by Amber Lynn
After he left, he headed to an eye doctor. He had perfect vision but had seen the specific doctor a few times when pucks had gotten a little too close to his eyes. He’d gone there because he figured they’d know about colored contacts, and they did. They knew that you had to have a prescription for them, which meant he needed to see the doctor and read all the little charts.
Walk-ins were frowned upon, but they made an exception. Brayden didn’t think he led the woman on, but after he walked out with his boxes of contacts, he found a folded piece of paper with a number on it. The paper was thrown away at the first garbage can he found.
Not that the woman wasn’t cute. He just didn’t care.
Once he had the contacts, he headed to a store and picked up some different colors of hair dye, general toiletries he thought a woman and boy needed, some clothes he hoped would fit and a cart full of toys. The shopping for the toys ended up being the only bright spot of the morning.
Every other moment, his thoughts were filled with Willow, mainly the fact that he had no idea what she wanted. Or how he felt about her. She came right out with the mating talk, but seemed happy when he said it wouldn’t happen.
He knew how his body felt about her. And how much he couldn’t trust it. She was innocent in a way he’d never experienced before. His friends would probably say he had a type, and Willow was the exact opposite. So sweet and smart.
Someone needed to tell his body that and convince it. Because his brain shouting that she wasn’t for him wasn’t convincing his dick. His thoughts had been unwanted before he found out who she was. Now that he knew, he felt dirty.
And that left him in no mood to deal with Trevor and his threats. He just wanted to get through practice and head home to try to make some sense of what Willow wanted to do next. It didn’t help that he only had a few hours before he had to be back at the arena for a game.
“Dude, are you drunk?” Trevor asked as he threw a towel at Brayden.
Even in his mood, Brayden caught the towel and tossed it next to him. He glared at his friend for a second as he stripped out of his clothes.
“So, I talked to Rachel last night. I thought about stopping by, but figured you were a little busy.” Trevor’s voice was low, making it so anyone trying to listen in would have to strain to hear.
Brayden’s movements ceased in what was sure to be comical for anyone watching him. His arms were up over his head with his shirt pinning them there. He sat frozen for what felt like minutes, not sure he heard Trevor right.
“No comment? I suppose that’s smart. Rachel made me swear to have your back, but you’re going to have to explain what the fuck is going on.”
He had to explain? Trevor had plenty of explaining to do himself. How the hell had Rachel gotten ahold of him, and who exactly initiated that call. The two of them hated each other.
Rather than get into anything with an audience, Brayden successfully removed his shirt and glared at Trevor. His friend was usually the most easy-going guy in the world, never sweating a thing. The look in his eyes didn’t look easy-going. Fear wasn’t the right emotion either, but it was close.
What the hell was that look for? Even if Rachel told Trevor who Willow was and that Brayden had run off with her, why in the world would that affront his friend?
“I’ve got everything under control.”
He didn’t add that he wanted to keep Willow away from him. Trevor rubbed every woman in Brayden’s life the wrong way. It was his gift, one Brayden didn’t want Willow dealing with.
“Really? Rachel seemed to think this was a little above your pay grade.”
“Rachel needs to mind her own business,” Brayden said as he started pulling on his gear.
Trevor muttered something, but Brayden tuned him out. If he didn’t get a move on it, the coach was going to chew his ass out. With no sleep and his head somewhere else, being on time was about the only thing he had going for him.
“What’s this I hear about Megan stalking you?”
Seriously, what the hell was Trevor’s problem today? Brayden narrowed his eyes and stared at his friend. He wasn’t usually dense, but he clearly missed every sign that Brayden didn’t want to talk about anything. Not helping matters, Trevor’s latest question was loud enough the rest of the guys milling around heard, and the room went quiet.
It wasn’t like the locker room was buzzing with voices, but there had been a quiet hum. Brayden felt the second that every single eye turned in his direction, waiting for a comment. He was going to kill Trevor.
Everyone knew Megan and heard some version of why the two of them had broken up before the wedding. The people Brayden wanted to know the truth did, but his personal business wasn’t something he actively talked about in the locker room. He’d listened as the guys came up with ludicrous explanations for the split.
Megan deciding Brayden’s dick wasn’t big enough. As well as the idea that he didn’t have one at all. He wasn’t capable of getting up. He only lasted ten seconds.
Yeah, they were all childish pricks, who couldn’t get their minds out of the gutter. It wasn’t like they didn’t all take showers in the same place and had every opportunity to see for themselves some of those stupid ideas weren’t true.
It should have pissed him off a little that every explanation claimed she was the one who’d called it off. Trevor hadn’t helped the speculation, probably purposefully driving it in the wrong direction. He could be a good friend when he wanted to.
“Did you call Rachel, or did she call you?”
Brayden continued to face Trevor as he laced up his skates, so he saw the surprised look that crossed his face before he could hide it. Did he honestly think Brayden was just going to sit there and take the beating he dished out? The Megan conversation was going nowhere.
His friend shook his head and stood up, walking closer to Brayden. “She called me, but it’s not important. I’m trying to get Handsy to reel his woman in. Megan showing up demanding to see you right now is not safe for anyone.”
The words were spoken even lower than the earlier hints about Willow. Brayden’s forehead creased in as he glanced across the room to Kelly Handley, otherwise known as Handsy by about everyone who knew him. The man’s eyes were narrowed slightly, but when he saw Brayden looking at him, he got up and left the room.
“Handsy and Megan?” The names were nothing more than a breath.
How had Brayden not known about that? Did he know about her showing up at both of his places? There were so many new questions flowing through his head that Brayden had to shake it to clear it.
The most important thing to note about the new revelation was that Brayden really didn’t care. Megan interfering with Willow’s and Connor’s safety was an issue, but he couldn’t care less what she did in her personal life.
“Yeah, rumor is it’s been going on for a month or so, but I think they had a fight. I can fill you in on the way to your apartment after practice.”
Trevor clapped him on the back, rougher than necessary, and made his way out of the locker room. Brayden rotated his shoulder to try to loosen the slight pain and watched his friend walk away.
Shit. Not answering the door when Megan showed up was one thing. Trevor had a goddamn key.
Chapter 25
“So, what do you think?” Willow asked as she shook her head around to get rid of any loose strands.
In an odd way, even though she’d just cut off about two feet of thick hair, her short bob cut almost felt heavier than what was there before. When she’d thought about cutting her hair, the unruly length had kept her from proceeding, but it turned out it was easy to just grab it in her hand and cut a somewhat straight line.
She’d glanced in the mirror and hadn’t recognized herself. Her eyes darted away so fast, she may not have gotten the best look. It was the first time she’d had hair above her shoulders in about twenty years. As a kid, she’d wanted to grow it out. The option had been taken away from her, because like many options, having
a haircut hadn’t been offered over the last fifteen years.
Neither had very many mirrors. She’d seen herself in reflections just fine and knew her body changed over the years. A good look in the mirror hadn’t been a high priority, and it still wasn’t.
It made another occasion when she felt like she should feel a particular way, but she didn’t have a name for the feeling, let alone experienced it. All she knew was her head felt heavier.
“Pretty,” Connor said.
That was one thing that made Willow feel, hearing Connor’s tiny voice. She remembered the wails when he was born and the few other times he’d cried, but most other sounds were few and far between. The huge relief that swelled through her almost hurt.
“I’m home,” Brayden’s voice boomed through the apartment. “With presents.”
Connor’s eyes widened, but he didn’t move. Presents could mean a lot of different things in their world. Usually, when her kidnapper mentioned them, a stack of books was dropped on her table. There had been times when the “presents” was a smack across the face because his day hadn’t gone according to plan. She never understood why he announced it as a present, but she’d carried a few bruises when she was younger to mark the occasions.
“Let’s go see what he’s got,” she said with a smile on her face.
The smile was all for Connor’s benefit. She didn’t think Brayden was the kind of guy who had a messed up sense when it came to the definition of presents, but she couldn’t know for sure. As they stepped around the corner to the living room, she had her answer.
Boxes upon boxes of toys covered the living room floor. Willow stared in amazement. How in the world had he gotten them all in the apartment without her hearing him at the door?
She looked up from the boxes, which had momentarily distracted her from the man who was becoming a Mount Everest size distraction. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized he wasn’t the only man in the room.
Her heart stopped as she realized why Connor clutched her leg in a death grip. The new man was just as big as Brayden. In other words, he had muscles for days too.
Their coloring was different. Brayden had a more olive skin tone, while the newcomer had fairer features, like blonde hair and probably blue eyes. There was an expression on his face, almost like a smirk. He clearly wasn’t surprised to see her there and didn’t seem to mind that he unnerved her.
Brayden’s eyes remained glued on her as he reached over and smacked the back of the other guy’s head. Willow gasped and bent down to wrap her arms around Connor.
“Don’t mind him. Trevor is just an idiot, who decided to follow me home. Rachel filled him in,” Brayden added when she frowned.
“Trevor, as in Trev, the guy you told me about?”
Her protector nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, Willow saw a grin spread across Trevor’s face.
“So you’ve already mentioned me?” Trevor asked as he nudged Brayden with his elbow.
Willow didn’t understand the gesture or the wink that followed his statement. The man reminded her of the guy in the diner she’d pulled her knife on. It was tucked her boot, and she wasn’t afraid to take it out. She stared at Brayden, trying to ask with her eyes whether that was necessary.
He shook his head and walked forward. The head shake looked like it was more to clear his head than answer her unspoken question. When he got to Willow, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.
“Sorry for ogling. I thought I’d miss the long hair, and I just realized I don’t.”
Willow held her breath as the words washed over her. Ogling? He thought he was ogling? She’d never thought his looks were lecherous. The moment to ask him to explain passed as he bent down and scooped Connor up.
The boy squealed and held on tight as Brayden threw him in the air and caught him. It felt right to hear him enjoying himself. Evidently, the other man in the room was completely forgotten when Brayden wanted to play.
“I got you a few things. I figured you haven’t gotten any birthday or Christmas presents, so you have some catching up to do.”
Brayden glanced at Willow, as if he expected her to complain. She wanted to, but she would wait until later to tell him it was too much. Connor had already seen it, and she couldn’t take the joy away from him.
He let Connor down and stared at him. Connor sidestepped, so he was closer to Brayden and could wrap his arms around his leg. Taking him closer to the toys also brought him about five feet from Trevor. The boy had decided he could trust Brayden, but Trevor was another story. Willow stepped forward to intervene, but Brayden was down on Connor’s level again brushing his hand through his hair.
“No one here is going to hurt you, Connor. I’ll make sure no one ever hurts you again,” Brayden said.
“Yeah, little guy. I’m not going to hurt you,” Trevor said as he squatted down and picked up a toy. “What kind of toys do you like to play with? It seems like your friend Brayden got you a little bit of everything.”
He looked at the toy in his hand, which seemed to be an action figure, and handed it over to Connor. On Connor’s part, he lifted his head a little to see the offered toy. Then he quickly looked back to Willow.
“It’s okay. Why don’t you pick a couple toys and take them back to the bedroom for a few minutes while we talk?”
She needed some clarification on what Trevor being there meant. Of course the apartment was Brayden’s, and his friends were free to come and go as he wished, but with her and Connor being there, she needed to make sure there were some lines that weren’t crossed. She also wanted to find out exactly what Trevor knew about her. Brayden used Connor’s real name. While she thought the information seemed safe with Brayden, she didn’t know about his friend.
Connor turned to see what Trevor still had outstretched to him. His small hands untwined from around Brayden’s leg and reached over to grab the toy. The movement wasn’t exactly a snatch, but it was quick.
“Here,” Brayden said, picking up some other toys Willow couldn’t see clearly. “These are some of my favorites. Why don’t you go start playing? I’ll be in to help in a few minutes.”
He ruffled Connor’s hair and pushed him back towards the hall Willow stood in. She smiled, happy to see his eyes wide and full of wonder as he looked at the toys. The few cheap ones she’d been able to get him were going to be long forgotten with the new shiny ones filling his arms.
Willow patted his head as he walked by. He didn’t seem to mind the idea of the adults talking without him. When she was a kid, Willow hated being left out of conversations. She had trouble understanding what was said most of the time, but she wanted to know everything. Since half the conversations were about her and how odd she was, it was her right to know.
Brayden straightened up and walked back to Willow. There was no leaning in to whisper this time. He just stood next to her and turned to face Trevor. Willow felt the heat of him spread up her left side.
“Sorry about him. I didn’t want to bring him, but Rachel called him last night and insisted I needed help.”
Willow glanced over at Brayden, noticing the stubble she thought she saw that morning had grown. Something urged her to reach out and touch it, to feel the bristle of it. If they were alone, maybe she would have.
“The way she tells it, you probably have a lunatic out there looking for the wife and kid he thinks he misplaced,” Trevor said. “She’s afraid he’s going to show up with a gun and shoot you.”
Watching the man’s mouth move didn’t help Willow understand what he was babbling about. Maybe it was because Rachel had passed some news along and it didn’t make any sense after Trevor deciphered it.
“I’m not anyone’s wife,” she said.
The thought was insane. Connor was clearly the man’s child, but she couldn’t be his wife. Someone would’ve noticed that marriage license. At least she hoped they would have.
“I said thinks. You’re obviously not his wife. There’s no jewelry on your fingers.
”
The words were said like the cartoon characters spoke on the TV shows she watched with Connor. They lacked any bit of sincerity.
Opening her mouth to speak, she froze when she felt Brayden’s fingers slip across hers and then curl to hold her hand. She glanced down to stare at the joined hands, not believing her eyes or the instant fire that rushed through her.
“We don’t really have time to get into this right now. We’ve got to be out of here in,” Brayden said before stopping to look at the watch on his wrist. He cursed under his breath and sighed. “Two hours. I need to make sure Willow and Connor have had their lunch and are prepped for dinner. Then I’d like to play with Connor for a few minutes. All you need to know is that Willow is running from an asshole who kidnapped her fifteen years ago. She can’t go to the authorities right now because the asshole and his real wife are Connor’s parents.”
Willow’s focus was on Brayden, but she turned to see Trevor’s reaction to the last bit of information. His jaw hung open, again making her think of the cartoon characters. She wouldn’t have been surprised if his eyes popped out of his head.
“Wait a second,” he said, not hiding his confusion. “The kid isn’t hers? Are you telling me the kidnapee has become the kidnaper?”
“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Brayden replied. “For now, I don’t care what you do as far as hanging out here, but you can’t let anyone know they’re here.”
“Okay but answer one more question. Would you have told me about her if Rachel hadn’t?”
Looking between the two men, it seemed the answer to that question was exchanged with facial expressions alone. On Brayden’s face, he showed just the hard edge she’d grown used to in the last few days. Trevor’s, on the other hand, looked a little frustrated. She didn’t know how to take that, nor did she have time to consider it as Brayden pulled on her arm and led her to the kitchen.
