Do Opposites Attract? (Kathryn Freeman’s Irresistible Romcom Collection #5)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

As Brianna packed her case, ready to spend the weekend with Mitch, she wondered if she should broach the subject of them living together. Surely, now they’d both confirmed their love for each other, it was the next logical step? Of course it might be for most men, but she wasn’t dealing with most men. She was dealing with Mitch McBride. Passionate yes, but also stubbornly independent. Though he’d opened up to her finally, she knew she couldn’t rush him. Mustn’t rush him in fact, or he might back off, as he had done before. No, he would do what he wanted, when he wanted to. For now, she had to be content with the fact that he loved her, and had been as keen to see her this weekend as she had been to see him.

Zipping up her bag, she went to find her parents to let them know she wouldn’t be around. She hadn’t really spoken to them since they’d met with Mitch. Both evenings she’d come home from work ready to grill them, only to find they were out. Frustrated, she’d let the matter drop, hoping it had just been a coincidence and they weren’t deliberately avoiding her. She’d meant what she’d said to Mitch. She loved him, and would continue to love him, no matter what her parents thought. Deep inside, though, she knew it would be so much better to be seeing him with her parents’ approval, instead of against their wishes.

‘Mum! There you are.’ Finally, she found her mother home. ‘I’ve been looking for you for the last few evenings. Where have you been? I thought it was the daughter who should be out on the town, not the parents.’

‘Your father and I aren’t old yet, you know. We still have a social life, and friends who want to see us.’ She gave her daughter a quick squeeze. ‘But if we’d known you wanted to see us, we’d have stayed in. What did you need us for?’

Brianna laughed. ‘As if you didn’t know. I thought you might be avoiding me, because you were too worried about what to say to me about Mitch.’

Her mother looked genuinely shocked. ‘Good heavens, where did you get that from? I hope you don’t really think we’re such ogres.’

Brianna sighed and considered her words. ‘No, but I also know you weren’t all that keen on me seeing him in the first place. And that was before you knew about his childhood.’

Her mother sat on the bar stool in the kitchen and motioned for Brianna to do the same. ‘Darling, your father and I only want you to be happy. Yes, I was worried that Mitch wasn’t right for you, but only because I know from personal experience how much easier it is to be with someone who comes from a similar place. There wasn’t only your father, you know, but when I met him, I knew straight away he was the one.’

Brianna smiled. ‘When I first met Mitch he was rude, but the sexiest man I’d ever seen. He got under my skin and filled my mind so I couldn’t think about anything else but him. He’s the one, Mum.’

Her mother patted her gently on the arm. ‘I know. I’m not blind, Brianna. I can see how much you love him, and what you see in him.’ She chuckled. ‘But aside from his looks, to have lived through what he has and come through the other side shows a strength of character we can only respect and admire. He’s a good man, my darling, and we’re delighted you’ve found him.’

Brianna threw her arms around her mother’s neck. ‘You don’t know how happy that makes me. He’s the man I want to marry, have children with.’ She sighed. ‘I just hope he feels the same. I guess I’m going to have to be patient while he figures out he wants to spend the rest of his life with me.’

‘I guess you are.’ With a smile and a twinkle in her eyes, she ran a loving hand down her daughter’s cheek before getting up off the stool.

Brianna sat, puzzled. ‘Why are you grinning?’

‘My daughter’s in love. Why wouldn’t I grin?’

Far from satisfied with her mother’s answer, Brianna raised herself off the chair and went to pick up her overnight bag. ‘Okay. I won’t be home this weekend. I’ll be with Mitch.’

‘Well, have fun.’

When she waved her goodbye, her mother still had a smile on her face.

* * *

As she pushed open the door to Mitch’s house, she was struck by how different it looked. It was positively gleaming, as if he’d spent the whole day tidying up for her. And were they really fresh flowers in the vase? She shook her head. No, she must be dreaming.

‘Mitch?’ she called out, following the scent of garlic to the kitchen. There he was, standing over the stove, turning something over in a pan. It was like the scene out of an old domestic handbook. Only Mitch was playing the role of the anxious to please wife, and she was the husband coming home after a hard day.

He turned and there was no doubting his pleasure at seeing her. It was clear in the deep brown of his eyes, in the easy smile that spread across his rugged features. He turned down the gas, and gently put his hands on her shoulders, drawing her tight against him. ‘Umm, you feel good,’ he murmured against her hair. ‘And you smell good too.’

Delighted, she wriggled closer. ‘You know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.’

‘I don’t know about that, but it certainly makes a man frisky.’ He cupped her face and gave a deep, searing kiss. ‘I hope you’re not hungry because it’s going to have to wait.’

He lifted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs.

* * *

Later, after Brianna had changed into some casual silky little number that made Mitch’s eyes water, they headed back downstairs. Mitch hunted out the champagne he’d put in the fridge and wrestled it open, handing her a glass.

‘Are we celebrating?’

He gave what he hoped was a casual shrug of his shoulders. ‘Not really. I thought you might like some.’

‘Oh, I do. It’s just, what with the champagne, the tidy house and the flowers, I wondered if something was up?’

Heck, what was he supposed to do now? The ring he’d bought yesterday burned a hole in his pocket. But he’d planned to wine and dine her first. He wanted to do this properly. ‘Can’t a man tidy his house without arousing suspicion?’ he replied a touch irritably.

She was used to him by now. Instead of taking offence, she smiled. ‘Of course. The flowers, they’re lovely. Did you buy them?’

Now she had him feeling like a twit. What man in his right mind goes out and buys flowers for his home, just for fun? ‘Yes,’ he snapped, before reigning in his temper. This fancy setting was meant to soften her up for the proposal. Not piss her off. ‘I thought, as you were staying the weekend, you might like them,’ he ventured carefully.

Brianna stood and gave them a long, deep sniff. ‘You’re right. I do. You can’t go wrong with flowers and champagne.’

‘Yes, well, I’ll go and see if our first course is ready.’

Mitch turned sharply and went back into the kitchen, aware he’d left Brianna staring after him in confusion. Not half as confused as he was. Was he really about to throw together king prawns sautéed in garlic butter?

Why hadn’t he stuck to his original plan of fish and chips?

‘Umm, these prawns are delicious,’ Brianna told him a while later as she tucked into the starter. ‘I didn’t realise you were such a good cook. You haven’t cooked for me before.’

‘No. I thought it was time I did.’ Inwardly he groaned. What on earth was wrong with him? He couldn’t string two sentences together without feeling stiff and nervous. Heck, he’d faced far more terrifying circumstances than this. He’d had to stare down men with machine guns, for goodness sake. Why was he making such a big deal out of saying four simple words? Will you marry me? They weren’t even hard to say. But then it wasn’t actually saying the words that was the problem. It was hearing her reply he was scared to death of. He’d finally found a woman who had broken down his defences and pushed her way into his heart. He’d never find another like her. He knew she loved him, but how much? Enough to marry him?

‘Brianna . . .’ The ringing phone cut across his words. With a muttered oath he went to answer it. Whoever it was, they were in for a brusque conversation.

He was soon back and clearing the plates away. After popping the steaks under the grill he went to sit back down opposite her. She looked achingly beautiful, her hair tousled from their love-making, her soft pink top draped over her curves. He cleared his throat. ‘Did you have a good day?’ he asked, immediately biting down on his lip, exasperated beyond measure at his inane question. He should be telling her how gorgeous she was. God, he was so crap at this.

Clearly surprised by his question, Brianna smiled. ‘Yes, thank you, I did. Did you?’

He saw the playful smile, the teasing light in her eyes. ‘Oh, hell. Look Brianna—’

The smoke alarm went off in the kitchen. Swearing loudly, Mitch leapt out of his chair and yanked open the grill, only to find his steaks looking decidedly charred. Bloody great. He couldn’t even get that bit right. Annoyed, he snapped off the grill and plonked himself down on the kitchen stool before briefly putting his head in his hands in despair.

It wasn’t long before a comforting arm crossed his shoulders. ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ve burnt enough food in front of you. It’s only fair you retaliate.’

He raised his head and managed a weak smile. ‘It’s not the food, at least not only that. It’s everything. Who’d have thought proposing to a woman would be so damned difficult.’

Brianna stood for a moment, motionless. Then her heart leapt into life, pounding against her ribcage. ‘Is that what you’re doing?’ she asked, her voice a breathless whisper.

‘I’ve been trying to. But between the phone call, the burnt food and my nerves, it’s not quite as I’d planned.’

He looked so pained, her heart swelled still further. Easing herself gently onto his lap, she circled his neck with her arms and gave him a long, deep kiss. ‘Then let me take away some of your nerves. My answer will be yes.’

Surprise, relief, joy. His eyes lit up with all three. ‘Are you sure? Really sure? It’s a big step. I won’t put up with anything less than the rest of our lives.’

She rained kisses over his face. ‘I’m sure. Why, are you trying to put me off?’

‘God no.’ He returned the kisses then pulled his head away, holding her face in his hands. ‘I’m sorry I made such a hash of this. I wanted to do it properly, because you deserve nothing but the best. Somehow I mucked it all up. I can’t seem to find the right words to tell you how much I love you, how much I need you in my life. I’ve tried living without you and I can.’ The deep brown eyes that stared into hers were as dark as she’d ever seen them. ‘But with you in it, my life is different. I’m different. You bring me happiness, laughter, joy. Jesus, you complete me, Brianna. I can’t offer you much in return, but everything I have, everything I am, is yours.’

Tears streamed down her face. ‘You’ve just found the right words.’

‘Thank God.’ He stared at her tears. ‘Those are happy tears, right?’

She smiled and rubbed her thumb across the planes of his face, lovingly tracing the high cheekbones, the grooves at the side of his mouth. ‘Of course they are. Oh Mitch, you always have been and always will be all I’ve ever wanted.’

She leant back in for a cuddle, but he was rummaging around in his back pocket. ‘Before I forget.’ He pulled out a box and awkwardly thrust it at her. ‘I didn’t know whether you’d want to choose your own, or whether you wanted the romantic gesture. I won’t be offended if you don’t like it, but I figured as I’d never bought jewellery for a woman before, now would be a good time to start. I made the lady in the shop promise we could take it back and change it for something else.’

Brianna knew that whatever was inside the box, she would love it. The gesture, knowing he’d gone into a shop to choose something for her, was so much more important than the actual ring itself. But she was genuinely delighted by the simple, emerald cut diamond set in platinum. ‘You can throw away the receipt. It’s beautiful.’

‘It bloody should be. It cost me most of my savings.’ Before she had a chance to interject, he was talking again. ‘Speaking of which, we need to talk about where we’re going to live and about your money. I’ve spoken to your parents, told them I’ll sign anything to make sure your inheritance is protected.’

Brianna held out her hand. ‘Come with me.’ She led him up the stairs and into the bedroom. There she slid into his arms. ‘I want to live here, in this house, with you. We’ll manage off your salary. The rest of the money can stay in the bank. It can be a trust fund for our children, a large donation to charity or something for us to splurge with in our old age. I don’t care. All I want is right here.’ Gently she pushed him onto the bed. ‘Now, it’s time to make love to your future wife.’