Mind Play (Bennett Sisters Book 3) (20 page)

Claire raised her brow, and the little move didn’t go unnoticed. It was obvious Claire wasn’t buying it, and either Emma was a better actor than he thought or she really would approve. Claire held out her hand for Emma’s inspection of the ring. She oohed and a
a
hed over the ring before bending down and whispering in Butch’s ear
,
“Is it real?”

Butch
nodded
and smiled. Claire’s hand went to cover her mouth
,
and she let out a gasp. She plopped back down in her chair and leaned over the table. In a whisper
,
she asked, “Why would you do that? Can you take it back?”

“Why would I want to do that,
angel
? I promised
you
a
three
-karat ring
,
and I got you a four
.
I don’t break my promises.”

Claire crossed her arms over her chest and glanced down at the shiny spectacle. “Butch…”

He interrupted her rebuttal. “Baby, you are worth every penny
,
and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Claire glanced up at Emma and back at Butch. “This is too much
.
I can’t accept this.” She went to slide the ring off her finger
,
and Butch put his hand over hers
,
stopping her
from taking the ring off
. He figured if the only way she would keep it was to believe it was a part of their ruse then he’d play along.
For Now.

“You already did,
angel
. I won’t accept it back.”

Claire leaned over to grab her purse, pulling out her checkbook. “How much was it
? L
et me reimburse you.”

Butch glanced at the surround patrons. “Claire, put your checkbook away
.
I’m not taking your money
,
and people are starting to stare.”

Claire glanced up from her checkbook and glanced around the room before smiling so sweetly and putting the check away. “We’ll talk about this later
,
”
she said through gritted teeth with a smile plastered on her face.

“Save your breath,
angel
. My answer isn’t changing.”

“Oh we’ll see about that.”

Claire looked up at her sister. “Have you started packing for your trip?”

Emma stepped out of the way when Helen arrived with their coffee. Butch and Claire started doctoring their
drinks
up with sugar and sweet
e
ner.
“Yes, and let me tell you, packing for an infant isn’t easy. Jake is at home with Lily going over everything I’ve already packed, making sure I didn’t miss something. He’s packed all five of her stuffed animals.” She laughed. “I mean
,
really, how many stuffed animals does an infant need for a short trip
?
”

“Sounds like her daddy thinks she’s going to need five. Be glad she doesn’t own any more.”

“
You aren’t kidding
. J
ust wait until she gets older.
Mike’s at the office getting some of the files and
is dropping them off later tonight.
At least that
should
keep Abby busy
. Y
ou know how she gets when she dives into a case
. I
t’s hard to get h
er to think about anything else, and she’s checked in on John. He was just getting out of class when Abby called him. He said he’d meet us there after his midterms. So he’ll be safe and sound with us.
”

“I appreciate you guys helping me. I don’t know what I’d do without you two.”

“Claire, you’ve taken care of us for years
,
and you were young yourself. You’ve always been there for us
,
and we aren’t going anywhere. That’s how this family works.”

Emma glanced at Butch. “You got that
,
big guy. If you’re a part of this family, it works that way with you too.
We don’t hurt each other
. W
e’re there for each other
,
no matter what.”

Butch felt his lips tilt up in a grin. He knew what she was getting at. He didn’t know how Emma knew that he meant to
have
Claire for keeps, but he could sense the meaning behind her words. “Emma, I promise to be good to her.
I will love her and cherish her for the rest of my life.
”

Emma nodded her understanding as Claire shook her head back and forth.

Claire tapped the table as she took another sip of her drink. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Nah, I’ll get something later at your house. Who knows
? M
aybe I’ll
impress you with my awesome cooking skills.
”

Claire finally smiled. He’d missed her smiles lately.
Butch downed his cool
ing
coffee and stood
,
holding out his hand to her. “Are you ready
,
sweetheart?”

Claire finished hers,
dabbed
at her mouth with a napkin
,
and put her hand in his. “Sure
,
sexy.”

“Oh, I like it when you call me that.”
Butch winked at
Claire as he pulled the door open.

“Emma, I’ll call you later
,
” Claire threw over her shoulder to her sister.

****

What was this man thinking? He’d given her the most beautiful engagement ring she’d ever seen. Claire glanced down at her finger displaying the rock. His words were the sweetest she’d ever heard anyone declare.
If only it weren’t a scam
…

Claire glanced at the man walking by her side. Her heart longed for a tr
ue love, like he’d just offered
. Claire wouldn’t settle for anything less
. S
he’d find it one day
,
and when she did, she wasn’t letting it go.
She’d been lost in thought about finding someone just like Butch when his ringing phone pulled her attention back to the present. Butch glanced at the caller
ID
and hit the button
,
sending it to voice mail.

“Fiancé, is there anything I need to know?”
s
he joked.

“Nope, ex-girlfriend keeps calling want
ing
me to
move back to Virginia.”

Claire stopped in mid-step. She hadn’t thought there might be someone in his life. She’d taken for granted that he’d always been there for her and her sisters whenever they needed him.  He couldn’t leave. She’d just come to terms that they had chemistry, that she really liked him
,
and hadn’t thought about anyone that
might have come
before her. Butch turned to look at her.

“What’s the matter,
angel
?”

She noticed Butch glance around at the people walking by. Probably wondering why she’d stopped. “I didn’t know…I mean I hadn’t thought…”

Butch took a step and put his finger under her chin,
lifting
her gaze to his. “What didn’t you know
,
Claire?”

Claire lowered her eyes before returning her gaze to his. “I hadn’t thought that you might be involved with someone else. It didn’t even cross my mind.”

“Aw, is that all
,
angel
?
There isn’t anyone else. There hasn’t been since I met you.”

“Butch
,
we met a year ago. Are you telling me that you haven’t seen anyone in over a year?”

Butch pulled her body flush with his. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Claire, you may think that
when I was
flirting with you
it
was just for show, but it wasn’t. I always knew you were the one for me. I’ve just been waiting for you to figure it out.
”

Butch leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a
gentle caress
. She wanted more. She need
ed more from him. Her life had flashed before her eyes, and wh
en
he’d told her
he
couldn’t imagine a life without her in it
…
Well
,
she realized that she couldn’t imagine one without him. The switch had been turned on in her head, helping her see things clearly. She wanted him
,
and that scared her. She’d never wanted anything for herself. It was always about her
family or charities or friends, n
ever
for herself.

Claire
put her hands
around his neck
,
and she
tilted her head
, deepening the kiss. If he w
ere
even remotely thinking about leaving her, she would at least have this. Butch moved his hands from her hips to her back and then lower
,
giving her
slow sensual caresses as he went. She’d
never been a fan of
public displays of affection, but right now
,
she just couldn’t help herself. She wanted this man like she’d never wanted anything else in her life. Her heart felt like it was going to thump out of her chest
it was beating so fast
. She wondered if he could hear it.

Butch pulled back first and leaned his forehead against hers. “Baby, y
ou can’t kiss me like that here
,
or I won’t be responsible
for what I might do to you
.
”