Famously Engaged Read Online Free PDF

very complimentary, and she wondered if Brad’s ears were burning as he slept.
    She met Jake’s gaze head-on. “He’s been offering my heart to random men ever since our divorce came through, because he wants me to be happy. Does that sound like someone who is still possessive?”
    “You guys get divorced and you praise him for helping you through it.”
    He was practically shouting at her. His bronzed cheekbones and the gold flecks in his eyes made him look like someone had lit a fire inside him.
    She stepped closer to him. “I didn’t need help to get through it. I asked for the divorce. He didn’t argue.”
    “You could be too close to see what’s going on.”
    She sipped from her bottle of water before answering. “I think you’re aligning Brad with somebody else and blaming him for their mistakes. I’m not sure it’s possible to be too loyal. Skyla is a very lucky woman.
    “If Skyla was home he and Skyla would be here now, standing where you are, eating that cake.” She shook her head when he would’ve spoken. “I’m grateful for your company, but I’d give almost anything to have Brad here. He and his mother are the only family I have left.”
    Jake frowned. “He’s not family. You’re not even married anymore.”
    “It’s more of an honorary bond. I guess you could say he’s the son my father never had.”
    “He was the golden boy and you played second fiddle?”
    She put her hand on his forearm and squeezed. “Not at all. He was a welcome addition rather than a replacement, and eventually I wore his family down too. For a long time we were the glue that held everyone together as one big family, but now it’s down to Brad and me because I sometimes go an entire week without catching up with his mother.” She shook off the gloom and aimed a grin at Jake. “He’ll be proud of me for handling this situation without him.”
    “Making your ex-husband proud is important to you? It’s time you got some new faces in your life.”
    “I have a new face in my life. You have one of the most recognizable faces in the world, and lots of awards and millions of adoring fans. I’ve just buried my mother, and I have an empty house and a terrible feeling I’m going to fly right off into space if I don’t hold on tight to the few people I have left who really matter to me.”
    “Brad is one of those people?”
    The raw emotion in his voice threatened to unravel several hours of successful kitchen therapy, but she refused to let it.
    “Yeah. And his mum. And Skyla. It’s, um, probably best if you change the subject and pretend this conversation never happened.”
    He regarded her in thoughtful silence before shaking his head. “I wouldn’t be much of a fiancé if I did that.”
    Dread built within her. He seemed to think he had to step up and offer support, but random kindness was the one surefire way to undermine her. “You see that raspberry meringue roulade?”
    She pointed and waited for him to drag his attention away from her face. “If you continue this discussion you’ll risk wearing it.”
    He thrust both hands through his hair and made an impatient sound in the base of his throat, frustration radiating out of him and charging the air between them. The effect was instantaneous.
    Testosterone combined with protective instincts was her greatest weakness, and her kitchen hummed with both. “You miss your mother too much for us to ignore it. You told Brad you had an alternate shoulder to lean on.” He smacked one broad shoulder and angled it toward her. “Go ahead and lean.”
    So tempting. “It’s not the same. Brad and I have a history. He cares about me.”
    “More than your fianc é?”
    “Please don’t use that word again. It implies a connection we don’t have.” A wave of utter hopelessness threatened but she held it back. “The biggest problem I have right now is being famously engaged to you. I’ll be fine once you are