“I may not have any to spare.”
“Selfish,” Jason muttered. “Hey, Jer?”
“Yeah?”
“If I pass out, don’t tell anyone.”
Jeremy laughed. Then winced again. They both groaned as they reached the road. But they were alive.
And that was all that mattered.
EPILOGUE
Two weeks later
“You sure about this?” Jeremy asked as he set Jason’s bag next to the one his brother had already sat at his feet. They stood on the sidewalk in front of departures at SeaTac Airport. “Snyder wants to kill you.”
“I need to make things right. Bailey still won’t talk to me. I really screwed up with her.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. The other was casted and tied up in a sling so his left shoulder could mend. Jeremy had a matching sling. Even their injuries were close to identical. “Besides, you two need time to find your… I don’t know… nerdvana, or whatever.”
They chuckled through the uncomfortable silence settling between them. For the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to say to his brother. Hell, half the time he never had to speak. Jason just knew.
Did he know now? Did he know how much Jeremy valued their friendship? How much he grounded him when life got too hard? Did he know how much he loved him?
“Right back at ya,” Jason mused and pulled him into his arms. Arm, since neither of them could use both.
“It freaks me out how you do that.”
Jason flashed a grin. It faltered when his gaze landed on the car. Jeremy glanced at Bree sitting in the passenger’s seat, large sunglasses hiding her swollen eyes. She hadn’t stopped crying since discovering the truth about Whitney. As much as he’d wanted to keep it from her, he knew all too well the destruction one little secret could cause. The consequences weren’t worth it.
He loved her. God, how he loved her. If it took the rest of his life, he’d find some way to bring the light back into her eyes. It terrified him to think he wouldn’t be able to do it, not without his brother at his side. “I don’t know if I can do this alone.”
“You won’t be alone. You’ve got Bree. She needs you a lot more than I do.”
He swung his attention to his twin, surprised by the comment. “You’ve never needed me.” Right?
“You’re the only reason I haven’t done anything so stupid I’d never come back.”
“And yet, here we are about to ship you two states over to meet a man who wants to end you.”
Jason chuckled and nodded. “I guess all good runs must come to an end, eh?”
He didn’t want it to come to an end. He didn’t know where to go from here. He sounded like a pathetic loser when he asked, “Jas, what do I do?”
“Make her happy, bro.”
“I don’t know if I can. Whitney was like a sister to her. Losing her is hard enough, but the realization of how much Whitney had hated her and blamed her for everything may be too much.”
“She brought you back,” Jason pointed out. “Return the favor.”
“I hope I can.” He sighed and resigned aloud, “I’ll never stop trying.”
“Make sure she knows that.” He grabbed his bags. “I’m off to face my executioner.”
“If it’s any conciliation, I don’t think Snyder will kill you.”
He laughed and backed toward the glass doors. “I wasn’t talking about Snyder. Bailey will have my balls.”
“I think she already does.”
“Dude, why you gotta go there?” He nodded at Jeremy and hurried inside. “I’ll let you know if I make it out alive.”
Something told him he would. Bailey may be pissed, but she loved Jason. If she didn’t, whatever he’d said wouldn’t have affected her like this. And Snyder wouldn’t be ready to tear him limb from limb. She was hurting. So was Jason. They needed each other.
Returning to the car, he slipped behind the wheel and pulled out. Bree had her head against the seat and didn’t say anything as they drove away. She didn’t smile. Didn’t move. She didn’t do much of anything but go to and from work. The board had learned of Drew Gleason’s manipulation and Whitney’s direction and voided the vote, returning Bree to her original position of CEO. Not even that seemed to help.
She was slipping into a darkness he didn’t know if he had the power to pull her out of. The silence grew too heavy for him. He reached over and took her hand, snapping his brow into a frown. She was trembling.
No, not trembling. Crying.
He couldn’t do a damn thing to take away her pain. It had him close to breaking down himself. He wanted to help her, wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay. But, truth was, he didn’t know. He couldn’t make a promise to her like that.
Promise.
That was it! He knew what he needed to do and pulled onto the onramp to I-5 North. They drove in silence as he passed Seattle and kept going. It wasn’t until they’d reached Lynnwood that she glanced around. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” He just hoped his parents hadn’t tossed out any of his things. Then again, they never got rid of anything. Besides, what he needed was locked and hidden away with the rest of his feelings.
It was time to pull everything from the safety of the darkness he’d kept them in and take the risk he’d been too scared to take until now.
Life was short. Too short to worry about protecting his feelings.
Two hours later, he pulled up in front of his parents’ house. They were on another cruise, this one to Hawaii. Between the road trips in their house-on-wheels and cruises every other month, they were never home. Good for them. He hoped to have that kind of relationship after he retired. With Bree.
He helped her out of the car and up the cracked walkway, making a mental note to have it repaved before his parents returned. The tree on the north side of the house had gotten out of hand. He’d have to trim it back before it scratched the paint off the siding.
She remained silent, sunglasses on, as he sat her on the couch in the living room, disappeared to the basement to recover the box, and rushed back up the stairs, his prize in hand. He grasped her hand and led her up the stairs, past all the pictures of him and Jason from birth to last year when they took a fishing trip together with their dad. Turning to move down the short hall, he opened the door to his old room his mom had turned into her sewing room. She loved to quilt.
Maneuvering through piles and piles of material, he pulled her over to the window leading to the roof, lifted the window, and grabbed a blanket before climbing out, using the tree to balance before reaching for her. She backed away, shaking her head.
“I can’t.”
“Please, baby. You need this. We both need this.” He reached again, desperate for her to accept his outstretched hand. Yet, she wouldn’t. She shook her head again, her chin quivering. “It’s me, Breanne. It’s your best friend. It’s always been me.”
Reluctantly, she rested her hand in his and allowed him to lift her to the roof. Once he spread the blanket in the shade, he took her hand and sat her down before joining her, setting the box between them.
“Do you remember the promise we made up here?”
She shook her head and said nothing.
“I think you do. In fact, I know you do. You asked me to find something for you that night in the hotel.” He faced her and opened the old, dusty cigar box. Inside sat the rings they’d given each other all those years ago. “Look what I found.”
She gasped as her hands flew to her mouth. Removing her sunglasses for the first time since hearing about Whitney’s death and what had led up to it, she leaned in. “Are those…”
“I found yours right after you left for Pasadena. I was in a bad spot and snuck into your room to feel sorry for myself.” He rounded his eyes at his admission. “Don’t tell your dad. He never really liked me.”
“I can’t believe you found it.” She laughed and wiped her tears.
“I did, but not after you a
sked me to. I’ve had it since the day you left.”
“How? I thought I’d lost it.”
“I’m getting to that. So, seeing your room so empty, everything gone that made it yours, really hit me hard. I came back here and sat on this roof, talking to the tree. As the sun set, the light caught something stuck in the tree.” He removed her ring from the box and held it between them. “I found this just sitting there, like I was meant to find it.”
“Jeremy,” she whispered, her hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face. When he rose to one knee, she inhaled sharply and swallowed a sob. “What are you doing?”
“I let you walk away before. I’m never going to make that mistake again. I love you, Breanne. I’ve loved you since you said hi to me in the seventh grade. I’ll never stop loving you. Marry me, baby. I can’t promise I’ll never make you cry since I seem to be making you cry now. But I can promise to never stop trying to make you smile. Please, let me marry you.”
She sobbed and threw her arms around him, careful not to jar his injury. Her hand collided with his, sending the ring flying. They both turned to watch it roll down the roof and over the edge, bounce off the rocks below, and roll into the street, where it bounced again and slipped through the grates leading to the sewer.
They sat there in silence for several seconds, staring at the grate as if it had somehow eaten the ring on purpose. Shit. Now what? His entire plan had just gone down the drain.
“Bet you can’t do that again.” She smiled for the first time in too long.
“I guess I just have to get you a better ring.”
“Maybe one from a jewelry store this time,” she mused, her tone light and laced with amusement. With hope.
“You have a problem with a ring from a vending machine at the local 7-11?”
They both laughed. He pulled her under his good arm and kissed her, allowing the emotions he’d held in for too long to surface and break free. “I love you, Breanne. I’m not hiding from that any longer. I’m through running. I will admit, however, that I’m scared shitless. I’m in uncharted territory here.”
She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder just as the sun started to lower below the horizon. They sat there watching another day pass with the promise of a new one right around the corner. He’d never felt more at peace and took her hand. They were going to be okay.
“How does Jason fit in with all this?” she asked.
He kissed the top of her head. “He’ll be my best man, of course.”
She nudged him with her shoulder. “I mean with us.”
“You’re my girl. Always have been. That’s what he’s been trying to pound into my head. I never needed him, not when it comes to you. I know that now.”
“I’ve always known that.” She rested her nose to his and whispered, “You’re everything I need, Jeremy. Promise me one thing.”
“Anything.” He kissed her nose.
“We serve cookie dough at the reception and make sure our kids can recite all the classic movies.”
He kissed her forehead. “As you wish.”
THE END
Thank you for reading It Takes Two! Please consider leaving a review. It’s one of the absolute BEST things you can do for an author.
Interested in more TREX? Please visit my website at www.alliekadams.com.
About the Author
“If you’re looking for non-stop, heart-racing action and sizzling romance, look no further. Allie K. Adams will take you there—and more!” –USA Today bestselling author Lucy Monroe
Allie K. Adams is the USA Today bestselling author of several award-winning stories. An active member of the search and rescue, as well as previously served as a reserve deputy, Allie has firsthand experience in most of the dangers she writes about. Known for her highly thrilling, deeply intense suspense romances, she can be found most days in front of her computer, saving the world one sizzling story at a time. She grew up in Seattle and now currently lives in southwest Montana with the hubs and various other wildlife.
She loves to hear from readers and encourages them to reach out to her through her website at www.alliekadams.com.
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Books by Allie K. Adams
THE MURPH & GRACE SERIES — Thriller
I Will Find You (#1)
They All Scream (#2) – Coming 2016!
THE TREX ADVENTURES — Military Romantic Suspense
First Response (#1 TREX Brief)
Rescue Me (#2)
At Any Cost (#3)
TREX Boxed Set One (#1 - #3)
No Way Out (#4 TREX Brief – Special Edition)
Seek and Destroy (#5)
Under the Covers (#6)
Out of Time (#7)
It Takes Two (#8)
Merry TREXmas (#9 – Special Edition – Part of the 12 Christmas Romances Anthology)
THE BRACE SERIES — Police Romantic Suspense
Brace For Impact (#1)
Brace For Contact (#2 – Part of the Protect & Serve Anthology)
THE CAMPUS PLAYERS — Sassy New Adult
Grooming the Player (#1)
Hiring the Player (#2)
Playing the Player (#3 – Part of the Playing for Passion Anthology)
KINDLE WORLDS
A Love Once Lost (Barbara Freethy’s The Callaways)
Taking Chances, Part 1 (HM Ward’s The Arrangement)
Truth or Dare (Carly Phillips’ Dare to Love)
Turn the Page (Tiffany A. Snow’s Kathleen Turner)
Taking Chances, Part 2 (HM Ward’s The Arrangement) – Coming soon!
THE ROADHOUSE SERIES – Cowboy Romantic Suspense Serial
Riding Lessons – Masters’ Roadhouse, Part 1 (#1) – Out Now!
Riding Double – Masters’ Roadhouse, Part 2 (#2) – Out Now!
Riding Cowboys – Henry’s Roadhouse, Part 1 (#3)
Riding the Fence – Henry’s Roadhouse, Part 2 (#4)
Riding Bareback – Emerson’s Roadhouse, Part 1 (#5)
The Last Ride – Emerson’s Roadhouse, Part 2 (#6)
It Takes Two Page 30
