Her Protector: A Braxton Brothers Romance

by Meyer, Anne-Marie

  Jonathan reached out and grasped her hand. Layla glanced up at him. Jonathan was a formidable person. Her jaw must have dropped because he chuckled.

  “Nice to meet you, Layla,” he said.

  Tiffany made her way over and wrapped her arm around Jonathan, and he did the same to her. Layla hadn’t noticed it, but Josh was now standing behind Beth, and Mr. Braxton was leaning next to Mrs. Braxton at the counter.

  Everyone in the room had someone except for her. Well, her and James. He was shifting his weight as he stood next to her. Did he notice as well?

  “What’re the birthday plans?” James asked, turning his attention toward Josh.

  Layla wondered for a moment if he felt as uncomfortable as she did.

  “We’re finishing up the balloons for here. Then we’ll be heading to the beach to spend the day there.”

  Beach. Huh. Layla hadn’t bought a swimsuit at the mall.

  Tiffany stepped away from Jonathan and over to her. “Are you okay?”

  Layla nodded. “Yeah, of course.” She sucked in her breath. “Well, actually, I don’t have a swimsuit.”

  “No problem. I’ve got a spare at home.” Tiffany wrapped her arm around Layla’s shoulders. “Come on, we’ll go grab it and meet you guys at the beach.”

  James looked shocked as he watched Tiffany drag Layla toward the front door. “Um, okay. Yeah.”

  Jonathan chuckled as he clapped James on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, man. Tiff will take care of her.”

  Layla shot him a smile as she allowed Tiffany to lead her outside and shut the door behind them. Now, in the warm summer air, Layla let out her breath. She hadn’t realized how overwhelmed she felt in the Braxton house until she left.

  There was so much happening within those walls that she was definitely out of her element. Never had she been around a family that cared that much about each other. Who got together for a kid’s birthday like they were doing for Jordan.

  It made her sad. She wanted to have a family like that in her life. She had disappeared from her home, and no one had called to see where she was. She suspected that if she was part of the Braxton family, they would have called.

  “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it,” Tiffany said as she pulled a pair of sunglasses from her purse and slipped them on.

  Layla chewed her lip as she stood by the passenger door of Tiffany’s car and waited for her to unlock it. When the click sounded, she pulled on the handle and slipped inside. “Yeah. They are a lot,” she said.

  Tiffany stuck the key into the ignition. “I grew up with them and still need some alone time. Being engaged to Jonathan is great, but man, that family loves to spend time together.”

  “Wow. You’ve known Jonathan that long?”

  Tiffany set her hand on the back of Layla’s seat and shifted so she could look over her shoulder. “Yeah. We were inseparable when we were kids. Took about fifteen years for us to discover that we were perfect for each other.” Once she’d backed out of the driveway, she turned around and shifted the car into drive.

  “Doesn’t mean I’ve gotten used to all the family dinners and events.” She sighed. “Jonathan is still playing for the Steelers even though he had a scare earlier this summer. So, he’s gone a lot and I’m stuck here with the Braxton family.” She scrunched up her nose. “Which isn’t as doomsday as I just made it sound.” She turned to shoot Layla a smile.

  “Really, I’m grateful that Mrs. Braxton has taken it upon herself to see that I’ve got dinner and a place to be on Sunday afternoons.” She came to a stop when the light turned red. She leaned her head back on the headrest and let out her breath.

  Layla glanced over at her. Was this her cue to speak?

  “In New York, I’m pretty much on my own. My parents are on some mission trip in Africa. I had a brother but he passed away. All I have is my work.” She let out her breath slowly. She had not expected her stomach to tighten when she spoke those words.

  Sure, she’d known they were true, but hearing them spoken out loud made her sad. And to bring a child into her work-centered life made her feel like a terrible mother.

  Tiffany reached over and patted her hand. “Well, I’m glad that you found James and that he brought you down here. The Braxtons are a lot of things, but stingy is not one of them. They’ll take you in no matter what.” A car behind them honked, and Tiffany raised her hand to acknowledge it. Then she pressed on the gas and turned left.

  Layla knew what Tiffany had said was true. The Braxtons were pretty much the family she’d imagined for herself. The kind of parents she dreamed of.

  But none of this was real. At some point, she was going to have to leave. Walk out their door and put Honey Grove in her past and James in her rearview mirror. There wasn’t a future for them. They weren’t destined to be together.

  He would move on, and so would she.

  Her heart felt as if it were hemorrhaging in her chest, and she knew that when it came time for her to walk away, she wasn’t sure she would be able to.

  Great.

  Chapter Eleven

  James watched as Layla followed Tiffany out the door. The normal hum of chatter filled the air once the two girls were gone. James cleared his throat as he noticed Jonathan studying him. He was smiling in that you’re in trouble kind of way.

  James downed his glass of water and set it next to the sink. His mom tsked at him and pointed to the dishwasher with her finger.

  James nodded and took care of it, his brother still staring at him. “What?” he asked when he realized his brother wasn’t going to let up.

  Jonathan folded his arms and shook his head. “Nothing. I didn’t say anything.”

  James narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you have a game to get to?”

  Jonathan leaned back against the counter. “Not this weekend,” he said as he reached over and grabbed a few grapes from the bowl that sat alongside the wall. He plopped them into his mouth and then turned back to James.

  “Jonny, stop picking on your brother,” Sondra said as she pulled a handful of water bottles from the fridge and began to pack them into a cooler.

  “Thanks, Ma. But I think I can fight my own battles,” James said, grabbing a bottle from his mom and cracking the lid.

  She swatted him as she turned back to the fridge to grab more.

  “So, this girl. She’s…what did Josh call her? A job?” Jonathan asked as he leaned his elbows on the counter.

  James glanced over at Josh. “You told them I said that?”

  Josh shrugged as he made his way over to grab some grapes as well. “What else was I supposed to say?”

  James blew out his breath as he pushed his hands through his hair. “She’s the ex of one of my good friends. He got into some trouble and asked me to take her out of the city until things calm down.”

  The fridge slammed shut. Everyone glanced over to see Sondra standing there, her complexion white. “You don’t mean like illegal things?”

  Not wanting his mom to get upset, James shook his head. “Just a misunderstanding with some friends. He figured it would be better to have Layla out of town instead of facing the backlash.”

  Sondra shot him a look as she passed by him to pack the remaining water bottles. Beth was gathering food into an adjacent cooler. James shot her a smile as she passed by him.

  Growing up, James had always had a major crush on Beth. She was James’s best friend, so she’d had been over here a lot. Having her here, engaged to Josh, made him happy. He knew his oldest brother would take care of her, and that’s what she deserved.

  “Still, I want you to be careful, James,” Sondra said. She was pacing around the kitchen as she gathered snacks from the cupboards. “You watch over her.” When James glanced over at his mom, he saw her waving a sheath of crackers in his direction.

  “Of course, Mom,” James said, holding his hands up in surrender. Why did she think he’d do anything different?

  With the way he was feeling toward Layla, he was beginnin
g to wonder if he’d even be able to let her go once Juan called to tell him the coast was clear. She was very quickly wriggling her way into his heart.

  Plus, the way she looked in her pajamas this morning… His whole body heated just thinking about it.

  James cleared his throat. That wasn’t what he should be thinking about while he was standing in the kitchen with his family. Needing something to do, he walked over to Jordan and swung him over his shoulder.

  “I think it’s time we start celebrating this kid,” he said as he headed over to the door and made his way outside.

  Jordan was laughing as tried to get a good grip so he could push his body up and see.

  “Uncle James,” he shrieked as James began to spin him around in the yard.

  Right before he was pretty sure he and Jordan were going to puke, he stopped spinning, and they both tumbled to the ground. Jordan rolled away from James as if he were worried that James would pick him back up.

  But the world was spinning too fast for James to do anything. He just lay there with his hands resting on his chest as he closed his eyes.

  The sound of the wind through the trees filled his ears. He took in a few deep breaths of the salty air. The beach smelled so close, and as the warmth surrounded him, James could have sworn it was just a few feet away.

  In the distance, he heard voices as people began to trickle out of the house. For some reason, James waited to hear Layla’s voice, like she was still there.

  He knew she wasn’t, but he still wanted to hear the soft melodies of her voice and the slight laugh to her words when she talked about things she loved. Having that intermingled with his family’s voices filled a hole in his soul that he hadn’t known was there.

  Having her around made it apparent that he needed her. And even though she’d only been gone for twenty minutes now, he missed her.

  A lot.

  Man. He was in trouble.

  He waited to feel the rise of regret that normally came when he thought about his happiness. But those feelings didn’t come. Instead, the only desire he had was to see Layla again.

  It was a strange sensation. He’d been living with his guilt for so long, he didn’t know who he’d be without it. But fear wasn’t what he was feeling. Only desire.

  Pushing himself up, he glanced around to see his mom walking out of the house, carrying the coolers. Not wanting her to strain her back, James was on his feet and over to her in one swift movement.

  He grabbed the straps and slipped them off Sondra’s shoulders. She whipped around, her eyes wide with surprise. Then a smile played on her lips as she let him take the coolers. When he placed them on his shoulders, she reached out and patted his cheek.

  “You were always my considerate boy,” she said.

  James had to squelch his inner teenager and not sigh at his mom’s statement. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Love you,” he said.

  Sondra’s eyes welled up as she nodded and pressed her fingers to her lips. Not wanting to stand around as his mom brought up the past, James quickened his pace to the car.

  He loved his mom, but he wasn’t ready to deal with the past that was haunting him. He needed time. And even though he knew that was torturing his mom, he wasn’t ready to give up that time. It was what he needed to heal.

  And maybe that was why he’d stayed away for so long. Everywhere he went, people wanted to know how he was doing. How he was holding up.

  When he was in a room full of strangers, they didn’t ask. They didn’t care. They didn’t know enough about him to ask.

  But with family, they loved you. They wanted to know the answers to all the questions they had. And even though he wasn’t ready to give them answers, they still wanted him to. They were persistent.

  James forced those thoughts from his mind as he made his way over to the car and set the coolers in the trunk. He was about to spend an afternoon at the beach with his family. This wasn’t the time for him to dwell on his problems.

  Plus, he was going to spend more time with Layla, and that thought brought this overwhelming rush of emotions. He was ready to see her again. After having spent almost two full days with her, he missed her.

  He missed her soft, shy smile, like she wasn’t sure if it was okay for her to like something. He missed that she was guarded. Someone like that could understand why he was guarded. Maybe together, they’d find the ability to move forward, one step at a time.

  Even though she didn’t know what had happened, he knew she’d understand. Finding someone with secrets was helping him come to grips with his own.

  “Ready, lover boy?” Josh called out as he clapped James on the shoulder.

  James whipped around, startled. He’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t noticed his family gather around him.

  “Lover boy?” he grumbled under his breath.

  Josh glanced down at him with a wide smile as he leaned in. “I recognize that look.” He jabbed his thumb in Jonathan’s direction.

  Jonathan’s jaw dropped. “I reject your accusation.”

  Josh shrugged.

  “All right, boys. Let’s get to the beach before this turns into an all-out brawl,” Sondra said, sounding amused. She had a wide grin on her face, and James could tell she was loving having them together.

  It had to be hard to go from a house full of rowdy boys to nothing.

  And then a twinge of regret filled his chest. He shouldn’t have been so selfish, staying away for so long. His mom deserved to have her children around. If he cared about her, he’d learn how to put his past behind him and be in the present.

  “There he goes again, turning into that day dreamer we all know and love,” Josh shouted as he waved to Beth and Jordan. James moved to shove him, but Josh jumped out of the way just in time.

  Getting teased was definitely something James had gotten used to. Especially since he was the middle child.

  Beth shot James a sympathetic smile as she walked by him and climbed into the driver’s seat. Jordan waved at everyone as he followed suit.

  “Looks like it’s just you and me,” Jonathan said as he clapped James on the shoulder.

  James nodded and followed after his brother. They climbed into Jonathan’s Jaguar and the engine roared to life.

  They spent the short drive to the beach talking about Jonathan’s season and team. It was nice to talk about something mind-numbing like football. James was done thinking about his feelings for Layla or the fact that she was his best friend’s ex.

  When the car fell silent, James glanced over to see Jonathan studying him.

  “What?” James asked as he shifted in his seat.

  Jonathan shook his head. “What do you keep thinking about?”

  James cleared his throat. “What?”

  Jonathan slowed to a stop in front of a red light. “Whatever it is, man, you can tell me.” Jonathan’s tone had turned serious as he glanced over at James.

  James knew his brother meant well, but that was a topic he just wasn’t ready to discuss. So instead of facing his brother, he turned to look out the window as he nodded. “I know.”

  Thankfully the beach came into view just a few minutes later, which effectively ended their discussion. By the time they pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine, everyone else had arrived. There was massive chaos as they attempted to grab everything out of the trunk and shuffled across the road to the beach.

  By the time James felt sand between his toes, he was carrying two umbrellas, a cooler, and a giant killer whale floaty. Jordan was walking alongside him, going on and on about some new video game that was just the best.

  James nodded as he listened, trying to follow his nephew’s train of thought.

  Once Sondra declared which patch of sand was theirs, everyone got busy setting up. Umbrellas were shoved into the sand. Blankets were spread out, and lawn chairs were set around the edges to keep the blankets from flying away.

  Jordan and Josh ran straight into the water. J
ames watched as Beth kept glancing in their direction. Her cheeks were pink and her smile unmistakable.

  She was completely smitten by James’s brother.

  Feeling the urge to talk to her, James walked over and bumped her with his shoulder. “How’s it going?” he asked.

  Beth glanced over at him. James could see his reflection in her glasses. She smiled as she reached down and opened one of the coolers to grab a water. “Things are great.”

  James raised his eyebrows. “Being a nanny for my brother? Really?” He made sure the teasing in his tone was apparent.

  Beth laughed as she nodded. “It was a little strange at first. But after Cindy signed her parental rights away and dropped off the face of the planet, I kind of fell into that role. I mean, Jordan is like my own kid.” Her expression grew soft as her gaze flicked back toward the ocean. “Plus, he’s way better at planning a wedding than Josh has been.”

  James nodded as he shoved his hands into his front pockets. That sounded about right. “How’s that going?”

  Beth had unscrewed the lid of the water and was mid-drink. She hurried to finish swallowing. James shot her sheepish smile. He hadn’t meant to rush her.

  “It’s good. Just slow. My mom was diagnosed with cancer last year. I want her to be a part of it, but she gets tired easily.”

  James stomach sank. “I’m so sorry.” He remembered Beth’s mom. She was a nice lady.

  Beth’s expression fell slightly before she shook her head. “No, it’s okay. She’s responding to treatment. Doctors are really positive that it won’t come back.”

  James smiled, relief flooding his body. Just as he moved to ask her more, two figures walking toward them drew his attention. His heart picked up speed when he saw Layla next to Tiffany. She was wearing a black one-piece with a multicolored sarong wrapped around her waist.

  The wind picked up the loose fabric and caused it to dance around Layla’s legs.

  A deep desire burned in James’s body as he took in her gentle walk and how petite she looked, striding across the sand. It awoke a part of him that he’d closed off.