“But what about the child? Who’s going to care for it? Have you thought about that?”
“Actually, no, I haven’t thought about it at all since I don’t currently have a kid.”
She glared at him as if he’d abandoned a child he didn’t yet have, but she let the subject drop while they continued to fish.
Twenty minutes later, she asked, “What if your wife makes more money than you do?”
He grinned. “Wouldn’t that be fucking awesome? There’s nothing better than success, is there?”
“And then what? You’ll quit your job, sit on your ass and drink whiskey all day while she works?”
He leaned back to study her. “Where did I say I’d quit my job? I just said my as-yet-nonexistent-wife making more money than me would be great. That I’d be proud of her. Not that I’d sponge off her.”
“Hmm.”
“Did you read some article or something?”
“What?”
“Some article about the shittiest kinds of men.”
“No, I didn’t read an article. I’m just making conversation.”
Yeah, conversation that felt accusatory, like it was directed at him and some terrible misdeeds he hadn’t yet done. Or wouldn’t ever do, for that matter.
Suddenly his pole had a bite, so he got distracted reeling it in, a nice-sized bass that Brenna helped him net and slide into the cooler.
“Good catch,” she said.
“Thanks.”
He set his pole back in the water, and it wasn’t thirty minutes later that Brenna had a nibble. He let her go at it since she’d been fishing with her dad since she was little and knew what she was doing. Plus, he enjoyed watching her cuss and then laugh as the fish fought her, and Finn knew if she needed help she’d have asked for it.
She didn’t need it. She pulled in a bass of her own that was just a touch smaller than the one he’d caught.
He tucked it into the cooler.
“You really did a nice job reeling that one in.”
She lowered her sunglasses and gave him a look. “Was there any doubt I could? Because I’m a woman you thought maybe I couldn’t handle reeling in that fish?”
Now it was time to talk. He swiveled his chair. “Okay, Brenna. What’s up?”
“What’s up with what?”
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. You’ve been grilling me all day and finding fault with everything I said. So what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. We’ve just been having a hypothetical conversation. Just for fun, you know?”
She must have forgotten how well he knew her. And when something was bugging her, she’d dig in her heels and come up with some stupid game like this one instead of hitting things head-on like she should. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not having fun playing this game. Why don’t you tell me what’s actually on your mind instead of walking circles around it like you always do.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Closed it again.
Yeah, there was something she wanted to say. And obviously she didn’t know how to say it, which made his stomach churn.
Did she want to break up with him and she deliberately picked this circle jerk of a fight as a way to get things rolling?
No. Brenna wouldn’t do that.
What the hell was this?
“I’m just in a mood, Finn. Can we let it go at that?”
“Not if something is bothering you. You should tell me—we should talk it out. Holding things inside doesn’t make it go away.”
“It’s nothing, really. Just worrying about things I shouldn’t worry about.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“No, I’m fine.”
She kept her gaze firmly fixed on the poles and the water—anywhere but on him. And that worried him. He reached over and swiveled her chair to face him.
“You’re not fine. I know you, Brenna, and you tend to internalize things when you’re worried about something. Does this have to do with you and me?”
Even though it was cool out on the water, the sun had come up bright with no clouds, so her shades shielded her eyes from him, and her eyes had always told him everything about how she felt. He wished he could pull off her sunglasses so he could really see her.
“It’s a lot of things. Work stuff and personal stuff.”
His lips lifted. “I’m part of your personal stuff. Talk to me.”
She reached out to curl her fingers around his jaw. “I think I didn’t get enough sleep last night and I woke up cranky. I wanted this to be a fun day for you and look what I did. I took out my bad mood on you. I’m sorry. Forgive me?”
He didn’t think that was all there was to it, but she obviously wasn’t gonna give him anything else, and he didn’t want to ruin the day by pressing her. He took her hand and flipped it over to kiss it. “Always.”
Then he pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap. Her body was chilled. “You’re cold.”
“A little.”
“Want me to warm you up?”
She let out a soft laugh. “Yes.”
He stood and placed her on her feet, pulled the poles out of the water and set them on the deck, then took her hand.
“Come on. Let’s go below where it’s warmer.”
There was a small area below with a bathroom and a tiny bed, barely enough space for one person to maneuver, let alone two. Or two and a half, since Murphy had followed them down and curled into a ball at the foot of the steps, promptly going to sleep.
The tight quarters suited Finn just fine because it meant he and Brenna were cushioned together, close. She sat on the bed and toed off her boots and unzipped her jacket, shrugging it off and tossing it to the end of the bed. She leaned back, thrusting her breasts forward.
“Now I’m getting warm,” she said.
“Are you? Good. Me too.” He peeled off his jacket and shirt and shimmied out of his boots and jeans, then his underwear.
“I don’t think I’m that warm yet.”
He gently pushed her onto the bed. “I can get you warm.”
She held her arms up in invitation. “You can? Show me.”
He climbed on top of her, covering her body with his, his lips meeting hers in a tangle of hot passion.