He hadn’t remembered until now, and now he couldn’t believe he’d forgotten. Jade and her girlfriends were hosing down the animals in skimpy little bikini tops and cutoff jeans, and her father was standing guard with a scowl so deep, Rex thought he’d stab anyone who came near her.
“I do,” he answered Savannah.
“How come I’m always the last to know these things?” Josh asked.
“You’re not. Hugh and Dane will be,” Treat said, leaning against the kitchen counter. “The question is, how do we convince the old man that this is okay?”
Savannah laughed. “You’re on drugs if you think that’s ever gonna happen.” She put her hand on Rex’s arm. “Sorry, Rexy, but short of eloping and living several states away, I can’t see how you can be together and live through it.”
“You’re a lot of help, Vanny,” Treat said.
She reached into Rex’s shirt for the chain, narrowing her eyes at him when he reached for her hand. “The cat’s out of the bag now, so I’m looking whether you like it or not.”
He watched his sister roll the little silver naked woman between her thumb and forefinger. Her smile lessened, and her eyes darkened.
“What is this? It reminds me of a story Treat used to tell me. Remember, Treat? You said the symbol was a naked woman and man twisted around each other. It looks like half of the dance of two lovers,” she said with wonder.
Rex set down his water and wrapped his arms around his sister, feeling her heart beating against him, knowing she was missing her mother as much as the rest of them were at that moment.
“It is,” he said softly.
“I thought it was a myth,” she said.
“We all did,” Treat said. “I used to tell you guys that story all the time, to keep Mom’s memory alive, but I never really meted out the truth of it.”
Savannah pulled away and tucked the charm back into Rex’s shirt. “So, what does this mean? Where did you get it?”
Josh stared at his feet, and as Savannah moved away, Rex wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him against his side. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Josh said quietly. “I don’t think about Mom all the time. It’s too hard. I always feel like she’s right out of reach. I can’t really see her face anymore, or hear her voice.”
Rex bit back the well of sadness that was slowly filling his body. “I know. It’s been a long time.”
“Where did you get it?” Savannah asked.
“A woman in the Village in Allure. She knew Mom in school, and she said it was just the thing for me and Jade. I have no idea why or how. I’m just as baffled as you are.”
“Fate,” Savannah said. They all rolled their eyes. “Come on, Treat. You believe in fate. Look at you and Max.”
“You have a point there,” he said with a nod.
When Treat and Max were still trying to figure out if they should be together or not, Treat disappeared, and Max went to Wellfleet, Massachusetts, his favorite place, hoping to see him. It was the first time he’d been there in more than a year, and that’s when they finally came together. Max had never been a believer in fate either, and that weekend had changed her view completely.
“Wait. So you and Jade were together in Allure? How long have you been seeing her?” Josh asked. “How serious is this?”
Treat smirked, and Rex shot him a harsh glare. Treat knew that Jade and Rex had been together only a few times, and he also knew that Rex’s heart already belonged to her.
Rex drew his brows together and lowered his chin, hoping Josh would understand his silent message: Don’t even think about questioning my sanity. “We’ve only been together a few times.”
“But he’s loved her forever,” Savannah said, sticking her finger on the edge of the chocolate cake she must have brought with her and licking the frosting from it.
“Rex, do you really think this is smart? I mean, a few times?” Josh asked.
Josh had never been very good at reading him. “It might not be smart, but it is happening.” Rex pushed away from the fridge.
“I have to assume you know what you’re doing, but…a few times? I mean, I go out with women a few times and know absolutely nothing about them. I can’t tell you what we talked about, and I’m a good listener.” Josh shook his head.
“Yeah, so have I. All I can tell you is that this is different. When I’m with Jade, I hear everything. It’s like…” He reached for the right words, and the only thing that came even close was, “Everything else in the world falls away, and all that exists is me and Jade.” He wasn’t taking any chances with Josh. “One word of this to Dad and I’ll personally rip you to shreds. Even you, Savannah.”
“Oooh, I’m scared,” she teased.
“We gotta get out there before Max feels left out,” Treat said, heading for the door.
Rex was dying to be able to say something similar about Jade at their family dinner table. The idea of Jade being included in his family stewed within him. He envisioned her beside him, tossing snarky comments at his brothers and whispering with Savannah, like Max did. He touched the charm beneath his shirt and watched his family settle back around the table. “Mom, if this is from you, then I need a little guidance here,” he whispered before heading back to the table.
AFTER DINNER, Hal took Rex aside. “You okay, son?”
His father seemed to have a sixth sense about his children. He always knew when their minds, or in some cases, their hearts, were tied in knots. It pained Rex not to be able to tell his father the truth.
“Yeah, just sidetracked with the horse show.”
His father’s eyes narrowed, and Rex watched him search his own. His stomach clenched, feeling as though his father could see right through his evasion. He had the urge to just spill it all, lay it out on the table, but he knew that would open up a can of worms that nobody was ready for.
If his father saw something in his eyes, he didn’t let on. “If there’s anything you want to tell me, I’m here. You know, your mother used to call you Rascally Rex.”
Rex smiled at the memory. “I remember.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, Rex, and I don’t expect you to tell me, but you and I…” He put a hand on Rex’s shoulder. “We’ve had our share of going head-to-head with the ranch. This feels different. I don’t expect you to talk to me until you’re ready, and your gut will tell you when that’s right. Just know that I love you.”
Rex had never doubted his father’s love. Everything his father said rang true in his heart, momentarily curbing his anger about the feud and soothing the hurt he’d been carrying about the increasing rift between him and his father.
“Thanks, Dad. I love you, too.”
His father pulled him into a warm hug, then headed down to the barn. Rex touched the necklace beneath his shirt and wondered if, just maybe, his mother had had a hand in that out-of-the-blue conversation.
REX AND THE others did the dishes and put away the leftovers.
Josh peered out the glass doors toward the barn. “I worry about him. He seems like he’s all tied in knots again, like he was before he had that heart issue. He’s usually much warmer, and he didn’t say two words during dinner.”
Treat and Rex exchanged a knowing look.
“He’s fine. You know how Dad is. He goes through moods, like we all do. Right now he’s dealing with something in that big old head of his.” Rex knew his father wasn’t fine. His comment about being careful where he tread, coupled with Rex’s growing anger about the feuding families coming between him and the woman he loved, had caused a fissure between the two men, and the brief conversation they’d just had still had him reeling with conflicting emotions.
Ever since he’d been given the necklace, he found himself believing more and more that his father remained connected to his mother. Whether that made his father delusional or spiritual, he had no idea, but he wasn’t there to judge him. He was trying his best to be there to love and support him, just as his father had done
for him his whole life. He knew he was falling short as he questioned the value of his loyalty to his father against his loyalty to Jade.
“He was fine when you guys were in here passing secrets like children,” Max said with a smile. She pulled the elastic band out of her long dark hair and rewrapped it, then helped Treat dry the dishes while Savannah put them away.
“Are you gonna clue me in? I know I’m not a Braden yet, but almost…”
Treat dried his hands and pulled her close. “You’re a Braden, whether we’re married or not.” He kissed her so tenderly that Rex had to turn away.
When they drew apart, Treat answered Max’s question. “Jade,” he said.
“The dark-haired beauty from Fingers?” Max asked with a smile.
“Yup,” Rex said, turning to face them.
“Yay! So you finally asked her out?”
“Something like that,” he said. Rex wasn’t really listening. He was biding his time until his father went to bed so he could go over to Jade’s and see if he could catch her in the barn. He just needed to see her. The longer he waited, the more anxious he became. He grabbed his keys.
“I’m going to the store. I’ll be back in an hour,” he said.
“I’ll go with you. I wanna get—” Savannah lifted her eyes as she grabbed her purse and saw Rex’s stare, the shake of his head. “Oh. The store. Got it. Have fun!”
He laughed on his way out the door. As he climbed into his truck, he heard his father’s voice down by the barn, and guilt tightened around him again. He pushed it away and drove toward Jade’s.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
JADE CALLED RILEY from the safety of her bedroom. She needed to share what she was feeling. Holding it in was making her feel like a balloon ready to pop.
“Hey, Ri,” she said when Riley answered.
“Well, if it isn’t Ms. Sneakaround. What’s up?”
Jade sighed, her lips lifting to a smile. “That’s what’s up, actually. This is proving to be much harder than I thought it was going to be. Am I doing the right thing, sneaking around to see Rex?”
“You know, I never really pegged you for such a straitlaced worrywart. Since when do you worry about following your heart—or lips—or whatever it is that’s drawing you toward Sexy Rexy?”
“See, I knew you’d make me smile.” Jade lay back on her bed. “I care because of the crap between our families.” She thought about what she’d said and knew there was more that she needed to get off her chest. “Ri, I love him, and this is so impossible. I mean, our families hate each other. It’s not even realistic, right? Tell me I’m right, because I can’t stop thinking about him, and I’m not sure I can stop myself from wanting to be with him, either. Tell me I should, make me turn away or something.”
Riley sighed. “Girlfriend, you know that’s not happening. You have fallen so hard for him. Hell, you fell for him too many years ago to count. You need to pull up your big-girl panties, suck up the sneaking around until you figure it out, and go with it. What kind of friend would I be if I let you turn away from the love of your life?”
Jade smiled and closed her eyes, knowing Riley was right and also realizing that Riley’s response was exactly the reason why she’d needed to call her.
“Thanks, Ri. I’m just so tied in knots right now.”
“I know you are, and that’s okay. Somehow, some way, this will all untangle and you’ll be stronger for it. I just know you will.” Riley blew out a long breath. “I love ya, Jade, but sheesh, I need to charge you a therapy fee or something.”
Jade laughed. “Do you charge by the minute? I’d better get off the phone.”
After hanging up with Riley, Jade felt better, but she still had too much energy to relax. Her mother was sewing, and her father was practically asleep in his recliner in front of the television. Jade stole into the barn to spend a little time with Flame. She gave him a nice rubdown. Every stroke of his muscles beneath her hands reminded her of Rex, the way she’d kneaded and worked his muscles by the creek.
She’d just locked Flame’s stall when she caught a flash of something by the back barn doors. She watched the doors for a minute, and when there was no more movement, she wrote it off to her nerves and went to close the doors for the night.
Out of habit, she glanced into the woods, nearly screaming when she saw Rex standing there. He broke through the trees and wrapped his arms around her, picking her right up off the ground in a deep and tender kiss.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he said, nuzzling into her neck.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said as he set her back down on the grass.
“I love when you smell like the barn.” He kissed her neck.
“I’ll have to roll around in the hay more often,” she teased. “Come here.” She dragged him around to the far side of the barn, where they were hidden from the house and the street.
“I couldn’t wait until tomorrow at the horse show to see you,” he said, running his hands up and down her bare arms.
“We’re on gate patrol together,” she said.
“Gate patrol, sounds hot,” he joked. “Listen, Jade. I’m sorry to risk coming by, but I had to see you. I’m not sure I can do this,” he said.
Her heart nearly stopped. “What?”
“Hide from everyone. Jade, I’m not giving you up either way. Whether they get over their feud or not, I’m with you. If you’re with me,” he said.
She watched him search her eyes. She took his cheeks between her hands and said, “It’s the dance of two lovers, not one.”
He lowered his mouth to hers, and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him deeper. His hands wrapped around her waist and she pushed him back until he was leaning against the siding of the barn.
“Hey, I’m supposed to do that,” he teased.
“I didn’t know we had rules,” she said between heated kisses. She put her hand between his legs and cupped him through his jeans.
“Jade,” he whispered. “Your family is right inside.”
She stroked him slow and hard, feeling him swell beneath his jeans. She couldn’t help it. She hadn’t planned to touch him, and now, when she thought about pulling away, she didn’t want to. He pulled her closer, and she ground her hips into him.
“Jesus.” He kissed her neck, sucking and licking, drawing her need closer and closer to the surface.
She licked her lips.
“You’ve gotta stop doing that,” he said.
“Okay,” she lied. She guided his hand down between her thighs.
“This is dangerous,” he said with a coy smile.
“I know. Just for a minute. We won’t do much.”
“That’s much,” he said as he slid his finger under the edge of her shorts and found her wet and ready. “Mmm.”
She kissed his lips lightly.
“I didn’t come here for this,” he said.
“You tell me that so often that I’m starting to get a complex,” she said, her knees growing weak.
“Maybe you just want me for sex,” he said with a grin.
They slid down against the barn. Jade lay on the grass, her arms locked around Rex’s neck.
“I feel like I’m in tenth grade,” he said.
“Good, then do what you might have done with me in tenth grade.” Her father could come outside at any minute, and it only made what they were doing more exciting. She wiggled out of her shorts and tugged at his jeans.
“Jade, this is hardly not doing much,” he said between kisses.
“I can’t help it. I’ve gone thirty-one years without you. I don’t want to waste a second of our time together. Besides, just look at you.” She pulled him against her.
When he slid inside her, the illusion of driving away from Rex and living someplace else disappeared completely. This was the man she wanted to be with. This was the man she loved.
He moved in slow, deep strokes. “Am I hurting you?” he asked.
She shook her head and pulled him
deeper into her. The air around them was still, broken only by the sounds of the horses milling in their stalls.
They heard the house door open, then close. Rex froze.
“Hurry,” she whispered.
“Hurry? What if that’s your father? We’re in a compromising position here.”
“Just do it,” she said with a smile, then licked his lower lip.
“I’ve said it before, Jade Johnson, and I’ll say it again. You’re killing me.” He pumped harder and faster, until each thrust was met with a groan and she was clenching her teeth and calling out his name.
“Shh,” he warned.
She dug her fingers into the grass against her own quaking body.
They dressed quickly, kissing as she hopped on one foot to pull up her shorts.
Rex shushed her giggle.
“Whoever opened that door didn’t come down to the barn. We’re fine,” she said.
“You just might be too much woman for me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
He put his hands on her hips and kissed her. “How can I keep up with you?”
“You came to me, remember?” she teased.
He took her face between his hands. “I love you, Jade Johnson. I really, truly love you.”
He loves me. Loves me! Jade’s heart swelled as he kissed her again. When he released her, she was breathless—from his words as much as the kiss.
“I’m not a guy who goes around disrespecting other men. I’d never have done this, here,” he said, his eyes dancing over hers.
“You just did.”
“Yeah, because you reeled me into your devious world,” he said.
She knew he was teasing, but she had no idea how to respond. Had he not wanted to do it? Had he not enjoyed it? What was he telling her? Instead of asking, she held her breath, contemplating how to respond.
“Don’t get me wrong. I wanna be in your devious world.” He ran his hands beneath her hair at her temples and pulled it from her face, then held on tight, so her neck craned back and her chin tilted up. “I’m a thirty-four-year-old man you are turning into a seventeen-year-old bundle of hormones. I barely lived through those agonizing years. How am I going to live through this, with you so…?” He raked his eyes down her body. “Supple and frisky?”
Destined for Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 2) Contemporary Romance Page 16
