Some time later, they snuggled in bed together, fingers lacing as they talked. Her head rested on his chest, and Rome could honestly say he’d never been so content in his life.
“You should have told me,” she murmured, tracing circles on his chest with her fingertip. “I showed you my scars. You should have showed me yours.”
He sighed, holding her close. “It’s just . . . hard for me to trust people.”
“No, really?” she teased. “Tell me what that’s like.”
He tickled her sides and she squirmed, laughing. “I’m serious. I guess you get screwed over so many times, you just start expecting everyone to think you’re garbage just because of who you are.” He shrugged. “People hear ‘ex-con’ and their minds shut down. It doesn’t matter who I am at that point, or even what I did. I’m a filthy animal who shouldn’t be out on the streets.”
She frowned. “So basically, people act like my brother.”
“I still can’t blame your brother,” he said, stroking her soft skin. “He thought he was doing the best thing for his young, beautiful, incredibly naive little sister. I’d have hid you from me, too.”
Elise made a face at him. “It doesn’t mean he gets to try and take over both of our lives, you know. There’s a difference between concerned and overbearing, and Grant needs to figure it out. He’s way too protective, even when I don’t need it. Part of it is his personal baggage, though. His ex-wife left him with a few issues.” She kissed his skin. “We all have issues. It doesn’t mean we get to use them as weapons.”
“I don’t care, as long as I have you and you want me.”
“I always want you,” Elise said, sliding a hand down his stomach to cup his now-at-rest cock. It stirred immediately at her touch, and she made a small noise of appreciation. “But don’t you worry about my brother. I’ll handle him.”
“Why does that make me uneasy?”
Her hand stroked over his rapidly lengthening cock, teasing it to attention. “Because you’ve never seen me on the warpath?”
“I don’t want to come between you and your brother, baby,” he told her. Actually, he didn’t even want to think about her brother while she had her hand on his cock. “Let’s just leave it alone, all right?”
“Nope. He was unfair to you and I’m going to make him see that,” she said, and there was a stubborn note in her voice that made him sigh in frustration.
“And what if he gets your parents involved and they all come down against me? I don’t want to get between you and your family.”
Her fingertips traced the head of his cock in an absent motion that drove him absolutely wild. It took all of his control to not grab her hand, make a fist, and start fucking that tight warmth. “My parents?”
“Yeah. Aren’t they going to mind that their sweet, innocent daughter is dating an ex-con?” Rome had had run-ins with parents before, and it always ended badly.
“They’ll just be thrilled I’m dating someone. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve gone through a bit of a dry spell,” she teased. “Anyhow, my mother is currently drowning her sorrows about me moving away in a shopping binge, but my father’s ecstatic at my long-overdue independence. Most of all, they’ll be happy that I’m happy. They love Brenna, after all, and she takes a bit of getting used to.”
He rolled over in the bed, dragging her onto her back and pinning her underneath him. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“I do,” she said, her eyes shining as she looked up at him. “They’ll see how happy you make me and they won’t be able to help themselves. They’ll adore you, just like I do.”
He stilled. “Wait. Did you say you moved here permanently?”
She nodded up at him. “I bought a studio downtown. I’m going to do family photography and pinups.”
“I thought you wanted to do magazine photos?” She’d talked about it a few times when they’d discussed her future.
Elise gave him a wry smile. “I thought so, too, until I sat down and really thought about it. Then I realized I liked the dream more than the reality. Do you mind staying in Bluebonnet if I do?”
“I’ll follow wherever you go,” he vowed. “You just lead the way.”
“I love you.”
Rome leaned down and gently kissed her parted lips. “I love you, too. And . . . just to be clear. No baby?”
“No baby,” she agreed. “Does that make you happy or sad?”
“A little bit of both, really. I’m relieved, but at the same time . . . I kind of didn’t hate the idea.” He pressed a kiss on her bow-shaped upper lip. “You?”
“I don’t think I’m ready yet, but in a few years? I wouldn’t mind starting a family. I think I’d like to have one with you.”
He’d never given much thought to family, really. But little boys with her smile and little girls with that silky brown hair of hers? Ridiculous how pleasing the thought was. He’d never felt much for family in the past, but starting one with Elise?
Sounded pretty good to him.
• • •
The next morning, they showered together and, at Elise’s urging, went to the main lodge to confront her brother. Rome was nervous, strangely enough. Once upon a time, it wouldn’t have mattered what a guy like Grant thought of him. They’d rub along until things got too ugly, and Rome would leave.
Except . . . Rome was back. And Grant’s opinion mattered because he was Elise’s family. Even though Elise was full of positive words and affirmations that things would be fine, Rome wasn’t so sure. He didn’t see how someone like Grant could open up to someone like him and just be fine with the fact that his sister was dating Rome.
But Elise gave him another sweetly determined smile, and he found he couldn’t refuse her anything.
When they entered the main lodge, Brenna was seated on the corner of Grant’s desk, dressed in boxers and an old, ratty T-shirt. Grant was wearing what looked like an expensive sweater and leaning close to Brenna, and it was clear the two of them were whispering intently about something. They separated when he and Elise entered the lodge.
Grant stood.
Elise clasped Rome’s hand in hers, squeezed it, and headed toward her brother. “Look who I found,” she said casually.
“Welcome back,” Grant said slowly, his face inscrutable.
Brenna launched herself off of Grant’s desk, sprinting across the room with her arms wide. “Yay, it’s Rome!” She flung herself onto him in a hug that surprised him. Rome gave Elise an amused look and awkwardly patted Brenna’s back. “Hey, Bren.”
She let him go and went to Elise’s side, elbowing her. “Looks like the ‘perpes’ plan worked after all, huh?”
Elise flushed bright red.
“Perpes?” Rome asked.
“Yeah. Beth Ann suggested that Elise get your attention by telling you that she was pregnant. I suggested herpes, but that might have made you run in the other direction.”
“Lovely,” Grant said in a dry voice. “Why don’t we all sit down and talk for a minute, okay?”
Brenna snapped her fingers. “I’ll put on some coffee. Nobody move!” She bounded back to the kitchen.
Grant gave her retreating back a patient look and then gestured at the sofas by the massive lodge fireplace. “She’s a little excited to see you again, Rome.”
He’d bet she was the only one. He liked Brenna. She was offbeat, but incredibly friendly, and he suspected that he’d have never been hired if it weren’t for her. “I’m happy to see her again, too.”
“Rome and I wanted to talk to you this morning,” Elise said in a firm voice. “About everything.”
“Well, then.” Grant headed toward the couches.
Elise gave his hand another little squeeze and followed her brother over to the sofas. She and Rome sat across from Grant, and they stared at each other uncomfortably.
“So,” Grant said. He folded his hands in his lap and looked at them expectantly.
Rome had the odd feel
ing of a naughty child seated in front of a disapproving parent . . . which was rather ironic, given his upbringing.
But Elise sat forward on the sofa and gave Grant a direct look. “I want to ask you a few questions.”
“Shoot.”
“Before you found out about Rome’s past, did you find him to be a bad worker?”
“Elise, honey,” Rome began, reaching for her.
She shrugged him away. “No, I want to know the answer to this. Before you knew about Rome’s past, did you find him to be a bad worker?”
Rome watched as Grant’s jaw seemed to visibly clench. He relaxed when Brenna sashayed out of the kitchen holding a tray with four mugs of coffee on it, and began to place them in front of each person. “No, Rome wasn’t a bad worker. He wasn’t great, though.”
Rome bit back his own frustration. Grant wasn’t going to bend on his opinion of him. This was useless.
“Why is that?” Elise persisted.
“Well, you have to admit that he’s not trained for the position,” Grant began, taking a cup of coffee for himself. “I specifically told Brenna we needed someone with certifications and experience.”
Elise waved a hand. “Ignoring that—was he a bad employee?”
Grant shot him a look. After a long moment, he answered. “No.”
“Was he ever late? Rude? Demanding?”
“You mean other than when he totally abandoned his job on the day we opened the paintball course?”
“What Grant means to say is no,” Brenna added helpfully, giving her fiancé a firm look. “And he knows that was his fault as much as anyone’s.” She leaned in, coffee cup in hand. “What my boo here isn’t saying is that he was wrong.”
“Brenna,” Grant began.
“No, you were wrong,” she continued. “Pop and Dane were just filling your ear yesterday about how much they missed having Rome around. They said he was a great worker, didn’t they?”
Rome was surprised to hear that. He really liked both Pop and Dane. They were good guys. But he’d thought they’d turn against him like Grant had the moment they found out who he was. He began to relax a little. Maybe he’d made some friends here after all.
Elise looked over at him, beaming with pride and love.
“Anyhow, the others and I had a meeting and we agreed that if Rome came back, his job should be given back to him,” Brenna announced, moving Grant’s arm and sliding into his lap.
“What?” Grant asked. “When was this?”
“When you were busy, sweetie. We made a group business decision.”
“A group decision? I’m the only one who works in this damn office,” he grumbled.
She pinched his cheek. “You’re so cute when you’re grumpy.” Brenna looked over at Rome. “He’s sorry. He has control issues when it comes to people he cares about. We’re working on the whole ‘letting go’ process, but he’s still struggling.”
Elise blinked and stifled a giggle, then put her hand on Rome’s knee in a possessive gesture that he rather liked. “You mean he’s finally acknowledging that he’s an obsessive control freak?”
“Hey now, when did this become about me?” Grant blustered, even as Brenna began to speak again.
“Oh, he’s not really admitting it,” Brenna continued. “But he knows it’s a problem. We’re working on it. I took him skydiving. You should have seen his face—”
Grant clapped a hand over Brenna’s mouth to silence her. He looked over at Rome and shook his head. “You sure you still want to work here? Nothing but a bunch of crazies around me.”
Rome supposed that was pretty close to an apology. He smiled. “I’m good with crazies.”
“Then . . .” Grant got an unfocused look on his face and he lowered his hand. “Brenna, quit licking me.”
“I thought when you put things against my mouth, I was supposed to lick them,” she said in a flirty voice.
Grant made a noise that could have been either embarrassment or frustration.
“Rome wants to tell you something about his incarceration,” Elise said, looking at him with love in her eyes.
Grant and Brenna stopped playing around, and their attention swung back to him. “Oh?” Grant asked.
Rome shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He hadn’t anticipated Elise bringing this up. “It’s okay. They don’t need to know.”
“I want them to know the truth,” she said steadily. She reached for his hand and squeezed it.
“It’s going to sound like excuses.”
“Not to anyone who knows you,” she told him, and her love and support shone in her eyes. Damn. How could a man argue with that?
Rome sighed and began to unravel the story of his time in prison. His mother and father’s penchant for drugs and illegal activity. His nomadic life. His mother’s brush with the law and her request for Rome to take the hit. His time in prison.
When he finished, Grant said nothing, simply watched him.
Brenna gave him a sympathetic look. “God, reminds me of my mother. Don’t you think?” She looked over at Grant.
He pulled Brenna close and hugged her, then rubbed her arm as if reassuring her. “Kinda does, yeah.”
That surprised Rome. No judgment? No scoffing or accusations of lies? “You guys believe me?”
“Who hasn’t been messed up by their parents?” Brenna said with a laugh. “Yours just sound shittier than most. I hope you wouldn’t go to prison for her again, though.”
Rome groaned and ducked his head, rubbing it. “Hell no. Learned my lesson, thanks.”
Elise cleared her throat. “So Rome gets his job back with a raise?”
Grant’s attention veered back to Elise. “What? Raise?”
“Baby, no, it’s okay,” Rome began.
“I think he gets a raise,” Elise said in a firm voice. “You aren’t paying him enough to live on. If you want him to make something of himself, how about you take a step in the right direction? You can’t castigate a man for his past and then push him into a low-paying job that reinforces society’s concept of who and what he is.”
Rome was surprised at the ferocity in Elise’s voice. Surprised . . . and proud. When she got her mind on something, there was no distracting her, was there? How had he ever walked away from her before?
“We could put it to a vote,” Brenna singsonged.
Grant threw his hands up. “I give up. You two hash things out. Since Brenna hired him, she can re-hire him. I’m going to actually get some work done.” He got to his feet, pressed a kiss on top of Brenna’s head, and headed to his desk.
“And the cabin?” Elise pressed, unwilling to budge an inch.
“Aren’t you in it at the moment?” Brenna asked.
“Yes, but it was his originally, and I want it to remain his,” Elise said. “So he always has a place to call his own instead of being dependent on staying with me.”
“In case you break up?” Brenna asked.
Rome leaned in and whispered against Elise’s ear. “Not going to happen.”
She smiled at him. “It’s still yours.”
Brenna shrugged. “Whatever you want.”
“Good,” Elise said. “He’ll start again tomorrow, if that’s what he wants.” She looked over at Rome expectantly. “Are you okay with all of this?”
He rubbed his jaw. “Other than feeling a little awkward that my girlfriend got me my job back? Yeah.”
“You’re being run over roughshod by these two,” Grant called from his desk. “Don’t worry, though. You get used to the feeling eventually.”
Elise just smiled.
• • •
Later that evening, when he was in bed with Elise, watching TV and thinking the world was sometimes a pretty perfect place, he got a text on his phone.
Rome pulled it off the nightstand as Elise yawned and snuggled closer. It was Jericho. So. Heard you were back for good.
Reaching an arm over Elise’s head, Rome texted back. News travels fast around here.
> Small towns.
True. Yeah, thought I’d set up shop long-term. Have a good thing here.
I met your girl.
So I heard.
She’s cute. Determined little thing, too. Just wanted you to know that she had your back the entire time. She looked me right in the eye and told me she’d heard about your charges and knew it wasn’t you, and wanted to know the real story. Kinda thought you should know so you can make sure that one doesn’t get away.
Thanks, Rome texted back. She’s pretty amazing.
Indeed. Later, bro. Lunch this week?
Sure.
Then he dropped the phone back on the nightstand and wrapped his arms around Elise.
She tucked her head against his shoulder sleepily, drowsy from their recent bout of lovemaking. “Everything okay?” she murmured.
“Everything’s perfect,” he whispered against her hair. “I love you.”
She smiled, eyes closed. “Love you, too.”
EPILOGUE
I just don’t understand it,” Pop said, scratching his head underneath his trucker cap. “Brenna’s a smart girl. How the hell does she keep breaking so much stuff?”
“It’s a mystery,” Rome agreed, crossing his arms and leaning against the kitchen counter as Pop fiddled with the Keurig. “So . . . no coffee this morning?”
“Don’t look like it,” the elderly man said, and shook his head again. “Why that girl put a cup of sugar into the water reservoir, I don’t know. She said she wanted her coffee sweetened when it comes out.” He gave Rome an exasperated look. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was doing this on purpose to test me.”
Or to keep you busy, Rome thought, but smiled to himself. It was the worst-kept secret at the Wilderness Survival Ranch that Pop wanted to feel needed, and the surest way for him to feel needed was for him to fix something. They were a small business, which meant that someone went around breaking things for him to fix. That was a task that normally fell to Brenna, and she relished the position.
Of course, that meant no coffee for anyone else this morning.
Rome glanced at his watch. “I’ve got an hour before the birthday party comes in for the paintball course. You want me to run into town and get some from the cafe?”
The Virgin's Guide to Misbehaving Page 26
