Chapter 45
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Keats
I woke with a sore body and a full heart.
My bed was empty. I must have drifted off after I fucked Maren. I held her close as soon as I tied off the condom and tossed it in a waste can in the corner of my bedroom.
Her breathing leveled off as I ran my fingers through her hair.
I whispered that I was the luckiest son-of-a-bitch on the planet. In a sleepy voice, she reminded me that I was breaking the rules by swearing.
I broke every one of my goddamn rules last night when I took her to bed.
I promised myself I’d never fuck anyone I was falling for again.
The one and only time I let emotions lead me, I ended up alone in this townhouse wishing for a future that never transpired.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed and catch wind of the smell of coffee.
Maren must have wandered downstairs to put on a pot for us. I’ll whip up some heart-shaped pancakes and then bring her up here for another round.
After I run my hand through my hair, I slide on a pair of sweatpants.
A thorough brush of my teeth follows a quick splash of cold water on my face.
I looked well-fucked and happy.
Jesus, do I look happy.
I smile at the lucky bastard in the mirror and silently remind him to pace himself. I may be feeling things for Maren that I’ve never felt before, but I can keep that to myself until the time is right.
I take the stairs two at a time as I race to kiss her.
That’s my first task.
I’m going to pick her up, swing her in the air and then dip her down for a kiss, a slow, lingering kiss that will set her on fire.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I sing as I sprint into the kitchen.
“Since when do you call me beautiful?”
My mouth falls open as I stare at my brother. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
My hand slams over my lips once I realize I swore.
I look around the kitchen for Stevie.
“She’s at school,” Berk says as he sips from a cup of coffee.
“School?” I question. “This early.”
“It’s almost nine.”
My gaze shoots to the digital time displayed on the microwave on the counter. “Holy carp. I’m late.”
“Carp?” Berk chuckles. “That’s a saver. I’m stealing that one.”
I cross the kitchen to pour myself a coffee. “Why are you even here?”
“Stevie and I saw Maren.”
That turns me around to face him. “When?”
He takes a slow sip from his mug. The bastard is torturing me, and he knows it. The smirk on his face says it all.
“When?” I repeat.
“I was walking my daughter to school when we passed Maren.” He lets out a sigh. “Stevie made a big deal about Maren’s dress. She said she’d wear it every day too if she had a dress that beautiful.”
I hang my head as I chuckle. “That sounds like our Stevie. How did Maren react?”
“She blushed.” He smiles. “You’re happy, Keats.”
It’s not a question. My brother knows me better than anyone. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
“I’m glad you’re not letting the past play a hand in this.”
It’s the perfect opportunity for me to tell him to let his past go, but our heartbreaks don’t measure equal.
He lost a woman he loved enough to marry.
I lost a woman I thought I loved for a couple of months.
Berk’s wife died.
My ex-fiancée cheated on me.
You can’t compare devastation to a distraction.
I got over Amber within a few months. My brother is still nursing a pain that I can’t fathom.
“Maren is nothing like Amber,” I say the words aloud that I’ve been carrying inside since I met the woman I spent last night with. “We’re talking apples and oranges here.”
“I know.”
“You know? How?”
It’s a rhetorical question, but in true Berk Morgan fashion, he answers it. “I’ve never seen you smile this much, Keats. She lights up your world.”
I can’t argue with any of that, so I don’t.
I skip the coffee and instead go to my brother for a hug.
He stands and wraps his arms around me. “I’m happy for you, Keats.”
I hope to hell one day in the future I can say the same to him.