Brandon
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
“HYPNOTIZED” — CORBYN BESSON
Present Day
Ihaven’t been able to sit still for more than five minutes.
I’ve tried to distract myself with anything I could think of—anything to quiet my head, to take my mind off of the day’s events.
The look on everyone’s faces when they heard that track. The fact that I don’t know how I’m going to face them when I see them next, and that I’m glad they’ve stayed away thus far.
I know it’s Mia’s doing—that the house has stayed quiet. She’s probably set up a nacho bar or something at her house, something they couldn’t say no to in an attempt to keep them occupied. To give me space.
But no matter what I do, there’s nothing to keep me occupied.
Suddenly, a soft knock sounds at the door, pulling me out of my spiral. For once, I don’t have to guess who it is.
“You don’t have to knock,” I call out to her.
The door opens slowly, and Johanna steps inside.
“Hi, baby,” I say, a small smile tugging at my lips as I take her in.
She lingers in the doorway for a moment, the soft light from the hallway outlining her in a way that makes it impossible to look anywhere else—like a halo.
There’s something different about her, but not in the way she looks. It’s in the way she carries herself. Something steadier, more certain.
“I want to show you something,” she says softly, entering the room fully and closing the door behind her.
She crosses the space between us until she reaches me without hesitation, taking one of my hands in hers. My gaze drops—and that’s when I notice she’s holding something.
My eyes flick back up to her, my brows knitting together slightly. “What do you have there?”
She opens her other hand, and there, resting in her palm—is a ring.
My entire body goes still.
“Oh, Johanna…” I breathe.
She doesn’t stop.
“This was my dad’s,” she says, her voice steady as she lifts the ring up with her fingers. “It’s his wedding ring. The only one he ever had.”
I swallow hard, tightening my grip on her other hand.
“I’ve kept it since my mom died,” she continues. “I’ve had it at different points over the years, and I used to wear it on a necklace. I’ve kept it close by… even when I didn’t really understand why I needed it.”
Her voice softens.
“I found a note from my mom when I found the ring in her jewelry box, and well—I do now.”
As she’s speaking, something shifts within me. I realize this isn’t just a story. It’s not just show-and-tell, or her opening up to me in the way I’ve always wanted. It’s something more—something bigger. Still holding one of my hands, she opens it and places the ring in my palm.
I don’t move. I don’t breathe. I’m not sure I’m even capable of either of those things anymore.
“Jo—” I start, my voice rough.
“I’m not asking you for anything,” she says quickly, like she needs me to hear that part first. “This isn’t a proposal, and I don’t need one from you either. I don’t need a timeline, or anything else—just you.”
I close my fingers instinctively around the ring, like I’ve just been handed something priceless. Something I didn’t even realize I was waiting for.
“I want you to wear it, if you feel comfortable,” she murmurs. “Because I love you, Brandon Jackson—and I want everyone to know it.”
I stop completely, taking some time so I can make sure I didn’t just imagine this whole thing. That I didn’t make up the way the words I’ve been waiting to hear for years sound coming out of her mouth.
“Say that again,” I murmur, pulling her closer.
“Which part?” she asks—but she knows full well what I mean.
“The part where,” I say slowly as I raise my free hand to her face and brush my thumb against her jaw, “you said you love me.”
For a moment, I think she might deflect—take it back, or throw something at me as the camera crew from Punk’d jumps out of my closet.
But she doesn’t waver. Not even for a second.
“I love you,” she says, her eyes never leaving mine.
I don’t want to break our connection, but I have to close my eyes.
She really means it.
“Jesus, Hurricane,” I exhale, a quiet, disbelieving chuckle escaping me as I drop my forehead to hers. “You have no fucking idea how long I’ve waited to hear those words from you.”
“I think I have some idea,” she whispers. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”
I pull away just enough to look at her again, still cupping her face.
“You do realize that I nearly gave your brother a heart attack earlier today,” I say. “And now you’ve just handed me the equivalent of a loaded gun?”
A small, nervous smile tugs at her lips. “He’ll survive, I’m sure.”
I shake my head, huffing out another laugh. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Sure I am.” She shrugs lightly. “But you love me anyway.”
“Yeah,” I say, my voice level now. “I really fucking do.”
My gaze drops to the ring in my other hand, the weight of the relatively small piece of jewelry settling in deeper now that the shock is finally wearing off.
“This isn’t a small thing, Jo,” I tell her. “You don’t just give someone something like this and take it back later.”
“I know,” she replies. “I have no intention of taking it back, Brandon.”
I search her face one more time looking for any indication of doubt, but there is none. It’s just her and those beautiful blue eyes that have sucked me in from the moment I saw them—choosing me.
“Good,” I nod. “I just want to make sure you know what this looks like from the outside—what people are going to think.”
“Let them,” she insists, unfolding my hand and picking up the ring from inside my palm. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks it means. We’ll know, and that’s what’s important.”
Slowly, she slides the ring onto my left ring finger—and it fits like it was made for me.
Of course it does.
Johanna’s breathing falters softly as she takes it in, registering how her father’s ring looks on my hand for the very first time.
“It’s real now,” she whispers.
“Yeah, baby,” I murmur. “How do you feel about that?”
She steps forward, closing the last bit of space between us, shifting up onto the balls of her feet to press a slow, intentional kiss to my lips.
“It feels right,” she says when she pulls back. “It feels like everything I wanted but thought I couldn’t have for so long—and now I have it.” She smiles, her whole face lighting up in a way I haven’t seen in so long. “What could be better than that?”
I can’t help but smirk. “I can think of a few things.”