I Call Him Brady (10 page)

             
“I had a little help,” he grinned, nodding at the door behind me which May had quietly snuck in through. “Come on, I want to show you the whole place before everyone gets here.” He took my hand and began to lead me around a corner.

             
“What do you mean, everybody gets here? Who’s everybody?”

             
“Everybody we invited to attend your show. That’s usually how things operate at a gallery.”

             
We came around the bend and at last I knew exactly where I was. The Mercado Galleria of Art and Photography. I was floored. Some of the most amazing artists of our generation were being shown here.

             
The entire night was total magic. Between mingling with the crowd of kindred spirits and the fact that so many of them seemed to feel genuinely touched by my work, I was in a permanent state of euphoria. Everything was so surreal I could barely grasp the enormity of what was happening. Not only had Brady returned, but he had given me a gift beyond measure.

             
Five hours and slightly too much champagne later, May, Brady and I were all headed back home in a stretch limo. May had dozed off the second her head hit the leather seats. When we hit the curb coming out onto the main road, her head popped up again.

             
“Wait, what about my car?”

             
“We’ll come and get it in the morning,” Brady assured her. She closed her eyes again and passed out.

             
Sitting curled up against him, I still couldn’t believe my luck. I felt like Cinderella, only my good fortune had been extended way past midnight.

             
Driving down Main Street I watched through my window as we passed the Galleria. From the front the building looked nothing like a warehouse. It was impressive with its tall windows and trademark sign.

             
“How much did you have to pay them to let you put on this event?” I joked.

             
“Nothing. And I didn’t host you, the gallery did. They came to me after I sent them some samples of your work.” He slid down into the seat and rested his head on mine.

             
“You’re kidding.”

             
“I’m not. That’s what I had to go back to LA for. One of my buddies is a pretty accomplished photographer, so he put me in touch with some of the people he knew in the business.” He lifted his head again briefly when he added, “The Mercado Galleria wasn’t the only one that wanted you either. But they were closest and they were willing to create the show on such short notice.”

             
Given the way things had already gone, I chalked it up as one more unbelievable thing I would put off digesting until morning.

             
When we arrived at home, Brady in his infinite amount of chivalry, carried May all the way into the house and carefully laid her down on her bed where I tucked her in and kissed her forehead. Looking back, I didn’t think I’d ever appreciate being called a fucking pussy more in my life.

             
We quietly crept from the apartment and made our way upstairs. There was no question where Brady would be sleeping tonight. Or every night after if it was up to me.

             
With his fingers twined perfectly with mine, I led the way into my bedroom while we quietly tip-toed past a sleeping Margo snoring quietly on my couch.

             
He had barely closed the door behind us when I flew into his arms. All night I had wanted to be in that very place, pressed to his chest and enveloped by his muscular arms. His lips tenderly caressed my face and down my neck until I could no longer take it.

             
I placed my hands on either side of his strong jaw and forcefully brought his mouth to mine. All of the worries and fears of the last few days washed away and the only thing that remained was complete and utter bliss.

             
I felt his hands travel up to my shoulders and slowly down my back. He went for the zipper of my dress and gradually lowered it inch by inch until the garment slid easily from my body and onto the ground.

             
Brady took a step back and inhaled sharply at the sight of me standing there in nothing but my sheer black lace bra and thong, and four inch strappy heels. Suddenly May’s unusual interest in my underwear made perfect sense.

             
I could feel his eyes on me as they lingered in different parts of my body, slowly taking in the details he had only been able to imagine up until this point.

             
“What’s this?” he murmured as he gently slipped two fingers into the lace of my bra and retrieved a small piece of paper. It was the final note he’d left for me the day he took off. I had kept it on me non-stop in anticipation of what his ending line to a whirlwind of compliments would be.

             
I took the note from his hands, unfolded it and turned it over so he could read his own words on the back.

             
He grinned. “Interesting place to keep this.” Even as his usual sarcasm surfaced, the tone of his voice remained low, at almost a growl, never once breaking the spell we were now both under.

             
“I didn’t have any pockets.” Obviously. Why hadn’t I just said something romantic like ‘I wanted to keep it close to my heart.’ It would have been cheesy, but still…given the situation, I could have pulled it off. 

             
I watched with anticipation as Brady let the note dance in-between his fingers. He was staring at it so intently I half expected to see writing magically appear. Then his eyes moved back onto mine.

             
“You know, this was a lot easier in theory when I wrote the note.” He chuckled softly and I realized…he was nervous. “Kind of wishing I had just put it all in writing after all.”

             
His hesitation was making me tense up. I didn’t know whether to demand he spit it out already or just patiently wait in silence. Silence was not my thing. Neither was patience.

             
“You’re starting to freak me out now. I mean, a girl doesn’t usually like to be kept waiting once her clothes have landed on the floor. Meanwhile, I’m becoming increasingly aware of the fact that you’re still wearing yours. Are you about to prank me or something?”

             
I had expected him to laugh. Or at least, to shake his head at my incessant rambling, but he did neither. Instead he unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt, then reached down to pull it out of the confinements of his belt and over his head. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him shirtless, but
damn
.

             
Now it was my turn to hold my breath as he continued to take off the layers until he was standing in front of me completely naked. Every last bit of him was utter perfection, toned and smooth. I felt like a kid in a candy store who wasn’t sure if she was allowed to sample. Twice I felt my hand twitch in an involuntary spasm, aching to reach out and touch him, but he was standing at a decidable distance, maintaining an unspoken ‘hands off’ precedent.

             
“I guess this is what it’s like to feel truly vulnerable,” he whispered. He came in toward me, cupped my cheek in his hand and brought me to him. His fingers were curled into my hair, but all I could think was how my heart was in the words he had yet left to speak.

             
Standing so close, I finally allowed my fingers to trail along his bare hips moving upward, tracing the outline of each muscle as I went, before landing in the center of his chest.

             
“Unless you bare this, you’ll never feel as exposed as I do right now.” A tightness clenched my throat as the emotions threatened to take over.  Was I really telling him what it had sounded like? Yes.

             
“You want me to bare my heart for you?” He took my hand from his chest and held it out to me, my palm turned up. “You’d have to give it back to me first.”

             
I had tears in my eyes. “Say it.” It was scarcely audible.

             
“I’m in love with you, Embers.”

             
Nothing else mattered as I rushed into him, molding our bodies tightly together. By the time I was being laid down upon the bed, I had already been stripped of what little had been left between us.

             
The sensation of skin on skin as he pressed his chest to mine sent my entire body abuzz. It was as though I’d been starving for him my entire life, and now that I’d had a taste, my hunger would never be satiated.

E
mbers had never looked more beautiful to me than she did when I saw her standing there under the spotlight in the dark gallery. And it had nothing to do with the fact that her dress fit her like a glove, or that she had legs for days in those crazy shoes. It wasn’t the way her hair was draped over her shoulders and down her back in shimmering waves of black and purple or the way her charcoal colored eye shadow made her slate grey eyes pop. It was the smile on her face when she saw me.

             
I woke up the next morning still holding her in my arms. It was the first time in my life sleeping with a woman had actually led to
sleeping
with a woman. And after the night we had shared, I had no desire to start sleeping alone again.

Loud banging accompanied by the sound of Austin’s voice as he hollered at me from the stairwell ripped me from my sleep. Alarmed, I scrambled to get out of bed and ran for the door, hoping to catch him and calm him down before Jessa woke up to his screaming as well.

             
“Austin! What is going on? Why are you shouting?”

             
Austin nearly plowed me over as he came surging through the open door. “I’m here to get my daughter!”

             
“Fuck you!” If there had ever been the wrong thing to say in that moment that had been it. And I knew it as soon as the words spilled from my lips. All hell would break loose now.

             
“Fuck me? Fuck you, you fucking slut,” he raged at me. It wouldn’t work this time. He could say what he wanted, it wouldn’t hurt. I wouldn’t let it.

             
“You need to leave, Austin.”

             
By now, two things were happening simultaneously. One was May storming up the stairs and through the door, never slowing down until she got to Jessa’s room and locked herself inside. She knew the drill.

             
The other, was Brady, who came charging out of the bedroom looking like he wanted to tackle Austin hard enough to ram him into the house next door.

             
“Really, Embers? In the same house your daughter sleeps? You disgust me.” Austin was towering over me, using his pointer finger as a dagger as he thrust it into my collar bone repeatedly.

Brady saw Austin make contact with my skin and lost it. In the blink of an eye he had placed himself between us. “You ever fucking touch her again and I’ll break your fucking neck, you hear me?”

“Brady, stop. I can handle this,” I pleaded. After all, Austin was my mistake to deal with.

“I’d listen to her if I were you, Jack,” Austin hissed. “This really has nothing to do with you. It’s family business.”

              Brady leaned into him, his fists balled and jaw clenched. “Embers isn’t your family anymore. And anything you do to hurt her will have everything to do with me. I promise you.”

             
Desperate to end the showdown in my kitchen, I forced myself between them.

             
“That’s enough. Jessa is in the next room. She can hear you.”

             
“Bet you weren’t thinking about that last night while you were getting fucked by lover boy over here.” Instead of lowering his voice, Austin yelled still louder. I hated him. I hated him not for the ways he hurt me. Or for the way he hated me. I hated him for not loving his daughter the way a father should. The way my father had loved me. The way every little girl deserved to be loved.

             
“Stop it, Austin. Just stop.” After all the promises I had made myself, he had done it again. Tears were streaming down my face in uncontrollable floods and I couldn’t stop them. Helpless, Brady stood by, unable to ease the hurt without adding more turmoil to an already devastating situation. But Austin, Austin just laughed.

             
“Stop it Austin, stop,” he mimicked me. “Just shut up. Nobody wants to hear your crying.”

             
“No. Nobody wants to hear you.” Both my hands came up to shove him square in the chest. Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe that the heightened adrenaline would actually provide me with enough strength to physically remove him from my home. Those were not the results I got.

             
Within seconds, his elbow flew up to block me, throwing me backwards into the kitchen cabinets.

             
Brady watched the whole thing unfold, then before I could do anything to stop it, Brady had Austin pinned against the wall with both of his hands wrapped around his neck.

             
“Are you okay?” he called over to me.

             
“I’m fine.” I tried to get to my feet as fast as I could, but I had hit my head in the fall and was feeling the aftermath of the impact.

             
“I’m going to ask you to leave one more time, Austin. After that, I’m not going to be as courteous as I’m being right now. You understand?”

             
Even while on the verge of being choked to death, Austin maintained a demeanor one would associate with a psychopath, like he was actually enjoying their interactions. “I’ll leave. After Embers talks to me. Alone.”

             
Brady’s grip tightened involuntarily. “No fucking way.”

             
“I’ll do it.” I gingerly placed my hand on his arm, in my silent request to let Austin go.

             
“What? No way. Not after what just happened.” Brady was shaking his head adamantly, but I could already tell that he’d agree to it. In the end, he’d do anything I’d ask of him, that much Brady had proven to me.

             
“Please. I promise I’ll be fine. We’ll talk out in the driveway. In the open. For the whole world to see.” I was directing my words at Austin now, warning him that he’d have to do any further ridiculing in public. Something we both knew he’d never do, out of fear the world would stop seeing him as the fun and wonderful Austin they knew him as.

             
Defeated, Brady let go. “I don’t think this is a good idea.” He was running his hands over my arms and moving up to search my face and head for any injuries. When he found the bump at the back of my skull, he pulled me in and kissed it tenderly. “This needs ice.”

             
He reached straight into the freezer and took out the first thing he could find.

             
“A bag of peas?” I took them from him anyway.

             
“They’ll work.” He watched, making sure I actually held them up to the back of my head before walking out behind Austin.

             
When he tried to stop under the carport, I kept going. Once in the driveway, I glanced back at the upstairs windows. As expected, Brady was already standing there, arms crossed over his chest, keeping watch.

             
I turned back toward Austin. I had my free hand on my hip in a stubborn stance and absolutely zero desire to hear anything he had to say at this point, but if listening to him meant being rid of him, that’s what I would do.

             
“Alright, you got me out here, alone. So, what is it you want, Austin?”

             
“I want you to end things with Jack Cole.” At least he was direct about it.

             
“That’s not happening.” So was I.

             
“You may want to rethink that.”

             
“Why the hell would I want to do that?” I figured he’d threaten me with taking the food truck again. Well, he could fucking have it. I was sick of always being at his mercy anyway.

             
“Because, I’ve started seeing someone new myself.”

             
“Fake Tits Magoo? Yeah, I saw her. I hope you two will be very happy together,” I sneered.

             
“Her name is Angelique and it may interest you to know, that she’s an attorney.” He was staring back at me triumphantly as if he had just dealt me a fatal blow.

             
“That’ll come in handy the next time you get a DUI.”

             
He glared at me, aggravation flaring up in his eyes. He never had been able to beat me in a battle of the wits and he had hated it. He was great with the insults. They just weren’t ever particularly clever or creative.

             
“She’s not that kind of lawyer. But she’ll still come in handy. She practices family law, specializing in complicated custody cases.”

             
My heart stood still.

             
“It won’t matter. You remember what the judge said the last time. No one would ever give you physical custody of any child. Not with your past.” Only I wasn’t feeling nearly as confident as he was.

             
“That’s what I thought, too. Until I started talking to Angie. Turns out, that judge has a reputation for being prejudiced. Automatically sides with the mother every time. Angie says I should file a new petition. Take you back to court. Thinks I could get fifty-fifty. Maybe more, now that you’re behaving like the town whore having random men in your bed.”

             
“You know damn well Brady wasn’t some random guy. And even if he was, sleeping around would be nothing compared to what you’ve done.”

             
Austin shook his head, laughing at me. “That’s all in the past, baby. I’ve had a clean record for three years now. Angie says you couldn’t use it against me if you wanted to. My reputation as a responsible parent speaks for itself.”

             
“Responsible - what?” I was struggling to get the words out, I was so beside myself. “What exactly constitutes being a responsible parent in your mind? Paying child support each month? That’s a real fucking accomplishment. For your information, I don’t even use that money. It just goes straight into a savings account for her.”

             
“That’s not my problem. In fact, it’s yours. Maybe if you used the child support to actually take care of my daughter you wouldn’t have to run around sleeping with guys for their money. You know, come to think of it, I bet that’s what drew you to me in the first place. I should mention that to Angie…see what she thinks.”

             
I wanted to scream. “Now I was with you for your money? What money? You were living in your buddy’s basement when I met you. You were unemployed, with no car and no real asset to your name. And the only income you had stemmed from selling the prescription drugs you were swiping from your mentally ill mother! I wasn’t there for your fucking money. You didn’t fucking have any! I was there because of your goddamn charm! Because of the dreams you had about the life that you wanted. Because you said you needed me, because I pushed you to pursue greatness. Well, where was the fucking greatness when you were cheating on me while I was pregnant with your child? Where was it when I was in the hospital, alone going through labor while you were out with your boys? Or any other time I needed you and you were nowhere to be found?  Huh?! In the end, all you did was tell lie after lie to get what you wanted and you haven’t stopped since.”