“He didn’t exactly say the words, but it’s the prettiest ring I’ve ever seen,” Blossom said.
Wait. He blinked a few times, but the two women were smiling and hugging again. By giving her a ring, he’d asked her to be his mate? And she’d not stopped him? After their discussion downstairs, shouldn’t she have tried to stop him? Turned down his gift? Brexton felt a little like someone had knocked him off his feet, and he tried to figure out what was going on.
“After what you said before, I didn’t think…” He stopped. He didn’t want her to think that hedidn’twant to marry her, and if he told her that the ring hadn’t been intended as a proposal then it might upset her. He couldn’t think of anything he’d like more than to claim her as his mate. “When I presented you with the ring, I thought you might refuse.”
That sounded reasonable enough, didn’t it?
“We can talk over dinner,” Blossom said, smiling up at him. “That is where we’re going, isn’t it?”
He nodded.
“Go have fun. And congratulations to both of you,” Mrs. Connors said.
Brexton ushered Blossom out to his SUV, and then drove to one of his favorite restaurants. On the way, he noticed she mostly stared out the window, but she twirled her ring around her finger. He couldn’t tell if she was genuinely happy, or if she’d been putting on a show for Mrs. Connors. Humans always confused him, but Blossom was confusing him more than most.
“You didn’t mean to give me an engagement ring, did you?” she asked softly, still looking away from him.
Was this where he was honest and told her he hadn’t understood the significance of his actions? Or played it off? He’d always tried to be truthful, except for when lies were necessary, like when he was acting for a part in a movie. But in real life, he’d prided himself on never lying to anyone. Until today. Until he’d claimed Blossom as his girlfriend, then screwed up by not understanding human customs on mating.
“I did not understand that by giving you the ring I was asking you to be my mate,” he admitted. “But I don’t regret what I’ve done. I would be honored to have you by my side, for you to be mine in all ways.”
He glanced at her, but she still wouldn’t look at him.
“I still don’t understand a lot of human customs, Blossom, but I wanted you for my mate. When you accepted the ring and didn’t say anything, I thought I was just giving you a gift. Then Mrs. Connors got so excited about us getting engaged… I didn’t know what to do.”
She looked over at him, a slight smile curving her lips. “I didn’t think you were proposing when you gave me the ring, until your housekeeper made such a huge deal and you didn’t deny it. I thought maybe I’d just misunderstood. I can move the ring to my right hand.”
He reached over and placed his hand over hers, the one with the ring, and gave it a squeeze. “I like that people think you’re mine.”
“I know you do, Brexton, but there’s a difference in your fans thinking you have a girlfriend like me, and accepting that you’re actually going to marry me. Your manager was right to be worried, even if you did kick her out of your house.”
“I fired her,” he said. “She won’t be working for me anymore. I didn’t realize how ruthless and dishonest she was, or I never would have signed with her.”
“If you have a contract, can you fire her the way you did?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I will likely owe her some money, but I’m sure I can break it. I’ll ask the legal department at the Terran station to take a look and help me handle the matter. Maybe they can recommend someone else to take her place.”
Blossom nibbled on her lip and looked at him uncertainly. “Do you want me to keep wearing the ring, or move it to my other hand?”
His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “Do you want to be mated to me?”
“I don’t know.” She sighed. “Part of me wants to say yes, but the other part is cautioning me that things are going way too fast. We just met earlier today. You’ve bought us a ton of new things, set us up in your house, and now your fans think we’re dating and that my kids belong to you. It’s all a little much to take in. I feel like… I feel like I’m in one of those funhouse tunnels at a fairground. You know, the ones that spin and you have to try to walk through it without falling?”
“But the part that wants to say yes?” he asked, trying to latch onto the positive part of what she’d said.
“You make me feel safe,” she said. “And wanted. The way you kissed me… no one’s ever kissed me like that before. I’ve never been called beautiful, or looked at like…”
“Like?” he prompted.
“Like someone loves me,” she said. “I know you don’t, that there’s no such thing as love at first sight, but that’s how I feel when your gaze is locked on me, like every bit of your attention is focused solely on me. I’ve never had that before, and I want to grab on and never let go.”
“There’s nothing wrong with feeling wanted, Blossom.”
“Maybe not, but I’ve always relied on a man to take care of me, and it never works out. With you, I feel like we could have a real chance, that me and the kids could be happy and safe, and then I realize that’s not fair to you.”
“What do you mean?” he asked as he pulled into the lot of the restaurant and found a place to park.
“I mean, you deserve to be with someone who loves you, someone who is with you for the right reasons. I’m attracted to you, and I could easily fall into your bed, but I think I’d be selfish if I tried to keep you without knowing that I loved you.”
