55
Living free
Brandy-Lyn heard the rumble of his Jeep before she saw it. Stepping out onto the veranda, arms loosely folded, Brandy fixed her eyes on the road and waited.
What with settling Connor and Nadie, meeting with Children Services and lawyers, filling out endless forms, and the dark hovering concern for the team in Brazil taking care of his “dirty work”, time alone had been minimal.
A stolen moment here, a furtive kiss there. A sneaky midnight booty call.
The Jeep rounded the bend. He parked, climbed out, and crossed the grass with purposeful strides. She barely had time to brace before he was on the steps, taking them two at a time, then pulling her into his arms like a man starved.
He buried his face in her neck, his body tight with emotion.
His breath shuddered out against her skin.
She held him without hesitation, arms strong around his back. She had worried, really worried about how the confrontation with Kamila would affect him. That maybe it would change his mind about her. About them. “You okay?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded, the movement brushing his stubble against her throat. “Yeah. Just … needed this. You.”
They stood like that, wrapped around each other, neither in a hurry to move. She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat slow. Feeling the tension leak from his body as he let himself lean on her.
No words. No demands. Just the quiet reassurance that he was back.
But slowly, the embrace began to shift. A spark lit inside her, familiar and greedy.
She felt the warmth of his breath at her temple, then his lips against her hairline.
His hands were no longer holding — now they were exploring.
Her lower back, her waist. Her fingers had found his shirt, curling into the fabric.
When he pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes were dark with want. “You feel good,” he said, voice low and thick.
Desire swept through her, but she didn’t give in to it just yet. Instead, she touched his cheek, grounding them both. “What happened?” she asked, wanting him telling her here, outside.
“Kamila chose the needle,” he said flatly. “We had her cornered. She saw it was over and took the easy way out.”
Brandy didn’t flinch, but her arms tightened around him. “And how do you feel about that?”
He hesitated, and her heart held still for the beat it took him to answer.
“Relieved. It’s behind me. She’s behind me.”
There was no vengeance in his tone. No lingering fury.
Just peace.
And that meant everything.
She exhaled softly, letting herself believe it was truly over.
He dipped his forehead to hers. “I feel … free. It’s liberating.”
She felt the words settle in her chest like sunlight, warm and weightless.
His fingers slipped into her hair, tilting her face toward his, and when his lips brushed hers, it stole her breath — not from urgency, but from reverence.
“Now,” he murmured, lips barely touching hers, “how about we take this inside?”
A slow smile formed, hunger and love twining together. “I thought you’d never ask.”
He kissed her deeply, and she kissed him back with everything she had. Because he was here. Because he had come back to her.
Not the man haunted by jungles and ghosts.
But the man she’d always believed was still in there.
The man he was always meant to be.
When he scooped her into his arms, she didn’t laugh or protest — she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her face to his throat, feeling the steady, calm beat of his heart.
The beat of love.
The wildness, the desperation was gone.
In its place was something steady. Grounded. Present.
And she could see it now — in the ease of his movements, the way his mouth curved as he looked down at her. The lines around his eyes had softened. The tension he always carried in his shoulders, between his brows, was gone.
The darkness no longer clung to him.
He set her down beside the bed. She reached for him, cupping his jaw. “You feel different,” she whispered.
He leaned into her touch, eyes locked on hers. “I am.”
She pulled him down, her lips brushing his, soft at first, then more urgent as the heat swelled between them. Her hands slid under his shirt, over warm skin and healed scars, feeling the life in him, the strength.
No ghosts.
No grief.
Just Rafferty.
And her.
Together, finally free.
*
Later, much later, they walked over to the Main House to join their family. They cleared the trees, and the rambling, two-story patchwork of stone and sunny yellow siding with dove-blue accents came into view.
Brandy-Lyn had admired the house from the moment she first stepped onto the ranch, its arms-spread-wide kind of welcome stirring something deep in her. Despite that earlier tension with Branna, she had felt a sense of peace she hadn’t known for years.
Almost like a homecoming.
It was that feeling that ultimately made her say yes to Sullivan’s offer of partnership, even if everyone in her life, namely Jackie and Richard (probably the only thing those two had ever agreed on), thought she was crazy to go into business with an ex-boyfriend.
Now, whimsical and far-fetched as the notion was, she understood — it had been her soul calling to the man born under that roof. Even though they had met all those years ago, it hadn’t been their time. Everything that had happened since had led them to this moment.
Maybe it was so Esther could find her way home.
Maybe it was to bring Connor and Nadie into their lives.
Or maybe — just maybe — it simply was.
Or maybe, Brandy, you’re just letting the otherworldliness of Irish blood whisper foolish notions in your head.
As they neared the house, the shrieks and laughter from the younger children grew louder, mingling with the voices of the older ones and the happy, excited barks of dogs. The noise wrapped around her like a favorite throw, warming her with how easily the teenagers had embraced Connor and Nadie.
“What the hell’s he doing here?” Raff muttered, slowing to a stop.
She followed his gaze and groaned at the sight of Richard’s sleek Mercedes. “Dropping off Preston,” she said. “But that was hours ago.”
Her ex-husband’s response to her and Rafferty’s engagement had been a muttered, “ I hope you know what you’re doing .”
Since moving to Lubbock, Rich had made more of an effort with the kids—even catching a few practices and games.
“He’s not stirring up that custody crap again, is he?”
“No. The kids made it pretty clear they wanted to live with me.” She hesitated, then corrected herself. “With us.”
“Good,” Rafferty growled, then strode forward with purpose.
They rounded the house, and both came to a sudden stop at the sight of the ball game underway on the lawn out front — their five, Rich and Nolan, and the two dogs, all in the thick of it.
Connor suddenly stopped mid-play, eyes locking on Rafferty. “Dad! You’re back!” he yelled, then took off running across the grass.
Rafferty dropped to his knees and opened his arms just in time to catch Connor, who barreled into him hard enough to nearly knock him over. “I’m back,” he said as he stood, holding the boy close.
“I was worried,” Connor mumbled.
“I know,” Raff replied, meeting her gaze over Connor’s shoulders.
Connor pushed back, his hands gripping Raff’s shoulders as he stared intently. “We’re safe now?”
Rafferty nodded. “We’re safe.”
“Good.” Connor twisted in Rafferty’s arms and stretched out an arm toward the lawn. “We’re teaching Nolan to play soccer.”
At fifteen months, the toddler could barely walk. Rafferty raised a brow. “And how’s that going?”
Connor let out a dramatic sigh. “Tragically.”
Brandy swallowed back a laugh.
“He’s still a little guy,” Rafferty said dryly. “Guess you’ll just have to be patient with him.”
Connor nodded with enthusiasm. “I teached Nadie. She’s good.”
“Better get to it, then.” Rafferty let him go.
“Uh-huh!” Connor spun around and dashed back across the grass.
“The resilience of that boy amazes me,” Rafferty murmured.
“And that’s because of you,” Brandy said softly. “Kids don’t need much — just love, food, and safety. You’ve given them all three.”
His expression turned serious as he reached for her arms, mirroring Connor’s earlier gesture.
Holding her gaze, he said, “I dragged you into this, Brandy-Lyn, without giving you a real chance to step back. Are you sure you’re okay taking on me, Connor, and Nadie?
Yours are nearly grown. And now I’ve brought two little ones into your life. ”
She smiled, quiet but sure. “I like kids. Starting over wasn’t part of the plan… but then again, life rarely asks first.”
“Marry me.”
She blinked, let out a soft laugh, and wiggled her left hand. “Pretty sure we already settled that.”
“I mean soon,” he said, voice low but certain. “Before Sullivan’s wedding.”
She knew there were a million practical reasons to wait, but for the life of her, she couldn’t think of a single one that mattered more than agreeing.
“Okay,” she said softly. “But I need at least four weeks.” She smiled, eyes glinting. “A girl’s gotta find the right dress.”
Rafferty’s grin was instant. He leaned in and kissed her, slow and sure, like a promise sealed.
Arm in arm, they made their way to where his parents and Mammy sat at the edge of the lawn; a low table with the remains of a meal behind them.
“It’s done,” Rafferty said, answering their questioning gazes.
There would be time later — Jon would press for details — but for now, those two words were enough.
Richard, with Nolan in his arms, ambled over. Brandy met him halfway, still uneasy about his presence.
“Branna invited me to lunch,” he said quickly, correctly interpreting her raised brows.
Nolan whimpered softly, and Richard rubbed a hand over his back. The little one lay his head on his father’s shoulder and closed his eyes.
Her earlier words — love, food, and safety — echoed in her mind, and her heart softened toward the man standing before her. Yes, he’d treated her badly, and karma had delivered its blow, but he was choosing to rise above it.
“He’s plain tuckered out,” she said, tipping her head toward the sleeping child.
Richard glanced down, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Yes. He loves company.” His gaze shifted to the kids ambling back to the table.
“Having Nolan …” He exhaled, long and deep, then looked back at her.
“It’s made me realize how much I missed by …
by acting like my father. And for that, I’m truly sorry, Brandy. ” Regret threaded through every word.
Her eyes moved to their three, now busy stuffing their faces. “Do they know?”
“Yeah. We worked through a lot over the break.” He hesitated, then asked, his eyes flicking briefly to Rafferty — who speared him with a hard look — before settling on hers again. “Is his … stuff sorted?”
“The drugs? Or the danger?”
Irritation flickered across Richard’s face, but he quickly masked it. “Both.”
“The addiction was never his choice, Richard. And it’s over.” She held his gaze. “As for that woman — she’s no longer a danger.” He didn’t need to know the details of how it happened.
“Our kids … they really like him.”
“He’s a good man.”
Richard looked away, his gaze drifting over the bucolic scene. The kids, the laughter, the easy joy in the air. “I get it now,” he blurted.
“Get what?”
“You … wanting to be here. Belonging here.”
The quiet ache in his voice wasn’t hard to miss. He’d been raised in a house of silence and cold looks — a far cry from the open warmth of Lawson’s Landing.
“You and Nolan are welcome here. Anytime.”
To her surprise, Brandy realized she meant it. The past was done, settled. And Richard — father of her children — would always have a place in their future. Holding on to hostility only muddied the waters. And she was done with that.
“You mean that?”
“Well, I’m not offering you a home on the ranch,” she said wryly. “And don’t expect an invitation to our wedding. But yeah — you’re welcome here.”
“Thank you,” he said, his voice gruff with something that might’ve been humility. Then he stiffened, eyes flicking past her shoulder. “And I think I’ve overstayed this visit.”
An arm slid around her shoulders, warm and solid. “Everything good here?” Rafferty asked.
“We’re good,” she reassured.
Richard cleared his throat. “I’ll be on my way.”
The two men regarded each other for a long moment before Richard added, “I apologize for the things I said in the past.” He extended his hand.
It took Rafferty a beat, then he clasped it firmly. “Thank you.”
Another pause. Then, quietly but with conviction, Rafferty said, “They’re safe with me. All of them.”
Richard nodded and turned away, heading toward the others.
Rafferty’s eyes searched her face. “You really good, Red?”
“Yes,” she said simply. “Come on. Let’s go tell Branna she has four weeks to plan a wedding.”