Then, as if to prove his point, he picks up the tampon that Willy presented him on his shoe and holds it up.
“See? I’m not embarrassed. And neither should you be.”
I swallow as I stare at him, trying to fight the dizzying feeling that is rising in my chest.
I’ve kissed this man twice.
I haven’t done the deep dive yet.
But I already know, without a doubt, Brady Jensen is the kind of man you keep.
And the kind of man you can fall in love with.
Chapter Ten
“I have to say,” Brady says, rubbing Willy’s chest, “this has been the most interesting second date I’ve ever had in my life.”
I blush. We’ve just finished cleaning up my explosion of feminine protection products and, thank God, made our way back to the sofa in the living room. As soon as Brady sat down, Willy climbed up the sofa and plopped down across his massive thighs, making himself at home with his new friend.
Hmm. I think I might be jealous of Willy. He gets to sit in Brady’s lap and have his chest massaged by those magic fingers of his. I remember how good those fingers felt in my hair, and I swear, I would be happy to lay in Brady’s lap and let him play with my hair for hours if he was willing. I love having my hair played with—it’s so relaxing to me.
But since Willy called dibs, I put that thought aside.
“Thank you for the clean-up on aisle four,” I tease. I pause to take off my boots, so I can tuck my legs up underneath me. I sit right next to Brady, my body lightly brushing against his. Once again, I feel the warmth radiating from his skin, and a shiver of excitement whips through me.
“If you had told me within minutes of landing back at your place, I would have had a scorching hot kiss, an introduction to every female hygiene product on the planet, and a ferret in my lap, I would have thought that was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.”
Suddenly, Petey comes prancing into the living room, dragging his little sleeping blanket from his cage across the floor.
“Is he stashing?” Brady asks. I had explained what Willy and Petey were doing with all my things in my bedroom, how ferrets love to find treasures and put them in a safe spot for keeping.
“Yes. Watch him. He’s going to take that blanket and stuff it under the TV cabinet.”
“So, they stash in different spots?”
“Yes. Under my dresser in the bedroom and under the TV stand in here. I keep a yardstick so I can fish out their treasures and put them back.”
Brady laughs. “That’s so cool.”
“I know, they’re fascinating animals,” I say, watching as Petey drags his blanket over to the TV.
“What are some of the things you’ve found stashed? Besides tampons,” Brady teases.
“Shut up,” I say, smiling at him as Petey puts the blanket in his stash space and pops back out. “They like wallets and keys. I’ve learned the hard way my purse has to be put up high if I don’t want to have to fish those items out every morning before work.”
Petey trots back down the hall, and I shift my attention to Brady.
“But back to your comment. I do hope ridiculous and strange qualify as a good second date in your book,” I say.
Brady’s eyes lock with mine. “It qualifies as perfect.”
My stomach flips upside down in excitement from his words. “For me, too,” I say softly.
“So, are you ready to deep dive?”
My heart leaps. I still have to pinch myself that this man—this sexy man who is so mature in his thinking, who is holding my ferret, who can not only tease and joke but also deep dive—exists.
And not only exists but is sitting right next to me on the sofa.
“I am,” I say. “What do you want to start with? Families or past romance history?”
“I’ll take families to start,” Brady answers. “Tell me more about yours.”
“I have a different relationship with my family,” I say slowly. “You know how Hayley is super close with her family?”
Brady nods. “Her family is fantastic. Brody loves them. They’re the kind of family you want to have.”
“Yes, they are. I don’t know if you have met Katie’s family yet—you will when her mom throws her annual Fourth of July bash—but they’re amazing, too. Katie is very close to her younger sister, Meghan. She just graduated from college last week, and nobody was prouder of her than Katie. They support each other fiercely.”
He remains quiet, and I already know he gets where I’m going with my set-up.
“I don’t have a family like that,” I admit. I pause for a moment, trying to figure out how to say what I want to say. I realize I never had this kind of conversation with Ryan, and, once again, I feel so lucky that Brady wants to have it with me on the second date. “I feel like I’m the outcast of the family.”
“How so?” he asks gently, as if he knows this isn’t easy for me to talk about.
“My younger sister, Ari, is a pianist. She’s incredibly gifted. She was listed as one of the top five young pianists by the leading classical music magazine, and today she signed a contract with Classico Records. Which is amazing and huge.”
“Wow, that is,” Brady agrees.
“I’m so proud of her. She has worked so hard and been so devoted to her craft—it’s something to admire. My parents have been there every step of the way, too. Always going to her competitions and recitals, investing heavily in private coaching. And sometimes, it’s hard to live in Ari’s shadow.”
I pause for a moment and continue. “I hate even talking about it, because it makes me sound jealous or unsupportive, and I promise you, I am neither of those things. But it was always about Ari. I was compared to Ari. My interests weren’t as sophisticated as Ari’s. Why wasn’t I pursuing something as passionately as she was? I know they love me, but it was hard always to be told I should be more like my little sister. My interest, my passion for animals? I was told to find something serious. I was brushed off.”
Brady takes in my words, his brow furrowed. “I can’t imagine not being encouraged to pursue your dream. That had to be hard as a little girl to manage.”
I draw my lower lip between my teeth, not sure how much deeper to go.
“Say what you want to say,” he tells me softly. “I’m not here to judge you. I’m here to understand you.”
I exhale. “Thank you. Because sometimes, I’m afraid I sound like I’m whining. I mean, my parents did love me, I grew up in an upper-class Philadelphia home—I never wanted for anything.”
“But that doesn’t mean your emotional needs were met.”
I blink. Good God, he’s deep.
And I know it’s safe to say what I truly feel.
“Yes. That’s exactly it. I remember in high school, I wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter, but my mother said I needed to do something that would put me on a proper career path. I still remember her words. ‘Cleaning cat boxes and walking dogs is not going to do anything for you.’ Then I was told I’d be interning at my father’s global investment firm. When I asked why Ari was allowed to follow her dream and play the piano, my father pointed out that a concert pianist was an esteemed career, while being an animal caregiver was not.”