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I nodded. “I appreciate you saying that.”

“I love you. I know we don’t say it to each other much, but I do.”

“Even though I’m an impulsive screwup?” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“You gotta stop saying that stuff about yourself,” he chided. “Makes us all believe it, when it isn’t true.”

Swallowing thickly, I nodded. “I should go talk to Rex.”

My brother let me go.

I glanced at him one last time, smiling. “And I love you too. Even though you’re an overbearing jerk sometimes.”

His laugh was bright and genuine. “Heard. I’ll be better.”

Grinning, I turned back to the man in the booth. My smile slipped as my heart began to race.

Nothing to do but be a little reckless. If not now, then when?

THIRTY-NINE

REX

“Hey.”

I knew it was her before I even looked up. Abigail stood over me, dressed in one of her smart suits with her oversized purse and high heels. My heart rattled. As far as I knew, she still wasn’t speaking to Gabe. I hadn’t expected her to show up here.

“Hey,” I answered, my eyes roaming over her face. She was so beautiful it hurt to look at her, especially when I knew that I’d caused her pain.

But her gaze narrowed and flicked over to my phone screen. “What’s that?”

I cleared my throat. “Oh. I was just, um, looking up fire bowls.”

“Fire bowls?”

“Yeah, like for a backyard.”

Her eyes were little slits now. “Yourbackyard?” she asked.

“No,” I said.

Her expression softened and she sat down across from me. “That wouldn’t happen to be for my backyard, would it?”

I locked my phone and shrugged. “Maybe. Would you mind?”

She hardly looked at me when she replied, “I guess not. I didn’t mind coming home to my standing order with Lotus Flower. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

I shrugged again. “You mentioned you needed to re-up on the order, so I figured I’d take it off your plate. I’m sure your business is about to get even busier with that billboard on the highway.” My ribs had winched so tight it felt like my heart would explode. She was staring at me like she didn’t know what to think, like she might be furious but kind of appreciated it too.

“So you’re the one who put my face up there,” she said, and I nodded. Guilty as charged. Abigail’s fingertips touched the edge of the table. In a low voice, she asked, “Why would you do that?”

“Because if you turned me down again, I’d at least be able to see your big, beautiful smile on the freeway,” I answered, grinning. She shot me a big, beautiful, wry smile. “But seriously, Abigail, people should know how amazing you are. You’re more than the reckless woman they think you are.”

“You can’t buy my affection, Rex Montgomery.”

I couldn’t help the widening of my smile. Always ready to fight back. That was my girl. “I’m not trying to. I’m trying to make your life a little easier for a while, considering I brought nothing but chaos your way since we started this whole thing.”

She gulped. Conflict raged in her gaze, but then her shoulders dropped. “Well…thank you.”