He frowned. “Did you move here?”
She nodded.
“That must be hard on Tammy and Justin.”
“They moved too. The Keys are an expensive place to live. Tammy didn’t want to leave the doctors she had established for Justin right after Brian died, and then I came and had the job there with Jillian, but—”
“Now there’s nothing keeping you there.”
“Right. Prices here are so much cheaper which makes everything easier on all of us.”
“What about Tammy’s school?”
“They have a campus here—a bigger, nicer campus, actually. She just transferred.”
He smiled and ran his knuckles over her cheek. “That’s fantastic.”
What was fantastic was the way she felt right this minute—so beautiful and wanted and loved. She covered his hand with hers and turned her head to kiss his palm.
A doctor in a white lab coat passed on his way up the stairs.
When he was gone, Brooke asked, “Did Ellie tell you about the arrangement with Jillian? Because she swore she wouldn’t.”
He wiped at her face a little more and tucked her hair behind her ears. “No. I heard about it on the set.”
Shame burned in her gut, and Brooke’s eyes slid closed. “Oh God.” She shook her head and looked at him again. “I know it’s your career and what you do is awesome, but that industry is not my favorite.”
“I get it. Jillian never could keep her mouth shut, and it’s going to come back to bite her big-time because her new assistant is the worst two-faced brownnoser I’ve come across in a long time. What happened with you was out within days of you leaving. How long do you think it will take for Jillian’s deeper, more damaging secrets to come out?” He shook his head. “You were the best thing that ever happened to her.”
She smiled and kissed him. “Thank you.”
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me too, baby. And I know I may not look real smart, but I’m not as thickheaded as Jillian”—he combed one hand into her hair, caressing her cheek with his thumb—“and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to keep you.”
She sighed and covered his hand with hers. “Realistically, that’s going to be a pretty tough gig.”
“I’m aware. I’m also aware of these frequent-flier miles weighing down my airline account. And these lulls between jobs when Jax forces us to take R&R so we’re sharp and fresh for the next job.”
Brooke searched his eyes.
“Come on, baby, jump,” he murmured, a smile sliding over his handsome face. “You know you wanna.”
She laughed and cupped his cheek. “I really wanna.”
He repeated the gesture she’d made just moments ago, covering her hand with his and turning his head to kiss her palm. “I know it’s scary. And I know what a big jump this is for you.” He curled his hand around hers and held her gaze. “But I know, together, we can make it work. And I can promise you, I’ll never let you fall.”
Her heart pulled, her stomach flipped. “Keaton, I can’t move again. At least not right now. Between Tammy and Justin—”
“I’m not asking you to move. I would never expect you to move. You’ve made enough sacrifices. I think it’s time someone went that extra mile for you for a change.”
She tilted her head, frowning a little. “What do you mean?”
He grinned and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “I got a hotel room nearby.” His gaze lowered to her mouth, and his own lips tipped up in a hot smile. “I’d love to show you exactly what I mean first. We’ll have plenty of time to talk over the details later.”
A heat wave swept through her body. She lifted her brows. “You got a hotel room?”
“Yep. I was going to stay here as long as it took to convince you to give us another shot.” He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. “But I’ll keep it for as long as we need to negotiate the terms of the agreement.”
Her heart filled. That giddy thrill fluttered in her stomach. “I do believe we have a perfect window of opportunity to start that negotiation right now.”