20. Brooke #2
“Thanks, Prez.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He nodded toward Anslee and me. “They’ll get the final say.”
“You’re right.” Brayden smiled. “They will.”
An hour later, after an unbelievably good cheeseburger, two helpings of potato salad, and the best banana pudding I’d ever had, we climbed into my SUV and started across town.
We’d barely made it through the front gate when Anslee dozed off.
She looked so innocent and sweet with her little head tucked against the side of her car seat.
I loved her so much, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her.
It was a thought that had me turning to Brayden and asking, “Have you ever thought about reaching out to your folks?”
He turned to me with a surprised look and asked, “Where the hell did that come from?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I’ve just been thinking… I look at Anslee, and I can’t imagine how I’d survive it if something happened to her.”
“It would be rough. I don’t know if I’d have it in me.”
“Exactly. That’s what I’m saying.” I lowered my voice and hoped he understood when I said, “Your parents had to do it twice.”
“But they didn’t.” Brayden’s brows furrowed. “I’m still here.”
“Yes, but you’re not in their life anymore.”
“They gave me no reason to be,” he snapped.
“I know… They should’ve seen that Aiden’s death affected you just as much as it did them.
” I could tell he was getting frustrated and wondered if I’d made a mistake bringing it up.
“I wonder if they couldn’t get past their own pain to see what you were going through and how they treated you made you hurt even more.
Whatever it might’ve been, it cost them a second son. ”
“It was both.” Brayden didn’t try to hide the anguish in his voice as he said, “After Aiden died, it was like we were all living in a house full of ghosts. Every room had reminders of him… Hell, they looked at me and saw everything they’d lost instead of the son they still had.”
“I know that had to be hard.”
“It was impossible… I tried, Brooke. I really did, but nothing I did was enough. If I laughed, they acted like I’d forgotten him…
I hadn’t.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he added, “He was there with every damn breath I took, and it damn near killed me. But no one noticed my pain. They were too busy drowning in their own to even notice.”
I reached over and placed my hand on his thigh. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t have left. You did what you had to do.”
“So, why bring all this up?”
“Because you aren’t the same boy who left all those years ago.” Silence settled between us for a long moment, and then I added, “People change… Time gives them a way of seeing things in a way that they didn’t before, and sometimes the pain gets a little easier to bear.”
“Or sometimes the pain just grows.”
“Maybe.” I glanced back at our daughter as I said, “But if Anslee disappeared from my life because I’d failed her… I would pray every day for a chance to make it right.”
“You think they deserve that chance?”
“That’s not up to me. But maybe it’s something you should think about.”
“The social worker in you has got some wishful thinking going on.”
“No, the woman who loves you most has some wishful thinking.” I gave his thigh a gentle squeeze. “I don’t want there to come a day when you wonder what if.”
Before he could respond, we turned into a long driveway, and my breath caught when I saw a beautiful home sitting beneath a canopy of old oak trees.
It had a wrap-around front porch with a swing and tall windows.
And even though it was dark, I could still see that it had a beautiful view of the lake.
“This is it?”
“Yeah. It’s something, ain’t it.”
“Brayden, it’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, but let’s not get our hopes up… He hasn’t lived here in years, and no one’s really been here since Drifter. And he was only here for a couple of months before he moved in with Raelyn and her boys.”
“Okay, but if the inside is anything like the outside…”
He parked, and with a big smile, he turned and said, “Well, let’s go see what we’re dealing with.”
“I’m excited.”
I hopped out, and being careful not to wake her, I eased Anslee out of her car seat. I nestled her against my chest and followed him up to the front door. He quickly unlocked it and held it open as I stepped inside. It was mostly empty, which made it feel even larger than it already was.
He turned on the lights, revealing beautiful wide plank floors and freshly painted walls. Original brick lined one wall of the living room, and thick wooden beams stretched across the ceiling overhead.
Everything about it felt warm and inviting.
Brayden smiled as he watched me take it all in. “Goose told me that Prez and the guys rebuilt most of it themselves.”
“You can tell.” I ran my fingers lightly across the exposed brick. “It has so much character.”
It wasn’t perfect. No house was, but all the little imperfections only seemed to add to its splendor.
It made it feel lived in and loved. Anslee woke up and immediately demanded to be put down.
In a grumpy stew, she toddled through the kitchen, and it wasn’t long before Brayden started after her and she erupted into giggles.
And just like that, I could picture toys scattered across the living room floor, Christmas wreaths lit up on the front door, and a swing set out back. It felt right. It felt like home.
Brayden came to stand beside me and crossed his arms. “So… what do you think?”
“I think…” A smile slipped across my face. “I think this is it… This is where we’re supposed to be.”
“I think so, too.”
Brayden reached over and took my hand, letting out a long breath. There was no grand speech. No list of promises of what was to come. It was just his fingers lacing through mine, and Anslee’s footsteps filling the house that didn’t seem so empty anymore.
As much as I didn’t want to leave, it was late, and we both had an early morning coming our way.
So, we gathered up Anslee and headed home.
I gave her a quick bath, and Brayden got her things ready for the morning while I put her to bed.
The house was covered in boxes, but we paid them no mind and made our way to the bedroom.
As I started to change into my pajamas, I looked over to him and asked, “When do you think we’ll be able to move in?”
“So, you really like it?”
“I loved it.”
“That’s good.” He stepped over to me and slipped his arm around my waist. “Cause I already sent Prez a message, and I’m meeting with him first thing in the morning.”
“Really?”
“Um-hmm.”
He leaned down and lifted me into his arms, carrying me over to the bed. “And what do you think you’re doing?”
“I think you know exactly what I’m doing.”
“You aren’t too tired?”
“Are you?”
“Never.”
“That’s my girl.”
As soon as my feet touched the floor, he reached for the hem of his t-shirt.
With a teasing look gleaming in his eyes, he slowly and painstakingly pulled it over his head, revealing his chiseled abs.
He grinned mischievously as he watched my eyes wander to the perfect V peeking out from the waistband of his jeans.
He tossed his shirt to the floor, the smirk never leaving his lips as he lowered his hands to the button of his jeans. His eyes darkened with need as he watched my reactions. The heat and desire building within me were obvious, and he reveled in it.
And I was his. I always had been.
And he was mine, every beautiful inch of him.
Unable to wait a moment longer, I quickly removed my pajama top, throwing it aimlessly to the side. As I looked at him standing there watching me, I couldn’t imagine loving him more, but with every moment that passed, with every second, my love for him continued to grow.
There was no doubt in my mind.
I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.
His eyes zeroed in on my hands as he lowered my panties down my legs, leaving me standing before him with nothing on but a smile. I stepped towards him, pressing my mouth against his. His lips were so soft, so warm, and as his tongue brushed against mine, a deep moan vibrated through his chest.
There was no better feeling than having Brayden’s hands on me, roaming, squeezing, and pulling me tightly against his muscular frame. His kiss quickly became hungry and demanding, and I felt myself being led backward. His strong hands slid up my back as he lowered me onto the mattress.
My breath became ragged as my body begged impatiently for his next touch. Brayden looked down at me, smiling appraisingly as he took me in. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
I gasped as he gripped my thighs and parted my legs. I could hear my whimpers echoing through the room as his hand cupped my breast. He lowered his mouth to my breast, swirling my nipple with his tongue before taking it in his mouth. He alternated between them, repeating this pattern over and over.
A storm of delicious sensations flooded through me.
It was almost too much. Almost.
I was becoming lost in his touch when I felt my lace slipping down my skin as my panties finally reached my ankles. His warm breath caressed my skin as he began to shower my abdomen and thighs with tantalizing kisses. I closed my eyes and let the warmth of his touch wash over me.
I watched eagerly as he freed himself from his jeans and boxers, letting them fall to his ankles before kicking them to the side.
He eased down on top of me, and I smiled with satisfaction when he finally centered himself between my legs.
The tip of his cock brushed against me, sending lust-filled chills down my spine.
I opened my legs wider, and he slowly slid inside me, filling me completely.
My breath caught in my throat as he pulled back and entered me again, hard and steady. Instinctively, I arched into him, clawing into his back as he drove deeper. His mouth found mine as he thrust forward over and over, claiming what was his.