Chapter Thirty-Two
Brady
The next night, we pulled up to Elise’s building late, the quiet of the side street broken only by the low, fading sound of a distant car and the soft, synchronized click of our doors as we stepped out onto the blacktop.
Elise walked close beside me, her shoulder brushing mine every few steps.
She looked softer, more alive. The glow was back in her face, quieter than the bright laughter at the pools, but deeper.
It was as if something inside her had finally exhaled.
I didn’t want to do or say anything that might make her pull back into herself.
“That was fun,” she said softly as we reached the base of the outdoor steps. “I left that table with a lot more than I thought I would.”
I smiled, matching her slower pace. “You completely cleaned up in the last two rounds. Mrs. Donnelly was impressed by your tactical perseverance.”
She let out a small, genuine laugh. “It wasn’t even about winning the quarters. It felt good to talk to those older women. Jennifer told me about all the places she’s traveled and everything she’s built. I kept thinking . . . I want to go places, meet different people, learn something new.”
Her words settled heavily between us in the cool night air. That wasn’t easy for her to admit. We climbed the front stairs together, the rhythmic sound of our steps echoing in the quiet stairwell. I kept my hand at the small of her back, wanting her to feel me there by her side.
“I can go with you on that journey,” I said quietly. “If you want company while you figure out what comes next.”
She stopped inside the foyer and turned to look at me fully. The hallway light caught her eyes, leaving them clear and unguarded. “What about your family, Brady? What about the wedding?”
There was the ultimate question.
“I can still support them,” I answered, the truth of it locking into place.
“I can give my family information that might help. But I can’t solve a thirty-year-old mess for them, Elise, and I’m not even sure it would be right to try.
We can love our families and try to guide them, but nothing we do is going to change who they choose to be. ”
Saying it out loud to her made me realize how much I meant it. I had spent so much of my life believing if I showed up with the right energy, I could keep everyone from breaking. But maybe I was meant for more than that. Maybe that didn’t have to be my role.
Elise studied my face for a long moment. “I’m beginning to see what I completely misread before,” she murmured, voice soft. “What I thought was you floating through life . . . it’s really a conscious choice. The way you chose to survive the chaos.”
Most people only saw the easygoing guy. She saw the choice behind the smile. It was unsettling. I reached for her, sliding my hands to her waist and pulling her close. “Come here.”
She melted into me. Our mouths met, slow at first, then deeper, hungrier.
Her fingers curled into my shirt as I backed her gently toward the elevator.
We barely made it inside before I had her against the wall, kissing her like I’d been starving for her all day.
The doors closed. My hand slid under the hem of her shirt, palm warm against her skin.
She made a soft, needy sound that went straight through me.
By the time we reached her floor, we were breathless, laughing quietly as we stumbled down the hallway still tangled together. I kissed her neck, her jaw, the spot below her ear that always made her shiver. “I’ve been thinking about this all day,” I murmured against her skin.
She laughed, a little breathless. “Same.”
We paused mid-hallway. I pinned her gently against the wall, kissing her slow and deep, letting her feel exactly how much I wanted her tonight, how much I wanted us.
Then a shadow moved a short distance away. A man stood outside her apartment, arms crossed, jaw tight. “Elise,” he said, voice flat. “You can’t keep ignoring our messages.”
I tensed, stepping slightly in front of her on instinct. I didn’t know who this was, but the protectiveness in my chest flared hot.
Elise exhaled, her hand finding mine. “Keaton,” she said quietly. “This is Brady. Brady, my brother Keaton.”