Chapter 27 #2
Maggie went into her bedroom, closed the door and removed everything except for her new jewelry. After a quick trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth, she lit two candles on her bedside table and stretched out across the bed in a provocative pose. “Come on in.”
The door opened so fast, he must’ve been standing on the other side of it waiting for the green light. He’d stripped down to only his pants, which were unbuttoned.
“Oh yes,” he said, eyes glittering with appreciation. “Yes, yes, yes.”
“I believe that’s my line.”
“You’re so cute and so funny and so sexy, and I lo—”
Maggie held her breath.
He crawled onto the bed. “I love being with you so much.”
She started breathing again and held out her arms to him. “I love being with you, too.”
He held her close, burying his face in her hair. “I’ve never loved being with anyone the way I love being with you.”
Maggie released a deep sigh of relief. He loved her, too, but he probably felt the same way she did about saying the words so soon. “Same goes, cowboy. You’re one in a million.”
After that, there were no more words, only deep kisses, soft caresses, fiery passion and love. So much love.
And in the morning, they woke to Brayden’s worst nightmare come true.
Brayden came awake slowly, luxuriating for a few extra minutes in the soft sweetness of Maggie’s body snuggled up to him.
After years of touch-and-go encounters with women, he’d fallen into the habit of collecting his boots and going home after sex, preferring to sleep by himself.
But like everything else, that’d changed since he’d met Maggie.
After only a couple of weeks with her, the idea of sleeping alone had become inconceivable.
She was still sound asleep, so he kissed her shoulder and got out of bed.
As he picked up his pants off the floor and dress shirt off the coffee table, he thought about last night and how perfect it had been.
Walking into the bedroom to find her naked except for the gaudy jewelry he’d won for her had been one of the best moments of his life.
It’d been so great, he’d nearly told her he loved her.
Which he did. Hell yes, he loved her. How could he not?
But it was too soon to be throwing big words like that around, or so he thought.
How was he supposed to know when the time was right to say those words?
He’d never been in love before. Not like this.
This… Everything about it, about her, was different.
When she smiled at him, the unrest he’d lived with inside him for so long settled, and a feeling of peace and contentment came over him that he wanted to hold on to with everything he had.
When he was dressed, he ventured into the kitchen for some of Mitch’s coffee. He should’ve brought some clothes to Maggie’s apartment so he wouldn’t have to do the walk of shame in last night’s tuxedo. Oh well. It was only Mitch, and he loved that Brayden and Maggie were together.
Mitch worked seven days a week, even though Maggie told him he should take a day off.
He said he didn’t want to, that he got bored sitting around at home and that work was fun for him.
He’d confided in Brayden that he and his wife had been unable to have kids of their own, and he loved being around the kids at the house.
“Morning,” Brayden said when he walked into the kitchen, which was quieter than usual since it was Sunday.
“Morning.”
Brayden made a straight line to the coffeemaker.
“How was the thing last night?”
“Really fun. We had a great time.”
“That’s good.”
Brayden filled a mug, stirred in cream and took the first life-affirming sip before turning toward Mitch.
The other man was looking at him with dread etched into his normally stoic expression.
“What?”
“There’s some shit online.”
Four words that conveyed a world of angst, and before he even understood what Mitch was talking about, Brayden somehow knew this news would change everything for him—again. “What kind of shit?”
“One of the entertainment sites posted a picture of the four of you, and how Maggie and her sister Jill were representing Kate at Buddy and Taylor’s annual shindig.”
“Okay…”
“Someone commented on it that they knew you from juvie, that you nearly beat a guy to death, and now you’re hanging out with Kate Harrington’s sister. He gave an interview—”
Brayden held up his hand. He’d heard enough. He put down the coffee cup and walked out of the house, crossing to the stables with an increasingly fast stride. He had to get out of there, but he couldn’t leave without Sunday. So he saddled her quickly, efficiently, and led her outside.
Fuck, he couldn’t ride without boots.
He put her back in cross ties and ran upstairs, changing into jeans, a work shirt and boots as fast as he possibly could and was racing back down the stairs a second later.
Derek came out of his apartment. “Brayden? What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. Nothing is the matter.” He felt dead inside.
All the love he’d felt for Maggie when he woke had dried up and died along with every hope and dream he’d ever had for himself.
People would know what he did, and they wouldn’t let their kids anywhere near him.
His career and livelihood were ruined along with the reputation he’d worked so hard to establish.
Maggie’s family would rightfully freak out when they found out what he’d done and wouldn’t want her to see him again.
He had to go, and he had to go right now.
Brayden mounted Sunday and pointed her toward the path that led to the back road off the Matthews property, urging her on to get him out of there as fast as possible. He’d worry about sending for his truck, trailer and other belongings later. For now, being gone was his only priority.
As he left the yard, he heard Mitch calling him, but he didn’t stop and didn’t look back at the place where he’d been so happy.
There was nothing left there for him but memories he’d carry with him forever.