Chapter Thirty-Eight
Brew
T he night was an overwhelming success. Garrett left the stage at midnight, but returned to spend an hour and a half taking selfies and signing autographs.
While Bruce and his team managed this, everyone else helped with the closing duties, including our friends.
By the time two a.m. rolled around, the entire staff was exhausted.
However, they had a little pep in their step after Audrey distributed the tips from the night.
I did exactly what I’d said I would do. I corralled the girls into my G-Wagon, and Graham loaded the boys and Garrett’s equipment into his truck.
Then I led them to my house. While everyone headed for showers and bed, the boys raided the kitchen.
Once they were settled, I told Graham that I was leaving for Ida Mae’s house and that I would be back in the morning.
This way, he, Garrett, the boys, and I could meet Sebastian, Parker, and Anson at the wharf.
We’re going to borrow one of Sebby’s charter boats so we can take Tucker and Caleb on their first-ever deep-sea fishing adventure while the girls enjoy a day at my house, taking advantage of the heated infinity pool.
When I arrive at Ida Mae’s, I find the door unlocked, so I let myself in. The blaring sound of the television greets me, and I chuckle as I head toward the bedroom. There, I discover Brandee curled up on the bed, fast asleep in one of my shirts.
I slip off my shoes and strip down to my underwear, then slide in beside her, pulling her into my chest while being careful not to wake her. I just want to hold her close.
Christmas is around the corner, and our time together is becoming short.
Soon, she’ll be heading back to Balsam Ridge while I’ll be going to my condo in Charlotte to prepare for the new race season.
Grandfather wants me at our headquarters a couple of weeks early this year to discuss the Whiskey Joe’s deal and help oversee a showcase for some new products that Carolina Automotive is launching for the upcoming season.
This means I’ll head back to settle in just after the New Year.
Brandee and I have not discussed what comes next. It’s the elephant in the room that we are both choosing to ignore at the moment. But we won’t be able to do that for much longer. I’ve never wanted a break to last longer more than I do now. The time flew by.
She turns in my arms and rolls into my chest. As the moonlight illuminates her beautiful, sleeping face, it hits me like a ton of bricks.
I love her .
I don’t know how or when it happened, but it did. I don’t care if it feels too soon. I don’t care what my parents or my grandfather will think.
“Brandee,” I whisper in her ear.
“Hmm,” she hums in response.
“I love you.”
She snuggles closer to me without opening her eyes and whispers back, “I love you.”
“You did what?” Sebastian asks, clearly surprised.
“Last night, I told Brandee that I love her,” I reply as I carry the cooler onto the boat.
“Like, in the throes of passion?” Anson asks.
“No, we were just cuddling. The moment felt right,” I respond.
“Cuddling?” Anson gasps.
Parker steps in from behind him and elbows Anson in the ribs. “Don’t act like you and Tabby don’t cuddle.”
“Tabby and I have been together for a while. We’re well past the initial phase of our relationship and definitely into the cuddling stage. Brew and Brandee should still be in the can’t keep our hands off each other phase.”
“Whatever. It was a long night, and we were exhausted. She was asleep when I got there, and even though she whispered it back, I’m not entirely sure she heard me,” I say.
“I bet she would have heard you clearly if you had been ravaging her when you said it,” Anson says just as Graham and Garrett board the boat behind him, followed by Tucker and Caleb.
“That’s enough, Anson,” Sebastian hisses under his breath.
“What? You know I’m right. If she’d been riding out a mind-blowing orgasm when he said he loved her, he wouldn’t be standing here, wondering if she heard him,” Anson continues.
I clear my throat loudly just as Tucker steps past him.
“Trust me, girls hear everything. Even if they’re half asleep,” Tucker says, and Anson’s eyes go wide.
“Yeah, especially Erin and Jena. So, if Brandee didn’t hear you, I bet one of them did, even if you weren’t ravaging her when you said it,” Caleb adds.
Graham gives him a light smack on the back of the head.
“Mind your business, kid,” he says as he leads him toward the back of the boat.
Garrett follows, but as he passes me, he says, “The kid’s right. Those women hear everything.”
I scrub my hands down my face in frustration.
Sebastian chuckles. “How did she act this morning?”
“She was still asleep when I left.”
“Really asleep or just pretending to be asleep so she didn’t have to face you?” Anson asks.
“ Asleep , asleep,” I confirm.
“Are you sure you know the difference?”
“Geezus, Anson,” Parker mumbles.
“I’m just giving him shit. It’s the first time I’m in a stable relationship and able to give advice. It’s fun, being on this side of the coin.”
“You’re supposed to give helpful advice, you know,” Parker quips.
“I’ve got some advice,” Graham chimes in, prompting everyone to turn their attention to him. “Brandee’s a grown woman. She knows her own mind, and she appreciates it when you shoot straight with her.”
“You don’t think it’s too fast?” I ask. “We’ve only known each other for a little over six weeks.”
“All I know is, she’s been part of a supportive yet conniving sisterhood where the women have pushed each other to step outside of their comfort zones for years. Trust me, six weeks is long enough for her to know how she feels. If she said it, believe it.”
“I agree,” Garrett bellows.
“Great! Now that we’ve sorted out your love life, can we get on the water? We’re burning daylight here,” Tucker yells, earning himself a playful swat to the back of the head.
“I can’t wait for you two knuckleheads to fall in love so we can give you all the helpful advice you need,” Garrett says.
“We’re screwed now that Uncle Morris is getting hitched,” Tucker says to Caleb. “All our aunts are gonna be in our business, and all our uncles are gonna give us shit.”
“We have Uncle Weston. We can count on him. He’ll always have our backs even though he married Anna,” Caleb says, and Graham and Garrett burst into laughter.