Chapter Fourteen
SOPHIE AWOKE TO the sound of voices outside her bedroom door. Brett’s arm was wrapped tightly around her as he slept. She wondered if he was having a bad dream or was afraid she might run away. The thought made her smile. Like she’d ever run away from him? When they’d come to bed last night they’d made slow, sweet love, and then they’d made wild, frenzied love, and she knew they’d crossed another bridge and taken their relationship to another level.
Her bedroom door flew open, and Brett bolted upright, putting his arm out in front of her like a barricade.
“Rise and shine!” Nana said as she burst into the room and threw the curtains open.
Brett turned his face away from the bright light.
Sophie’s mother was on Nana’s heels. She closed the curtains and said, “Sorry, baby girl! Nana! We talked about this!”
Brett’s arm dropped, and he flopped onto his back with a groan, pulling Sophie against him, and whispered, “Thank you for making me sleep in my underwear.”
“I told you. Personal space does not exist in this house.” Nana and Poppi lived only down the road, but she wondered how long they’d been waiting for them to wake up.
Nana opened the curtains again. “Wake up now, kids. The day is waiting.”
Lindsay leaned against the doorframe in her pajamas, her blond hair a tangled mess. She didn’t live far from their parents, but when Sophie was in town, she always stayed over. She covered a yawn and said, “Welcome home, sis.”
“Nana, we’re tired. We got in late last night,” Sophie pleaded as she glanced at the clock. Holy cow, it was already nine? Brett usually woke up at the crack of dawn. Had their talk helped ease his conscience so he slept better? Or had they simply worn each other out?
Nana set her hand on her hip with an amused expression. “My sources tell me that you two lovebirds were up all night. These walls aren’t soundproof, you know.”
Brett’s eyes widened. Sophie wanted to disappear.
“My apologies,” Brett said as he tightened his grip on Sophie and sat up, bringing her with him.
Could this get any more embarrassing?
Nana waved a hand. “No apologies necessary, but now it’s time to greet the day.”
Poppi appeared in the doorway and put an arm around Lindsay. He kissed the top of her head. His dark eyebrows and white hair made his blue eyes look as if they were painted on, and his easy smile warmed Sophie’s heart despite the craziness of the last few minutes.
“Nana, how about you leave these kids alone? Who’s ready to help make brunch?” her grandfather asked.
“Come on, Mom,” Sophie’s mother said as she dragged Nana toward the door. “How about we make sausage and eggs?” She looked over her shoulder and whispered, “Sorry. You two rest.”
Brett laughed. “We’re up for the day. Don’t worry.”
Lindsay sauntered closer to the bed and said, “I think you should skip your morning sausagefest and come down for breakfast with real sausage.” She hurried toward the door, giggling.
Sophie threw her pillow at Lindsay.
Brett tackled Sophie to the mattress, grinning like a fool while she tried to recover from her embarrassment.
“I love your family,” he said, and her heart soared.
“They’re freaks.” Embarrassed, she couldn’t believe he said he loved them.
“They’re real, baby. Like you.” His eyes were warm and loving, making his words even more meaningful. “I don’t want to leave today. Let’s stay for a few more days.”
“You want more time here?”
“Yes, more time with you, around your family, in your world. I want to see where you went to school, the field where you kissed and curtsied. I want to see your grandfather’s horses and that hayloft Lindsay told me about.”
“She told you?” I’m going to kill her!
“She did, and I want to replace that flashlight in the dark with a memory of us.” His gaze turned serious, and he said, “Tomorrow is Lorelei’s birthday, and usually the days around it are horrible for me. It was one of the reasons I was hesitant about coming here. But being here has made it easier, and our talk last night really helped me get out from under some of the guilt I’ve been carrying around. Being here with you makes me happy, Sophie. It reminds me of what a family should be like, and I want to experience more of it.”
She felt like her heart might explode. “I want to, but I have to work.”
“I’ll call Mick. He’ll understand. I’m sure Carson has told everyone about us by now. I won’t jeopardize your job. If he needs you back, that’s cool, or if you’d rather not stay, that’s okay, too. I just…” He pressed his lips to hers. “I want more with you, Sophie.”
“More time?” she asked softly.
“More everything.”
SOPHIE SPENT THE morning on cloud eleven, because when she got to cloud nine, she kept on soaring. She was filled with nervous energy, good energy, the type she hadn’t ever felt before. After helping her family cook, she and Brett skipped breakfast and went for a run, jogging into town. She showed him her elementary school, the café where she used to ride her bike to meet her friends when she was in middle school, and the eclectic clothing shop Grace’s sister Morgyn owned. They jogged by the library and kissed on the stone steps. Brett wanted to hear stories and memories about each place, and she loved how intently he listened to each and every one.
When they reached the high school, he took her hand and led her out to the middle of the field. It was a brisk morning, and his hand was cool to the touch, despite the sweat on his brow from their run. He tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and lifted her hand to his lips, placing a kiss on her knuckles. “I keep asking myself, if we had met when we were younger, would we have been this connected? Would you have been able to slow me down, to make me think and feel, the way you do now? Or did I need to go through all that I have for us to find each other?”
“You were such a bad boy, I might have been intimidated by you,” she answered honestly.
“Which would have made me that much more drawn to you,” he said with heat in his eyes. He hauled her against him, a sinful smile curving his lips as he dipped his head and nipped at her neck. “Do I intimidate you now?”
She tilted her head to the side, allowing him better access for the kisses he was lavishing on her. “No. You thrill me.”
He cradled her ass in his hands, holding her against him. “Do you worry I’m not all in?”
“Not anymore.”
“Are you still all in, Sophie? Even knowing about my past? My fuck-ups? Because I’m falling hard and fast for you, and I don’t want to stop.”
She felt her eyes widen, her pulse quicken, and managed, “Yes, I’m all i—”
Her words were smothered by the hungry press of his lips. His strong hands moved over her back and into her hair, angling her mouth so he could take the kiss deeper. She went up on her toes, and he lifted her into his arms. Electricity radiated from his body, arcing through her as he showered her with kisses—her cheeks, her chin, the tip of her nose, and finally, her mouth, flooding her with uncontrollable passion. She held his face, not wanting him to end their kisses, but he seemed in no hurry to do so. One hand slid beneath her bottom, cupping it. His touch sent bursts of passion pulsing through her.
“Think anyone would mind if I took you right here?” he asked between kisses.
She got excited at the mere thought of it. “Well, you know Nana wouldn’t mind!”
His mouth swooped down, capturing hers, muffling their laughter until it turned to greedy noises, and he kissed her breathless. By the time her toes touched the ground, her body vibrated with liquid fire, her legs were weak, and her heart was racing.
She clung to him. “I’m not sure I can walk.”
“Then I didn’t kiss you thoroughly enough. Let’s make sure you can’t walk.” He pressed his lips to hers again, kissing her beyond the point of return.
His eyes gleamed with desire. “Better?”
“Uh-huh” was all she could manage.
He turned around and crouched in front of her. “Climb on my back, sweet Sophie. I’ll be your chariot.”
He glanced over his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and she leaned forward and kissed his lips.
“Take me for a ride now,” she said seductively, “and I’ll take you for one later.”
“Baby, I’ll carry you all the way home.”
Sophie thought Brett was joking about the piggyback ride home, but no matter how many times she asked him to put her down, he refused, insisting they’d get home faster if he carried her. The faster we’re home, the faster we get to play.
When they reached her parents’ house, she could hear everyone out back and said, “Hurry!”
Brett carried her to the front steps and set her down, then proceeded to kiss her so thoroughly, she didn’t care who was out back. She needed him, and she needed him now.
“Whose good-night-kiss memory am I deleting?”
She took his hand and led him toward the front door. “Every good-night kiss I’ve ever had.”
“There you are,” her father said as he came around the side of the house with her grandfather.
Sophie’s stomach sank.
Brett must have seen the disappointment in her eyes, because he pulled her closer, whispering, “It’s okay, babe.” Then to her father, he said, “How’s it going, Del? Poppi?”
“Good,” her father said. “But we could sure use your help hanging the front porch swing I bought for Sophie’s mother.”
“Daddy, we were just going to shower,” she said quickly, still hoping to get a few minutes—or an hour—alone with Brett.
“That’s okay, sugarplum. You go on up and shower,” her father said. “The three of us will have this up in no time. Then you and Brett can have yourself a nice afternoon ride in the new swing.”
That wasn’t the kind of ride I had in mind.
“Y’ALL HAVE A nice run?” Del asked as he marked the spots on the porch ceiling where they needed to drill holes in the beams.
“Yes, sir. The town is charming.” Brett reached for the drill and was hit with a memory of helping his father fix the porch railings the summer before Lorelei died. She’d danced around the front yard calling out to them, Look at me! Then she’d do a cartwheel or twirl in circles.
He thought about what Sophie had said last night about how wonderful it must have been to have had a sister for all those years, and for the first time in ages, he didn’t try to push those memories aside. He wanted to honor them as they had honored Lorelei at the fundraiser last year.
When Del climbed down from the ladder, Brett took his place. “I’ll drill the holes.” He screwed the hooks into the beams thinking about calling Mick and wondered if his brother had more memories of Lorelei that Brett might have blocked out.
“I’ve lived here all my life,” Poppi said as they attached the chains to the hooks in the chair. “I saw street corners give way to phone booths, and now those are gone and we’ve become impatient and moved on to cell phones. But for the most part, it’s the same close-knit town it’s always been.”
Poppi stepped toward the ladder, and Brett said, “Why don’t you and Del prop up the chair and I’ll climb up and lift it with the chains.”
Poppi stepped onto the ladder. “Pfft. You city folk think age means you can’t work as hard. I’ve got news for you. I’ll be climbing ladders, mucking stalls, and riding my horses until the day they bury me six feet under.”
Brett held his hands up in surrender. “I have no doubt you will. I was just trying to help.”
“Did you see that smile on my granddaughter’s face?” Poppi asked as they lifted the swing into place. “That’s the only thing that matters to me. Sophie is a special girl, and she’s been waiting a long time to find happiness.”
A wave of pride and gratitude washed through Brett. “Then I hope you won’t mind if we stick around for a few more days. If Sophie can get off work, that is. We can get a hotel room, if you’d prefer, but I’d like to spend more time here with Sophie, if that’s all right.”
Del and Poppi shared an approving smile.
“We’d like that very much.” Del patted him on the back. “No hotels necessary.”
“But you might want to lock that bedroom door tonight,” Poppi suggested. “Unless you want my wife barging in again. She loves that girl to pieces. I don’t know if Sophie told you or not, but Nana celebrates love every chance she gets. She just about climbed out of her skin waiting to see you two this morning.”
Brett felt the same way about being with Sophie. Every minute with her was better than the last.
“Thanks for your help, son,” Del said, putting an arm over his shoulder.
A pang of longing for all the years their family had lost, and still stood to lose, hit him like a bullet. “I’m happy to help, anytime.”
“You must be starved after your run. Come around back and we’ll fix you a plate.”
He was starved, all right. For Sophie. But first he needed to call Mick. “Thanks. I’ve just got to make a phone call first, if you don’t mind.”
While Del and Poppi headed for the backyard, Brett pulled his phone from his armband, walked into the front yard, and called Mick.
“Hey,” Mick answered.
“Hi. How’s it going?”
Mick chuckled. “I think I should be asking you that. Carson said you took off after telling him you and Sophie were a couple. Is that true?”
“Yeah, it’s true, bro. I’m at her parents’ house in Virginia. That’s actually why I’m calling.”
“Her parents’ house. You went to the anniversary party?”
“How did you know?” Brett gazed down the street. Tall trees bursting with colorful leaves lined the rural road. The air was crisp and clear for as far as he could see. There was no exhaust, no crowded sidewalks. No anger pushing me toward a two-hour workout.
“She talks about her family a lot,” Mick explained, “which means you two must be serious for her to have taken you to meet them. How the heck did that happen?”
“The night of Tawny’s grand opening we went out for drinks with her friend Grace, and…” He paused, thinking about how long he’d been unable to think about anyone but her. “No, that’s not true. That’s not when it happened.” He glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of Lindsay standing in the side yard, her camera focused on him. He waved, wondering if he’d get a spot on the wall by the stairs. “It was at Carson and Dylan’s wedding. Near the end, after I’d hit on her so many times she rolled her eyes as I approached.”
“Doesn’t she always?” Mick teased. “You’re not exactly marriage material, and Sophie’s like Amanda. She’s been dreaming of Mr. Right forever.”
“I know. I mean, you’ve told me that, but the last time I approached her at the wedding, she shut me up before I could say a word. She said, ‘There are a million girls in the world. Why do you want me?’”
“Sounds like Sophie. She likes to know why things happen and where she’s headed,” Mick said. “It’s one of the things that makes her so good at her job.”
“I’m sure. Mick, I gave her some half-cocked answer because I didn’t understand all the reasons myself. But that question stuck with me, and then she was all I could think about. And now I’m drowning in love for her, man. I’m not a wordsmith, but I’m beyond happy when we’re together. I told her things I haven’t told you or anyone else about Lorelei and Dad. And about myself.”
Mick was silent for so long, Brett feared he didn’t believe him. He couldn’t blame him. He’d never committed to a woman in his life.
“It’s true, Mick.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Mick’s voice was thick with emotion. “I’m just so damn happy for you it’s got me choked up. I worry about you, Brett. I’ve seen how you and Sophie look at each other. I knew what she felt for you, but I had no clue if you were even capable of…” He exhaled loudly. “I thought we’d lost that part of you.”
“You and me both,” Brett admitted. “Talking with her has helped me to realize a lot about myself. I have some shit to take care of before I can be the man she deserves, including an apology to you and everyone else in our family.”
“What the heck are you talking about? You’re one of the best men I know. You are every bit the man she deserves.”
“Not really. All that trouble I got into after we lost Lorelei? I think I wanted to punish Dad. I had a stupid kid’s perspective, but I blamed him for not protecting her.”
“Jesus, Brett. We all did. We were kids. We didn’t know any better.”
“Maybe so, but I was the one getting into trouble, and that had to piss him off even more. I think I pushed him over the edge.”
“My ass you did,” Mick said sternly. “Dad was on his way out the day we lost her. Nothing any one of us could have done would have kept him in the house. He was an adult, Brett, and he had a choice—fight for his family and hold them together, or check out. He checked out and spent all that time at the office. Don’t you remember? He was never home, and when he was, he was a mess.”
“I remember, but I added to it.”
“We all added to it. How could we not? A piece of each of us died right along with Lorelei, but don’t you dare take responsibility for him. Look, you see yourself in him because you have all that anger inside you, but you’re nothing like him. You’ve found ways to channel that anger away from the people you love. You’re twice the man he could ever be. And I hope that if Amanda and I have boys one day they’ll be as strong as you are.”
Brett swallowed hard against the emotions that stirred. “That’s really hard to hear. I don’t know if I should warn you not to want that or thank you for making me feel better.”
“Thank me, man. You deserve Sophie, and you’ve got to let that misplaced anger go. That’s water under the bridge.”
“Yeah, I’m working on it. Being here with Sophie and her family has reminded me what family should be like. She’s so relaxed and happy here, so loved…I need to be here with her, Mick. It’s healing in a way I can’t seem to heal back home. It feels good to see a family that’s still intact and not weighed down by the ghosts of their past, you know?” He thought of what Sophie had said about her Nana and Poppi losing a child and realized how true his statement was.
“I do. It’s giving you faith in family again, buddy. That’s huge.”
“It is. I’m wondering if you can spare Sophie for a few days? We can fly back Wednesday. She’ll be at work Thursday. She’s not asking for the time off. I am. I’ll pay for a temp to replace her. I’ll pay her salary. Whatever you want. I need this time with her so I can get my head on straight and be the man I want to be for her.”
“Are you seriously asking me for help? Hang on. I’ve got to write this day in my calendar.”
“Smart-ass.”
“Brett, Sophie texted me a few minutes ago and asked if she could have a few days off. She said someone she cared about needed her. I had no idea it was you. I already gave her the time off.”
Brett turned toward the house, catching sight of his sweet temptation closing the distance between them. Sophie’s high ponytail swung with each step as she approached wearing a pair of sexy cutoffs and a New York Jets sweatshirt. She lifted her hand and crooked her finger, beckoning him to her.
“Thanks, Mick, I appreciate it. I’ll call you when I’m back in town.” He ended the call and reached for Sophie. “There’s the girl who makes my briefs fit tighter.”
She put her arms around his neck and said, “I’m very talented that way. But you are talented in many ways, too. Like making my heart go crazy at a particular picture I found in my suitcase.”
“You found the gift I tucked away. I’ve had it on my nightstand at home since the wedding.” The picture of him and Sophie toasting his brothers and their new wives was taken by Jackson Wild, Cooper and Heath’s brother. Cooper and Jackson were two of the most sought-after photographers in the city, and they had photographed the wedding. The picture was taken from a distance, looking through the altar after the ceremony in his mother’s backyard. Jackson had caught Sophie leaning in, her hand on Brett’s lapel, his hand resting possessively on her hip. The picture told of an intimacy he hadn’t thought they’d shared at that point, but he now realized it had been there all along.
“Next to your bed? That makes me kind of giddy. If I had known that, I might have taken you up on your propositions sooner.”
“Damn, baby. I would have filled my room with pictures if that’s all it would have taken.” He patted her butt and said, “You look sinful in your shorty shorts.”
She set her hands on her hips, scrunching her face in feigned anger. “Says the man who left me high and dry up there.”
“I doubt you were dry when you went up those steps after our scorching-hot kisses.” He pressed his lips to hers, obliterating her feigned anger.
“Okay, you left me hot and bothered.”
“I’d say sorry, but…” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “I was helping your family.” He slicked his tongue along her lower lip the way he knew she loved, earning a sexy sigh. “And I called Mick, but you beat me to him.”
She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, bringing his lips just above hers as she said, “I felt funny about you doing it.”
“Thank you for taking time off for me.”
“For us.”
“I want to make up for leaving you hot and hungry. We could sneak upstairs, or behind a tree, in the barn, the backseat of the rental car…”
She laughed softly, but her hands pressed against his chest, and he knew she was considering their options, the same way he was. He nuzzled against her neck, pressing another kiss there.
“I want you, Soph. I want to bury my face between your legs until you come.” Her breathing hitched, and he said, “I want you to ride me while I love your breasts and watch as I disappear into you.” She made a whimpering sound, and his cock swelled. He held her hungry stare and said, “And after you come, I’m going to take you from behind so you feel me everywhere.”
As he lowered his lips to hers, Lindsay’s voice cut through their heat. “There you are. Nana’s on her way up to your bedroom, wondering if you two are fooling around instead of visiting with her.”
Sophie groaned.
“Shit.” Brett held her against him to hide his arousal.
Lindsay looked through the lens of her camera and said, “Smile pretty. I’m going to call this one ‘In Need of a Cold Shower.’”