by Tl Reeve
“Stay, I want us to talk too. Then if Rai is up to it, I could take him around town or something,” Dexter said.
She glanced down at where they touched. “Uh... I don’t want to interrupt or intrude.”
“You’re not,” Dexter replied. “I feel like the last time I saw you, we were just getting started.”
Well, shit, when he looked at her as though he’d missed her after only knowing her a few hours, how could she say no? This is crazy. “Sure. Okay.” She slid in beside Rai. “You look good, by the way.”
Dexter grinned. “So do you.”
Rai glanced between them. “Maybe I need to give you guys a minute to bang it out?”
Heat filled her cheeks as Dexter roared with laughter, breaking some of the building tension between them. She realized when they made the date to meet up, it would be a bit awkward. This, however, was madness. “Thank you for breaking the ice, Rai.” She rolled her eyes and chuckled a little.
“You remind me of my brother,” Dexter said. “He says whatever comes to mind and has no filter.”
Rai sat up a bit more. “Really? But who do I look like?”
“Your mother.” Dexter grinned. “I guess a bit of me too. Have you ever cut your hair?”
Rai frowned, touching the ends of his curly hair. “No, but does it matter?”
Dexter’s eyes widened. “No. It suits you. Your aunt would kill for hair like yours.” He glanced at Brittney. “No dying or anything?”
“Nope. This is his natural wild hair. Color, curls and all.” She touched Rai’s shoulder. “I couldn’t bear to cut it when he was younger. So, I made a deal with him, if he kept his hair under control and remembered to maintain it with trims and treatments, he could let it grow as long or cut it as short as he wanted.”
“Oh, I see.” Dexter nodded.
“It’s not for you to say either way,” Rai said, frowning. Her son had always been sensitive about his hair. It’d been a bone of contention in school as well. Boys picked on him and called him a girl. Girls loved it and were also jealous of his untamable locks.
“Rai, don’t,” Brittney whispered. “We talked about this. There’s no reason to feel defensive. How can Dexter learn about you if he doesn’t ask questions?”
Rai faced her. Embarrassment chased the anger in his grey eyes. “Yeah, we did. I just didn’t know my hair would be a topic of conversation.”
Dexter held up his hands. “I overstepped. I understand. I do like your hair. You’ve got the whole Jason Momoa look going for you. I guess... I mean, I supposed I—” He shook his head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. We shouldn’t be arguing anyway. We’re supposed to be getting to know each other.” Dexter pushed the photo albums in Rai’s direction. “I brought these for you so you could get to know your family.”
Her son eyed Dexter for a minute then took the books from him. “Cool, thanks.” He rolled his shoulders. “My hair has always been a touchy subject for me.”
“You’re welcome.” He glanced at Brittney who nodded. “I’m sorry. People are assholes.”
Rai snorted. “Tell me about it. I’m so glad mom has been homeschooling me for the last eight years.”
Dexter’s eyes widened. “You like it?”
Her son nodded. “Yeah. Since everyone on mom's team has specific degrees, they each take turns teaching me different subjects. Wylder, the newest member has taught me different search and rescue skills. It's pretty awesome.”
“How are your grades?”
The smile on Rai’s face could light all the stars in the universe. “All A’s. Mom has made learning fun for me. I don’t feel so unfocused or like I can’t concentrate.”
“Rai was diagnosed with ADHD when he was little” Brittney said. “Meds never worked.”
Dexter looked a bit sheepish as he bent his head. “I read the blog. I think it runs in my family—the ADHD. Marcus has it. He’s also a wiz with computers and programming. He makes phone apps.”
“Cool,” Rai said.
“Yeah, it's pretty nifty. He's trying to build a new type of weather app. Something to help in emergencies or whatever.” Dexter waved it off. “You'd have to ask him. I don't understand what it all entails.”
“What does your sister do?” Rai asked.
Dexter’s features brightened. “She’s a makeup artist in Hollywood. She doesn’t do the FX stuff, but she does all the cosmetic stuff for movies and shows. Matter of fact, she’s in L.A. right now working on a new movie.”
Boom. Dexter had reeled her son in. Rai stared at the man as though he hung the moon and stars, hell, who was she kidding, she probably stared at him the same way. His siblings had amazing jobs and he, well, saved lives for a living. Their parents had to be so proud of them. Unlike her mother who'd never spent a day in her life being proud of Brittney. She supposed it'd been why she'd gotten into storm chasing besides wanting to save lives, but to also prove to herself and her mother, she was so much better than her mother ever gave her credit for.
“So, what do you do?” Rai hedged. “Work for a hospital?”
Dexter inclined his chin. “But so much more. I save lives. Every day. I'm a volunteer firefighter and I am a nurse in the emergency room.”
“Whoa...” Rai stared Dexter. The admiration she saw on her son’s face settled the nervous tendrils of energy squiggling through her stomach. “That’s pretty awesome.”
“Thank you. I enjoy my job too.”
Rai tilted his head. “You were part of the crew who put out the big fire that started near Tarpley not too long ago, weren’t you?”
“I was. Saved a bunch of people and a donkey.”
“A donkey?” Brittney’s curiosity had been piqued.
“Miniature. He’d gotten lost in the fire. Was a little singed and burned. So, we got him cooled down and brought him out with us. One of the firefighters from San Antonio Station 7 adopted him.”
“It was a kidnapping or something, right?” Rai prodded. “Girl who got kidnapped set it to get attention?”
“Yes,” Dexter answered. “I don't think she intended to cause harm.”
“It’s a good way to draw attention,” Rai said. “It’s pretty badass and reckless too. Mom would have kicked my ass.”
Dexter chuckled. “I’m sure she would have after she knew you were safe.”
“True,” she agreed.
While Rai went through the albums, Brittney worked up the courage to tell Dexter what happened to her. She started with the simple stuff first. “I owe you more of an explanation since I glossed over a majority of it and an apology.”
“I think you do too,” Dexter said. “And, I also owe you an apology. So, what happened?”
“Simple answer? My birth control failed. There’s no excuse for my negligence. I should have remembered taking antibiotics nullifies birth control pills and makes a person more apt to get pregnant.”
Dexter blew out a breath. “Fuck, even I wouldn’t have thought about that in the heat of the moment.”
“True.” She frowned. “Anyway, being sick and taking those antibiotics started the ball rolling.”
“It’s not just your fault, it’s mine too. I have never done anything as reckless before in my life. I put both of us at risk. I lost my senses when I was with you. No one has ever done that to me before.” Dexter scrubbed his head.
“Same,” she agreed.
“So, about going through your blog,” Dexter stated, ducking his head a little. “I may have kind of looked you up on the internet as well. I should have said something the night I kind of just dumped myself into your life at the hotel.”
Brittney cocked a brow. “Find anything interesting?”
“Lots,” Dexter admitted and leaned forward. “Is it true what I read about your mother in the society section?”
Embarrassment and humiliation swamped Brittney. She’d never realized her mother had gone so far as to announce disowning her daughter until it was pointed out to her. “Yes.” It was the only
word she could push past her lips.
“That’s some fucked up shit.” He shook his head. “Why? Shit happens all the time. Why would she disown you for getting pregnant?”
“Because it wasn’t in her plan.” Tears stung the corners of her eyes. It’d been a long time since she allowed herself to feel raw. To experience the agony of being rejected so ruthlessly when she needed her mother most, ripped her in two. “Because Rai is mixed and what would her society friends think?”
She swiped at her eyes. Hadn’t she been the perfect daughter? Done everything her mother wanted? Gone to school where her mother wanted? Done every pageant her mother wanted? She’d been perfect. Followed the diet and exercise routines. Smiled perfectly. Had immaculate manners. She tried to shake off the memories, but they swamped her, putting her back into the moment when her mother threw her out.
“Hey?” Dexter grabbed her hand, anchoring her to the present. “Tell me what happened that day.”
She swallowed hard and swiped away her tears again. “I had to tell her. I couldn’t lie. She’d figure it out anyway. I don’t know if it was the fact, I got pregnant or if it was the fact, I was pregnant by a man who was ‘below,’ me, in her terms. Plus, you’re black.”
“You’re serious about the whole mixed thing?” Dexter blinked.
“Yeah,” she answered. “It doesn’t matter if you were in the military or rich. My mom is old society money. If I had to guess, she had my husband already picked out for me when I graduated.”
“That’s some messed up shit,” he muttered. “What about your career and the things you wanted to do?”
“I was supposed to have a degree in paper only. I’d been groomed to be a mother and a society housewife,” Brittney said.
“And your father didn’t see it like that?” Dexter prodded.
“No.” She shook her head. “No, I think my father would have wanted me to choose my path.”
“Sounds like a good guy.”
“He was. It’s too bad Rai never got a chance to meet him. I think they would’ve been thick as thieves.” She smiled a little.
“So, your mom took your inheritance and here you are, saving lives in your own way and making a name for yourself.” He relaxed into the booth. “I saw the firsthand account of Moore on your blog. Is that when you decided to hang up your weather girl jacket and get down and dirty?”
“I guess you can say it’s when I knew I had to do something,” she answered. “There are quite a few teams out there who only want notoriety. They post videos on social media streams, getting way too close to the storms and some of them have lost their lives because of it. I saw a niche for my team—design a better warning system and get it into the public’s hands.”
“How’s that coming along?”
“Well, every storm gives us more clues as to how these storms form and where they’ll go. It’s how we figured out Clark would take a direct hit. Anyway, I’ve been approached by a team to merge with them to do the same as we are. Upside, they want to help with our new tech. They’re willing to share their data and their grants with us,” she said.
“Sounds like a good fit, but will it take you away from home more than you already are?” Dexter glanced at Rai who’d been engrossed in the photo albums, he didn’t pay them any mind.
“No,” she replied. “Surprisingly, they were okay with me working from home when we aren’t out chasing.”
“You should do it,” Dexter said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
She tried to read his expression but couldn’t. His words were honest, and in all reality, she didn’t need his opinion, however, she valued it. “It is. I thought since Rai would be going to college soon, the merger might also up the number of storms I chase.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Winter storms are the worst in Texas. Were you here for the ice storm that shut us down for almost a week?”
“Shit,” he muttered. “Don’t remind me. “I got stuck at the damn VFD. I couldn’t get out and Pop’s couldn’t get in to help me out. I ate cans of franks and beans for three days and used a small portable space heater to stay warm.”
“Harsh,” she frowned. “We didn’t fare any better. We lost power and had to rely on a fireplace and camp stove to make ramen.”
“Jesus, we’re a pair.” Dexter laughed. “Although, I would have loved a pack of ramen over franks and beans for three days. So, does this other team chases winter storms?”
“Yeah, surprisingly. People donate to their streams so they can continue their work and help tiny communities out when they need it most.”
“Then all this should be a no-brainer for you.”
“It should, you’re right,” she said sliding her gaze to Rai.
“You worry about him and who will take care of him while you’re away?”
“I have every day of his life.” She picked at the hem of her shirt and swallowed hard. “It would have been easier if I’d taken the clinic doctor’s advice and terminated the pregnancy. My life would have been different, and we’d have never met again, however, I couldn’t do it. It’s selfish. I realize this. I... I loved him before I even knew he was a he.”
“You don't have to explain it to me,” Dexter said. “As I told you, I was fucking stupid not giving you my number or at least a way to get in touch. Then there was the military and their ability to cockblock everything. However, I knew we had a connection. I think it scared me a little too.”
“Me too,” she agreed. “Nothing has ever burned so quick or hot before.”
“Well, here we are. Obviously, due to your diligence, we have an amazing son.”
“Uh, thanks.” There was still so much to talk about, but she’d also felt exhausted spilling what little truths she had. “So, about this summer, what do you think about spending time with Rai?”
Dexter sat up a little straighter. “I’d enjoy it. He can meet his grandparents, see what I do for a living. Like I told you, I think we’d have a blast together.”
Brittney nodded. “I hoped you say as much. Rai could use a little change of pace. He’s been in charge of so much over the years, he needs to have a little fun.” She laughed then. “And, I don’t mean chasing storms either.”
“You’re right,” Dexter agreed. “I bet you Rai and Marcus will have his app going in no time too. However, it’s all up to him.” He pointed to their son, who still stared at the photographs placed in the books as keepsakes.
“I like the idea of getting to know who these people are in these books. They seem like cool people,” Rai said. “I can't wait to meet them.
“Then it’s settled,” Dexter replied, winking at Brittney. “When you’re ready, Rai can stay with me while you continue to save the world.”
“Okay then.” Brittney grinned.
“Can we eat now?” Rai asked. “I’m so hungry, my stomach is touching my backbone and is trying to eat through my spine.”
“Interesting mental image,” Dexter said.
“I’m good at those too,” Rai stated.
Finally, the residual nervous energy disappeared. Brittney could relax and enjoy the afternoon with her son. It’d been weird. She’d pictured this exact scenario over the years, trying to imagine how Dexter would react to finding out he had a child. None of the situations she put together in her mind ever turned out this well. She’d been pessimistic about it. She’d worried he’d hate her personally and been prepared for him to hate her for keeping Rai and Dexter apart. As she sat there with Dexter and her son, she realized everything could still turn out bad.
The minute the reality set in for Dexter, and he understood everything he missed because she’d been too scared to find him, he could turn the tables on her. He could demand custody of their son. She didn’t want to think about those scenarios, but she had to be prepared for them too, which rubbed her the wrong way. Dexter would never do anything to hurt her or at least she hoped not.
Even though they were only getting t
o know each other after sixteen years, deep down she understood him. Dexter wasn’t her mother. He’d never be her. He’d never treat her as Mitsy Hart treated her. He was also a better man than her father. There was no doubt in her mind, Dexter would have put her mother in her place. He’d have stood at Brittney’s back and supported her like her friends had while she went through her pregnancy penniless and alone.
“What are you thinking about?” Dexter asked as he grabbed a fry off his plate.
“Nothing,” she answered. “I’m glad we had this chance to meet again.”
“Me too,” Dexter replied. “We shouldn’t have been apart for sixteen years. I hope now, we can see where things go between us.”
Heat filled her cheeks. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought about the same thing. A tingle of arousal and excitement rushed through her veins. It'd been a long time since she allowed another man to appreciate her. When she broke things off with Shiro, it'd been done out of compassion. He had to move on and find someone who could give him the things he deserved. The things she couldn't give him. Because she realized in those moments when Dexter and she were together, her heart still belonged to one man and the man who owned her heart and soul was sitting across from her.
She shrugged. “We can try, but I’m not making any promises.”
Dexter sobered. “Then I promise, we’ll figure this out together. You never have to be alone ever again.”
Brittney believed him and it’d been as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “Together?”
He nodded. “Together.”
Chapter 7
Summer, Tarpley, Texas thirty-six hours before the storm...
This was a bad idea.
Brittney glanced at the bed in Dexter's spare bedroom and frowned. He'd offered it to her after she and Rai had returned to Texas for a break. It would have been easier to say no. To tell Dexter her team stuck together and the B&B close to town was good enough for her. Yet, there was a sincerity in his voice which made it hard to turn him down. As much as she wanted to list as many cons as she possibly could to explain why she couldn't stay with him, there was only one—it put her in Dexter's proximity.
