Chapter 28
AUTUMN
Two weeks later . . .
On my knees in front of him, I try again. “I need a better angle.”
Running his hands through my hair, Brandon says, “Just do the best you can.”
I hop off the bed and get to my feet. Tightening his tie, I pat his chest. “There. You’re good to go.” I take a step back to appreciate how straight the tie is, but I admire him more. “I’m proud of you.”
Stretching across the divide, he pulls me to him by the waist. “All in a day’s work.”
“Let’s not make it a habit. I love you too much to lose you. Before though, man, I hated you—”
His eyebrows hit the ceiling. “You hated me?”
“Fine,” I waffle. “Hate is a strong word. Strongly disliked fits better.”
He turns toward the full-length mirror hanging on the open door of the closet and fusses with his tie again.
I eye the top of the dresser covered with my stuff that has slowly migrated to his place.
He’s never said a thing and carries on like it’s supposed to be there.
Little does he know I’m taking over two drawers in the closet this weekend.
He did tell me to make myself at home. So I am, but the best part is that I really love this home.
“Carrying all those big feelings for so long must have been quite the burden.”
“Not really.” I shrug. “It just meant giving you a wide berth at parties, and waiting for you to finish chatting with friends and leave so I could join in. Swearing under my breath if you talked to another girl, and—oh wow. Yeah, you’re right.
It was a burden, but lucky for me, it’s one I don’t carry anymore. ”
Tapping my nose once, he says, “Luck had nothing to do with it. Fate definitely played her part when it came to us. You said it yourself. You strongly disliked me. But here we are, beating the odds and changing the script.” Disappearing into the closet, he says, “I have something for you.”
“More gifts?” I fluff my hair, wiggling my hips.
I don’t need gifts to be happy with him, but I won’t deny that I do love how thoughtful he is.
I sit on the edge of the bed covered in white sheets and a down comforter that he changed from brown, just for me.
I’m slowly working on him to paint the walls in here, but baby steps.
Brandon’s been a bachelor for a long time.
He has welcomed me in and made space without even asking, but that doesn’t mean I want to flip his world upside down.
I want to fit into it instead, and one day have our home feel like us.
“And here I thought that third orgasm last night was all the gift I needed.”
His chuckle echoes from the other room just before he returns with a bag in his hand. “I ordered this for you.” He comes closer, letting the bag hang from his fingers in front of me.
There are no distinguishing markings on the outside to identify what’s inside, so I take it and yank out the tissue in excitement. “What is it?” My smile falls too fast to catch it. I cover my mouth when it drops open, and tears fill my eyes as I stare inside.
Brandon kneels before me this time, rubbing my legs to comfort me. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He moves next to me, wrapping his arm around me to pull me into his side. “I saw that your perfume bottle was empty and thought it would make you happy to get a new one.”
“This is—” A sob grabs hold of my heart as I release years of pain over the most thoughtful gift anyone’s ever given me.
I throw my arms around his neck and cry on his shoulder.
In the comfort of his care, I can finally breathe again.
Taking the Jo Malone bottle from the gift bag, I pluck the cap and hold it to my nose just to smell it again.
“English Pear & Freesia. That’s the right perfume?”
“You got it right.” I lift to give him a quick peck before closing my eyes as the scent takes me back to when she was alive.
The morning sun shone through the sheers, bathing her in light as she sat by the window.
Her fair hair, freshly brushed, reflected the light.
“My mom would spritz her neck each morning. Her room smelled like a field of wildflowers and a fruit orchard. I loved it. I’d run to hug her, just so I could smell like her all day.
” Wiping the tears away, I look at this gentle giant of a man sitting by my side with only kindness in his eyes.
His heart is so big, and he wanted so badly to share it with someone that he built a house for a family.
I will never take it for granted that I’m that lucky someone. “She gave me the best hugs.”
“She loved you so much, Autumn. I just know it. And you carry her with you in everything you do and in how you care for others.”
I pull the bluebird token from my pocket, holding it in the palm of my hand. Feeling the gravity of that night all over again, I ask, “Do you think they died because I—”
“No.” He’s so confident that it’s hard not to believe him.
I witness that confidence set in the contentment of his eyes, and then look at the coin in my hand again.
He takes my chin between his fingertips and lifts until my eyes connect with his again.
“You aren’t responsible for the accident.
Only the rain and bad roads are. If she had had that charm, the outcome would have been the same.
So, just like with me, you need to let those old feelings go. They’re only holding you back in life.”
He’s right. I’ve carried the guilt of their death for so long that I had ingrained it into my belief system.
That wasn’t fair for me to bear the burden.
Just as with other pains, it’s time to release this one and appreciate the gift she gave me.
And Brandon, because I have no doubt that my parents sent him to heal me, as I did him.
Standing up, I walk toward the windows, letting the sunlight cover me, and spray the perfume on my neck like she used to do.
Brandon comes to me once more and kisses just below my earlobe. “You smell so pretty.”
“I think I’m going to make this my signature scent just like my mom.”
“I didn’t know people had signature scents, but you picked a good one. It reminds me of what we love about Mountain Laurel Cove.”
The ocean breeze, the green grass, the kind hearts, the honeybees, the helpful nature of our neighbors and this, us.
“I agree. It’s all the best this town has to offer.
” I toss the coin in my hand, then set it on the dresser.
“I think it’s okay if I don’t carry it all the time anymore.
It’s given what she always wanted for me—what I need when I needed it most.” I turn to him and embrace him with my entire being, so grateful to have found him again.
“What’s that?”
“You.”
Seeing Brandon standing on that stage with not only a medal around his neck and a key in his hand, but also a new promotion to captain, has me beaming with pride for him. But when the spaniel he saved comes barreling across the stage and jumps into his arms, the tears start flowing.
Dolly hands me a tissue. “That’s what love does to ya.
” Needless to say, I didn’t have to say a word about my relationship for all of my family to already know.
Winter made sure everyone was all caught up.
I’m not even mad about it. It saved me from having a multitude of conversations.
I’ve just gotten to reap the rewards and hold his hand in public now.
I laugh as I dab the inside corners of my eyes. “Makes you cry?”
Leaning closer, she whispers, “Makes your heart feel too big for your body to hold in any longer.”
She’s not wrong. My love for Brandon has far outpaced the days we’ve been together and outgrown the space I have in my chest. Our love is too big to contain.
And to see everyone we care about, from my grandmother to my sisters, Daniel, and my nephew Roman, sitting together with his mom and brother on this special occasion, only one word comes to mind.
Family. That’s what we were long before Brandon got injured and I came to my senses.
I think back on that photo of the two of us sitting on the stairs after my parents’ funeral.
He was there for me even then. When he could have been playing with others in the yard, or eating his way through the tremendous amount of food everyone brought over, he wasn’t.
He was with me, giving me comfort that I didn’t know I needed until he sat down on the stairs.
Just like then and now, it’s always been him.
After the ceremony, I hold back to give his firefighting buddies their time to celebrate the promotion with him, the family he helped save the chance to thank him—which they do with tears and hugs—and his mom space to dote on her son while sharing how proud she is of him.
Our eyes find each other in the group each time we think there’s going to be a break in the line of people wanting to shake his hand.
He smiles at me, and we silently exchange how we’ll be celebrating later with a few waggles of our eyebrows.
I might have teased that I’m not wearing anything underneath this dress just in case he wants to ravage me before we make it home.
Home.
Wherever he is, I’ll be, because it’s not the place. It’s him for me.
I finally see an opportunity to sneak in but stop when Ludlow confronts him. Ludlow looks over at me, then repositions so his back is toward me. Such an asshole.
Brandon crosses his arms over his chest and listens, but he doesn’t appear entertained. He glances at me before he levels a glare at Ludlow and says something through tense lips. It’s probably not good if they keep talking.
I move through the lingering crowd, making my way around the mayor toward the stage. I hear it before I see it—the sound of a punch landing on its target. I run up the side steps, watching the doctor stumble backward into plastic folding chairs and land on his ass.
“Brandon?” I call, dashing in front of him. “No. Don’t.”
“Too late.” His eyes are focused, the prey so close to be taken down again if he’s stupid enough to open his mouth.
“You’re done, son.” Ludlow jabs a finger in the air as he pushes up again like he is a big boss when we know he’s scum. And has Ludlow not seen the size of his opponent’s muscles? I could write books about them and their gloriousness.
So stupid . . .
I slam my hands against Brandon’s chest to keep him from finishing this guy off. “He doesn’t matter. Let’s just go.”
Tucker jumps onto the stage and is dragging Ludlow off the back of it when Brandon looks at me and grins. Holding up the key and the medal, he asks, “What do I get for being a hero, Nurse?”
I catch the crew of firefighters clearing the nuisance from the area. They stick together, all right, and will handle it. As for this guy, I wrap my arms around his neck and lift on my toes to get closer to those incredible lips. “What do you want, Captain?”
“I’d rather show you.”