Chapter 7
Brett
After dinner with Willow, Jacob, Lev, and their mom, I head upstairs to shower for my night out with Willow while Jacob watches my daughter play in her floor gym. I can’t figure out her family dynamics yet. She seems close with her brothers but in different ways. Jacob seems to be the one who worries about the family and carries that load on his shoulders, kind of like I do with mine. Lev keeps more to himself, but I can see that he feels protective of Willow and Maylee. It almost feels like he doesn’t trust me. Not that I blame him. They clearly thought it was me who wrote Willow that awful text message. Then there is her mother. She seems to love Willow and Maylee and she is all hearts in her eyes when she is close to my daughter, but she doesn’t seem to be very helpful with much. She’s more focused on her own life. It gives me the feeling Willow and Maylee may have spent long boring days in this house on their own, and I don’t like it. Back home in New York there are all kinds of things for new moms to do with their babies, and there is also the possibility Willow wants to return to her job. I’ll need to find all those things out at some point. I want tonight to be about fun and letting lose, but with limited time on my hands, I need answers.
After my shower, I get dressed in Maylee’s nursery since she is downstairs. Not sure what to wear to a small-town bar, I go for a pair of jeans and a black thermal shirt I had packed since the clothes Maddie sent haven’t arrived yet. I use some hair gunk to slick my hair back. It probably won’t stay slick for long as my hair dries and my curls fight the serum. I also dab on some cologne in the crook of my neck.
When I leave the room to head downstairs, I bump into Willow’s mom. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” She smiles, watching me appreciatively.
“Thank you, ma’am,” I say, a little uncomfortable from the attention she is dishing out.
“Don’t ma’am me. I’m not that old.” She laughs.
“I’m going to check on Willow.” I spin around feeling uncomfortable and walk over to Willow’s door. No wonder Willow has trust issues. Her mother just hit on me and I’m the father of her daughter’s child. I wince.
I knock on Willow’s bedroom door. “Hey, you almost ready?”
“Yeah,” she calls back. “Give me a few.”
“’Kay,” I say.
I head downstairs and wait for her there. While I’m waiting, I take a glass of water and gulp it down since my hot shower left me feeling dehydrated.
“Jacob, you’re sure about this?” I hear Willow ask so I spin around.
My jaw drops.
Willow’s gaze connects with mine. She’s wearing a tight black sweater dress that hits her mid-thigh. It has a V-neck that plunges a little, showing off her full breasts. She is wearing skin-colored stockings and black cowboy boots.
“Brett?” she asks, and I realize I am frozen.
“Y-you look beautiful,” I stammer.
I side glance at Jacob, who is laughing at me from his perch on the floor beside Maylee.
Willow’s brown hair is done in soft curls and she’s wearing black makeup on her blue green eyes, which makes them pop and look feline. I already know I like those nails of hers scratching into my back when she comes. I push the thought aside as I realize I haven’t moved an inch, and I’ve said only one sentence that was more of a mumble.
“I got Maylee,” Jacob says.
“Should we leave?” I ask.
We both grab our jackets and Jacob tosses me the keys for his truck.
“Thanks, bud,” I say.
I hold the door open and motion for Willow to go first. We head out to the truck parked in front of the house and I follow her around to the passenger door.
My eyes fixate on her cowboy boots.
“You like my boots, Brett?” She laughs.
“There is a whole lot I’m liking now, Willow.”
She blushes.
“You look hot,” I tell her.
“I didn’t have anything to wear. Nothing fits me anymore with all the weight I’ve gained,” she says.
“To me you look perfect. That dress fits your body like a glove, showing off all your assets.” I adjust my semi because staring at her in those boots isn’t helping my situation.
“You’re just being polite,” she replies.
“Willow, I’ll always be honest with you but right now I am not being polite. In fact, my cock is growing from the sight of you. You can check for proof if you want or take my word for it.”
She clears her throat and climbs in the cab. “I’ll take your word. You look good too, Brett.”
“How good?” I joke.
“Good,” she states flatly but I see the bob in her throat, which gives me some reassurance the heat I’m feeling for her is returned.
“So where am I going?” I ask.
Willow directs me to the bar.
“It’s loud and the whole town is there,” she warns. “There’s dancing and quite a bit of drinking.”
“If I have to carry you home over my shoulder, I will.” I laugh, although the thought doesn’t help because I’d like nothing more than to carry her over my shoulder and flip her onto a bed and have my way with her.
Easy there, bud.I say to my cock.
We pull up to the bar. The lot is full, and I hear the music from outside.
We head inside and a hostess leads us through the fray. There are people everywhere. Men and women come up to Willow and hug her or peck her cheek. She introduces me as Brett. Some joke that I’m the baby daddy, which I am, but I want to be more.
One guy says, “I heard he was in town. I’m a big fan,”
I shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“So, are you single?” he asks Willow next. Our handshake is barely over. Have respect, man.
She replies, “Yes.”
I’m seeing red.
“I’ll catch you later.” He winks with a sleazy grin.
He walks away.
“You did not just get picked up by another man when you’re with me,” I grumble as the hostess finally leads us to the booth we will be sitting at. She places some menus on the table and we thank her. She takes off with a smile.
“We aren’t together,” Willow reminds me.
“Tonight, you’re here with me,” I tell her.
“I’m liking this domineering side of you, Brett,” she replies flirtatiously.
“Willow, we both know you like my domineering side,” I retort, looking into her eyes. She blushes knowing damn well she liked how I took over in bed when we were together.
She clears her throat. “We came out tonight to discuss co-parenting.”
“Hell no, we came out tonight to have fun. Now, what would you like to drink because I plan on getting you on that dance floor.”
A waitress comes by, just in the nick of time.
“I’ll have a double whiskey.”
“I’ll have the same,” Willow orders.
I cock my brow.
“I haven’t had a drink since that night, Brett. I deserve this,” she says.
The waitress leaves and returns a couple of minutes later.
She places the double shots in front of us.
I lift mine. “To our future.”
Willow does a double take when I say that, but she clinks her glass with mine and we both drink them down.
“Are we going to dance?” I ask. We’ve already eaten dinner.
“After I take another shot, sure,” she replies.
I call over the waitress and Willow orders another double so I do the same, but this is where I cut myself off.
We take the shots. My blood is pumping warm in my system.
“Now we dance,” I say.
“Do you even know how to dance like this?” She laughs.
“No,” I deadpan. “But I’m a quick study.”
“I bet you are, but I think we should sit this one out.”
There is some kind of country swing dancing going on and I am not one to shy away from a challenge.
“Come on, Willow,” I urge, taking her hand.
“This is a bad idea.”
“I disagree,” I reply.
“Of course you do,” she retorts as we reach the dance floor and I spin her out away from me. She begins to laugh, but then I pull her back in and she spins into me until she is flush with my body. Her eyes are glued to my chest. “Up here, darlin’.” I tilt her chin to me.
“You aren’t a country boy, Brett.” We begin to move together.
“No, I’m not. I’m a guy from Michigan. I like city life. How about you? Do you want to stay in Sugar Meadow?”
“I don’t know,” she replies as we swing our hips.
“You’re a good dancer. It’s those cowboy boots, isn’t it?” I ask playfully.
“Maybe.” She laughs. “I went to a lot of dances but I never came here. By the time I was eighteen, I left Sugar Meadow.”
“Ah! So you like the city too,” I state.
“I love the city but it made sense to come home to have Maylee. I didn’t want to be alone,” she shares. My heart cracks down the center because if I’d known, she wouldn’t have been alone for a second.
“I’m sorry we missed out on all that time,” I say as our hips move in sync. Our gazes meet and our breaths come fast from the dancing. I don’t know about Willow, but it’s getting hot in here. I twist her away from me and when I pull her back in, I bring her back to my front.
My lips graze her ear. “Did you enjoy the little gift I got you?”
She spins around. “I appreciate you wanting to take care of things now that you’re in town, but my needs are not your business.”
“What if I want to make them my business?” I shoot back.
Her blue-green eyes narrow on me. “No.”
“No? That’s all you got? I see the way you look at me, Willow. There is something here. I’m looking at you too. At that hot body of yours. Your full breasts…” She’s breathing fast again, watching me like I’m the enemy.
“This was supposed to be a fun night,” she snaps.
“I said we’d be doing adult stuff,” I correct.
“We aren’t going down that road.”
“You want to tell me you aren’t attracted to me? You don’t feel something when I’m this close to you?” I ask, pulling her in to me. She’s so close I feel her hot breath against my lips.
Her mouth opens to say something and snaps shut. Before I even know what’s happening, she is walking away from me. I kick myself internally for being a pushy asshole. She heads to the bar and orders a drink. I follow her to the bar too but figure it would be better to give her space, so I go to the other end. My attention remains on her. She knows everyone here. They are all smiling and happy to see her. When the douchebag from before comes up to her, I don’t know how much more of this standing back and watching I can take.
“Hi there.” A woman comes up to me with a smile. She looks familiar. “Bonnie from the supermarket the other day.”
“Hi.” If anything, I’m always polite.
“After we met, I looked you up. You’re a famous hockey player,” she says as if it’s news to me.
“Yeah,” I confirm, but my gaze is fixated on the woman who has consumed my thoughts since the night we hooked up.
“You want to buy me a drink?” she asks next.
“Order what you want.” I find it weird that she is vying for my attention when it’s clearly elsewhere.
Willow turns her gaze to me and her lips form a thin line. It’s then I remember she has an issue with Bonnie.
I cock my brow. The guy is still talking her up, but her eyes are on me. Buddy should take a hint.
Bonnie orders a drink. She’s talking a lot, but I don’t know what she is saying with my full attention on Willow. I place a twenty on the bar for Bonnie’s drink as I watch Willow take what is probably another double shot.
When Willow walks off with the guy to the dance floor, there is only so much I can take. Willow may not realize it, but that night we were together she somehow became mine.
Without another word I walk over to the dance floor. Behind me Bonnie says, “Wait up.”
I walk over to Willow and the guy. “Excuse me, but I need to cut in here.”
“I don’t think so,” the guy says.
Buddy doesn’t know who he is dealing with, clearly. I fight on the ice for a living.
“Willow, you’re coming with me,” I tell her.
“No, I’m not,” she answers me, her voice cold and her chin pointed upward.
“You need to leave,” the guy says, putting his hands on me.
“Get your hands off me and my woman,” I growl.
“Brett,” Willow gasps.
“Willow, we are leaving,” I say to her. She bites into her lip. “You really want to stay here with this guy? Or are you going to leave with me?”
“Brett, don’t do this,” she pleads.
“Are you leaving with me now, dammit?” I ask, my blood burning through my veins.
She nods.
The guy looks shocked.
I take Willow and flip her over my shoulder because, damn, I’ve been fantasizing about doing this all night.
Around us people are whispering and grunting.
“Brett, put me down,” she protests.
“Not until I get you to the cab of the truck,” I state.
“We need our jackets,” she reminds. I walk us back to the booth, grab our jackets, and drop a hundred-dollar bill on the table.
Then I head outside.
“I didn’t know you were this crazy,” she says. “Put me down.”
“I didn’t know I was this crazy either,” I snap back.
“Huh?”
“You heard me. Since I met you, my head has been spinning.”
We reach the truck and I place her on her feet. She is angry and huffing. “You’re a big bully.”
I burst into laughter. “Is that the best you got?”
“Asshole,” she mutters, straightening out her dress.
I open the door. “Get inside, it’s cold.” I hold the door open for her then jog around the truck to the driver’s side. I get in, turn on the truck, and crank up the heat.
“Tell me you wanted that guy,” I say to her.
“You should’ve left with Bonnie. You’re with the wrong girl,” she states, and I read her insecurities.
A harsh chuckle escapes me. “I definitely left with the right woman. I’m not interested in Bonnie.”
She mumbles under her breath.
“Excuse me?” I say because I’m confused.
“I said fuck, okay? I fucking want you. I was thinking about you when I was getting myself off in the tub with that amazing toy you bought me. Is that what you want to hear?”
I don’t waste time as I move in and capture her lips. She tastes of sweet candy and whiskey, and I can’t get enough. She kisses me back with the same hunger, her fingers sifting through my hair. I remember all over again why she is unforgettable because I have never felt this way about kissing a girl before.
I break the kiss and put the truck into reverse.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asks, breathing hard, her lips swollen, and her lipstick smudged.
“I’m taking you somewhere private,” I reply, placing the truck in drive.
She nods and puts on her seat belt.
“How drunk are you?” I ask to be sure she is sober enough to know what she is doing.
“Drunk enough to be telling you what’s on my mind, but not drunk enough not to know what I am doing,” she replies. “Besides, I don’t need you to be a gentleman.”
“Oh, I know, Honey. I remember that night well, and that’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Now tell me where to go,” I say to her.
“Make a right there.” She points.
“That’s a forest,” I snicker.
“Exactly.” I listen and turn onto the small road. The truck is hidden between a row of trees.
We are back on each other in seconds. Her tongue swipes in my mouth and my tongue meets hers in a hungry dance. My hands wrap around her back and I am thankful the front seat of this truck is a bench.
“Lie back,” I order.
“What?” she asks me, confused.
“I need you to trust me,” I urge her. She shifts and leans back on her elbows. I lift her dress to her hips.
“Brett,” she breathes heavily.
I remove her stockings and find she is sans panties. “I need these off,” I say as I pull the stockings down.
“You’ll have to take my boots off,” she guides, so I do as she says, removing her boots and then pulling the stockings off her feet. When she spreads her legs revealing her bare pussy, I hiss.
“Lie back, Willow.”
“Brett, this is crazy.”
“I want to eat the hell out of your pussy. Do you want that?”
“Yess,” she purrs.
“Good.” I shift and place her legs over my shoulders, then I go to town. The moment my tongue connects with her sensitive center she moans and mutters a string of expletives.
I lap up her juices. “That feels so good. I was dreaming about this. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t stop.” She runs her fingers through my hair, messing it up.
“I’ve dreamt about this too,” I admit.
“Fuck,” she moans as I suck her clit.
I begin to flick my tongue along her bud and her hips move rhythmically against me.
“Don’t say stuff like that, Brett. Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying, Willow. I haven’t stopped thinking of that night.”
Her moans grow louder. Her palm flattens against the window, the other hand on the dashboard, giving her support.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had a real orgasm, I am going to come so hard,” she says.
I pick up the pace and insert two fingers, pumping inside her. “It’s too much.”
“Take me, Honey. Come for me.”
She does. She comes completely apart over and over again, all the while screaming, “It’s too much.” I lave in her juices, enjoying her sweetness. I make sure she rides every single wave of ecstasy, pushing her body more and more. When she finally falls limp, I relent.
“Holy shit.” She’s breathless and flushed. She’s perfect.
“That good?”
“I’m not going to boost your ego,” she teases with a crooked smile. “Besides, I don’t know why you bought Bonnie a drink.”
“Me?” I ask flabbergasted. “You took off with that guy. That asshole asked you in front of me if we are together, and you told him we weren’t.”
She chews her lip.
“Do you want me to suck you off?” she asks.
“Don’t change the subject,” I demand.
“What do you want from me, Brett?”
“I want you to give us a chance,” I reply, staring into her eyes, but I see something I don’t like in return. She looks panicked at the thought, and I get it. Doesn’t mean I like it but I understand. I can be patient.
“How about I give you a BJ?” she says.
“No, tonight was about you. You aren’t getting me until I know you trust me,” I counter.
“Brett, you don’t understand where I’m coming from,” she retorts.
“I do, Willow, it’s why I need you to trust me,” I assert. She finally shifts and adjusts her dress.
I start to drive. “What would be the point in seeing where this goes?” Her voice is low and she stares out the window. “We feel the attraction now but after some time together things will shift and change. Whatever crush or feelings we have will turn to hate, and I don’t want that for us.”
“My parents didn’t fight the way yours did. My dad just took off and didn’t come back, but he ended up coming back, Willow. He came back when he was on his death bed and he was filled with so much regret. I don’t want regrets. I’m telling you now that the night we spent together was special to me, and it has nothing to do with Maylee. I owe it to myself, you, and our daughter to see if what we have is real. The thing is, I already know it is because I’ve never felt what I am feeling now, and I get that scares you because I was once there.”
“Brett, I’m messed up and I need you to respect my boundaries,” she replies.
“No, Willow, you need me to prove to you that a good man doesn’t take off. You need me to prove to you that I am reliable. We may fight, but we will never be at war like your parents. I’m not petty and I will do the best I can for my family. I’ll make you believe that too.”
“Always so cocky,” she says, shaking her head.
“Nothing wrong with confidence, Honey,” I say as I pull into the long drive heading to the Heaton farm.
“You have yourself a good night’s rest. I’ve got our baby girl,” I assure.
“I want to wake up and feed her in the morning. I miss her, Brett. I’m not used to sharing her. I wanted to give you two time to bond but I need her,” she confesses, warmth and love written all over her. “I know that when we spoke that night I said I didn’t want kids, but I love that baby girl. She’s my whole life.”
“I love her too. It was love at first sight for me.” I am looking at Willow and I am thinking there is truth to those words where she is concerned too.
Willow shifts uncomfortably.
“I’ll wake up with you. We can take care of her together. Is there somewhere we can go as a. . .” I pause as the word family almost left my mouth, and I don’t want to send Willow running. “Somewhere nice for us to hang out.”
She watches me and her eyes seem a little teary. I don’t think now is the time to call her out.
“Yeah, there is a winter fair if we want something outdoors, or we can get lunch at the diner in town. We’d have to drive into Nashville if you want to do city things,” she lists off.
“I’ll do whatever you want. I just want to spend time with you and Maylee.”
“Okay.” She nods.
We head inside. Jacob is on the couch reading a book.
“You two have a good night?” he asks, looking at his sister then me.
Willow nods. “Thanks for babysitting.”
“You deserved a break,” he says.
He eyes me, nods, and then walks away.
I go to the kitchen and grab a glass of water. Willow prepares some bottles, just in case Maylee wakes up. She explains that because she drank, she doesn’t want to breastfeed her now.
We head up the stairs together.
“Good night, Honey,” I say when she reaches her door.
“I’ll just put this stuff down in my room and then I’ll come and check on her. I won’t sleep right if I don’t see her.”
“Of course,” I say. I follow her to the nursery and grab a pair of shorts and a T-shirt from my bag. Willow is such a good and loving mom. It makes me feel something I’ve never felt before.
She kisses her palm and presses it to Maylee’s cheek. My daughter is fast asleep and looks like an angel. I press a soft kiss to Willow’s neck and feel goosebumps spread across her skin.
She watches me with something akin to wonder.
“Night, Brett.”
“Night, Honey.”
She eyes me like she is trying to figure me out and then she leaves the room.
I get changed in the bathroom then return to the floor of the nursery. It’s hard and I can’t find a comfortable position, so I toss and turn for a bit until sleep pulls me under.