I wanted to say them back.
But Brody had been insistent, telling me that he wanted to make things right between us before I gave him anything he didn't deserve.
I didn’t even know what he meant. And I had no opportunity to ask him in private until we were already on the highway, heading back to Bayside, with my belongings in the back of his luxurious black SUV – one I'd never seen him driving until today.
My head was reeling, and I hardly knew what to think. Looking to saysomething, I asked, "Is this a new vehicle?"
"Yeah," he said. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," I said. "But I loved your truck, too."
"Good," he said. "Because I've still got it."
"Oh, really?" I teased. "How many vehicles do you have, anyway?"
"Counting this one? Two." He paused. "But hey, I'm open to more. You want a motorcycle or maybe a Winnebago?"
I snickered. "Not really."
"Good," he said. "Because I'm more into houses."
"And how many ofthosedo you have?"
He gave me a sideways glance. "One less than I had two days ago."
"What doesthatmean?"
"You'll see," he said.
As I gazed over at him, I felt my heart go all warm and gooey. He was wearing dark slacks and a short-sleeve polo shirt that showed off his muscular arms as he drove with one hand draped casually over the steering wheel.
He looked content.
Ifeltcontent.
It was crazy to think of how much had changed in the span of just an hour or two.
As my gaze lingered, I heard myself say, "So, what happened?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
With a trembling laugh, I said, "Well, the last time I saw you, I was pretty sure you hated me."
Brody shook his head. "Nah. I hated myself, and you wanna know why?"
"Why?"
He gave me a warm glance. "Because I couldn’t get over you, no matter how hard I tried."
I loved the way that sounded.Still, I had to tease him at least a little. "You had a funny way of showing it."
"No kidding." As we drove along the empty highway, he stared straight ahead as he added, "There was baggage – stuff I should've let go a long time ago. And that goes double for my brothers."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "Like stuff with your parents?"
"No. Stuff with Willow." He paused. "And you."
I wasn't quite sure what he was getting at. "You mean because of that day I tried to walk her home?"
