Chapter 328

Chapter 328

Her rare softening towards him made it hard for Curtis to let go of her hand.

The car ride felt infuriatingly short, as if conspiring against him, and they soon arrived at Golden Grove Manors. Leanne withdrew her hand and stepped out of the car.

Curtis followed, dreading the thought of her two best friends waiting upstairs, always in the way.

“I think I left something back at the restaurant, how about you come with me to pick it up?”

Leanne wasn’t buying his lame excuse. “Or maybe you left your brain there?”

Curtis chuckled, “Then what excuse would work to keep you a bit longer?”,

Leanne didn’t reply immediately, casually slinging her bag over her shoulder, not hurrying off.

The magnolia trees were budding anew, their lush branches casting deep, tranquil shadows in the night.

Her silhouette was bathed in the soft glow of the porch light, her features blurred into a picturesque softness, her neck graceful and elongated like an elegant swan.

In the quiet, she asked, “Curtis, when did you start liking me?”

Curtis answered honestly, “Hard to say. I always thought of you more like a younger sister, never really questioned it. But if I had to pinpoint it, I guess I’ve liked you since we kids.”

Since they were kids? What about her did he like? Leanne couldn’t figure it out.

“What about me do you like?”

“I like that you’re adorable; I like the vitality in you, like a young sapling, fragile and swaying with the wind, yet earnestly striving to grow into a mighty tree.”

“I love the way you glare when you’re mad; I love the way the sunlight falls on you whe you’re playing the piano.”

These words flowed effortlessly from Curtis.

He smiled, his eyes crinkling, “There’s no real reason; love is just one of those inexplicable things.”

“You might just be feeling a brotherly kind of love,” Leanne attempted to clarify, “not necessarily romantic love.”

Curtis stepped closer, gently brushing her hair from her shoulder to her back, “Who

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marries his sister? That’s just not right.”

“Isn’t the marriage for Mary’s sake?”

“Not entirely.” Curtis took her hands in his, looking intently into her eyes.

“If I didn’t want this marriage, no one could force me.”

Leanne’s eyelashes fluttered under his gaze.

“And yet you’ve dated so many girls.”

Curtis, caught off guard, regarded those brief romantic histories as insignificant chapters of his life, easily dismissed with a laugh by anyone but Leanne.

He sighed lightly, lowering his head so his forehead touched hers, “Back then, I didn’t know I’d end up loving you.”

Curtis questioned his past behaviors; his initial motive for dating was to rebel against his family, aiming to play the field, indifferent as long as they were reasonably attractive.

Compared to them, he tended to avoid those who seemed too virtuous or straightforward. He favored those with less pure motives, whether they were after money, connections, or just the status of being ‘Mr. Curtis’ girlfriend’ it didn’t matter.

He never truly cared for any of them, but had he known he’d feel this way about Leanne one day, he wouldn’t have wasted all that time.

Curtis gently pinched her cheek, a note of regret in his voice, “I should’ve treated you like my girlfriend from the start, kept you close, and then, when everyone was asleep, sn you into my room to steal kisses.”

Leanne was just glad that never happened.

Curtis clarified seriously, “I never kissed them, hever slept with them. I was inexperi when we got married.”

“Come on,” Leanne scoffed, not buying it. “You seemed pretty experienced our first tim

Curtis’ expression shifted, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, “Seems like you wel quite satisfied with our first time. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

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