Romancing the Bachelor (A Hamilton Family 2)

The next evening, on Saturday, Eric walked down the street, holding Shelby’s favorite flowers and a bottle of cold champagne. His steps were lighter than they’d been in days. After too damn much agonizing, he’d finally realized last night that he was overthinking way too damn much. Yes, he liked Shelby. Yes, he didn’t want things to end.

So, like Anna said, they didn’t need to.

When Shelby got a job, he’d help her pack, send her on her way, and then…they could do long-distance dating. People did that. People made it work. They could be those people.

Over time, if he still liked her as much as he did now, then they would figure out what came next. She could come back, maybe, and they’d live happily ever after…

If such a thing existed.

“Did you do it yet?” he asked.

Brett shoved his hands into his pockets. They’d run into each other at the store and were walking together until they reached their places. “No. I’m waiting for the perfect moment.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know.” He let out a frustrated sound. “Hence the delay.”

“I’m not a romantic guy, but I think the perfect moment is in the asking,” Eric said hesitantly.

Brett side-eyed him. “For a not romantic guy, that was awfully romantic.”

“Maybe.” He laughed. “I’m going to ask a big question, too.”

“What?” Brett asked immediately, looking at Eric with narrowed blue eyes.

“I’m going to ask Shelby to be my long-distance girlfriend after she gets a job.”

Brett whistled through his teeth. “Wait. Was she your girlfriend in the first place?”

“I mean, we never had the talk. But we’re adults; we didn’t need to. We both know what’s going on. So I’m going to ask her if we can keep this thing we have going when she leaves.”

Brett blinked. He held his hands out and raised his voice. “Eric Hamilton, the eternal bachelor, has a girlfriend. Alert the press!”

The people walking by looked at them in confusion.

One pretty girl checked out Brett. He wore an expensive suit, and the aura of money practically shone around him. “Do you have one?” she asked.

“Yep.” He lowered his arms and smiled at the girl. “Soon to be fiancée.”

The girl shrugged and walked off.

“Get used to saying that. If you’re committed, you’ll be saying it a lot,” Brett told him.

Eric flipped him off.

“It’s true.”

“I know it is.” Eric shifted the champagne to his other hand. “That’s okay, though. Being committed feels…nice.”

Brett looked at him weirdly. “Shit. You’re for real, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.” He stopped in front of his building, to the left of the gold revolving doors. “When I’m with her, I feel different. Like I’m a better man or something. I know it’s stupid, but—”

“It’s not stupid,” Brett said, his voice softer as he smiled. “It’s how your sister makes me feel. That’s when I realized I was in love with her.”

Eric swallowed hard. “Well, I’m not in love. I just like her a lot.”

“Yeah.” He patted Eric’s shoulder, grinning. “Sure, buddy.”