And Then There Was Us: Hugh Braden (Sweet with Heat: Weston Bradens Book 6)

by Addison Cole

  “You too, man.” Hugh felt the draw of family like he never had before. He wanted to be embraced by their warmth. He wanted to sit down and enjoy time with them and bring Brianna and Layla into their inner circle.

  Jade Johnson, Rex’s fiancée, joined them. She kissed Hugh’s cheek. “I love Brianna and Layla. You’re a lucky man.” Jade’s jet-black hair lay straight and thick down her back, almost to her waist. Rex slung his arm over her shoulder. Rex and Jade’s relationship had ended a forty-year feud between their two families.

  Hugh watched Rex place a kiss on the back of Jade’s neck and thought, Love really can conquer all. “Thanks, Jade. I feel pretty lucky,” Hugh said. “Let’s go into the living room before Josh and Riley have Brianna and Layla wearing New York City wardrobes.”

  Josh and Riley were both clothing designers, and they lived in Manhattan near Savannah and Jack. Josh was the most reserved of the Braden men and every bit as handsome with his closely shorn black hair and perfectly sculpted physique. Josh embraced Hugh and patted him on the back.

  “When are you coming back to New York?” Josh asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’ll be a married man when I do.” Patience was never one of Hugh’s virtues, and his love for Brianna instilled a need to be closer to her. He glanced at Brianna and Layla. Tonight. Hugh couldn’t wait to become Brianna’s husband and Layla’s father.

  Riley brushed her brown hair from her shoulder. She looked pretty in her skinny jeans and sweater. Riley had grown up in Weston, and Hugh had been happy when she and Josh had gotten together. They complemented each other well. Hugh opened his arms, and Riley stepped in.

  “You look gorgeous as always,” Hugh said.

  Hugh looked around the room and realized that he and each of his siblings had ended up with partners who seemed perfect for them.

  The glass doors opened and Jack Remington, Savannah’s fiancé, and Hugh’s father, Hal, came into the room. Two formidable men wearing Levi’s and boots. Both had shoulders as wide as freight trains, and though Hal’s hair had gone a little more gray, he was still shockingly handsome with his dark, soulful eyes and pleasant smile.

  “There’s my boy,” Hal said. He opened his arms as he crossed the hardwood floor. Hugh fell against him and held on tight.

  “I’ve missed you, Dad.”

  Hal put his hands on Hugh’s shoulders and stared into his eyes. “Yup. I see it now. You see that, Jack?”

  Hugh shot a glance at Jack. “What?”

  “Love, son. You’ve got it bad.” Hal crouched down and touched Layla’s nose.

  She put her hands behind her back and twisted from side to side. “Hi.”

  “Hi there.” Hal’s voice was so deep it seemed out of place following Layla’s. He stood and opened his arms, waiting for Brianna to step in. When she didn’t, he shifted his eyes to Hugh.

  “You might as well step in there and hug him, Brianna, or he’ll wait all night,” Hugh said.

  “Sorry,” she said with a smile. “Hi, Mr. Braden. I’m Brianna.”

  “Don’t be sorry. You’ll be a Braden soon, and Bradens hug.” Hal pulled her into a quick embrace, then put an arm around her shoulder.

  “I’ve been waiting to meet you.” He reached for Layla’s hand. Together they went to the couch and sat down. “So, tell me all about Layla and yourself.”

  Watching his father envelop Brianna and Layla with the love he’d always bathed Hugh and his siblings in filled his heart with certainty. The next few hours couldn’t pass quickly enough.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  HUGH’S LEG BOUNCED nervously beneath the table. Brianna’s mother, Kat, and Mack’s family had already arrived, and he was ready to run down the aisle and marry Brianna. Out of respect for Savannah and Jack, he made no move to rush things along. Instead, he made small talk with Jack’s family, the Remingtons.

  “Thanks for playing with Layla today,” Hugh said to Sage Remington, one of Jack’s younger brothers.

  “She’s a great kid.” Sage’s eyes were as contemplative as Brianna’s and midnight blue like Jack’s. A tattoo snaked out from under his shirtsleeve. At twenty-eight, he was already a world-renowned artist with work in galleries throughout the world.

  “Savannah tells me that you like the outdoors as much as Jack does. Do you spend much time in the mountains?” Hugh asked.

  “Not as much as I’d like, but I’m hoping to make a few changes and carve out a little more downtime.”

  “Downtime is overrated.” Dex, Jack’s youngest brother, sat on his other side next to his twin sister, Siena. All of the Remingtons had dark hair, but while Dex’s eyes were midnight blue, like Jack’s and Sage’s, Siena, a model, had electric-blue eyes like her mother.

  “I don’t know. I like downtime these days.” Hugh squeezed Brianna’s hand.

  “Dex doesn’t know what downtime is. His life is all about PC game addiction,” Sage teased.

  “It’s his business,” Siena explained to Hugh.

  “He made millions in his downtime,” Kurt Remington added. “But, there’s no harm in loving what you do.”

  “Says my brother the writer, who makes up stories for a living,” Dex said.

  “Listen here, son,” Hal began. “As long as you love what you do, then it’s a fine living indeed.”

  After dinner, Treat stood to make a toast. “Jack, welcome to the family. We’re proud to have you as a brother.” He raised his glass. “To Savannah and Jack and a lifetime of love and happiness.” Everyone raised their glasses, and Treat remained standing. He reached for Max’s hand, and Max rose to her feet. “We have our own announcement to share.” He put his arm around Max and kissed the side of her forehead. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  There was a collective gasp.

  “A baby?” Savannah squealed. She ran around the table and hugged Max, then Treat. “You’re going to have a baby! I’m going to be Aunt Savannah. Oh, Max!” She threw her arms around Max again. “What a night. A new baby and a new sister-in-law.” She winked at Brianna.

  Everyone congratulated Treat and Max, and Hugh thought about how fast life was moving for all of them. He could barely believe that before nightfall he’d be married and he’d be Layla’s father. Layla had asked Brianna if she could call Hugh Dad, and when Brianna told her she could, Hugh had been unable to hold back his tears.

  Max threw her napkin on the table. “Okay, enough baby talk. Come on, girls. We have to help Bree and Layla get ready for their big night.” Lacy, Savannah, Riley, and Jade took Brianna by the arms and headed toward the house. Jean, Kat, and Layla followed on their heels.

  Savannah stopped halfway to the door and hollered, “Siena, come on! We’re waiting on you. Joanie! We need another mother’s opinion.”

  Siena and Joanie hurried toward the house.

  “You’ve done it now,” Josh said. “You’ll get her back and she’ll look like a whole different woman.”

  “A hen party,” Kurt said with a laugh.

  Josh leaned across the table. “Hugh, do you need help dressing?”

  Hugh rose to his feet. “Yeah, right. Not from you doofuses.”

  AN HOUR LATER, as the sun set behind the mountains and the wedding march played softly in the background, Hugh stood beneath a white canopy lined with white lights, wearing Dane’s dark suit—which fit him quite well—with a nervous ache in his gut.

  Layla walked down the makeshift aisle beside Kat, looking beautiful in the princess gown Hugh’d had delivered for her from a local shop. She and Kat tossed rose petals from a basket. Hugh felt tears pressing at his eyes as he took in the love on his family’s faces. His world had changed on a dime. One awful blind date. One look from Brianna’s gorgeous, smart brown eyes and a first date he’d never forget.

  The doors to the house opened, and Brianna walked across the lawn, her arm wrapped around Mack’s. Hugh cleared his throat to loosen the lump that had lodged there. Brianna moved gracefully toward him, wearing a simple white wedding gown
that cascaded over her curves and looked as if it were custom-made for her. The sweetheart neckline and short train were exactly what he’d pictured her in. Her hair hung loose and pretty, framing her face. Thanks to the owner of the local flower shop, Brianna carried a small bouquet of white roses, and as she joined Hugh under the canopy, his eyes filled with tears. He wished his mother could be there, but he felt, as his father always had, that she was with them in spirit, and as he looked at Layla sitting between her grandmother and Kat, he knew she’d have been proud of the man he’d become.

  Hugh mouthed, I love you, to Brianna and made no effort to wipe the tear that tumbled down his cheek.

  Brianna’s lower lip trembled when she tried to speak.

  He wiped her tear with the pad of his thumb and mouthed, “Sidecar.”

  Brianna smiled.

  They reached for each other’s hands as they turned to face Treat. Hugh couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather have officiate their wedding than the brother who had been there every step of his life, supporting, teaching, and caring for him.

  Treat began the ceremony. “Brianna and Hugh have found life’s sweetest moments with each other. The union of marriage will become home to their honesty and affection, their courage, and their fidelity. It will also become home to the harshness of life, the sadness, and the hurt that life bestows on them. The ability to heal and rebuild is within each of you. As you create this sacred union and accept these solemn vows, remember that your partner, your lover, your spouse, will rely on, and trust in, your promise to heal, to love, and to cherish.”

  “Brianna and Hugh have written their own vows. Brianna.”

  “Hugh.” Brianna’s voice was soft, her eyes tender. “You came into my life when I least expected you, and you loved me and Layla unconditionally. I continue to fall more in love with you each day. I promise to be the best wife I can be, to support and love you, and never to go to bed angry.”

  Treat stepped forward. “Hugh.”

  “Brianna.” Hugh heard his voice crack, and he paused to clear his throat. “I never knew how love could touch every part of a person’s life until I met you and Layla. Since the first night we met, you’ve not only opened my heart, but you’ve filled it. Completely. You’ve shown me how to love, and you’ve loved me with tenderness, strength, and compassion. I promise to always put you and Layla first in my life, to honor your needs and desires, and to support your passions. I promise to be the best husband, man, and lover that I can be, and I will always walk by your side and whisper sidecar in your ear.”

  Brianna smiled despite the tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “I love you, Brianna, and I am the luckiest man on earth that you have granted me the gift of being my wife.”

  “Dad?” Treat nodded toward his father.

  Hal had changed for the occasion. In his dark suit and cowboy boots, he put an arm on Hugh’s back and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, son.” He leaned in closer and whispered, “She looks just as beautiful in that dress as your mother did.” He handed Hugh the rings and went back to his seat.

  Mom. Tears welled in Hugh’s eyes. He dropped his eyes to the gown, and his parents’ wedding picture that sat on his father’s dresser came back to him. Hugh felt a tingling sensation wash through him. He looked at Treat, who touched his shoulder and nodded, as if he’d known about the dress all along—and he probably had.

  Treat stepped forward. “May the seamless circle of these rings represent the eternal love between Brianna and Hugh and remind them of the union they have entered into today to be faithful, loving, and kind to each other from this day forward.”

  Hugh held Brianna’s left hand in his, each trembling hand supporting the other. He held her engagement ring and her wedding ring in his right hand.

  “Please repeat after me,” Treat began. “I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows and with all that I have, and all that I am, I will always honor you.”

  Hugh repeated the words with a shaky voice and slid the rings on Brianna’s finger.

  “Brianna, please repeat after me,” Treat began. He stated the same vows, and Brianna repeated them while gazing lovingly into Hugh’s eyes. When she slid the wedding ring on his finger, Hugh brought her trembling hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it.

  “Layla, would you please join us?” Treat held a hand out to Layla, and she came and stood beside him. “Hugh.”

  Hugh knelt before Layla, his heart hammering against his chest. He held her precious little hand in his and looked her in her beautiful eyes. “Layla, I promise to be the best daddy I can be. I will give you space to grow and be happy, and I will always, always love you and your mother.” He slid the diamond tiara ring on her finger. Layla’s mouth formed an O, and she jumped into Hugh’s arms.

  “Oh, Hugh! You really are our prince! And, Mommy, guess what?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Grandma was wrong. You didn’t have to kiss a lot of frogs before you found him!”

  Everyone laughed. Treat spoke over their excitement. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Please, Hugh, kiss your bride.”

  Hugh placed his hand on Brianna’s cheek and kissed his beautiful wife. Then he kissed Layla’s cheek.

  Layla put her little hands on the sides of his head, and with a serious look in her eyes she asked, “Does this mean we’re the Three Musketeers now?”

  “Yes, princess, it does,” Brianna answered.

  Three Musketeers. Hugh didn’t think his heart could hold another bit of happiness, and it opened up and swallowed that one right up.

  Treat opened his arms. “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Braden.”

  With Layla in his arms, Hugh pulled Brianna close and whispered in her ear, “Remember when Kat asked what I was looking for in a woman?”

  “Yeah. You said someone smart, honest, and family oriented.”

  “It could only have been you, Brianna, and it will only ever be you.”

  Ready for More Bradens?

  If this is your first Sweet with Heat novel, there are many more love stories waiting for you, including one for each of the Braden siblings. Start reading the rest of the Weston Braden series with A LOVE SO SWEET, and follow Treat and Max to their happily ever after.

  Buy with A LOVE SO SWEET

  Want More Sweet with Heat?

  Fall in love on the sandy shores of Cape Cod Bay in the Sweet with Heat Seaside Summers series, featuring a group of fun, flirty, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their cottages. They’re sassy, flawed, and so fun, you’ll be begging to enter their circle of friends!

  Chapter One

  THE TIDE LAPPED at the sandy shore beyond the deck of the cedar-shingled bungalow where Kurt Remington sat on the deck of his cottage, fingers to keyboard, working on his latest manuscript. Dark Times was due to his agent at the end of the month, and Kurt came to his cottage in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, to hunker down for the summer and complete the project. He lived just outside of New York City and he wrote daily, sometimes for ten or twelve hours straight. In the summers, he liked the change of scenery the Cape offered and was inspired by the Cape’s fresh air and the sounds of the sea.

  He’d bought the estate of a local painter a few years earlier with the intent of renovating the artist’s studio that sat nestled among a grouping of trees on the far side of the property. Initially, Kurt thought he might use the studio as a writing retreat separate from where he lived, with the idea that leaving the cottage to work might give him a chance to actually have a life and not feel pressure to write twenty-four-seven. What he found was that the studio was too far removed from the sights and sounds that inspired him, and it made him feel like even more of a recluse than he already was. He realized that it wasn’t the location of his computer that pressured him. It was his internal drive and his love of writing that propelled his fingers to the keyboard every waking second. The idea of making the studio into a guest cottage crossed his mind, but that would indicate his desire to have guests, whi
ch would mean giving up his coveted writing time to entertain. So there it sat, awaiting…something. Though he had no idea what.

  The cottage was built down a private road at the top of a dune, with a private beach below. A curtain of dense air settled around him. Kurt lifted his eyes long enough to scan the graying clouds and ponder the imminence of rain. It was seven twenty in the evening, and he’d been writing since nine o’clock that morning, as was his daily habit, right after his three-mile run, two cups of coffee, and a quick breeze through the newspaper and email. Once Kurt got into his writing zone each day, other than getting up to eat, he rarely changed his surroundings. The idea of moving inside and breaking his train of thought was unsettling.

  He set his hands back on the keyboard and reread the last few sentences of what would become his thirteenth thriller novel. A dog barked in the distance, and Kurt drew his thick, dark brows together without breaking the stride of his keystrokes. Kurt hadn’t risen to the ranks of Patterson, King, and Grisham by being easily distracted.

  “Pepper! Come on, boy!” A female voice sliced through his concentration. “Come on, Pepper. Where are you?”

  Kurt’s fingers hesitated for only a moment as she hollered; then he went right back to the killer lurking outside the window in his story.

  “Pepper!” the woman yelled again. “Oh geez, Pepper, really?”

  Kurt closed his eyes for a beat as the wind picked up. The woman’s voice was distracting him. She was too close to ignore. Get your mutt and move on. He let out a breath and went back to work. Kurt craved silence. The quieter things were, the better he could hear his characters and think through their issues. He tried to ignore the sounds of splashing and continued writing.

  “Pepper! No, Pepper!”

  Great. He was hoping to squeeze in a few more hours of writing on the deck before taking a walk on the beach, but if that woman kept up her racket, he’d be forced to work inside—and if there was one thing Kurt hated, it was changing his surroundings while he was in the zone. Writing was an art that took total focus. He’d honed his craft with the efficiency of a drill sergeant, which was only fitting since his father was a four-star general.