Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
“What are you doing here?”
Brianna’s hazel eyes met mine, and I held my breath, still getting used to being close to her again.
It had been only two days since our talk in her apartment, and I was done waiting for her to come to me.
I’d messaged her a bunch of times since she insisted I leave, but they all sat unanswered, and as much as it stung, I deserved it.
But I’d never been good at standing on the sidelines.
As Brianna stepped out into the autumn air, her eyes lit up, either from annoyance or confusion, I wasn’t sure.
Her hazel eyes were wide, and I found myself lost in them.
God, I missed her. When we were apart, I’d convinced myself I played up our connection in my mind, that it couldn’t have been as powerful as I remembered.
I was wrong.
Even with ten feet between us, she called out to me, igniting a hurricane of lust and longing in my veins.
Desperation clawed through me, missing the way she felt against my chest, needing to feel her nails tracing my spine.
I hated that I’d only gotten to make love to her once—to taste her lips and know I owned her heart as much as she owned mine.
But then, the next day, my world shattered, and like a fool, I let it ruin what had taken months to build between us.
Everything else in my life had returned to normal.
I spent my nights with the team, rebuilding the bonds that had fractured when I left without a word.
The PT sessions were grueling, but I pushed through them, determined to get myself back to peak condition.
A week ago, I’d finally gotten clearance from the doctor to lose the crutches, and it seemed like the biggest victory so far.
The brace would have to stick around for a while longer, but I wasn’t about to take it for granted.
Just being able to stand on my own brought tears to my eyes—finally proof I’d made progress.
And while that had seemed like the greatest fight of my life, none of that progress mattered without Brianna at my side. I could handle anything—the PT, not being able to play baseball, all of it. None of it compared to the pain of losing her, especially knowing it was all my fault.
But I’d meant what I said the last time we spoke. I wasn’t done fighting for her. I’d never be done fighting for her. She might not want me right now, but I was a stubborn bastard. For most of my life, I applied that determination to baseball, letting it fuel me as I walked onto the field.
After I left Brianna’s that night, I’d met up with the team and made a game plan to help me win back her trust. Although her words might have said we were done, I knew her better than I knew myself.
She was hiding behind the hurt, letting that protect her heart when I’d broken it.
While I hated myself for putting those thoughts in her mind, I was determined to prove it was a mistake, not a pattern.
I pushed off my car, walking to the entrance of Brianna’s apartment building.
Her steps had faltered when she spotted me, and now, she stood there, almost frozen in place.
As I moved toward her, I took in her outfit.
It was a far cry from the athletic gear she usually wore on the weekend, trading it in for a sleek black pencil skirt and a dark green silk shirt, topped off with a charcoal peacoat.
The color played up the greens in her eyes, and once again, I found myself lost in them.
Clearing my throat, I moved in front of her, handing out the coffee I’d picked up earlier. “It’s Sunday morning.”
She stared down at the coffee before taking it with a long sigh. “Yes, Damien, I know that, but you still haven’t answered my question.”
“On Sundays, you meet up with your family for service. Thought I’d go with you.”
Brianna’s eyes flared. “What? How did you even—”
“Angel, you’d leave my bed at the same time every Sunday, telling me you had to go to church or your mother would disown you. Did you think I didn’t listen?”
She chewed her lower lip. That was exactly what she’d thought, but as I talked with the guys, I realized I knew so much about Brianna’s world, though I was yet to be an actual part of it.
She’d gotten used to doing everything on her own, and while I’d never stand in her way to fight her own battles, I sure as hell would stand at her side.
Brianna snapped herself out of her daze then shook her head. “You are not coming with me.”
I shrugged as I turned back toward my car. “Says online everyone’s welcome. I think that includes me.” Her mouth dropped open, and she spluttered some sounds, none coherent enough to form a word. I pulled open the passenger-side door and motioned for her to get in. “Are you coming or what, angel?”
“What is this, Damien?” she hissed as she stepped closer, her eyes darting between me and the offered ride.
“This is me fighting for you, angel. Told you I wouldn’t let you go that easily. Besides, I’m selfish when it comes to you, and I’ll take any time I can get, even if it’s just a ride to your church.”
She stared at me, and I hated the uncertainty in her eyes.
As much as I wanted to reach out to her, it needed to be her choice.
I waited with bated breath as she stood on the curb, praying she’d take the step toward me.
With a beep of her phone, she groaned and climbed into my car.
“You’re not staying. This is just a ride because I can’t be late. ”
“Whatever you say, angel.”
“This counts as stalking. You realize that, right?”
Brianna’s eyes reached a new fever pitch as I dropped into the seat next to her.
While the rest of the room hummed with conversation, she’d found a seat at the furthest table in the back, not engaging with anyone else.
Without another thought, I shifted my chair closer to her and dug into the breakfast spread I’d gathered from the buffet.
I groaned as I bit into the eggs. “Damn, these are pretty good. Usually, the eggs at these things are trash.”
Brianna reached out and snatched my fork away. “No. You shouldn’t be here, Damien. These brunches are for members only.”
“That’s not what they told me.” I pointed the knife over to the group of women I’d befriended during the service.
Brianna thought I’d left after I’d dropped her off, but I’d snuck in, determined to be there for her, even when she didn’t ask for it.
While she darted up to the front row to sit with her family, I’d tucked into the back, among a group of women in their eighties.
They’d latched on to me almost immediately.
Their congregation suffered from a lack of young men among their parishioners, with way too many eligible women.
I’d laughed off their matchmaking attempts, telling them I was already in love with someone.
Even though she seemed to hate me right now.
Brianna followed my line of sight and sucked in a sharp breath. “Did they say anything about me?”
“What?” I said, narrowing my gaze. “No, but have they said something to you?”
She shook her head. “Nothing important.”
“If it matters to you, Bri, it’s fucking important. Now, tell me what they said.”
“First—don’t curse so loudly. Not here.” She sighed, turning away so her eyes could avoid mine.
Anger clenched my heart at the sight, knowing shame when I spotted it.
Brianna continued, but her voice shook with each word.
“Divorce might be pretty common now, but people around here still act like it’s a cardinal sin.
When I left my husband, even though he cheated on me, they treated me like a pariah.
As much as I try to ignore them—it hurts. ”
My hands clenched in my lap. “I’ll kill them.”
Brianna chuckled. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Bad enough to be divorced and over thirty. Now I brought someone threatening murder into our church.”
Despite the humor in her words, I could sense the hurt lingering underneath.
For too long, the world had forced its judgments onto Brianna’s lap.
But now that I was here, I refused to let it happen again.
I reached out and took her hand. “I’m glad you told me, Bri.
Promise, no bloodshed today, but I can’t promise to keep my cool if they say anything like that to you in front of me. ”
“You don’t have to defend me, Damien.”
I reached out, shifting her chair so she faced me.
Her hazel eyes met mine, and the same familiar spark ignited between us.
She tucked her lower lip between her teeth.
She felt it too. I sighed, trying to force down the lust building in my veins.
“You’ve had to fight your own battles for long enough, angel. Let me stand at your side.”
She sucked in a sharp breath then shook her head. “Stop saying things like that, Damien. It’s making me forget why I was mad at you in the first place.”
“Kinda the plan, angel,” I chuckled, bringing her hand up to my lips. As I kissed her knuckles, I said, “But I mean every word, Bri. When you give me back your heart, I’m going to protect it like my own.”
“When?”
I chuckled as I pulled back. “Yeah, angel. When. Because you might not be ready to admit it just yet, but you loved me once, before I fu—messed everything up. And if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to prove to you I’m worthy of your love.”
Brianna’s hazel eyes shimmered as she looked back at me. “You’ve always been worthy of it, Damien. That was never the problem.”
But before I could respond, her gaze darted over my shoulder, and her entire body tensed.
She dropped my hand and shoved her chair away from me.
I would’ve been offended if it weren’t for her expression.
She’d pulled back those walls I’d spent so much time dismantling, schooling her features into an impenetrable mask.
It took me back to when we first met, when Brianna guarded her joy and kept everything close to the vest.
“Are they coming over?” I asked, referring to the group of women I’d befriended earlier but who were now at the top of my shit list.
“No, worse,” Brianna whispered. “It’s my family.”