Zoe’s announcement.
She shook her head and laughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, sweetheart,” she joked. “We don’t have time in our schedule to plan three whole weddings!”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Avery said.
When Bella’s gaze swung around to meet his, it was obvious she expected him to share in her humor.
His heart dropped.
The idea of marrying him made her laugh. He almost wished she’d reacted in shock rather than a complete disregard for any type of permanent future between them. His insides stilled and numbed him in a clumsy attempt to ward off the pain while he forced himself to smile back, pretending to agree with her.
She didn’t seem to notice his world had just exploded, and nudged Zoe’s arm. “Why don’t you finish that last bite so you can have ice cream?”
“Yay! Is it cookies ’n cream? That’s my favorite, just like Gabe.”
“Yes, it is. You’re like two peas in a pod,” Bella said. The words were lighthearted, but the damage had been done.
He swore he wouldn’t humiliate himself at this table, even as his father’s mocking laugh echoed in his head like a ghost, reminding him he’d always been unworthy. He pushed the hurt and the memory down hard, locking it away. “We just have the best taste, don’t we, Zoe?” he asked with a wink.
“Yes!” She gave a wink back, which came out exaggerated, and everyone laughed.
The topic was swept away, and they spent the rest of dinner and dessert with light chatter. One by one, everyone left, until Bella went to tuck Zoe in, and Gabe finished up the dishes.
He tried to chill, but her reaction kept rolling around in his head like a stuck slot machine. He knew she was wary about marriage after what had happened with Matt, but was it specifically him or her past that caused such strong emotion? He’d told her that he’d take anything from her he could get. And he would. Every night Bella wanted him in her bed was a gift and an opportunity to cement the bond between them. She claimed they were in a relationship. But in her mind, was this always going to be short term, destined to fade out on her behalf? Was she still concerned about his age or his past, not believing he could