“It’s a shame we can’t retroactively get last year’s date on the wedding certificate,” Chloe mused, all of her attention on the baby. Brooke wasn’t even sure Chloe had heard her. “But a lie you can prove wrong with a simple records search is a bad lie. Always lie as close to the truth as possible.”
Brooke definitely did not like the sound of that. “I don’t want to lie anymore.”
“Not lie,” Chloe went on. “We just want to bend the truth a little. You guys met, had an instant connection, but you couldn’t get your schedules lined up...hmm. No, that won’t work—Flash was kicked off the rodeo for half the season last year. He could have followed you around easily. No, you were hot and heavy until his arrest, and then you gave him an ultimatum to shape up, which he did.”
“Can we slow down for a second here?” Brooke asked, because this was exactly what she was afraid of—Chloe was still going to strong-arm Brooke into doing what Flash wanted, just like Flash had tried to do. The only difference was that Chloe would do it while being all sympathetic and understanding instead of yelling. “There’s no way my mother would approve of someone like Flash.”
But there was no slowing Chloe. “So he straightened up and you guys have been secretly dating for...five months seems about right. And now that he’s passed your tests with flying colors, you guys decided to get married! Yes, I like this. Flash gets his redemption story and you get a huge PR boost for your new album and—”
“I am not getting married right now,” Brooke burst out.
“I understand your reluctance,” Chloe said, not quite as sympathetic as she’d been before. “Flash has that effect on people. But here’s the problem—beyond a redemption story or a marketing blitz, what if something happens to you, God forbid?” Before Brooke could panic at this statement—was this a threat?—Chloe went on. “Without the legal protection of marriage, would Flash be able to take custody of his own son? Or would your mother keep this perfect little angel away from his own father? Not that we wouldn’t fight it in court,” Chloe went on, smiling at Bean. “After all, what’s the point in being billionaires if you can’t buy the best lawyers?”
Billionaires? Brooke inhaled sharply. This was a threat.
“But it’d be a long, messy legal battle, one where Flash might not get to see his own son for a long time. I don’t know what kind of person your mother is, but if you’re concerned about her choices now...” She let the words trail off, her implication clear.
A churning panic took hold of Brooke’s stomach because she was not going to get married so Flash could be redeemed and she was not going to marry anyone for the PR, but making sure Flash could care for his own son?
Because Chloe wasn’t wrong.
Crissy Bonner might be disappointed that Brooke had gotten knocked up and she would definitely hate Flash, but she loved Bean. She loved being a grandmother and keeping Bean all to herself.
Brooke realized she didn’t know how far Crissy would go to keep things that way—all while proclaiming it was for the best, no doubt.
“Is that a risk you’re willing to take?” Chloe finished softly. “I wouldn’t.”
“I’m not on death’s doorstep,” Brooke said, surprised to hear her voice shake. She surged to her feet and plucked Bean out of Chloe’s arms. “I don’t have to marry your brother to make sure he gets to see his child, and if you’re only here to be the good cop to Flash’s bad cop, then you can leave. Now.”
She didn’t wait for an answer as she stormed from the room and headed downstairs. She was done talking, done with the entire Lawrence family. God, she felt like a fool. Nothing had changed. She and Flash were electric together, but sexual chemistry only got a girl so far. She was not going to let a little lust blind her to the big picture.
She got to the bottom of the stairs and glanced at the front door. Had it only been—what, an hour since Flash had pressed her back against the door and made her feel exactly like the girl she used to be?
Less than an hour. Less than an evening for Flash Lawrence to blow into her life like a twister, leaving a wake of destruction in his path.
And who had to clean up after the storm had passed? She did. Again.
Starting right now, she and Flash were on a no-touching basis. She couldn’t afford to be selfish anymore. She had to be a mother, and if that meant it was her against Flash, the Lawrence family, her own family, her record label and, hell, the whole world, then that’s the battle Brooke would fight.
She was done hiding and done apologizing. As much as she might miss the girl she’d been before, she was a different woman now. There was no going back.
She strode into the library, her mouth open to tell everyone to get the hell out—but what she saw made her stumble to a stop. Flash had Pete Wellington pinned against the far wall and was punching him in the stomach again and again as Pete grunted in pain, like something out of her nightmares.
“What are you doing?” she cried out in horror.
Nine
Flash spun midpunch, stumbled and almost lost his balance. “Brooke?”
Bean began to cry and Pete said, “Oh, hell.”
Damn it.
“It’s not what it looks like,” he said in what he hoped was a calm voice. He’d just figured out how he’d screwed up. He couldn’t afford to make this worse.
“He’s not hurting me,” Pete called over his shoulder, although the slightly pained tone of his voice made it seem like a lie.
“That’s not what it looks like?” Brooke edged toward the door, tucking the baby so Flash couldn’t even see the kid.
Oh, God—if she ran now, he had no idea when he’d get to see his son again, and that was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. So he said, “It’s not. I’m hitting cushions.”
“Cushions?” Brooke’s eyes bugged out of her head.
“It’s okay. No one’s in any danger,” he said.
It hurt, the look in her eyes. She was furious and scared and exhausted, and Flash wasn’t making anything better. God, he never should’ve ordered her to marry him. Pete had been exactly right. Obviously Brooke felt backed into a corner.
“What’s wrong?” Chloe said, running into the room. “Who’s hurt?”
“No one,” Flash said as calmly as he could—which, all things considered, actually did come out calmly. He owed one to Pete for helping him get to this point because if the man hadn’t had the idea to punch a couch, Flash knew he wouldn’t be able to think, much less act rationally.
What a mess.
“Brooke? I was hitting cushions.”
“Cushions,” Pete confirmed. He stepped around Flash, holding the cushions up. “From the couch. See?”
“It’s okay,” Chloe said softly, reaching out to pat Bean, who was not having a great night, either. None of them were.
“Why would you do that?” Brooke said, looking completely bewildered.
Aw, hell. He’d never wanted a do-over so badly in his entire life. He’d hit the chute at the start of the ride but, unlike in the rodeo, he wasn’t going to get a reride. The night had started so well, but then she’d dropped the bomb about the baby, and since then he had not handled things well. He needed to get back to where she was in his arms and he remembered how to be the charming guy she wanted and they weren’t on opposite sides.
“Like primal scream therapy, you know? Just blowing off steam so I could think. It was a controlled release. It’s okay,” he repeated.
“Don’t you dare try that—charm, Flash Lawrence,” Brooke said, her voice cracking as she backed away from Chloe’s touch. “Nothing about this is okay!”
“I know,” Flash said through gritted teeth, holding his hands out in the sign of surrender. He kept plenty of distance between him and Brooke and shot a look at Chloe that said, Back off. Which, to her credit, she did. Crowding Brooke right now would only make the fight-o
r-flight reaction worse.
“It’ll be okay.” He lied because he didn’t trust her, she clearly didn’t trust him, and neither of those facts changed reality—in this case, the baby boy who was making pitifully sad noises.
Brooke looked from worried face to worried face. Chloe helped Pete put the cushions back on the couch, leaving the exit open. Brooke eyed them warily, but she didn’t bolt, and for that Flash was thankful.
“You weren’t attacking him,” she said, dropping her gaze as her cheeks shot scarlet.
Flash had the overwhelming urge to sweep her into his arms, take her upstairs and tuck her in. Then, in the morning, they’d have a good laugh about this. Ha-ha-ha.
“No.”
“He really wasn’t,” Pete added, thankfully no longer sounding winded. Flash glanced back to see Chloe and Pete standing side by side, his arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him, her gaze fastened on Brooke and the baby. Flash got the feeling that Pete was holding Chloe back. He caught Flash’s gaze and nodded encouragingly. “Miss Bonner, I know you don’t know me from Adam, but I’ve known Flash for almost eleven years now and I’d swear on a Bible in a court of law that he’s not the same immature, hotheaded jerk he used to be.”
“Thanks, Pete, but I got it from here,” Flash grumbled.
“It was my idea for him to hit the cushions,” Pete went on. “I was just holding them.”
“Oh, my God, I’m such a fool,” Brooke blurted out, shifting Bean so she could swipe the back of her hand over her eyes.
More than her hard no to his terrible proposal, more than the surprise of the baby, it was the sight of Brooke trying not to cry that did him in. He was so mad at her—that wasn’t going away. But he also wanted to take care of her and those two things weren’t playing nicely inside his head.
“No, you’re not,” Flash said quickly. “Nothing tonight has been normal.” There had to be a way to fix this, damn it. But how? Well, an apology was a good place to start. “I’m sorry, babe.”
She made a noise that was halfway between a sob and a laugh. “Do you even know what you’re apologizing for this time, or are you just guessing again?”
“It’s a long list,” he agreed, managing to put a good smile into it. “But top of the list is that I shouldn’t have told you we had to get married. Even if it’s a good idea.”
“No,” Brooke said, her voice shaky and her eyes huge, “you shouldn’t have. No one should’ve.” She cut a glance at Chloe. Flash didn’t follow Brooke’s gaze, but he heard Chloe sigh. “I don’t want to be forced into anything.”
That Flash understood completely. He’d always been the kind of guy who’d get a direct order and do the exact opposite just to prove he could. God, why hadn’t he seen her reaction coming? He’d just been so convinced of the rightness of him and Brooke being together that he’d stampeded right over her.
Brooke sniffed again, dashing more tears off her cheeks. Flash wanted to fold Brooke into his arms and make everything okay again. But it was clear that doing anything like that would just make Brooke dig in her heels even deeper. Sometimes, a man had to call a tactical retreat if he wanted to live to fight another day.
Figuratively speaking, of course.
“It’s been a long night and you’ve got to be exhausted from the show,” he said, trying to give her a nice smile. “I’m truly sorry how this evening has gone down. I think it’s time for us to leave so you and James can get some sleep.” And he could figure out what Chloe had said that had thrown Brooke into such a panic.
He wanted her. He didn’t trust her. He needed to marry her.
God, what a freaking mess.
Brooke stared down at the baby. Even Flash could tell the boy was uncomfortable, squirming in his mother’s arms. “We can try, anyway.”
He came damn close to offering to stay the night so she could sleep and he could rock his son in his arms and get to know the boy. And then he’d be here in the morning when Brooke woke up and they could...
Well, the odds of them having great sex again seemed so small right now as to be nonexistent. But they could talk, hopefully without panic or bitterness.
But discretion was the better part of valor, damn it. And he needed to regroup in a serious way. So, instead, he said, “I’d like to see you again so we can try this whole talking thing. I’m in town through...” He thought quickly. He didn’t have to be in Lexington, Kentucky, for ten days, which didn’t seem like enough time to get this situation resolved peacefully.
Crud. His lead in the rankings was tenuous. Skipping a rodeo would knock him down several places and might ultimately cost him the Cowboy of the Year championship.
But then he looked at Brooke again and sighed. Missing one rodeo wouldn’t be the end of the world. Just so long as it didn’t become a habit. Surely, in a week or two they could get some sort of custody plan or visitation schedule set up, and he could come right back to Nashville after the rodeo.
“For as long as you need me to be,” he corrected. “We can meet here or in public, wherever you want. Bring Alex.”
He didn’t want Alex there because Alex would probably beat the ever-loving hell out of him, and Flash would have no choice but to take it.
“You’re being charming again,” she mumbled, but he caught the way she tucked her lower lip under her teeth and peeked at him.
“Trying to,” he agreed with an easy smile. That little flash of normalcy was encouraging. If everything could just calm down, he was sure he could talk sense into Brooke. He truly did want what was best for her and for their son. Brooke in his life was what he wanted. And if that included her being in his bed, well that was just icing on the cake.
“Flash, we need to have a plan—” Chloe started to say.
Flash held up a hand, cutting her off. “Nothing needs to be decided tonight. The only thing that needs to happen right now is Brooke needs to take care of herself and the baby. That’s it.” And he needed to get a grip on his priorities.
The look Brooke shot him was full of worry and hope and maybe just a little appreciation. At least, he hoped it was appreciation. “I have a meeting at one tomorrow to discuss the Bluebird show. I suppose we could meet after that? Maybe for coffee?” She glanced back at Chloe and Pete again. “Just the two of us. No offense.”
It was Pete who answered. “None taken.”
Flash worked real hard not to show his disappointment. Because he wasn’t disappointed that she wasn’t asking him to stay. He was happy that she wasn’t insisting they bring their seconds to the meeting. Really, it was great news that Brooke was still willing to talk to him at all. “You name the place and I’ll be there. Just text me.”
She nodded and then looked toward the door. Right. They were leaving—now.
Chloe and Pete got the hint. They stepped forward, Chloe’s gaze locked on to the baby. “My deepest apologies for coming on too strong,” Chloe said, regret filling her voice. She reached out and, when Brooke didn’t shy away, Chloe rubbed James’s back. “I hope we can see this special little guy again soon?”
“I’ll set it up with Flash.” Brooke didn’t sound too sure about it, though.
“Thank you,” Chloe said, her voice cracking. “He’s such a beautiful baby.”
Pete held her tight and said, “Miss Bonner, we love your music. Can’t wait for the new stuff. And no matter what, welcome to the family.” Then he led his wife away.
As the front door opened, Flash heard Chloe almost whimper, “Oh Pete—that baby!”
“I know, hon. I know,” Pete replied, his voice choked with emotion.
Then they were gone and Flash was alone with Brooke. “I’m sorry about that. I thought they were going to help,” he said quietly.
“Did they?” She didn’t move back, didn’t shield the baby with her body.
“Pete did. This was—is a lot. For both of us
.” He closed the distance between them and lifted James out of her arms. Thank goodness she didn’t resist. He tucked the baby under his chin. This, at least, he was pretty good at. He’d had plenty of practice holding Trixie, after all. He should probably thank Oliver for that—right after Oliver got done tearing him a new one for getting Brooke pregnant in the first place.
Man, this was one of the bigger messes he’d ever been in.
“I don’t think I’ve ever apologized for my sister before,” he went on. “Usually it’s the other way around.”
Brooke looked at him, her eyes huge and tired. But despite the toll the night had taken on her—on them all—Flash was pretty damn sure he’d never seen anyone as beautiful as she was. “It’s fine, Flash,” she said. He couldn’t tell if she was being honest or not. “I suspect that you Lawrences are a hardheaded lot.”
“Guilty as charged,” he said with a good-natured grin. He patted James’s back. “Thank you for this—for him. I don’t know if I said that earlier or not.”
“No, you didn’t.” Her face softened as she looked at the two of them. Wildly, Flash hoped she liked what she saw. Because he wasn’t going to give this kid up. Hell, no. Whether she married him or not, whether he forgave her or not, they were in this together.
It’d be so much easier if they were really together, though. There had to be a way.
Flash pressed a tender kiss to the top of James’s head. “Sleep for your mom, okay, sweetie?” Then he turned his attention back to Brooke. “Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?”
He knew she wasn’t going to ask him to stay, not after he’d made a royal ass of himself tonight. But that didn’t change things.
Damn it. He needed to marry her to make things legal for the baby. But did he seriously want to marry her?
He’d dreamed of this woman for a year. He thought he’d been dreaming of the sex, the easy jokes. What if he’d really been dreaming of something more?
Something more had to wait.
He had to man up and make things right. Any potential feelings he had for Brooke would come later, if they came at all.
His for One Night Page 8
