Breaking Braydon (16 page)

TWENTY-NINE

Braydon

I didn’t want her to leave. It was like I’d gone from one extreme to another. Once I let my armor down, all the emotions I’d never allowed myself to feel came to the surface. I wasn’t ready to explore them yet, but I knew I wanted Jain to stay.

Three days went by in a wonderful haze of discovery. We spent the days watching movies, taking walks, bowling, and playing chess. The nights…we couldn’t get enough of each other. It was like something had unlocked in both of us, and we took full advantage. We didn’t get much sleep, but that was fine, because there was nap time.

“Nap time?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Are we actually going to nap this time?” She chuckled.

“Do you want to?”

She walked over to the couch and sat on my lap. “Nope.”

The phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Todd’s name. “Sorry, keep that thought. I have to get this.”

“Hey, Todd.”

“I’d ask how you’re doing, but I think I already know,” he said.

“How’s that?”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have one or two paparazzi stalking you and Jain. The pictures started posting on the Internet an hour ago.”

“Damn.”

Jain looked up, eyes wide.

I covered the phone. “We have some visitors outside taking pictures.”

She covered her mouth. “Did they get any pictures when we were in the barn?” Her face paled.

“Todd, I have to ask. Were the pictures G-rated?” I held my breath. I didn’t care, but I would feel bad about Jain’s reputation.

“So far. Although, it looks like the two of you can put together a mean snowman. Oh, and the passionate kiss by the stream was very romantic.” He chuckled.

“Shut up. Can you get Barry from security on this? I want those rats gone. Also, have him do his magic and take those pictures off the Internet. I’d like to keep this private.”

“Sure thing. I’ll see you lovebirds on Thursday.” He paused. “One more thing. I had Julie do some shopping at Nordstrom’s yesterday. She picked out some great clothes for Jain. Some of them I think you’ll enjoy.” I could imagine his smile right now. He was loving this.

“Thanks, Todd. I appreciate it.”

“I bet you do.” Todd clicked off.

I placed my phone back in my pocket.

“We have spies? People are watching us?” She bit her lip.

“Don’t worry. I have it taken care of,” I assured her.

She cleared her throat. “So, if any…you know, embarrassing photos turn up, you can get rid of them?”

“I’ll ask for copies first, then yes, I can have them removed.” I wagged my eyebrows up and down for effect.

She threw a pillow at me, hitting me on the head. I threw one back, and that started a five minute pillow fight. Jain won.

We flopped back on the sofa, exhausted. She rested her head on my lap.

“Braydon?”

I didn’t answer. I simply smoothed the hair from her face, kissing her lightly.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun in my life. This week has been better than Disneyland.” She laughed and turned to me. “It’s been better than anything I could’ve dreamed up.”

I saw in her eyes what was reflected in mine. Happiness. We were happy.

“Can you stay a little longer?” I asked. “Until Sunday? I want to keep you every second I can. You don’t have to go back to work until Monday, right?”

“I was supposed to work this week. Luckily, Erik lives close and was able to go in and chart our progress on the protein pathway experiment.”

“Please don’t say his name again. I still want to punch him.” My blood pressure rose just hearing his name.

She grinned. “Jealous?”

“Yes. I’ll admit it. You can tell him that. You tell him that you’re mine.”
Where did that come from?

“I am?” She moved closer and laughed softly.

I loved her laugh. I felt immediately calm. She was mine. That jerk better not get near her.

“You are.”

“So, if I’m yours, does that mean you’re mine?” She rubbed her nose up my neck.

God, that did things to me. “Nap time!” I threw her over my shoulder and carried her upstairs.

We didn’t nap.

***

“Are you sure I look all right? Your dad will be here any minute.” Jain paced the kitchen.She grabbed at her skirt and attempted to pull it down.

I laughed. “It’s not too short. Take my word for it.”

“My work skirts are below my knees. I feel a little naked,” she complained.

“You have beautiful legs. You should show them off.”

“Not to your father! He’s going to think I’m some…” She stopped.

“Some what?” I asked.

Her face flushed. “You know, some Hoochie Mama type person.” She was nodding her head, totally serious.

“Is that actually a name? What did you say? Hoochie…?”

She threw up her hands, “Colin teased me about that, too. My mom was responsible for the terminology. I’m not sure where she heard it from, but it’s real. It represents as woman who is—”

“I know the meaning behind it. My dad won’t think you’re loose. Look at the length. It’s only two inches above your knees.”

Her eyes traveled back down as she tugged on the skirt.

I laughed. “You aren’t going to lengthen it by pulling on it. He’s going to love you no matter what. My dad’s a good guy. He isn’t the judgmental type at all.”

She quit pulling on the fabric and tilted her head up toward the ceiling. “Ugh! I’ve never done this before. I’m so nervous.”

I gave her a hug to reassure her, when a knock on the door interrupted us.

“Should I run and change?” She moved the dress back and forth in the reflection from the refrigerator.

“No, you look beautiful. Perfect.” I took her hand and led her to the door.

THIRTY

Jain

I took a deep breath as Braydon dragged me to the front door. This was it. I was going to meet his dad. I had a civil war of emotions inside me – excitement and nervousness. This was all so new. Everything was happening fast, but in a good way. Braydon and I had started out slowly, but as soon as we clicked, we were inseparable. The one thing that surprised me was that I was comfortable going from single to couple status so quickly. It felt natural. We just…fit.

Braydon opened the door. “Hey, Dad, come on in.” He reached down to pet Oreo. “Oreo, buddy, how you doing?”

My eyes swung back and forth between the pair. Braydon’s dad – good grief. I knew now where Braydon got his looks. He was the most handsome older man I’d ever seen. He shared Braydon’s silver eyes, and his hair was salt and pepper to match. They both shared the same high cheekbones and rugged jawline.

Braydon put his arm around me. “Dad, this is Jain,” he said simply.

“I’m so pleased to meet you.” I offered him my cold, clammy hand. He pushed it away. “We’ll have none of that.” And he took me in for a bear hug.

After a couple seconds, Braydon pulled me back to him and told his dad, “Enough. Give me back my girl.”

My girl.
My stomach did a few flips.

“I’m glad to see she finally came to her senses,” his dad said.

I raised my brow in question, looking back and forth between them.

Todd had entered from the porch during the discussion. “The turkey is on the barbecue. We’re good to go.” His head turned toward me. “Remember when you friend-zoned Braydon? That’s what Brian was talking about.”

“Friend-zoned? What do you mean?” My mind raced.

“Starbucks. The friend handshake,” Todd informed me.

Braydon shifted and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh.” I couldn’t believe he’d told people about that. Maybe this attraction had started earlier than I thought.

I admitted, “It just took a little champagne and a snowstorm to do the trick.”

Brian laughed and said, “I like her Braydon. She’s a keeper.”

“Yes she is.” He leaned down and kissed me. It was quick, but I was shocked. He’d just kissed me in front of his dad and Todd. The two men stood with their mouths gaping open.

Needing a diversion, I squatted down to pet Oreo. “He is adorable!” He looked like a short-haired, pocket-sized border collie. “What breed is he?” I asked. He was black and white, like I expected. He was also the cutest dog I’d ever seen. He had white whiskers on one side, black on the other. The white was around his neck and his nose, with a little pink, as well. He also had all white feet, like he was wearing socks.

“We think he’s probably a mix of border collie and rat terrier. Maybe a little corgi.” Braydon bent down to pet him with me. He said quietly, “You just need to watch out for your ankles.”

Overhearing, Brian said, “Yeah. He bit me three times this week. He’s a vicious dog.” He was smiling, so I could tell he was joking.

“You love him, admit it,” Braydon teased.

“Not when he’s biting me, I don’t,” he returned.

“Okay, I need to start giving everyone their work orders,” Todd announced. “Jain, can you peel the potatoes?”

“I think so.” This was awkward. I didn’t cook. Ever.

Braydon laughed. “We don’t want her to take a finger off. How about she does the green bean casserole?” Then, to me, he whispered, “You’ll just need to know how to use a can opener.”

I gave him a little push. “That does sound safer.” I didn’t want to spoil the evening with a trip to the emergency room.

***

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, without any injuries. I’d never had turkey roasted on a barbecue before, and I loved it. The extra work and double portions had us all sleepy and sprawled out comfortably on the sectional sofa with a piece of pumpkin pie on our laps. The Seahawks game was about to start, and we all looked forward to it. I drank in the atmosphere as the three men talked and laughed, making their bets on the game. This was a family. I felt a sudden twinge; I missed my mom. And I also missed something else for the first time – having a dad. Braydon and his father had a companionable relationship. They ribbed each other, poked fun, and teased. But I sensed the love and friendship between them.

My eyes welled up, and I quickly brushed the escaping tears away. Braydon noticed, leaned over, and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“No. Not really. I just realized what it would be like to have a father. I didn’t know what I was missing until today.” I smiled softly at him.

“Hey, I heard that,” Brian said. “I’ve already adopted Todd as an extra child. I’ll just add you in. You can call me Dad, and I’ll take you fishing.” He beamed.

“You don’t want to go fishing with my dad. Believe me, you’ll regret it.”

He tilted his head. “What’s wrong with my fishing skills?”

“Do you remember the last time we went?” Braydon asked. “You accidentally threw all the bait over the side then capsized the boat trying to retrieve it.”

“That was no big deal. We were only in two feet of water,” he defended.

“Yeah. I had to spend the entire day with wet socks.” Braydon turned to me and whispered, “Don’t do it.” 

I laughed. “Okay,” I whispered back.

THIRTY-ONE

Braydon

“I’m in a food coma,” Jain complained. She was on her back, flat on the sofa, and hadn’t moved for an hour.

“Thanksgiving was yesterday. How can you still be full?” I chuckled watching her try to turn over.

“Did you see how much I ate? I think I had the last piece of pie at midnight.” She rubbed her stomach. “Hey, you have a gym downstairs, don’t you?”

“I have a better idea. Have you ever been on a horse?”

Eyes wide, she said, “No, I haven’t. You have horses? Will you let me ride one? I can do it. I know I can. It can’t be that hard. Please?” Her hands came together in the begging position.

“Well, I don’t know,” I teased.

“Where are they? How many do you have? I didn’t see them in the barn when you gave me the tour.” She blushed, remembering.

I’d taken her on a tour which included some fun in the hay.

“I have two Appaloosas. They weren’t in the barn because Henry had taken them out to the pasture for exercise.”

“Well?” Her eyebrows rose, waiting.

“Let’s go. You’ll need warm clothes.” I’d never seen anyone jump to action so quickly.

“I can’t believe I’m finally going to go horseback riding!” She clapped her hands and disappeared into the bedroom.

She came out five minutes later, looking adorably ridiculous. When I told her to dress warmly, she took me at my word.

“Uh, Jain, how many layers do you have on?” I would guess at least five.

“About six or so?” She stood in the middle of the room, looking like a colorful stuffed sausage.

“You’re going to need to take a few layers off. When you’re on the horse, you’ll have to use your arms.” I chuckled.

She waved her arms around, noticed she couldn’t bend them, and relented, holding her arms above her head. I stripped her down to two layers. I wanted to keep peeling off her clothes, but I knew once she got something into her head there was no stopping her.

“That feels better. Can we go now?” She started to tug me out the door.

“We’ll just need one more thing.” I grabbed one of my Seahawk hats from the mud room. “Now you’re ready.” I pulled the cap all the way down past her eyes.

“Very funny.” She adjusted it. “I’m going now. You coming?”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re impatient?” I chuckled. The list was growing.

“Oh, yeah.” She turned toward the barn.

The horses were willing to please and gentle by nature. Once we entered the barn though, Jain hesitated a little.

“Wow. They’re big. Um, which one will I ride?” I didn’t think she’d back down, but I could tell the large animals intimidated her a bit. Henry had saddled them up, so they were all ready to go.

“You’ll ride Pumpkin,” I told her.

She stopped short. “Wait.” She tried to suppress her smile, gave up, and proceeded to break down in a fit of giggles. She held her sides and bent over and laughed herself to tears.

I laughed with her. It was contagious. “Her name isn’t that bad,” I finally said.