Valerie wasn’t willing to put up with it any longer.
Her older brother had gone several days straight avoiding and ignoring her, and she’d had enough of the big baby’s temper tantrum. She’d hoped he would come around on his own, but he apparently was even more stubborn than she’d given him credit for. But enough was enough, and all of that was going to end today.
It was time for her to face off with her brother, once and for all. Whether Brett liked it or not. And knowing him, he probably wouldn’t like it one bit.
Oh well.
Valerie rapped on the door with her knuckles and waited, but the door didn’t open. So this time she banged on it harder with the palm of her hand. Still the door remained closed. “I know you’re home, Brett. You might as well open up. I’m not leaving until you do.”
Complete silence.
Valerie sighed and leaned against the wall, her hand landing on the black mailbox mounted near the door. She grinned. She’d forgotten all about the hidden key that Logan had used to let them in after picking her drunk ass up from Rusty’s Bucket. And she would bet it was still there even now.
She ran her hand beneath the mailbox, and her fingertips roamed over a small, flat metal object with ridges on one side. Bingo! The key had a small magnet glued to its head, which was what kept it on the mailbox.
Without hesitation, Valerie slid the key into the lock and quietly unlocked the door. She didn’t want to tip Brett off. The idiot was liable to hold the door closed or barricade it with something heavy to keep her out. But she couldn’t wait to see the reaction on his face when she went barging in. Teach him to mess with me.
She threw the door open and quickly stepped inside. “Ah-ha!” Her eyes immediately found her brother sitting on his couch…in his underwear…eating Cheetos.
Brett’s mouth fell open. “What the fuck, Val?” There was a flash of white as he went scrambling toward his bedroom as fast as he could.
Cringing, Valerie covered her eyes and turned away. “Oh God. I’m so sorry.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Brett’s hostile voice echoed down the hallway.
“I, um, wanted to talk to you.”
“Well, I don’t feel like talking. Go home.” Having slipped into a pair of cargo shorts, Brett came back into the living room.
“No. Not until we work this out.”
Brett plopped back down on the couch and tossed the open bag of Cheetos onto the coffee table but didn’t say anything.
She lifted a brow. “You eat Cheetos in your underwear often?”
“Well, yeah. When I’m wearing them.”
Ew. “I’m never eating anything at your house ever again.”
“Good. I didn’t plan on having you over here anymore anyway,” he said, obviously still angry. “You wouldn’t be here now if you hadn’t committed breaking and entering. In fact, I should probably call the cops on you and have you arrested.”
“Go ahead. I didn’t break in, dork.”
“Oh, really? Then how the hell did you get inside? I know damn well that door was locked.”
“I used the key under your mailbox.”
His eyes widened. “How did you even know about—never mind. I forgot you were sleeping with the enemy.”
She didn’t mean to get emotional, but tears sprang into her eyes. “Actually, I’m not. Logan broke up with me a couple of days ago.”
His hands clenched into fists. “Damn him. I knew he was going to end up hurting you. I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen.”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t like that, Brett. This was all my fault. I hurt Logan, not the other way around.”
“Is that what he told you? Man, now I’m going to have to kick that fucking prick’s ass all over again.”
Valerie rolled her eyes. “Um, I don’t think you can call it kicking someone’s ass when they refuse to fight back. That’s basically the equivalent of beating up a couch pillow.”
“Whatever. He’s still a dead man.”
“No. You have to stop this. I didn’t come here to cry on your shoulder so you’d go beat him up. He didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who lied to him so he has every right to be pissed at me.” She moved closer and sat on the edge of the wooden coffee table, facing her brother. “You, however, don’t.”
Heat flashed in his eyes. “How do you figure? You lied to me too.”
“My relationship with Logan wasn’t any of your business. I didn’t owe it to you to tell you anything until I was ready.”
“You’re my kid sister, Val. Everything you do is my business.”
She shook her head furiously. “That’s where you’re wrong, Brett. I know I should’ve put my foot down with you a long time ago, but I’m not going to tolerate your intrusion into my personal life any longer. I love you, but if you can’t respect me enough to let me make my own decisions, then you can just stay out of my life from this point forward.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then you’re going to lose your only sibling.”
“Damn it, Val. You don’t mean that.”
“The hell I don’t,” she snarled, getting angrier by the second. “I don’t know what your problem is, but I’ve had just about enough of you trying to dictate my life and always telling me what to do.”
Brett shot to his feet and crossed the room. “Do you think I wanted to be fucking responsible for you all these years? To watch over you? I’m only four years older than you. God, Valerie, I was just a kid myself.”
“Well, if you didn’t want to, then you shouldn’t have. I sure the hell didn’t ask you to.”
“Damn it, I promised Dad—” His voice cracked, and his head lowered.
Valerie cringed. She hadn’t meant to bring any of this up. She stood and walked over to him. “Brett?”
He broke down, sobbing, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand, and the anger and frustration she felt quickly dissipated. She reached for him, but he turned away from her.
“It’s okay,” she said, placing one hand on his shoulder.
“No, it’s not. It’s never been okay,” he said, shaking his head. He’d never been one to show much emotion, but when he turned back to face her, there were tears shining in his eyes. “Do you remember the last time we visited Dad at the hospital?”
“Y-yes. I was only eight, but I remember…all of it. It was the worst day of our lives.” Her own tears caught in her throat, and she swallowed hard. “His last stroke had been a bad one. Daddy was hooked up to all those machines and barely able to talk.”
Brett rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “You went with Mom down to the vending machine, and before y’all returned, Dad went into cardiac arrest.”
Visions of him lying in the hospital bed and then in a cherrywood casket ran through her head. Tears fell onto her cheeks, and she quickly dashed them away. “I…don’t want to talk about this. It hurts too much.”
“I know. But it’s important. I need you to know something.” He led her to the couch and motioned for her to sit. Then he pulled an ottoman up directly in front of her and sat facing his sister. “After you and Mom left the room, Dad called me over to him. He had a hard time talking, but he told me he wasn’t going to be around much longer and that I would need to be the man of the house. He asked me to take care of my little sister just like he…”
When he paused and closed his eyes, Valerie’s hand shot out to grab his. “You don’t have to tell me any more, Brett. I already know what happened that day.”
“No, I need to say it. I’ve been carrying it around inside for so long because I didn’t want you to know.” He shook his head. “Dad asked me to be there for you just like he would. He asked me if I would walk you down the aisle on your wedding day. Then he told me that he loved me, loved all of us, and how proud he was to call me his son.”
His hand trembled, and Valerie held it tighter. “He loved you, Brett. He loved all of us so much.”
“I know, but…then he just died. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head, and the machines went crazy. He just died on me…and I didn’t even get a chance to tell him that I loved him too.”
She gathered him in her arms and hugged him tightly. “Daddy knew. You didn’t have to say it out loud for him to know that.” She pulled back, and with one hand locked on his neck, she looked him square in the eyes. “He knew. He never had any doubt.”
He shook his head. “You don’t know that.”
“I do know it. I saw the tears shining in his eyes when he said good-bye to you.”
Brett’s head snapped up. “What are you talking about? You weren’t even there.”
Tears began free-falling from her eyes. “I was there the whole time. I didn’t want to go to the vending machine with Mom so she said I could stay with you and Dad in the room. So I came back. But when I walked in and heard what he was saying to you, I stood in the doorway and stayed quiet. I didn’t want y’all to know I was listening.”
“Y-you watched him die too?”
She nodded, her lips trembling.
“God, Valerie. Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t Mom?”
“I don’t think Mom even knew. When she heard them call a code, she rushed back down the hallway and found them working on Dad, trying to revive him. I was standing right there, and she screamed and ran past me, but I don’t think she even saw me. Then a nurse took me to the waiting room down the hall. They brought you down there a few minutes later. Mom was so distraught that I don’t think she realized either of us had been in the room with Dad at the time.”
“But you never told her?”
“No. I didn’t want to talk about watching my father die. Or how the last words he ever spoke were to make sure I was taken care of.” She wiped her fingers under her eyes and smiled at her brother. “Besides, that moment belonged to you and Dad. It wasn’t my story to tell.”
Brett rubbed a hand over his distraught face. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I know I didn’t do a great job at taking Dad’s place. I tried my hardest. I really did. But I just can’t do it, Val. I’m not him. I’ll never be him.”
“I don’t want you to be him. You were only twelve at the time, Brett. Although I know you meant well, I don’t think this is what Dad meant when he talked to you about stepping into a fatherly role for me. Besides, I want you to be my brother, not my father. But either way, you have to stop treating me like I’m something fragile that’s going to break. I’m not eight years old anymore. All I want is for you to try to give me some space. You did a great job in helping raise me. Now trust me to make the right decisions.”
“You’re right. I know that. And I’ll try my best to work on it. But it might take me some time to get used to just being your brother again. I’ll try my hardest though. I can’t lose you too, Val. You and Mom are all I have left.”
She squeezed his arm. “You’re not going to lose me. But from now on, I’m making all of my own decisions…and that includes who I want to be with.”
He squinted at her in confusion. “I thought you said Logan broke up with you?”
“He did. But I refuse to let the only man I’ve ever been in love with walk out of my life forever…whether you like it or not.”
Brett sighed heavily. “Does he love you back? I know he told me he does, but do you believe him?”
“Yes, I do. But he’s hurt that I lied to him about having a TABC certification when I didn’t. That stupid stunt voided out his liquor liability insurance so Logan had to put the bar up for sale.”
“Shit. That sucks. He loved that place.”
“I know…which is why I bought it from him.”
Brett’s eyes widened. “Logan sold you his bar?”
“Not exactly. He sold it to Max, who used my money to buy it. So technically he sold it to me. Just indirectly. And Logan doesn’t know that yet. But I had to do something. If he lost his mother’s house because of me, he would never forgive me. Hell, I would never forgive myself.”
“You knew Logan wouldn’t take your money.”
Well, yeah. But what was Logan going to do—be mad? He was already pissed at her as it was. None of this would change anything. “I’m guessing you probably don’t want to hear about Logan anymore…”
“I might be a little pissed at him for sneaking around with you behind my back, but he’s still my best friend.” Then Brett smirked. “But don’t think for one second that means I won’t kick his ass if he hurts you. Because I will. I’ll fuck him up so bad that he—”
“Brett.”
He paused. “Oh. Right. Sorry.”
Time. It was going to take some time. But at least it was a good start.
* * *
Logan let himself in through the front door. “Mom?”
A sweet, feminine voice drifted to his ears. “I’m here. In the kitchen, dear.”
He walked in that direction as the warm, familiar scent of freshly baked sugar cookies mingled with the smell of the vanilla potpourri his mother had kept hidden around the house in strategic places for years. Her house always smelled great.
She stood in front of the white Formica countertop, her brunette hair standing out in stark contrast, though lighter gray streaks had begun to show through. She had on her BEST MOM IN THE WORLD apron today, which meant she was in baking mode. And she usually only did that when she was stressed out. Like right now.
“Good morning, son,” she said as she transferred cookies onto a wire rack to cool.
“Hey, Mom,” Logan said, kissing her cheek as he snatched one of the warm cookies.
She swatted at him. “Not yet. They’re still too hot. I just pulled them out of the oven.”
He popped the whole thing into his mouth and grinned around it. “They’re perfect as usual.”
“Well, thank you. So what brings you by this morning?”
“I need to talk to you about something. Do you have a second to sit down at the table with me? It’s important.”
“Of course.” She sat down across from him at the small breakfast nook and folded her hands in her lap. “What do you want to talk about?”
“This.” Logan slid a document across the table in front of her.
She gazed at it warily at first, but then her eyes widened and a smile slid firmly onto her face. “You’re kidding? Is this what I think it is?”
“Yep. You’re out of the danger zone. Your home is officially off the foreclosure list, and your mortgage has been reinstated.”
“Oh my God,” his mother squealed. “You did it? You actually did it? I can’t believe this.” She stood and rounded the table, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving Logan a big hug. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Yes, I do,” he said, squeezing her back. “You love this old house.”
She pulled back. “But how did you—”
“Does it really matter?” he said with grin.
“Well, no. But I would like to know how my son came up with such a large chunk of money in such a short period of time.” Her suspicious eyes raked over him. “I hate to ask, but you aren’t hustling pool again, are you?”
“No. Of course not. I told you a long time ago that I wasn’t going to do that anymore. And I meant it. I’ve kept that promise, Mom. I swear.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. Especially since that was the exact way your father got his start into gambling. I don’t want you to turn out like him.”
A strangled sound left Logan’s throat. “I think it’s too late for that. I already am like him.”
Her eyes darkened, and she shook her head. “Son, you may look like your father, but you are nothing like that man.”
“Mom, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I think you’d be surprised to know how much like him I really am.”
She gazed at him curiously and then took her seat once more. “Okay, then tell me. In what way?”
“In every way apparently. I sold my bar for next to nothing to get the money to save your home. I’m a complete failure.”
Her eyes went wide. “Please tell me you didn’t really do that.”
“I can’t. It’s true. I did it.”
“Darn it, Logan.” That was her version of cussing him out when he made her angry. “I never wanted you to give up on your dreams just to save my home. This is exactly why I didn’t tell you about the foreclosure in the first place.”
“It’s fine, Mom. I can start over.”
She shook her head. “But you shouldn’t have to.”
“Well, neither should you. But Dad didn’t leave you with any other options.”
“Sure he did. Years ago, he gave me you. That was the best thing that man’s ever done. I couldn’t ask for a better son.”
Logan smiled. Moms had to say stuff like that about their kids…even their grown ones. “You’re only saying that because you’re stuck with me. I’m the only son you have, and you’ve got no choice but to make the best out of a bad situation.”
“Hush your mouth. I don’t want to hear you talk about yourself like that ever again. Even if I could’ve handpicked my one and only son, you would still be the one I chose.”
“That’s sweet, Mom, but you don’t have to say that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth. I admit that I worried about you when you were younger and always getting into some kind of trouble. But even back then, I was proud of you. And then you changed for the better. You went away and got yourself together, and I’m so proud of the man you’ve become.”
“Mom, are you even listening to me? I’m a failure. I couldn’t even keep my business running for a month before I had to sell out.”
“You only did that to save my house though. That doesn’t make you a failure. That makes you a hero, as well as the best son in the world. You sacrificed something you loved in order to help someone else. It was kind and thoughtful and selfless…three qualities that your father doesn’t know a thing about.”
“That man never deserved you.”
She nodded in agreement. “You’re right. But he never deserved you either. And you definitely didn’t deserve to have a father who cared more about his craps game than his own family. Seems like we both deserved better.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Now if I can just convince you to find a nice young woman to settle down with, I could get some grandchildren out of the two of you,” she taunted him with a smile.
“Actually, I was dating someone, but we just broke up a few days ago.”
Her eyes brightened. “From here? I hadn’t heard a thing about it. Who is this mystery woman?”
“Valerie Carmichael.”
His mom grinned wide. With Brett as his best friend growing up, his little sister had never been far behind them, and Logan’s mom knew her well. “I always wondered if the two of you would find your way to each other. Valerie is a very sweet young lady. If you don’t mind me asking, why did the two of you break up?”
He didn’t really want to throw Valerie under a bus, but since his father was such a liar, Logan always made it a point to tell his mom the truth no matter what. That’s how she knew about all the trouble he’d gotten himself into in the past. “Valerie lied to me about something. It wasn’t a huge lie or anything, but it had a domino effect and caused a lot of damage.”
“Ah, I see. Yes, lies have a way of doing that. I should know. Your father never told the truth about anything. So I take it that you broke up with her then?”
“Yeah.”
“Was she against it?”
“I think so, but it wasn’t like I gave her much of a choice in the matter.”
His mother paused. “Well, is there any hope that the two of you will get back together?” Her mouth held an optimistic smile. Apparently, she hoped so.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Besides the lie, there are some other issues. Like how Brett’s no longer speaking to me since he found out that Val and I were involved with each other.”
His mother grimaced. “I was wondering how well that went over. Brett has always been a bit of a loose cannon when it came to his little sister. I guess I can’t really blame him. She’s a pretty girl. When you kids were younger, I saw how you looked at her. I worried about whether your friendship with Brett would withstand the rift that a relationship with Valerie might cause.”
Logan grinned. “Well, I can tell you now that it didn’t. He says we’re not friends anymore.”
Sadness filled his mother’s eyes. “That’s too bad. I’ve always liked Brett a lot. I do, however, think you and Valerie would be perfect for one another. Maybe it’s not too late to salvage your relationship. And then maybe her brother would come around after some time passed.”
He shook his head. “She deserves someone better than me. Someone who can give her what she needs.”
“And you can’t do that?”
“No.”
His mother squinted at him. “Son, what is it that you think she needs?”
“I…I guess I don’t really know. I just know that I can’t give it to her.”
“Why not? You spent the last eight years keeping yourself out of trouble and on the right path. You grew up and matured into a fine, responsible young man. You’re good looking, honest, and caring. Any girl would be lucky to have you.”
Logan sighed. “I didn’t grow into a responsible person. It was my fear of becoming like my father that kept me on the right path. I was trying my hardest not to be like him.”
“Who cares what put you there? The only thing that matters is that you found your way. You made it. And I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“But that doesn’t mean I’m good enough for someone like Valerie, Mom.”
His mother smirked. “Well, from what you’re telling me, it seems that Valerie disagrees with that statement.”
“Doesn’t matter. After the way I spoke to her, I doubt she’ll ever want to see me again anyway. Even though she apologized for the little white lie she told, I was angry and said some pretty unforgivable things.”
“Like what?”
“I basically told her that I thought she was selfish and how it was all her fault that I lost my best friend, my business, and your house. At least that’s what I thought at the time.” Then Logan cringed. “And I, um, may have accused her of being like Dad.”
His mother gasped. “Well, that was a rotten thing to do.”
“I know.”
Her lips pursed in annoyance, and then she sighed. “So what did Valerie do after that?”
“She told me I wasn’t being fair and called me a jerk.”
A smile flitted on his mother’s lips. “Good for her.”
“Hey, whose side are you on here?”
“I’m always on your side, son, you know that. But I didn’t raise you to talk to women like that. Brett has lorded over Valerie for years, always trying to control her. She has put up with a lot out of him, but she’s always treated him with nothing but love and respect. So if she had the mind to call you a jerk, then I have no doubt that you deserved it.”
Logan grinned. “Yeah, I deserved it,” he admitted, leaning back in his chair. Then he realized something and cringed. “Honestly, I probably deserve much more than that. I hate to say it, but I haven’t treated her much differently than Brett has. I’ve been just as controlling and almost as overbearing. I’m not even sure why Valerie put up with me as long as she did.”
His mother shook her head in disapproval. “Logan…”
“You don’t have to say it. I know. I’ve been acting like an idiot.”
She gave him a knowing smile. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Have you tried to talk to her since you split up?”
“No.”
The anger seemed to come out of nowhere. His mom stood up and fisted her hands on her hips. “Logan Mathis, I didn’t raise a dumbass for a son, nor did I raise a coward. If you’re not going to fight for that girl, then you know what? You’re absolutely right. You don’t deserve her.”
Logan blinked in shock as his mother spun away from him and stalked across the room and back to her cookies. He couldn’t remember a time that his mother had ever cursed at him. At least until now. But that just showed how serious she was.
But God, she was right.
He’d stupidly screwed up the one good thing he had in his life—his relationship with Valerie. He knew he’d overreacted the day he broke up with her. The anger he’d unleashed on her that day had stemmed from his unresolved issues with his lying-ass dad, a man who never took responsibility for his actions. But Valerie wasn’t like that. She’d never been like that. Yet he’d treated her as if it had been his father standing in front of him.
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t a perfect guy. He made mistakes. He screwed up. He was only human. But he could be enough for Valerie, couldn’t he? Hell, he’d be willing to be anything she wanted if he could just have her back in his life. He needed her. Felt empty without her. And he wanted to try to be the kind of man that she needed too.
But would she be willing to take him back after he’d hurt her? That was the question. One he should figure out the answer to. “Um, I should probably get going.”
His mother cleared her throat but said nothing.
He was pretty sure she was still irritated with him, but he thought he might test the waters. “You think I can have a few cookies for the road?” God, he sounded like a four-year-old.
Her gaze landed on him, and her brow arched. “Depends. Are you going to talk to Valerie?”
“Yes. I’m going to apologize to her and see if she’ll give me another chance. And this time, I’ll show her the love and respect she deserves.”
She smiled. “Then I guess you can take as many as you want.”
He strolled over to his mother, grabbed a handful of sugar cookies, and then kissed her temple. “Love you, Mom. I’ll let you know how it goes with Val. Wish me luck.”
“I love you too, son. And I do wish you lots of luck. Now go be the man I know you are and win back your woman.”
He grinned. His mom would always be his biggest supporter. “You got it.”