by J. P. Comeau
After gathering everything I needed into my cream-colored clutch purse, Roxy and I set off for the club.
“Girl, you look hot. If Brenden were coming, he’d be jealous as hell,” she said.
I grinned. “You really know how to make me feel better, you know that?”
“Remember that sentiment when we get there.”
I paused. “Wait, what?”
Roxy cackled as we pulled into a parallel parking space in front of the club. And while I knew it was still a bit early for a crowd, I didn’t see anyone outside at all.
“Are you sure they’re open?” I asked.
My sister opened her door. “Just come on and stop asking questions, would you? Damn it, you’re worse than Dad.”
I furrowed my brow. “I just want to know what’s going on. Is that too much to ask?”
“It is when there’s a surprise to be ruined. Now, get your ass out of this car and come on, girl!”
I had no idea what I was walking into, but I did as I was told. Roxy linked her arm with mine as we approached the doors to the club, and two men inside appeared as they opened them for us. Roxy nodded her thanks while I looked warily at them, trying to figure out what the hell was about to happen.
I figured the dance floor would be pretty empty, given the fact that it was still only six in the evening. But, I didn’t expect the place to be completely empty.
“See you upstairs,” Roxy said.
“Wh-wh-wh-wait. Uh, what--where are you--Roxy!”
She pointed to the floor. “Try to give him a chance, all right?”
And as Roxy disappeared into the darkness, my eyes slowly panned back over toward the dance floor.
Watching, as Brenden emerged into the spotlight shining down in the middle of the floor.
24
Brenden
She was a vision. Draped in a beautiful dress with heels that made her legs pop, she didn’t seem to walk. No, no, she glided across that floor. With her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pursed in frustration, even in anger, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever set eyes on. I had to get her back. It had to work. I knew it was last minute, and I knew Zane pulled off a lot for me to make it happen, but I was desperate.
I couldn't go another day without Kelly Crown in my life.
“What do you want?” she asked.
I drew in a deep breath. “Your perfume smells wonderful.”
She blinked. “Don’t change the subject. What’s going on? My sister dragged me down here for some congratulatory party, and I find you standing in the middle of an empty dance floor. With dust.”
She waved her hand in the air, and I smiled. Her forehead wrinkles beckoned to my lips. The frustration behind her eyes only made me want to kiss and pet and soothe away her woes. I was proud of her. Prouder than I’d ever been of anything in my entire life. I knew how hard she had worked for something like that. For her fashion line and her debut day and her own office space. I had listened to her type away on her laptop and take 10 P.M. phone calls for the past month. All of it, building up to the moment when she finally had everything she could have ever wanted.
And I wanted to be able to walk alongside her during that journey.
“Brenden Michael Hearthstone, if you don’t start talking right--.”
I put my hands up. “I come in peace, Kelly. I promise.”
She snickered. “Just tell me what you want. This is supposed to be a good day. And seeing you only makes me hurt.”
I slowly lowered my hands. “I’m here because I want you back.”
She ran her gaze down my body. “Well, you should’ve thought about that before you decided to galavant off to some casino and leave me to wait for you. We had plans that night, remember?”
“I do remember, yes.”
“And yet, you chose to stay with some other woman anyway?”
“LaShonda, yes.”
She scoffed. “Why? Why, when you knew damn good and well how I felt about you, when you hurt me like that?”
“Nothing happened between us.”
“She was hanging all over you.”
“She was drunk, and not once did I touch her.”
Her eyebrows rose. “You better have a more convincing argument than that, Bee.”
I blinked. “What did you say?”
“I said, you better have a more convincing--.”
“You called me ‘Bee.’”
She paused. “Well, yeah.”
I grinned, “Since when did I have a nickname with you?”
She couldn't hide her blush. “Let’s get this over with so I can have a drink, please.”
I took a step toward her. “Before I went to the casino, I had lunch with Clint. And I have to admit, the conversation I had with him rattled me.”
“Why did you have lunch with Clint.”
“Because Zane wasn’t available.”
She blinked. “Well, what did the man say to you that spooked you so much?”
“The shortened version? That I was making a mistake. That how I felt for you was fabricated because of our predicament. And that if I really cared for you, then I needed to be prepared for a life of long nights, even longer days, with one woman for the rest of my life.”
She clicked her tongue. “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t realize you hated having me around so much.”
I reached for her hand. “That’s not it.”
She backed away. “Then what is it? Just put me out of my misery and get it over with.”
“I realized that’s exactly what I want, Kelly. That’s why I’m here.”
“I’m not following.”
I reached for her hand again, and she finally let me take it.
“That’s what I want with you. One woman, for the rest of my life. One woman to experience everything with for the rest of my life. One woman, one bed, one home, and one love. Forever.”
Her eyes started watering. “You haven’t answered my questions about the woman in the casino.”
I closed the distance between us. “She’s an ex. Not even that. We didn’t date. We hooked up from time to time. When I went over to the casino after lunch, it was to have a couple of drinks, play some slots, then come home early and talk with you. Kelly, I prepared myself to come home and tell you how much I love you.”
She paused. “You--you what?”
I smiled. “I love you, Kelly Crown. The wedding reception was just a coincidence. I walked in, got a drink, and all of a sudden, a bride and groom came in a few minutes later. LaShonda comes up to my side, and she’s already drunk, and I know why, too.”
“Why?”
“Because her sister was marrying the man she was in love with.”
“Oh, that poor girl.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “I didn't want to leave her to make a fool of herself. But, I certainly didn’t intend on staying as long as I did. I just wanted to sober her up, talk to her, and leave her in a better place than when I found her. Because I knew how hurt she was. It’s the hurt I’ve experienced every time you told me you’re going on a date with someone else when you never even gave me a shot in college.”
She smiled softly. “Because you were a heartbreaker in college, Brenden.”
I kissed her forehead. “Well, I’m not now. And if you’ll let me, I want to be the man you love. Because you’re the woman I love, Kelly. And that’s never going to change.”
Right on cue, the music started up. I took Kelly’s hand in my own and held it up softly, swaying us side to side on the dance floor. The spotlight illuminated us while drowning out the rest of the world, and I lost myself in the way she felt. The way she clung to me. The way she laid her head against my chest and sighed, hopefully with relief.
And I waited until it clicked.
“Wait a second,” Kelly said.
I chuckled. “Is it coming back?”
Her eyes darted up to mine. “This is the same restaurant were our r
eception was held.”
“Do you remember what we did other than eat dinner?”
She paused, then smiled. “We danced to this.”
I nodded. “Mhm. Our first dance as a married couple.”
She snorted. “You’re insane, you know that?”
“I’m insane for you. Kelly, these last few weeks have been some of the greatest of my life. I never thought I could be so happy with just one person, not in all my life. I don’t want to be the man everyone thinks I am. I want to be the man you know I am. You know me better than anyone at this point, and I don’t want that to change.”
“I don’t want it to, either.”
I spun her around and drew her back into my embrace.
“I know we aren’t married anymore. I know the annulment has happened. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be together. Right?”
She paused. “Hmmm, I’ll have to think about it.”
I chuckled. “You’re going to milk this, aren’t you?”
“I mean, can you blame me? I’ve never seen a grown man grovel as much as you are right now.”
I scooped her into my arms. “I’ll grovel for the rest of my life if it means having you at my side. I love you, Kelly. I’ll never be capable of loving another person the way I love you. Stay with me. Let me try this again. Give me one last chance to be the man I’ve always been whenever you’re in the picture.”
She threaded her arms around my neck. “You sure you can give up your old ways?”
My forehead fell against hers. “I did that the moment I said ‘I do.’”
“Oh, Brenden.”
I closed my eyes. “You make me whole, Kelly. I’ll only live half a life if you’re not--.”
The second I felt her lips against my own, I pulled her against my body. I picked her up off her feet as our song wound down to a close and swung her around. I pressed my tongue through her lips. I tasted her as her hands threaded through my hair. I placed her back onto her feet as happiness gripped my heart. It was a happiness I hoped never went away.
“I love you too, Brenden,” she whispered.
I nuzzled my nose against hers. “Does that mean you’ll take me back?”
She giggled as she gazed up into my eyes. “Yes, Brenden. I’ll take you back.”
“Yeah!” Roxy shouted.
“Way to go, man!” Zane exclaimed.
“I knew you had it in you!” Karina yelled.
Kelly jumped against me as her eyes bulged. She looked around as the lights came up, and along the upper balcony stood those who mattered the most to us. Zane, with his arm around Karina; Roxy, with her hands over her head as she clapped and whistled; Clint, with his thumbs up and that trademark smirk on his face; and Kelly’s parents. Who, despite the entire blunder I got us into, had smiles on their faces while they both applauded us.
“Daddy!” Kelly gasped.
I held her close. “I certainly wouldn’t do something like this without them here.”
She looked up at me. “I love you so much.”
I cupped her cheek. “I love you, too.”
Roxy cupped her hands over her mouth. “Can we come down and dance, too!?”
I pointed at her. “Only if you drag Clint down here and make him dance. He needs to cut loose a bit!”
Roxy howled with laughter as she grabbed Clint’s hand. “Come on you big jerk, let’s dance.”
Kelly’s father shouted. “You hurt my little girl again, and I’ll kill you myself!”
I looked up at him. “That’s never going to happen, sir. Not on my watch. You have my word.”
Everyone filtered down the stairs and joined us on the dance floor. Out from the kitchen of the club came a couple of waiters with silver trays donning drinks for all of us to snag. Wine and champagne for the ladies, whiskey, and champagne for the men. I plucked both of us a drink before handing the crystal flute to Kelly, then I clinked my glass against hers.
“A toast to our future,” I said.
She smiled brightly. “May it be less rocky than our beginning.”
I chuckled. “And may it be full of nothing but wonderful things to come.”
She sipped her drink. “I don’t know how you threw all of this together in such a short amount of time.”
I shrugged. “I had some favors to cash in with some people, and they were more than happy to oblige.”
“Is that code for ‘you twisted their arm behind their back’?”
I winked. “And if it is?”
She wrapped her free arm around my waist. “That’s kinda hot.”
I growled lowly. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
An upbeat song came on, and I held up my arm. I let Kelly dance her way underneath it as we sipped our drinks and danced around the floor. I couldn't take my eyes off her. The way her hair moved and the way her legs shifted. The way she smiled up at me and the way her eyes twinkled whenever ours locked. When I pulled her back to me, my hand pressed against the small of her back, I dipped her toward the floor.
Before planting my lips against hers.
The woman was my world. My life. My hope. She was the reason I smiled whenever I got up, and she was the single-most holder of my heart. She was the only woman I’d ever come across that was more important than my career. Or my reputation. Or my individual pursuits. She was more important than the world I have carved out for myself, and without her, I had nothing.
And with her, I held the world.
“I love you,” I murmured against her lips.
I brought her back up before her lips found my ear. Whispering a set of words that made me hopeful for the future and what life might bring our way.
“I love you too, Brenden. Forever, and for always.”
Epilogue
Kelly
One Year Later
I gasped. “My gosh, she’s so tiny. How old is she now?”
Karina smiled. “Eight months.”
Zane chuckled. “She’s chunked up a bit since she first hit the scene. But, despite the complications, she’s as healthy as can be.”
I cradled Sophie in my arms as Brenden’s hand settled against the small of my back. I cooed down at the beautiful baby girl that had Karina’s eyes and Zane’s smile. She was the spitting image of her mother, and it warmed my heart. And as I held the small baby in my arms, I wondered what it might be like to one day hold my own child.
A child I’d have with Brenden.
“So! How was the honeymoon?” he asked.
Zane kissed Karina’s temple. “It was fantastic. I owe Karina’s parents a serious favor for coming into town and watching Sophie while we were in Hawaii.”
Karina sighed. “It was magical. We had our own little private bungalow with a private stretch of beach that was all ours. The same one were we stayed on our first work assignment together.”
“And don’t forget about the cabana boy.”
“Oh! We had a cabana boy, you guys! He brought me drinks and fruit whenever I wanted.”
Zane nodded. “We also had surf and turf every night while we were there.”
Karina held out her arms. “It was picturesque. But, I missed this little girl. Come here. Come to momma. Oh, I missed you so much, you perfect little thing.”
I leaned against Brenden while I watched my best friend of numerous years kiss on the cheek of her first child. I saw the pride in Zane’s eyes whenever he looked down at his daughter, and I saw the love he had for Karina every time he looked at her. It was perfect. They were perfect.
But, I had my own slice of perfection standing right beside me.
“You think you want one of these, one day?” Zane asked.
I smiled. “Maybe one day.”
Brenden kissed the top of my head. “Whenever she’s ready, I’m ready.”
Karina looked up. “Wait, what?”
My gaze fluttered up to his. “Do you mean that?”
He pulled me close. “I’d want nothing more in this world than to start a family
with you, Kelly.”
I looked over at Karina, and she gave me a nice little head nod.
“Love looks good on you, Brenden,” Karina said.
Zane chuckled. “Told you.”
I furrowed my brow. “What? Did I miss something?”
Brenden rubbed my back. “Just a small conversation we had back last year. No biggie.”
“It sounds biggie.”
He winked at me. “I’ll tell you all about it over dinner tonight. How’s that sound?”
“Dinner in? Or, dinner out?”
“Which would you prefer?”
“I mean, dinner out is always nice. But, dinner in might give us some time for a practice run. Or, two.”
“A practice run of what?”
Zane barked with laughter. “Man, you really are thick-headed.”
And when Karina motioned with her head down to the baby in her arms, Brenden grinned deviously.
“Dinner in, it is, then,” he said. “Tomorrow.”
I paused. “Tomorrow?”
He sighed. “I kind of booked us reservations tonight for all of us to go out. Baby included, of course.”
Zane paused. “Where are we headed?”
I pointed at him. “You remember that Indian cuisine place that opened up downtown a couple of weeks ago?”
Karina gasped. “You got reservations to Bombay Sitar? I hear that place is booked out until the end of the year!”
I giggled. “Another one of your favors, Brenden?”
He shrugged. “I have my talents. But, we need to get going if we’re going to make them. Our reservations are in an hour, and I figured you two would have at least wanted to change or shower or something.”
Zane smiled. “Or something.”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “Do you guys need a moment?”
Karina swatted at him. “We’re fine. We can wait until this evening after dinner.”
She passed Sophie back to me, and I got to entertain the baby while Karina and Zane went to clean up. Brenden and I sat on the couch next to one another, cooing and talking softly to the beautiful bundle in my arms. I passed her to Brenden and leaned back, watching him cradle the small baby in his arms. And as my eyes danced over the happiness in his face, I mindlessly settled my hand on my stomach.
