43. On Par with Legal Suicide
ON PAR WITH LEGAL SUICIDE
EMBERLEIGH
“Six.”
My head whips up and my eyes go wide.
“SIX?”
He simply nods. “Me, you, Colt, Pop, Elias, and Brighton. Everyone I need to protect.”
“You need to protect… Me?”
“Emberleigh.” I can’t decide if he’s exasperated or thinks I’m dense.
“Braxton.”
He walks to me, lifts Colt out of my arms, and places him in his high chair, dumping a handful of Cheerios in front of him.
He returns and offers both hands to me, pulling me off the floor and backing me into the counter near the sink.
Two hands frame my face as his dips low. And from there, he drops the boom.
“Emberleigh Carrington, I don’t know what this is, but I want to explore it.
You intrigue me, you make me happy, and, frankly, you make me hard.
I want to know you more. I know it’s the worst possible timing and probably on par with legal suicide, but I don’t give a fuck.
” He drops a kiss to my lips before going on.
“I hope it works. I’ll fight for it to work. But if you and I decide it doesn’t, you will always be in Colt’s life. You need him, and he needs you. You are his connection to Emerson. I have no intention of getting in between that.
“So for your sake alone, I would protect you. For mine, I couldn’t not. But for Colt, I’d do anything but burn down this ranch. So, fuck yes, I need to protect you.”
He holds my gaze and no doubt he sees my eyes well with tears. “You want to try to make it work with me?”
“Woman.” A growl escapes him and matches his hard eyes.
“Not to put too fine a point on it, Braxton, but I asked you a question. And I’m vulnerable here in the waiting.” I lift my chin, faking confidence I do not have right now.
He doesn’t answer. He kisses me deep, one big hand on my cheek and jaw. Another snakes low round my back.
“I laid it out there, baby. Don’t know how to say it any differently, but I want to see where this goes. I haven’t wanted anything of the sort in a very long time. If you’re not interested, tell me now.”
I shake my head, and he takes one big step back, the heat of his body leaving me cold in his absence.
I follow, holding his eyes. “Not no, I’m not interested, but no, I won’t tell you that.” I push up onto my toes and take his mouth, controlling the kiss for the briefest moment, before succumbing to him.
I’d be lost in this kiss if not for the banging coming from the baby seat and the whimpers from a hungry Colt.
“Cockblock,” I mutter. “Later?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely, Miss Carrington.” He swats my ass as he returns to lunch prep, and I handle Colt’s lack of Cheerios.
After lunch, he grabs Colt and heads to the door. “Kickoff is at seven. We’ll eat at Pop’s.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Monday Night Football. I’ll be back in time to get you before kickoff.”
“That’s a thing?”
“Football? Yes. And, in this family, it’s a big deal.”
They leave, and the sensation that washes over me is new. There’s a lightness in relief and joy. There’s the idea of a new life, a new normal… a home with Braxton and Colt.
There’s a worry in fear and in knowing my father will do everything in his power to retaliate. He has the means, the time, and the team to do it. And since his ego has been bruised, it’s not just Colt. It’s personal.
I need to figure out a nursery for Colt. But first, my clients.
I head to my room, crack open my laptop and focus. By the time I come up for air, it’s because they’re home. I blinked, and six hours have passed.
“You ready?” Braxton pops his head around the door, walking in without so much as a knock.
“Almost. Actually, no. Do I have fifteen minutes?”
“I can give you ten. Does that work?”
I fly off the bed, nodding and heading to the bathroom. “That works. I just lost track of time. Do we need to bring anything?”
I don’t hear a response and, when I poke my head out the door, Braxton and Colt are gone. I freshen up, throw my hair into a fresh pony, and change my shirt.
When I make it to the living room, I gasp and immediately grab my phone. Both of them are there, smiles wide, in matching football jerseys. When they turn to leave, I see Ranger written across their backs and snap a quick picture.
Braxton turns back, extending his hand, and I’m sure the smile that beams wide across my face could win Miss Texas.
The big house is madness. Brighton flits around the kitchen.
Elias drinks beer in the living room with Kimpton, who has a tumbler of dark liquid.
Chips and dip and crudités platters fill the coffee table.
It’ll take Colt’s grubby slimy hands one swipe for that to go everywhere, but I don’t want to crash the Ranger party and really don’t want to be the “mom voice” at every gathering.
It could make a mess but it won’t hurt my nephew.
Elias stands when we come in and shakes Braxton’s hand and places a kiss on my cheek. “Hey. Good to see you.”
I haven’t mentioned our meeting this morning to anyone, but wouldn’t have denied it either, so his act tells me he hasn’t either.
I head into the kitchen to see Brighton stirring coleslaw in a bowl.
“Anything I can do to help?” I offer.
“Buns are in the pantry. Can you grab them? Oh, and paper plates too, while you’re in there?”
I get both and return as she lifts the lid off a slow cooker. “That smells delicious.”
“Pulled pork. Easy to do. It cooks all day and means we’re not eating pizza for dinner.” She turns to the living room. “Dinner’s ready.”
“Kickoff is in five,” Braxton hollers back.
“Then you better get it now.”
Brighton takes no shit. It’s one of the things I admire about her.
We’re opposite in so many ways. My blond hair to her chestnut.
My fair skin to her olive. My blue eyes to her chocolate ones.
She was raised surrounded by brothers, outside, with animals, in nature.
I was raised inside white walls with furniture that couldn’t be dirtied and by a mother whose bad days included a broken nail.
She knows her place; I fumble trying to fit in.
Though, I feel more at home here than I have in my life.
“What’s the smile?” she asks.
“Just thinking how amazing this place is.” I look out the window, nodding toward the barn, the pasture, the sun not yet setting in the western sky.
“Yeah. It’s one of a kind. Amazing any of us were able to leave.”
“But you came home,” I say, assuming she means college.
“We all come home, eventually. At least, I hope.” Her tone is wistful, her arms folded around herself.
I watch as her face dips and Colt, tugging at her jeans, wiggles his fingers for up.
“Come here, little man.” She tosses him high in the air before blowing a raspberry on his neck. “We need to find you dinner. I hadn’t considered that. Hmm. What would you like?” She walks, Colt on her hip, to the fridge and begins pulling things out.
I stare out the window until hands wrap around me from behind and a chin rests on my head. “What are you staring at?”
“Just how beautiful this place is.”
“Yeah.” I feel his words vibrate through my back as he speaks.
Someone clears a throat just as voices fill the kitchen, and Braxton turns us toward them, pinning me tight to his side. The three adults all stare at us. While Eli fights to hide a grin, Kimpton’s eyes are wide. Brighton closes her open mouth with a pop.
“Emberleigh and I are together. We’re going to see where this goes. We’d appreciate your support.”
My face flames, and my head whips to see Braxton’s firm jaw and serious face. Really? Did he just say that? That plainly… and expect to move on?
“Congratulations.” Eli walks over and claps him on the shoulder. He winks at me as he heads to the counter and grabs a paper plate.
Kimp follows and gives me a hug and tweaks my chin before looking to Braxton, a gleam in his eye, and says, “Don’t fuck this up.”
“Pop!”
“What? It’s true.” He turns to his daughter. “Bright, everything smells delicious. Let’s eat.” And he follows Elias by piling his plate high and heading back for the living room.
“I— No offense, but is this a good idea?” Brighton holds Braxton’s gaze, not caring one lick that she’s discussing my worthiness of her brother right in front of me.
“Brighton.” The menace in Braxton’s words surprises me, and I stare at my feet to avoid the conflict.
“Braxton.” Brighton charges right back. “It’s a fair question. And with Colt on the line… The ranch on the line, I have the right to ask.”
I do what I can to slip from Braxton’s hold, but his arm goes tighter as he pulls me closer to him.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Legit. Like you never uttered those words.” He turns his gaze to me and lifts my chin to him. “Hungry? Let’s get some dinner and watch Layton.”
“Wait. What?”
“You didn’t know?” Brighton’s suspicion grates on me.
“I knew your brother played football, but I didn’t know it was professionally. Never considered why he was in Florida. But now I feel stupid.” I whip my head to Braxton, to his jersey, to Colt’s matching one. My eyes drop. How the hell did I miss that?
His smile is genuine when he drops a hand to my lower back and pushes me to the counter, handing me a plate.
“Brighton?” I lean around Braxton. “Do you want me to take Colt?” It’s all I can do to keep my voice even.
I don’t like tension. I don’t like fights.
I’m a keep-the-peace kind of girl. But this is a loud, brash family, and I’m apparently part of it now.
Avoiding Brighton isn’t an option, even if my first instinct is to run away and hide.
“I’m good.”
I fix my plate and head to the living room, plopping on the sofa, and look to Kimpton. “So we’re Florida fans, I take it? I’ll wear the right colors next time. I didn’t know.”
“You see me dressed up to match?” He uses his sandwich to gesture to his tee. “My house. My rules. And my rules are you come comfortable, whatever that looks like.”
I stare at my bun and smile. “Yes, sir.”
Braxton
“Goodnight.” Emberleigh turns from hugging Pop and gives a wave to Eli. Brighton is nowhere to be seen. We’ll have words tomorrow.