by Elle Keating
“I’ll take care of him, sweetheart.”
“I know you will,” Devan said, stepping out of his embrace.
“Enjoy your weekend,” Brennan said with a wink. Devan’s cheeks darkened as Gabe’s arm encircled her waist. “We’ll call you tonight when we come out of our sugar coma. But if you don’t answer your phones, well, I’ll understand.”
Gabe punched him in the arm, which only made Brennan chuckle. Shaking his head, Brennan turned and walked to the front door. With Jack leading the way, they headed to his truck. When Brennan glanced over his shoulder, he wasn’t shocked to find Devan and Gabe standing in the doorway waving them off. And he wasn’t surprised in the least when his brother gave him a nod, one that told Brennan that he knew he was hiding something from him.
Chapter Five
Anna
Her eyes were closed but she knew someone was watching her. And then there was the heavy breathing. He wasn’t going to back down. Anna slowly opened her eyes and there he was, eye level and wagging his tail. It was seven a.m. and for Mack that meant it was go time. She lumbered out of bed and yawned. She had stumbled in late last night after an exhausting shift. She would need a nap later today if she was going to survive her date tonight.
Was it too late to cancel on Jeff? She shook her head. That would be a bitch move and Jeff was a nice guy. She would just need to suck it up and ingest a lot of caffeine. With that thought she put a half a pot of coffee on and got dressed. Feeling slightly more energized, she transferred the coffee from the pot into her Yeti and made her way outside. But the second she stepped foot on her front stoop she and Mack made an about face, dipped back indoors and she snagged her jacket. The temperature had dropped. It actually smelled like snow, something not unheard of in the latter half of November. Which got her thinking.
Thanksgiving was next week. Last year she had spent it with her ex and his family in upstate New York. That felt like a lifetime ago, along with the day they had ended things…
“I want a life with you, Anna. If you would just let me in…”
“I can’t, Tom. I can’t give you what you want. I thought, hoped at some point I would be able to…”
“To love me? To have actual feelings for me?”
She shook her head and leaned against her kitchen counter. She hated the pain she saw in his eyes, that she had put it there. “I do have feelings for you. I care about you… just not…”
“Just not enough to want to be with me.”
“You deserve more than I can give… you deserve better than me.” She had never spoken truer words and she met his gaze.
“What happened? Why won’t you ever talk to me?” he asked.
“I do talk…”
“Not about your family or what your life was like growing up.”
“Tom… I don’t want to…”
“Talk about it. Right? That’s what you were going to say. What you always say when I ask you questions about your parents or your brother. Even though you shut me out, give me rare glimpses of who you are, I love you. But I can’t do this anymore.”
For the first time in their nearly one-year relationship, she let him see her cry. He didn’t try to console her because he knew. He knew why she was crying, that the tears she shed weren’t because they were ending things, but because she had hurt him. Because she hated herself right now.
“Take care of yourself, Anna.” She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and watched him leave her apartment. There was nothing left to say, no words that could make either of them feel better.
A whine and a whimper ended the memory and she looked at Mack. He let out a quick yip. He was tired of being patient. “Everything’s going to be fine, Mack. We’ll be just fine.” Anna had decided a few days ago that she would volunteer to work the holiday. She didn’t have anywhere else to go, so it made sense for her to bury herself in work. “Holidays are overrated. You’re all I need, boy.”
Anna gripped Mack’s leash and the two of them hit the beach. The moment her feet touched the sand her thoughts went to Brennan. She looked down the beach toward his home. Her gut told her to change direction, but Mack had other plans and pulled her to the right. What were the chances she’d run into him again? It had been a fluke last time. She was safe.
She let Mack off the leash, withdrew a tennis ball from her backpack and threw it. Mack let out a few playful barks and took off. She continued down the beach, playing Mack’s favorite game. Her arm would be sore tomorrow, but she didn’t care. She tossed the ball really far and again he was gone. She took a minute and stared out at the water. The waves seemed bigger today and the wind that whipped off the ocean coaxed her to zip her coat up to her chin. Taking Mack for a walk on the beach always put her in a good mood, but today she felt conflicted, lonely.
Snap out of it, Anna.
She turned, expecting to see Mack with his ball in his mouth and waiting for another round, only to find him about twenty-five yards away. She squinted and noticed that Mack had made a friend. His tail was wagging while a child petted his head, but Anna didn’t panic. Mack was great with kids and would never hurt a fly. But as she drew closer, she spotted a man jogging toward the boy. Her heart practically leapt out of her chest when she recognized who he was.
“I really like your dog. What’s his name?” asked the child.
“His name is Mack.”
“I like it,” he said.
“Hi, Anna.” The sound of his voice went straight to her core.
“Hi, Brennan.” She cleared her throat and looked at the child. “And what’s your name?”
“I’m Jack.”
“Well, Jack, want to throw Mack the ball? He loves playing catch.”
“So do I!” Jack dropped the football he had been holding on the ground and picked up the tennis ball that Mack had apparently placed at his feet.
“Let’s see how far you can throw it,” Anna challenged. Jack smiled and tossed the ball a whole lot farther than Anna expected. Mack took off and Jack followed. “Your son has a hell of an arm,” she said.
“Jack’s not my son. He’s my nephew or will be when my brother officially marries Jack’s mom.”
“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say. That she was relieved?
“I’m babysitting this weekend so his parents can have a well-deserved weekend away.”
She hadn’t expected that and she was a little ashamed to admit it, even if it was just to herself. Her preconceived idea of him was starting to crumble and that bothered her. Brennan took a seat on the sand. After several seconds of awkwardly standing there and looking down at him, she decided to join him. “Thanks to Jack, Mack’s going to sleep for a week,” she said.
Brennan looked down the beach and then turned and faced her. “Why won’t you go out with me?”
Wow, that was direct.
“I told you… I don’t date…”
“Patients,” he finished.
“Correct,” she said.
“And if I was never your patient would you then go out with me?”
“But you are my patient.” He raised his brow. “Um… probably not,” she said.
He smiled. “Why not? What is it about me that is so repelling?”
Repelling? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
“You don’t like scruff,” he said, touching his chin.
“No, I like scruff,” she said, as she imagined how it would feel against her skin, between her thighs.
“It’s my hair. You prefer blonds.”
“Your hair is lovely,” she said with a laugh.
“I have too many scars,” he said, pointing to his stitches.
“No, they give you character.”
He leaned forward and put his hand in front of his face and exhaled. “I have bad breath?”
“Absolutely not! You smell… minty,” she said. And he did. Jesus, he was too close. She swallowed as his eyes searched hers.
“You only date brown-eyed men. Blue eyes like mine are a
big turn-off.” His eyes were gorgeous, the kind you could easily get lost in.
“No, your eyes are fine.” Okay, this, whatever it was, needed to end. Hot and bothered, she stood, and he followed her lead.
“Then what is it?”
“You don’t get told no very often, do you?” His cocky smile faded, and she instantly felt like a jerk. “Look, I’ve dated men like you and well, I’m in a different place now.”
His eyes narrowed. She wasn’t just being a jerk. She was being a bitch.
Stop talking!
“Men like me?”
“Yes. Men who look… like you. The kind who have no problem finding women to… date,” she fumbled. “I should get going.”
She was heading over to Jack and Mack when Brennan shouted, “Hang out with me and Jack tonight. We’re making our own pizzas from scratch.”
The man wouldn’t quit, and she secretly loved that. She stopped and faced him. “That sounds like fun, but I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” he asked.
“I have a… I have plans.” At least that was the truth.
Mack came running over with his ball. Jack wasn’t far behind. “Thanks for letting me play with your dog,” Jack said, huffing and puffing.
“I should be thanking you. He needed the exercise.”
“It was nice seeing you again, Anna,” Brennan said. She wondered if he knew exactly what he did to her every time he uttered her name, that her heart skipped and her legs wanted to buckle. She didn’t have it in her to conjure up some witty response. All she could muster was a wave before she left.
Chapter Six
Brennan
“So the new Marvel movie is fine?”
Brennan stared at the blinking dots on his phone as he waited for Gabe’s reply. He was ninety-nine percent sure that Gabe and Devan would be okay with him taking Jack to the movies, but he wanted to be certain. From what he read, the movie contained a few curse words and some fighting, so he was leaving the final decision up to his parents.
Gabe’s text chimed through a few seconds later.
“Yep! Have fun, Uncle Brennan!”
He liked the sound of that. A lot. He had always been comfortable around kids. When he had been adopted, he hadn’t just gained a mom and dad. Overnight, he became one of five children in the McGinnis family. And then there was the extended family. The last time he had counted, he had over thirty first cousins. And who knew how many second and third cousins he had out there. His adopted mother came from a large Italian family and his Irish father was the youngest of six children. The family gathered often either to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or a holiday. And those get-togethers were always swarming with kids and filled with laughter, music, and food… so much food.
“Alright, let’s clean up and get ready!” said Brennan.
Jack had just finished the last of his pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom pizza. His own creation. Brennan had opted for a margherita pizza with fresh basil and mozzarella. “Ready for what?” Jack asked, wiping his greasy hands off with a napkin.
“We’re going to see the new Marvel movie!”
“Really? Like the one in the theater?”
“Yep, and the next show starts in forty-five minutes, so get moving. I want to get a good seat!”
“Yes!” he screamed. Jack tossed his plate into the dishwasher and then flew down the hall and into the spare bedroom that he had claimed was now his. Brennan went over to the sink and started rinsing off his plate. For a second he pictured Anna in this very spot, washing her hands before stitching him up. He wondered what kind of plans she had tonight. Did she have a date? The thought of her out with another man made him want to break the plate he was holding in two. Was he jealous because she had turned him down… twice, but was all too willing to go out with someone else? He was scrubbing the plate when he thought back to what she had said.
I’ve dated men like you.
He had tried to make light of her comment, but it had bothered him. She had a preconceived idea of the kind of guy he was, and most of what she probably thought was true. He had been with a lot of women. He wasn’t one to get serious. The media over the years had helped create his image, highlighting his man whore ways every chance they got, linking him with beautiful, sometimes famous women.
He really couldn’t blame Anna for thinking the worst. And until Anna he never cared what women thought of him. But today on the beach, her words stung. Because she didn’t see the other things, that he loved being an uncle to Jack, that he loved his family more than anything, that he was absolutely certain that something was missing in what some may say his perfect life.
Jack came sliding out in his socks. “Your shoes are by the door. All set?”
“Yep. Can we get popcorn?”
“Of course.”
“And M & M’s? I love chocolate and popcorn together.”
“Man after my own heart,” Brennan said.
“And soda?”
His parents have to know that I’m going to spoil the kid, right?
“Absolutely.”
Jack didn’t stop talking the entire twenty-minute drive to the theater. If he wasn’t chatting about baseball and football, then it was fishing, his newfound love thanks to Gabe. Brennan didn’t mind that this kid basically ran on a motor, or at least his mouth did, because he prevented him from thinking about Anna and her possible date.
Although the line to purchase their tickets had been short, the one at the concession stand was anything but. But Jack didn’t seem to care. He was grinning ear to ear as he looked around and then stared at his ticket from time to time, which made Brennan chuckle.
“Are you sure you’re cool with seeing the new Marvel movie? We can watch something else if you want to. I’ve already seen it three times,” said a voice from behind.
“No, I like superhero movies,” said a woman who he most definitely knew. No fucking way. What were the odds? Brennan continued to stare straight ahead all the while praying that Jack wouldn’t recognize Anna’s voice.
“That’s awesome! The last girl I dated despised anything Marvel. It was the main reason we broke up. It may sound a little shallow, but her disdain for the Marvel universe ran so deep that I didn’t know how we could get past it, frankly. I mean… how can someone not appreciate how each movie is linked?”
“I… I have no idea,” Anna said.
Brennan was so tempted to turn around and see if her date was dressed like a superhero when he heard Jack say, “I know you. I met you on the beach today.”
Shit!
Brennan slowly turned around. Anna’s jaw dropped but she quickly recovered and gave Jack a smile. “Yes, you did. What a coincidence running into you here!” Her eyes darted to him. Brennan flashed her a smile before his gaze settled on his competition. As far as dudes went Anna’s date wasn’t bad-looking, but it was hard to get past the Captain America t-shirt and what looked like Thor’s hammer tattooed on his right forearm.
“Hi, I’m Brennan. Anna and I are… neighbors.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. She had also patched up his face and shot him down twice, but why go into that?
“Oh, hey man. My name is Jeff. Anna and I work together at the clinic.”
Brennan didn’t expect that. From the way he spoke and dressed, he would have thought he spent his days playing video games in his parents’ basement.
“This is like the best day ever. First, we had a football catch on the beach. Then I met your dog, Mack, then Uncle Brennan and I made homemade pizzas and now we’re going to see the new Marvel movie!” Jack practically shouted.
“So weird. We just had pizza for dinner too, but at the pizza shop across the street, and we’re seeing the same movie as you! Who’s your favorite Marvel character?” Jeff asked Jack. The next thing Brennan knew Jack and Anna’s date were fully engrossed in their discussion and officially dorking out.
“So, what kind of pizza did you have?” Brennan asked.
Margherita,” Anna sai
d.
“That’s funny. I made myself the same tonight.”
Brennan and Jack slowly made their way to the register and ordered their food. Jack could barely fit his little arms around the massive tub of popcorn he swore he would have no problem finishing.
“It’s time for those stitches to come out, by the way,” Anna said.
“Are you offering?” he asked.
“Well, I can, but anyone at the clinic can do the job,” Anna said, blushing.
“Are you working tomorrow afternoon?”
“Uh… yes.”
Brennan just stared at her, not understanding why this woman made him so nervous. And so fucking turned on.
“Well, it was nice meeting you guys and talking Marvel with you, Jack,” Jeff said, interrupting his dirty thoughts. Brennan forced himself to look at Jeff and shake his hand. Her date didn’t seem like a douche, but he didn’t come off as Anna’s type.
“Enjoy the movie,” Brennan said. Anna gave him a nod before they made their way to the theater, one that he soon discovered was packed. Fortunately, they found two seats smack dab in the middle of the theater. Less than a minute after they were settled, the lights dimmed. Brennan scanned the movie theater and saw Anna and her date searching for empty seats. Anna pointed to the row directly in front of theirs and they made their way down the aisle. Anna looked up for only a split second, saw Brennan watching her and stumbled. She caught herself at the last moment and quickly sat down. Oblivious to his date’s near fall, Jeff glanced over his shoulder and smiled when he saw Brennan and Jack.
“Hey guys! It’s about to start! So excited!”
The dude had already seen this movie… three times. How exciting could it be? Anna turned and he caught her eyes. “Me too,” Brennan said. She gave him a smile and then it was showtime.
***
Anna
There were two types of people in this world. The kind who talked through movies and the kind who didn’t. She was the latter. But her date? He wouldn’t stop whispering in her ear, either telling her to get ready for this part, or promising her that she would never believe what was going to happen next. Anna had never met someone so invested in a movie, especially one that he had seen before.
