Chapter 22 Braedyn #2
We filed back into the house, and I coaxed Owen into getting dressed and brushing his teeth as he peppered me with questions about Dex. None of which I had the answer to.
It was bizarre how I only knew a handful of things about the man, yet I felt more seen by him than anyone else in years. It was as if we saw through to the core of each other, to what made us who we were. The rest of us didn’t matter.
An alarm bell rang in my head as a warning of DANGER flashed. I shoved it down. Dex hadn’t made a single move in my direction, so worrying that I might feel a pull too strongly in his was silly. Breakfast, especially after what had happened yesterday, was just a simple kindness.
A knock sounded on the front door.
“I’ve got it!” Owen yelled, tearing out of the bathroom and leaving the water running.
“Do not open that door,” I warned as I shut off the water and righted his toothpaste.
“We know it’s him,” Owen said, exasperation filling his voice.
I started toward the door. “We do not know, and until we are one hundred percent certain, doors do not open in this house.”
My son’s face scrunched like he tasted something bad.
It was likely a response to the seriousness in my tone.
But the fact that an unknown someone had called me from Nova’s phone meant we needed to take extra care.
I tried to remind myself that I was number one in Nova’s favorites list on her phone.
Maybe someone had simply found her phone and called the number.
I could’ve freaked them out by the way I answered.
But something told me that wasn’t the case.
Steeling myself, I peeked through the window at the top of the door.
Dex.
Looking far too good. I ran a hand over my wild waves and knew it was no use. They wouldn’t be tamed anytime soon.
“It’s him. You can open the door.” I stepped back as Owen rolled his eyes.
“Of course it’s him, bruh.”
“You keep rolling your eyes like that, and they’re gonna get stuck,” I muttered.
Owen grinned and opened the door. “Sorry, Mom had to do seventy million safety checks before she let me open the door.”
Dex’s gaze flicked to me. “Seventy million, huh?”
“Maybe more,” Owen amended.
Dex stepped in, carrying a grocery bag and a duffel. “Sounds like she loves you a whole lot.”
Owen’s nose wrinkled. “I guess.”
I pinched that nose. “Then stop acting like you smelled something bad.”
He laughed and wiggled away from me. “I just don’t need the mushy stuff, bro.”
I made the same stabbing motion Dex had earlier and clutched my heart. “No mushy. And I’m a mom, not a bro.”
Dex chuckled. “They grow up fast.”
Too damn fast. As I straightened, I took in the bags again. “You moving in and didn’t tell me?”
“You could totally sleep over,” Owen offered. “No one sleeps in that third bedroom.”
No one did because it was Nova’s room. Her headquarters. And when I got her back, it was where she’d live. I had to believe that.
Dex must’ve seen my bristling because he swooped in. “I’m more of a camping-in-the-backyard guy.”
“I loooooove camping,” Owen cheered. “I used to go with my Cub Scout troop, and it was the best. Mom, do you think there’s one here?”
“I know there is. Already got you set up for the fall.”
Owen did a little half jump and started for the kitchen. “That’s gonna be dope.”
“Is dope a thing again?” Dex whispered, leaning toward me conspiratorially.
My mouth curved. “Apparently.”
But as I spoke, I inhaled. Damn it, that was a mistake. Dex’s scent wrapped around me—clean, like a soft wind after a hard rain, cedar and sandalwood mixing together but so light it made you strain for another hit.
Hell. Dex had turned me into some sort of animal, wanting to roll around in that scent and rub against him for a little more.
Our eyes locked. Close. Too close. The kind of nearness that meant I could feel the heat rolling off him in waves. His gaze dropped to my mouth as if he were memorizing the shape.
Yeti scrambled between us, breaking the spell. All the dog cookies for her.
I cleared my throat, putting some distance between us. “You never said what the bags were for.”
Dex eyed the newly formed space but didn’t comment. Instead, he lifted the grocery bag. “Pancake necessities.” He raised the duffel. “Gear for your new alarm system.”
My jaw went slack.
“That’s bussin’,” Owen called as we entered the kitchen. “Are you putting it in? Can I help?”
Dex deposited the duffel in a corner of the kitchen and the grocery bag on the counter. “You can totally help. We’ll have a lot of sensors to put in.”
“Excuse me, but shouldn’t you be asking if I want a system?” I cut in.
“Bruh, it’s gonna be awesome. We can play James Bond. You got any lasers in there?” Owen asked, peering into the bag.
“No lasers. And this was all approved by Blaze. He wants some outside cameras to catch the kids having keggers without him.”
I wanted to laugh, but my head was swimming. “You should’ve asked me.”
Dex moved into my space, that scent teasing again. “You’re right. Hellion, can I put in an alarm system at your house? You’ll be able to check who’s at the door with a camera, and you and Owen will be extra safe.”
His eyes met mine on that last sentiment, giving voice to unspoken words. Because someone out there wanted to scare me.
“Fine.”
Owen cheered the moment the word was out of my mouth. “Can you teach me how to break an alarm?”
Dex grinned. “I could, but I think your mom might ground me.”
“Dexter Archer. If you teach my kid to become a hacker, there will be H-E-double hockey sticks to pay.”
“Bruh,” Owen muttered. “You know I can spell, right?”
I turned to him. “No hacking.”
He grinned widely, exposing the tiny gap between his front teeth. “Who, me? I’d never.”
I turned to Dex, pointing a finger at him. “The worst. You are the absolute worst.”
Laughter radiated from Dex, lighting the air around us. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard him laugh like that. Like he meant it.
“I’ll make it up to you with pancakes. Deal?”
“Fine,” I grumbled. “What can I do?”
Dex took me by the shoulders. The moment those rough palms curved around my bare skin, every part of me came alive. I wanted to push into his touch, feel more of it. It was as if I’d been in some half-numb state, and one touch had snapped me free.
“You can sit and drink your coffee,” Dex commanded, guiding me toward a chair at the kitchen table. “You’ve had enough on your plate for a bit.”
He bent as he spoke the words, his face close to mine. His gaze dropped to my lips again, sliding over them like he’d dragged his thumb across one. I sucked in a breath.
Yeti let out a loud, demanding bark, and Dex jerked upright, taking a huge step back.
“Yeti’s big mad. Did you feed her yet?” Owen asked, oblivious to the moment between Dex and me.
I cleared my throat. “No. I haven’t. You want to do that, bud?”
“On it,” Owen said, full of energy at the fun of a new guest.
“Then you can be my kitchen assistant,” Dex instructed as he set my coffee in front of me.
Owen poured two cups of food into Yeti’s bowl. “I need a more bad booty name than assistant.”
Dex chuckled as he washed his hands and started prepping ingredients. “Okay. How about second-in-command?”
“Better.”
The two of them chattered away as they prepped breakfast, and I tried to think of the last time someone had cooked for me. A stabbing sensation lanced my chest.
Nova.
She wasn’t one to prepare breakfasts, but she was one hell of a dinner chef. And she loved trying new cuisines. Everything from Thai to Indian to Greek. And she was the only one who could get Owen to try those adventurous foods. Because she made it fun.
Since she’d disappeared, I’d cooked every single meal other than the odd treat of Owen and me eating out. I’d cleaned every dish. I’d carried the weight of it all on my shoulders. And I was so damn tired, I felt like I could sleep for a month.
I jolted as a plate slid in front of me—a stack of two pancakes that obviously had things mixed into the batter. The stack was rimmed with an artful array of strawberries and a healthy dose of whipped cream on top.
“Your breakfast. Need anything else to drink?” Dex asked, his voice dipping low.
I saw that he’d already gotten milk for Owen, who was carrying his plate to the table.
“I’m good,” I croaked. “What are these?”
Dex slid into the chair between me and Owen as if he belonged there, as if he fit. “Strawberry Oreo pancakes. My specialty.”
My eyes flared. The combination sounded heavenly and sinful all at once, the perfect balance.
“Go on,” he encouraged. “I need to know if I passed the test.”
I cut a small bite, dipping it into the whipped cream and sliding it into my mouth.
I couldn’t help my eyes closing as I chewed.
Flavors exploded on my tongue, different levels of sweetness all balancing each other out.
I let out a humming noise without thinking, and when my eyes popped open, I found Dex watching me intently.
“Good?” he asked.
There was a hint of boyish uncertainty in the question. Something that made Dex all the more real.
“Best thing I’ve ever tasted,” I whispered.
Pure pride bloomed in Dex’s expression as if I’d told him he’d successfully launched an expedition to Mars or cured cancer.
“Ermygod.” Owen struggled to speak around a mouthful of food. “Best ever!”
Dex chuckled as a beep sounded and then another. He slid his phone out, grimacing.
“What?” I asked, concern taking hold.
“My brother,” he grumbled.
“Which one?”
“Orion.”
Something about his expression said there was a story there. Then, a smile split his face as his fingers moved across the screen.
“Is everything okay?” I asked hesitantly because Dex’s expression said it both was and wasn’t.
His grin just widened as he lowered the phone, so I got a glimpse of the screen. “I changed his ringtone to the Hannah Montana song.”
“You stole his phone?”
“Please,” Dex said, offended. “I hacked it.”
“Can we change Mom’s?” Owen asked hopefully. “She hated that ‘Baby Shark’ song. That would be awesome.”
I shouldn’t have, but I stole a glance at the screen.
Orion
Change it back. Every time I try, it instantly reverts.
Dex
Stop being a dick about Brae, and I’ll fix it.
Orion
We don’t know if we can trust her.
Anxiety ignited, spreading through me like wildfire. Had they fought? Over me? Why?
Maverick
Says the guy who guards his property with bear traps.
Wylder
And exploding food dye balloons.
Orion
Want to be able to track anyone who comes onto my property uninvited.
Wylder
Jesus.
The phone dinged again, and Dex jerked it upright, out of my line of sight. Guilt swamped me. Spying was wrong. Eavesdropping? Whatever the hell I’d just done. But another wave of guilt hit at the fact that Dex had been fighting with one of his brothers over me.
“Did I do something to make him mad?” I asked.
Dex’s gaze lifted as he winced. “It’s not you. He doesn’t trust anyone. And he doesn’t love that I’m”—he glanced at Owen for a moment—“breaking rules to help you.”
I tugged my lip between my teeth. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not on you,” Dex pressed. “I want to help. I’ve got an auto-search running on the phone. If it turns on again, we’ll get a location. And I’m chasing down other leads as well.”
He was doing everything he could to help, even though it was risky and caused strife with his family. “Thank you,” I whispered. Because I wasn’t going to argue with him helping. I needed him. But I also wouldn’t ignore the fact that it cost him.
Dex’s phone dinged again. As he read whatever was on the screen, his expression turned guarded, unreadable. Then his jaw dropped. “Oh fuck.”
“That’s a bad one, Mr. Dex. Gonna have extra chores for sure,” Owen warned.
“What? What’s wrong?” I pressed.
Dex’s gaze flicked up to my face. “My brother…Orion. He wants to meet you. He wants you to come to family dinner.”
Another wave of nerves hit. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Well, it’s not good.”