Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I pressed send with a smile on my face.
Me: The doctor’s office called and the rescans of my back came back perfect.
Bram: Damn. Why are you always an overachiever? ;)
Me: The PA put in a good word for me…
Bram: I hate him. Give me his number.
Me: No way. I’ve got to keep a backup in case you aren’t up to the task. Someone has to take care of me.
Bram: He can have you if he can get through me.
Shivers ran through my body.
Me: Message received, sir.
Bram: That’s my good girl.
I giggled like I was in high school at his possessive reply and looked out over the yard, watching the leaves fall from the oaks and Lakey dancing around, sniffing everything she could get her nose on.
I had my interview for the social media marketer position and was officially offered a remote work opportunity with them in December.
Meanwhile, I utilized some of my skills to assist with MCA activities, including creating promotional materials for the new community center.
Melanie and I were becoming fast friends.
Bram and I had been learning all the little things about each other that we’d missed over the years.
I even found myself closer to finishing the draft of my fantasy novel than ever before.
Most of all, I had a family again, a feeling I was afraid I’d never regain after Grams died. Whit was coming to visit during his off week from football and was due to arrive any time. My gratitude for where I was swelled into joy, and when Bram pulled up from work at four, I was a mess of tears.
“What’s all this, sweets?” he asked, pointing to my face before he folded me into his arms.
“Happy tears,” I replied with a laugh. I led him into the house and made him sit down at the kitchen table. I poured him a glass of apple juice, a favorite of his, and nudged the cookie jar toward him .
“Why are you trying to ruin my diet every day?” he asked, pulling the lid off the jar and grabbing a couple.
I opened the dishwasher and began placing the clean dishes in their designated spots. I could feel him checking me out, his gaze heated and intense on my body every time I stole a glance his way. I couldn’t be more pleased with his reaction, but I tried to hide it.
“If you stare any longer, your eyes will dry out,” I teased, turning around with plates in my hands.
He smiled. “Worth it. You shouldn’t be doing so much.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. And I hardly think putting up dishes will break me, Dracula.”
He got up from his chair and strode to me. He took the dishes from me and set them on the open shelf in a neat stack. Then he turned and encircled his hands around me, his hands kneading my glutes through my black leggings. He brought his face to mine, our lips a hairbreadth from each other.
“Later, after I rest, I’m going to bend you over and fuck you right here in this kitchen.”
His voice sent shivers down my body.
“Why wait?” I asked as sensually as possible.
Just as he kissed me, his phone began buzzing. With an eye roll of annoyance, he picked it up on speaker. “What’s up, Mel?”
I expected her usual banter, but instead I only heard heavy breathing.
“You need to listen to me and listen well. What I’m getting ready to say won’t make much sense, but you’re going to have to trust me, okay?”
I looked at Bram, who looked just as confused as I felt.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Whitaker East is headed to your house. He’ll be there any minute…”
Gravel crunched in the distance, slinging from fast-moving tires. Bram grabbed the phone, and we rushed out the back door and around the side of the house, standing near the garage. A dark SUV was coming full speed down the lane.
“Bram. He knows you were the one driving. The night of the wreck. He knows you were the one driving the truck.”
Bram’s eyes went wide.
“What? How?” he said, bewildered, and I grabbed his phone.
“Hey, Mel, it’s Julianna. Whit is…making an appearance. We’ll call you back.”
“Julianna, he’s so angry. I didn’t understand. I didn’t put it together in time. I can’t believe I didn’t put it together!”
“Wait, what?” It was all I could say. How did Mel know anything about Whit?
“I’m headed that way. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.” The line went dead.
I clutched Bram’s phone as he stood in front of the squealing tires of the SUV, barely avoiding being hit as Whit skidded to a halt.
“Bram! Run!” I cried as the driver’s door swung open. My brother, whom I hadn’t seen in person in a couple of years, jumped out of the vehicle like a wild animal.
“No,” Bram said to me calmly.
I tried to protest, but my eyes locked on Whit.
“Don’t!” I screamed at my brother, running toward them, but Bram grabbed my arm and moved me behind him.
“Get in the house,” he said firmly. I took two steps back to escape the anger I saw on my brother’s face. I couldn’t stand the intensity.
“You fucker!” It was the only thing Whit got out before he punched Bram in the face.
Bram didn’t retaliate, just stumbled backward and fell over into the grass.
Whit immediately jumped on top of Bram. I cried out when the second punch cracked against Bram’s face. I knew there wasn’t anything I could do to stop what was happening. Besides the risk to my back, they were too strong for me to wrangle.
“Whit. Please, please . I’m begging you to stop!” I yelled, rushing toward them.
Whit turned suddenly and knocked his arm straight into my torso. Although I tried to catch myself, I fell and landed backward on the dirt. The impact made my teeth chatter. Pain radiated down through my legs.
Bram heard the moan that came from deep in my throat and saw me hit the ground.
A switch flipped at the sight of me, and he unleashed his fury on Whit. He punched Whit once, then twice, and fought his way to his feet. At the first opening, he dodged, leaving Whit tumbling to the ground.
Bram gathered me in his arms and set me up.
“Can you stand?” he asked frantically, his hands coming to either side of my head to hold it steady. I nodded.
“I think so. It hurts, though. I’m going to need help getting up.”
Mistaking my meaning, he lifted me off the ground and into his arms, running off pure adrenaline.
Whit stood back, wiping blood from his nose, huffing for breath.
“Julianna. Oh my God, I’m so sorry?—”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Bram boomed at his best friend. Whit didn’t respond but hurried ahead to open the screen door for us to get into the house.
Bram gently deposited me on the couch, and I began trying to move my arms and legs. Everything was working still, but the shooting pain through my left leg was excruciating.
“Sweets,” Bram soothed, running a hand down my head, “ tell me what you need.” His face was smeared with blood and swelling and puffing up before my very eyes.
Whit had attacked him because of me.
I let out a loud breath. “Heating pad. Water. Half a muscle relaxer. That should do it. But please, take care of yourself first.”
“I will clean up after you have what you need.” He kissed me on the top of the head as he got up. Whit stood by the fireplace, watching us with his jaw set in a hard line. I couldn’t think of one time when Bram and I had touched each other in front of him.
“I’ll be right back,” Bram told me in his soothing, low tone. He turned and snapped at Whit, “Do not touch her. Your problem is with me and me alone, got it?”
“I’m not going to hurt my sister, idiot.”
“Funny, because you just did.”
Whit’s face went pale, but instead of protesting, he nodded without further comment.
Bram hurried up the stairs to get my things, and I looked at Whit and tried for a moment to compartmentalize my physical and emotional pain.
“Feel better?” I asked sarcastically.
“I did, until I hurt you ,” he replied, unable to look me in the face. “I happened upon the fact that Bram was the one who wrecked the truck the night Grams died. The asshole never told me that, and neither did you.”
I rolled my eyes. “ Happened upon it? How do you happen upon something like that? And I’m still not sure why you thought squealing your tires and beating your best friend to a pulp was going to make a fifteen-year-old decision avenged.”
He sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. I lost it.” He ran his hand through his hair. It was a gesture that mirrored Bram’s when he was nervous, and the irony of their shared nervous twitches wasn’t lost on me. “I’m so sorry—” He stepped toward me as Bram rounded the corner.
“One more step, and I will have you on your ass so fast…”
“Bram, no,” I scolded. All of us stopped as another vehicle was making its way up the drive.
“Jesus, what now?” Bram muttered, but I knew it was Mel. After a few uncomfortable, quiet moments, she appeared through the front door, her expression somber and sheepish.
“Hey, guys,” she said cooly, as if she hadn’t just come barreling into the room. “What’s going on in here?”
I tried to imagine how we looked: Whit bleeding from his nose, Bram’s dirty and bloody face swelling, and me sprawled out on the couch, barely moving.
“You missed the fight of a century,” I quipped.
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, and Bram handed me water and my pill, then he looked at his sister. “Whit attacked me, and he accidentally pushed Julianna. She fell and now she’s hurt.”
Melanie’s head whipped to Whit, who didn’t look her in the eye. He was acting like she wasn’t even in the room. She hauled off and started hitting him with closed fists wherever she could make contact. Her efforts were moot on his strong body, but it was entertaining to watch.
“Hey!” He made several grunts and emitted curses as he tried to dodge her hits. She stopped after a few jabs, but sharpened her eyes at him.
“You should have told me you were Julianna’s brother!” Melanie exclaimed.
Bram and I looked at each other.
Before we could say a word, Melanie grabbed Whit’s hand. “You’re coming with me.” They left, and a few moments later, the forceful slamming of a door upstairs made me jump.
“What the hell was all that?” Bram ran a hand over his beard scruff .
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out as soon as you’re cleaned up.” I put a hand to his blood-smeared face. “This must hurt. You need some antiseptic.”
He winced like he remembered that my brother had gotten some formidable hits on him.
“I’ll get myself cleaned up. It’s fine. I’ve had my share of fights in my time, but it’s been a few years. I forgot how much getting punched hurts. It will be fun to explain at MCA this week.” He chuckled at that. “I’ll be back in a minute. Stay right here.”
My heart fell. “I wish I could help you. I’ve always wanted to clean up my boyfriend after he fought over me.” I stuck my lip out in sadness.
He shook his head, then bent to kiss me on the bridge of my nose.
“No, stay still. I’m a grown man. I can handle it. I’ll be back in a second.” He plugged in the heating pad and handed it to me, then grabbed the throw from the back of the adjacent chair and spread it over me.
“Something is going on with that,” he grumbled, pointing to the ceiling. We could hear mumbled voices, but they were too low to make out the words.
“We’ll figure them out,” I replied, unable to keep the smile off my face. “You know they’ve probably slept together, right?”
“Fuck me,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.