Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
B rielle wanted to scream, cry, rant, call Ryan back, kick her sister out… anything except listen to Ryan drive away and leave her with Miss Perfect, who made Brielle’s life everything but perfect.
“So…” Aurora gave Brielle a smirk. “Old habits die hard, huh?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Brielle marched to the back room and unlocked Sparky from his kennel. Obviously, anything with Ryan was now burning in the fiery flames of purgatory. He’d never forgive her after this, and she wasn’t going to ask him to.
Maybe I should move, she thought morosely. She adored where she lived, but it was clear that Brielle would never be able to have any kind of love life if she didn’t break free of the chains from her family and the small town.
Sparky climbed shakily out of the kennel, giving her hand a light lick. “Hey, big guy,” she whispered, trying to swallow the tears in her throat.
“Bri,” Aurora snapped from the doorway. “I don’t know what just happened out there, but you know full well that it’s not kosher to date your sister’s ex boyfriend. ”
“No one said anything about dating,” Brielle snapped back. She quickly closed her eyes, breathed long through her nose and prayed for patience. She might not have said anything about dating, but Brielle had certainly been thinking about it.
But what was there to think about now?
It was exactly like that when they were younger. Ryan had expressed interest, her sister had gotten in the way, and Ryan had walked away without a peep. If he was really interested in Brielle, he wouldn’t have left so easily.
Yes, she’s the one who said they weren’t going on a date, but couldn't the man read between the lines? Her sister was right there! Aurora was waiting and ready to pounce, just like she was trying to do right now.
If Brielle had tried to leave with Ryan, Aurora would have shredded her for the next year…or ten years…at least. She’d mentioned Aurora a couple of times to Ryan, but somehow he just didn’t seem to be getting the message, and tonight proved it.
An ache was growing in her chest, and Brielle was fighting the sting of tears in her eyes. How did she have the worst luck ever? Aurora visited her like once a year, why did it have to be tonight of all nights?
Better now than later. Who knows what would have happened if you’d let yourself fall for him completely and then she showed up?
“I’m not stupid,” Aurora argued, her hands on her hips. “You always did have a crush on him.” Aurora huffed. “I’m just shocked that he actually came over.” She tossed her head, causing her hair to flick over her shoulder. “He always did prefer blondes.”
Clenching her teeth, Brielle stood from where Sparky was lying on the carpet and faced off with her sister. “Why are you even in town? I thought you had a pageant. You’ve been bugging me for money for weeks.”
Aurora sniffed. “I decided I was done with those for now. It wasn’t working out.”
Brielle frowned. There was a story there, but she was too angry at the situation to care. Her spoiled sister probably got herself kicked out with her nasty attitude, and Brielle wasn’t going to let herself feel bad about it.
“Yeah, well…I have things to do.” She brushed past Aurora and swept into the kitchen.
“What’s that? Long for Ryan from afar?” Aurora said with a laugh.
“He’s Sparky’s vet,” Brielle ground out. She was absolutely determined not to let Aurora know anything about her infatuation with the veterinarian. Life was difficult enough as it was, she didn’t need to add kindling to the disaster of her love life.
“I didn’t know vets made house calls.”
Brielle spun, folding her arms over her chest. “If I didn’t know any better, Aurora, I’d say you’re jealous.” That was absolutely not true. Brielle knew full well her sister was jealous of no one. The flirty blonde always had everyone eating out of the palm of her hands, but Brielle was growing desperate at this point. Anything that ticked Aurora off enough to leave was going to be her saving grace.
Aurora reared back as if she’d been hit. “You’re joking! Right?” She scoffed and flipped her hair again. “Brielle, I thought we knew each other better than this.” Stepping up into Brielle’s space, Aurora’s face grew dark. “I know about your little kiss, Bri.”
Brielle’s eyes widened.
“I know you were hoping for it to be something more, but…” Aurora sighed and stepped back, breaking her aggressive stance. “I just can’t help that he finds me more attractive.” She shrugged one delicate shoulder. “It’s a good thing I was here today, or you probably would have only hurt yourself more, just like you did in high school.”
Before Brielle could say anything to her sister, a shuffling came from the hallway, and she glanced over to see Sparky stumbling then knocking his shoulder into the wall. “Sparky,” she breathed, rushing over as her dog collapsed, his chest heaving as he panted like he’d run a marathon.
Brielle looked him over, her hands trembling and desperately trying to find something that would show her what was wrong. His heart was racing too fast, his eyes were mostly closed and he was breathing too heavily, but she couldn’t find a wound or figure out what had set him off.
Aurora snorted, the sound completely out of place with her delicate nature. “I can’t believe you still have that thing. Why don’t you put him down and be done with it?”
Tears began to roll down her face, and Brielle couldn’t even find it in her to answer her sister’s remark. “What do you need, big guy?” she whispered, wishing, praying that somehow her beloved pet would speak to her. They’d been together so long. Weren’t they supposed to be able to communicate without words by now?
“Whatever,” Aurora snapped. “I was trying to help, but I can see I’m not wanted.” Her footsteps stormed toward the front door. “Break your heart! See if I care!”
The walls shook with the force of Aurora’s slam, and Brielle finally let the sob that was stuck in her throat through. “I can’t…I don’t…” Her words weren’t working, and she couldn’t get her brain to focus enough to know how to handle the situation.
When Sparky groaned, and his body went limp, Brielle thought she was going to break apart. Her heart was on the floor and was being crushed into little tiny pieces, and the only man who could help her had been kicked out because Brielle’s sister was horrible and Brielle was a terrified chicken.
After a couple more panicked breaths, she didn’t care anymore. Carefully, she lifted her dog, staggering slightly under his weight, into her arms and stumbled outside, laying him in her backseat.
Ryan had given her his address, and Brielle was going to use it. He probably hated her, but surely he wouldn’t turn Sparky out. In fact, she wasn’t going to even text him. If she showed up on his doorstep, he’d have to do something. He’d have to.
Wiping at her face and not caring about the smeared mascara, Brielle threw the car into reverse and took off. It would take a full forty minutes to get to Ryan’s house, but there was no other choice. No one else could help, not at this late at night and definitely not on a weekend.
“Please,” Brielle pleaded as she drove, her hands jerking and her body jumping. “Please let me get there in time.”
She’d just lost the man who owned a piece of her heart, Brielle simply wasn’t prepared to lose the rest of it.
Ryan grunted and lifted his head. He could have sworn?—
Someone pounded on the door again, and he lifted his head, feeling slightly groggy from his early bedtime. Frowning, he grabbed his phone and realized he’d only been asleep for forty five minutes.
The doorbell went off again.
Grumbling, he climbed out of bed and stumbled down the stairs. His eyes widened, and he picked up the pace when he began to hear shouting from his front step. Yanking open the door, Ryan’s eyes widened when he saw Brielle standing there.
Her hair, which had been in such perfect curls earlier, was wild and frizzy, and her face was red and mascara streaked. She still wore the same dress, but it was wrinkled and dirty.
Sparky lay on his doorstep, his body too still. Ryan had to watch, his own heart barely beating as he waited to see if Sparky’s chest was lifting with his breath. When it shifted slightly, he couldn’t contain the gush of relieved air that rushed out of his lungs.
“Ryan!”
His head jerked to the side to see his neighbor Staci standing on her doorstep, hands on her hips.
“Do you know her?” Staci’s hair was in an artful bun, and she wore large glasses that emphasized her blue eyes, along with flattering but comfortable clothes. It was such a stark contrast to Brielle’s red, tear stricken face that if Ryan had been able, he might have been amused, but the desperation in Brielle’s eyes shut him up.
“Yep. Sorry about the noise.” He brushed Staci off and dropped to his knees. “What happened?” he asked Brielle without preamble. The pain he’d been feeling about Brielle’s rejection was still simmering in his gut, but Sparky’s situation pushed it all aside.
He didn’t hear Staci huff and slam her door, but even the dog emergency couldn’t stop him from noticing Brielle’s perfume as she plunked to her knees beside him.
“I let him out of the kennel,” she stammered, sniffing and wiping at her face. “Right after you left. A couple minutes later, he came down the hall and stumbled into the walls.” Brielle’s breathing picked up, and she sounded as if she couldn’t catch a breath.
Looking up, Ryan automatically cupped her damp cheek with his hand. “Deep breaths, Brielle. Deep breaths. I need to know what happened, okay? Do you know if he ate anything? Was he acting funny before you put him in the kennel?”
She shook her head, gulping in air too fast, but obviously trying to obey his orders. “Nothing unusual,” she finally got out. “Some days he’s tired, and some days he’s fine.”
Ryan nodded and put his focus back on the dog. It didn’t look good. In fact, at first guess, he had a sneaking suspicion that Brielle wasn’t going to be taking the dog home.
“Let’s get him inside,” he murmured. Reaching under the dog, Ryan lifted the pooch as gently as he could, but still Sparky whimpered. “I’ve got you,” Ryan cooed, walking back inside. “Hang tight, big guy. We’ll get you comfortable in a minute.”
Heading straight to his spare bedroom, Ryan trusted Brielle to close the door behind her, and he marched up the stairs before laying the dog across the queen bed. He felt more than heard Brielle come in behind him.
“Be right back.” Ryan ran out of the room and grabbed his emergency kit from downstairs before rushing back up. He spent the next ten minutes examining Sparky, but with each passing second, it was clear their worst fears would be realized.
Sighing, he straightened and stretched his back just a little .
“This is it, isn’t it?” Brielle whispered, her voice hoarse and broken. “The tests were all too late.”
Ryan closed his eyes, begging for strength before he could face her. Slowly, he turned, knowing his face said it all, but wanting to give her something…anything. It still took several heartbeats before he could open his mouth. “Yeah…I think it is.”
Brielle’s fist was over her mouth, and a broken sob slipped through, her shoulders rounding and her entire body folding in on itself.
He had no idea if she would hate him or hit him, but Ryan couldn’t sit here and do nothing. Stepping forward, he folded Brielle into his arms, tucking her under his chin and wrapping his arms tightly around her, as if he could hold her together as she broke apart.
To his surprise, Brielle immediately responded by wrapping her arms around his chest and clutching him so hard he could hardly breathe. Her hands fisted the shirt at his back and her body shook against his, but the way she pressed in said she couldn’t get close enough and Ryan tightened his hold.
His stomach churned, and the pain from earlier was replaced with pain both for Sparky and especially for Brielle. Her hurt was causing him to hurt. If only there was more he could do for her.
He clenched his teeth as sobs shook her entire frame against his. Earlier tonight, he’d been hoping to get a kiss from the gorgeous woman, now he just wanted to take away her pain. To do anything that might ease the burden she was feeling.
Slowly, he rubbed her back, shushing and whispering in her ear. He didn’t even know what he was saying, but hopefully it would help calm her down and give her something to focus on rather than the dog on the bed and the pain of losing a best friend.
Another ten minutes went by before her breathing starting to slow. Eventually, the tears subsided and her fierce hold relaxed just enough that Ryan felt confident she wouldn’t tear his shirt in two.
Sparky whimpered and let out a long breath with a raspy, rattling sound in it, causing Ryan to stiffen.
Brielle must have felt his movements, because she lifted her swollen eyes to look at him. “What? What just happened?” She looked over his shoulder and back at Ryan.
Ryan kissed her forehead. “It won’t be long now,” he whispered. “Do you want to run some cool water on your face? It’ll help you feel better and then we can wait with him while he goes.”
For a moment, Ryan was sure that she was going to break down again, but his Brielle was made of sterner stuff. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and nodded curtly.
Watching her walk away was even harder than experiencing her rejection of him earlier in the evening, but Ryan let her go. She’d feel better after cooling off her skin, and he’d sit with her and Sparky until the end.
While she was gone, he grabbed a couple of pillows and set them upright against the headboard of the bed. As gently as possible, he adjusted Sparky, who was still breathing heavily, until the dog was situated in a way that would allow them to join him on the bed but still be comfortable. Once done, Ryan sat down to wait.
It didn’t take long for Brielle to step hesitantly into the doorway, wringing her hands so hard Ryan was sure she was about to break a knuckle.
He patted the bed next to him. “We’ll get through this together, okay?”
Her bottom lip quivered and Ryan’s heart stuttered with it, but she nodded and walked over. Climbing carefully on the bed, Brielle sat up against the headboard, her legs stretched out and nestled up against Sparky’s back.
Ryan shifted back and crowded into her space so he could wrap an arm around her and tuck her into his side while she still had access to Sparky. It was the best he could do, to put her best friend on one side and himself on the other.
When Sparky’s tail thumped twice, Ryan couldn’t help but smile that the dog approved .
Brielle’s hand began to smooth down her dog’s head, the animal not seeming to care that she was shaking so badly.
Leaning over, Ryan kissed her temple. “I’ve got you,” he said softly. “You’re not alone, alright?”
Her nod was shaky, but he was glad to see it.
“Why don’t you tell me your favorite memory of him?”
Her glassy eyes shot to his, and Ryan tried to smile in encouragement. “I’ve discovered it helps,” he urged.
After taking another shuddering breath, Brielle’s eyes wandered back to her hand as it moved through Sparky’s fur, but then she opened her mouth. “I think it might be the day I got him.” One side of her mouth quirked up. “Maybe for the first time ever, Dad won an argument with Mom, and Sparky was the result.”