Chapter 14
Roni was close enough to feel the anticipation ripple through Brayden. Hope soared. Could this be the answer they needed? If the agency research team had found something definitive to put an end to this mess, maybe she’d never have to confess to her sisters about talking to their dad.
Or admit that he hadn’t replied. At all.
Every hour that went by without a word broke her heart and had her second-guessing all her efforts to stay in contact with him. Could he really be that broken? She understood how much he loved and adored his late wife, their mother. The pain must be excruciating. Like losing a limb.
And the cancer that dragged her down by inches hadn’t been kind to any of them.
Yet, here they were, alive and vibrant. Looking ahead.
Natalie had fallen in love with Trent and they were planning a wedding.
Celeste had turned into some quiet business badass.
Yes, they were grieving, but they were also doing their best to keep moving forward.
That’s what their mom had wanted for each of them.
Not just in theory. Those had been among her last words to Veronica.
“Go thrive. Live your life and chase your dreams. Catch those dreams.”
She was certain similar messages had been given to her sisters.
They’d even discussed turning the beach house into a B&B with her.
She’d not just given her blessing, but her full support.
When their father had left almost immediately after the memorial, Roni assumed it had been part of his wife’s last words to him.
Until he stayed away. Extending his travels for another week. An extra month. Heading to a new destination without a word. Basically severing all ties with the three of them.
Her mother would never have wanted that for the family that had once been nearly inseparable. That’s why Roni persisted in keeping him in the loop. Why she’d worked her butt off to find an inch of common ground that prompted a response from him.
He was their dad. A good man. They needed him to be that active, involved, awesome dad again. Preferably, right now.
Brayden tugged on her hand, leading her into the house, through the kitchen and into the suite. There, he grabbed his tablet as she realized Connor was sending him some new information.
“Did you open the file?” Connor’s voice practically sizzled with excitement.
“Almost.” Brayden dropped her hand to deal with the tablet, swiping to his email service. “Okay. I see the email. The attachment is downloading now.”
Roni watched with him, recognizing the first photo as an overhead of the island. She caught his eye, silently asking what was going on, but he just shrugged. “What am I looking at?”
“That first page is a broad overview of the current coastline,” Connor explained. “Our geological research team just finished running the historical satellite overlays and you will not believe what the data showed.”
Brayden was swiping through the images, back and forth so quickly that Roni got queasy and had to look away. She sat down on the edge of the bed, much happier to listen at this point.
But even that overwhelmed her and she found herself flopping back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling fan.
The self-assessment was easy and obvious: too much stress and stimulation.
With tears leaking from her eyes, she slowed her breathing.
Tried to take an emotional inventory without judging herself.
Helping the construction workers through the storm last night would’ve been a lot on its own. Sleeping with her best friend was a huge adjustment, all by itself. The increasing pressure on their business. Waiting for her dad’s reply, knowing her sisters would be mad all over again. A lot.
Any single one of those things carried enough weight to create a spiral, raise questions, and demand energy and attention. Adding them all up? Well, it was no wonder she was weepy. She’d give herself ten deep breaths and then get up and get on with it.
The mattress sagged as Brayden stretched out beside her. “Hey.” He scooted closer, leaning over until his face blocked the ceiling fan view. He dried her tears. “Talk to me.”
“What about your call?”
“It can wait.” His fingers were a whisper along the shell of her ear. “Talk to me.”
“You know it all.” She choked back a sob, curled away from him, and promptly lost the battle with her tears. “It’s… It’s everything.”
“I’ve got you.” He pulled her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin and stroking her back as all of the pent-up emotion poured out of her. “I’m here.”
Of course he was. He’d always been her safe place, be it a hostile gym or her life falling apart. She never did this. Never broke down in a heap of self-pity. Maybe that’s what made it possible to let go with him now. Because he knew her so well. Knew this was an anomaly.
“You’re exhausted.” His voice caressed her as effectively as his hands. Soothing, calming, accepting. “No one would notice if you took a nap.”
“You’re too good to me.” She tugged on her shirt to dry her face.
“There’s no such thing,” he countered. Shifting away for a moment, he returned with the tissue box in hand.
“More evidence,” she said on a watery chuckle. “Everyone else is out there doing their part or more and I’m indulging in an ugly cry all over you.”
She loved him so much. Owed him even more. He was her best and oldest friend. Her best and newest love. She wished she understood how to reconcile that development within all the other stuff going on. “Thank you for being here. For me. For all of us.”
“Nowhere I’d rather be.”
She recognized the tone. One more perk of their long-running friendship. He meant it. Which was weird and wonderful. “You hate it when I cry.”
“I’m with you, Roni. Being with you, in any state, will always be my favorite place.”
Her heart stuttered and another wave of tears came and went. He was so good to her. He had been way too kind long before he’d admitted he had deeper feelings for her. She wanted to tell him how her own feelings were changing, but this seemed like a lousy time.
She wanted advice, but didn’t want to share any of this with anyone other than him. Shouldn’t he be the first to learn she loved him? What a predicament.
“I hate crying,” she declared when she caught her breath again. “Nat’s the emotional one. She’s better at it.”
A low laugh rumbled through his chest. “Guess we’ll add it to all the things you need to practice.”
“All?” Her head snapped up to meet his gaze, nearly catching his chin. “What do you mean all?”
“Vulnerability for a start.” He sat up, leaning against the headboard, and bringing her with him. Snuggled under his arm, she fiddled with the crumpled tissue in her hand, not quite meeting his gaze. “It’s okay to not have the answers. It’s even okay to have the answer no one wants to hear.”
“Dad.”
“For starters, yes.” He sighed, deeply. “And me. Us. Last night was—”
“Stop.” She flew off the bed, stared at him from a safe distance. “You can’t, um, we can’t talk about that now.”
“Why not?” He frowned, a rare expression, at least with her. “We should discuss it at some point.”
“Not now,” she repeated. Rushing away, intent on cooling her hot face, she was in the bathroom before she realized that’s where she’d initiated everything intimate with him. She had invited him to the shower that had led to everything else.
A few hours ago, that was completely awesome. Now she was a wreck about her choices. About the changes.
“Roni. Talk to me.”
Of course he followed her. He filled the doorway with all his fit and shredded perfection. His arms bunched as he braced his hands on the door frame and leaned in.
“I can’t.” She flapped her hands at him, but he didn’t budge. “Not with you doing all of that.”
His mouth quirked.
“Do not make fun of me,” she warned.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
Still, he didn’t move. Not closer. Not away. He just lingered. Was that more of a temptation or problem right now? She turned back to the sink and ran her hands under the cold water, pressing the water to her face to buy time. Surely her brain would come back online within a few more seconds.
“Has your dad responded?”
“Not yet.” Leave it to Brayden to find the topic she could discuss. She dried her hands and face, then pulled out her hair tie and brushed her hair before pulling it up into a ponytail again. “Either way, Celeste and Nat will be furious. With him or me or both of us.”
“And they’ll forgive you,” he said. “However it goes.”
“Maybe. But if it backfires, they won’t trust me anytime soon.”
“Agree to disagree.” Brayden moved, his hands tucked behind him as he leaned against the door frame.
If she wanted to leave, she’d have to climb over his legs. And if she did that, she’d want to stay right here. “We should get back out there.”
“We will. One thing first.”
She swallowed. Did she even want to know? “What’s that?”
He swept her into a kiss so fast her head swam. His hand at the nape of her neck, he angled her mouth and dragged them both deeper. Her heart raced, and a sizzle shot straight to her toes, stopping at all the fascinating places in between.
She clung, delightfully overwhelmed and shamelessly focused on the immediate pleasure of the kiss. Of him. Everything about Brayden, about them together, seemed bigger and better than any other experience. It was wonderful and terrifying and incredible.
She didn’t want it to stop, ever.
“Hey—Oh. Whoops!”
She peeked over his shoulder just in time to see Nat scurrying away. “Wait!” But Brayden’s hands at her waist held her in place.
“Let her go,” he said with a shiver.
No. A suppressed laugh.
“You are laughing at me.”
He let loose then, his hilarity bouncing around the bathroom. “Not if you join in.” He tickled her, just above her hipbones. A weakness he’d discovered last night.
The absurdity of it finally hit and she laughed along with him, until she was breathless. “She’ll never let me live this down,” Roni lamented. “This will forever be the day I let everyone else work while I made out with you.”
“I can live with that.” He tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear, holding her gaze.
“Yeah. Me too,” she said. “You have the kindest eyes,” she murmured. “I’ve always loved that about you.” She pressed up on her toes and kissed him lightly. “I love you, Brayden.”
Apparently, she was doing this now. And why hold back? If she was going to be an emotional basket case, she might as well include the good emotions too.
His entire body seemed to freeze. “Like a friend.”
“That’s how it started.” She kissed him again. “But this is how it’s going.” She trailed her hands down his chest, slipping under his shirt to stroke his back. “I’m in love with you too.”
He started to speak, but she barreled on. “Not just because of last night.” She took a deep breath. “The attraction has been there for a while. Remember when I first saw you on the beach that day?”
“Yes.” Humor lit his eyes. “Were you ogling me, Veronica?”
“I was,” she confessed, hands skimming the solid muscles of his back. “And then I was all ashamed of myself when you turned around and I recognized it was you. Is that vulnerable enough for you?”
He nipped her earlobe. “You like me,” he teased in a silly voice he might’ve used back in high school.
“Yes.” She let her hands roam lower and squeezed his butt. “And I love you.”
He claimed her mouth with such a tender intensity, she wanted to cry again, but happy tears this time.
“Told you so.” Nat’s voice. Followed by Celeste’s gasping, “Ohmigosh!”
Roni yanked Brayden into the bathroom and he kicked the door closed behind them. She’d deal with her sisters in a minute. This moment, enjoying the newness of what it meant to be in love with her best friend, deserved her undivided attention.