Searching for Love: The Complete Story

by Christine Kersey

  Brody pushed himself into a sitting position, his head inches from the overhead compartment. “So you’re still okay with heading to Malibu?”

  I would be perfectly happy to stay here with you until the end of time. “Uh-huh.”

  A smile curved his mouth. “That’s great, because I’m super-stoked for my family to meet you.”

  Wishing she felt the same, she clung to his enthusiasm. “Do you think you should warn them I’m coming?”

  “Warn them?” He chuckled. “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, I guess I just don’t want them to be surprised by some girl suddenly showing up in their son’s life.”

  His mouth turned up in a mischievous smile. “Maybe a surprise is just what they need.”

  “Brody,” Reese said, a warning in her voice.

  “What?” He laughed. “You don’t know my family, Reese. Sometimes I think they need a good shakeup.”

  “What makes you think I want to be the one who shakes them up?” That was the last thing she wanted.

  “Okay, okay. If it makes you feel better, I’ll give them a head’s up.”

  “Thank you.” Reese stretched her arms above her head in a cat-like pose, relieved to know that her appearance wouldn’t catch his family off-guard.

  Without warning, Brody leaned down and placed his hands on either side of her, then planted a kiss on her lips. Happy to put off getting up and facing the day, Reese eagerly accepted his kiss and returned his passion with vigor, pushing aside any thoughts of his family.

  Two hours later, Brody had finished loading all of his gear into his truck. Technically it was Logan’s truck, and Brody was ready to give it back to his younger brother and drive his Porsche again. After securing the last rope, Brody climbed into Reese’s RV to see how she was coming along. He found her wiping down her counters. “Do you need any help?”

  “No. I’m just about done here.” She tossed the used wipe in the trash, then turned to him with a smile.

  Brody admired her willingness to do as he had asked even though he knew she would have preferred to stay in Yellowstone. Love for her bloomed inside him and he was grateful once again that he had decided to come after her.

  If I hadn’t come looking for her, I’d be sitting at home right now working on my latest app, and feeling lonely. Not to mention filled with regret for not going after what I wanted.

  Half an hour later, they were heading west—Brody in his truck, Reese in her RV. Though he would have preferred that they travel in one vehicle for the long drive to Malibu, at least they were headed to the same destination.

  Once they left Yellowstone and had a strong cell signal, Brody dialed Logan’s phone.

  “Hey, bro,” Logan said after Brody had identified himself. “What’s going on? When are you coming home?”

  “That’s why I’m calling. We’re headed to Malibu now.”

  “We? So Reese is coming with you?”

  Brody glanced in the rearview mirror, and when he saw Reese’s RV behind him, he smiled. “Yes.”

  Logan chuckled. “Then I guess your trip was a success.”

  “You could say that.” Brody paused a beat. “What have you told Mom and Dad about her?”

  “Not a word, bro. Not a word.”

  “Really?”

  Logan laughed. “No point in getting them all riled up if you were just going to fall flat on your face.”

  Brody shook his head with a laugh. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. Keeping your ego in check.”

  “I know I can always count on you.”

  “Hey, so when do you think you’ll be back? I’m going to need my truck and gear this weekend.”

  “No problem,” Brody said. “I should be back by then. And thanks for letting me borrow everything.”

  “Glad I could play a small part in helping you get the girl.”

  Though Brody was certain of Reese’s love for him and his love for her, he wasn’t completely confident yet that he had ‘gotten the girl’. He knew they still had the obstacle of her acceptance by his family. Despite the fact that he wouldn’t let his family’s opinions sway him, he knew Reese well enough to know that their opinion would matter to her. And if they don’t accept her… He didn’t want to consider the ramifications of that. But he was convinced that his family would love and accept her without reservation.

  “Is my gear all in working order?” Logan asked.

  “Of course. What about my Porsche?”

  Logan laughed. “Not a scratch on her, I promise.”

  “Good. What do you need the truck for?”

  “Some buddies of mine are going on a camping trip and invited me along. I was hoping you’d be back in time.”

  “I will be. I’ll call you when I get to town,” Brody said.

  “Sounds good. See you later, bro.”

  An hour later his phone rang again. This time it was Reese.

  “Hello, beautiful,” he said as he smiled. “How’s everything going?”

  “Not so good.”

  An alarm rang in the back of Brody’s mind. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think there’s something wrong with my engine.”

  “Okay. Let’s take the next exit.”

  Four

  Five minutes later they were parked on the shoulder of the freeway off ramp and Brody was sitting in the driver’s seat of Reese’s RV, hoping she was mistaken. “What’s it doing?”

  “I heard this weird clunking noise that I’ve never heard before.”

  Brody listened to the engine, but didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. “Are you sure it was coming from your RV?”

  She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “I’ve been driving this thing around for a while now. I think I can tell if a sound is coming from it.” She frowned. “Besides, it is thirty years old. It’s going to have issues once in a while.”

  It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her, but he couldn’t help wonder if she had somehow come up with a reason to avoid going to Malibu. Would she run again? That was his biggest fear. Because if she did, he would have no way to find her.

  She glanced around. “This is Idaho Falls. I’ll bet there’s a place around here where I can take it to get it fixed.”

  It occurred to him how he could tell if she was telling the truth or if she was just trying to get away from him to avoid going to Malibu—he could offer to stay with her while the repair was being completed.

  Are you calling her a liar? Don’t be a jerk. “I suppose we can stay in a hotel while it’s getting fixed,” he said. That wasn’t true, of course. Logan had said he needed his truck by the weekend, which was the day after tomorrow. If there was something wrong with her RV, it was unlikely it would be fixed that fast.

  “Yeah, I guess we’ll have to.” She frowned again. “I’m sorry, Brody. I know you’re anxious to get home.”

  Looks like she’s telling the truth. Relieved, but feeling like an idiot for doubting her, he smiled. “It’s okay. What’s a few more days?” Then he snapped his fingers like he had just remembered something important. “Crap. Logan called a little while ago and said he needs his truck and camping gear back by the weekend.”

  “Oh. Well, you can go on ahead and I’ll take care of this.”

  He really didn’t want to leave her. Not when they were on their way to Malibu. Especially when he knew her trepidation in going there. What if she changes her mind about coming? “I’ll check with Logan and see if he can wait.” But he knew that wouldn’t fly. Crap.

  Reese nodded, but her focus was on her phone as she searched for a place where she could have the issue resolved. “Maybe it’s nothing, or at least a simple fix.” She glanced at him as she pressed a button to dial a repair place.

  Half an hour later Brody stood beside Reese as she spoke to a mechanic.

  “We’ll take a look at it,” the man said, “but as it’s already afternoon, I doubt it will be fixed today.”
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  Reese smiled. “Okay, thanks. Just call me when you know something.”

  The man nodded, and Brody walked with Reese to the truck. “What if you left it here,” he said, “and drove with me to Malibu? We could come back and get it when it’s fixed.”

  She shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. It will probably be ready in a couple of days. Why make two trips?”

  Because I don’t want to leave you here. “Let me give Logan a call and see what he says.” Reese nodded, then climbed into the cab of the truck. Wanting to talk to Logan without Reese overhearing, Brody stayed outside, even walking a short distance from the truck.

  “That sucks,” Logan said after Brody had explained the situation.

  “Yeah, so I was wondering if you could do without your truck and gear for a few more days.”

  Logan laughed. “Uh, no. The trip is this weekend. In a few days the weekend will be over.”

  “Maybe one of your buddies has gear you can borrow.” Work with me here.

  “Unfortunately, they’re counting on me to bring the gear.”

  “Can you go another weekend?”

  “Look, Brody, I know this puts you in a tough spot, but this is the only weekend that works for all of us, and I really need the break. I’m sure you can leave your pretty little girlfriend for a few days without her flying the coop again.”

  He has no idea. Brody sighed audibly as he tried to think of another solution, but nothing came to mind.

  “So you’ll be back sometime tomorrow?” Logan pressed.

  With a shake of his head, Brody said, “Yeah.”

  “Cool. See you then.”

  Brody dropped his phone into his pocket, then walked to the truck.

  Reese watched Brody as he approached the truck and saw him rub the back of his neck then lean his head back to stretch his neck muscles. A moment later he climbed behind the wheel. She smiled at him before asking, “Everything okay?”

  Resting his arm on the back of the bench seat, he smiled, but it seemed forced “I’ve got to get back to Malibu by sometime tomorrow.”

  Disappointed that Brody would have to leave, Reese held back a frown. She knew it wasn’t his choice and didn’t want to make him feel any worse. “When do you have to leave?”

  “I was thinking I could leave first in the morning.”

  “It’s a thirteen hour drive. You’re going to do it all in one day?”

  A half smile appeared on his face. “Don’t forget that I’ll gain an hour when I get to Vegas.”

  Reese laughed. “Oh yeah, that will make a big difference.” Trying not to think about the fact that she would be all alone again once he left—something she thought might be hard to get used to after being with Brody twenty-four/seven the last two weeks—she focused on the positive. At least we can spend tonight together, assuming the mechanic says it won’t be ready today.

  While they waited to hear the verdict on her RV, they went out to lunch. Halfway through their meal, the mechanic called and gave her the bad news that not only would it take a few days to fix her RV, but the cost to repair it would drain the small savings she had managed to set aside.

  She frowned as she put her phone back in her purse, then she met Brody’s gaze. “I guess they have to order a part, so it won’t be fixed until early next week.”

  “Then you should definitely drive to Malibu with me. We can come back for it next week.”

  Though his suggestion wasn’t unreasonable, Reese didn’t like the idea of leaving her RV—which contained everything she owned—a thousand miles from where she would be. “No, I don’t want to do that.”

  Brody ran his fingers through his hair. “Why not?”

  “What’s the big deal about me staying here?” She could tell something was bothering him, but couldn’t figure out what it was.

  “It’s just that…” He shook his head and sighed, then he gave her a hard stare. “How do I know you’ll actually come to Malibu?”

  So that’s it. “I will. I promise.”

  Doubt was clear in his eyes. “It just makes me crazy, Reese, to even consider that you might disappear again.”

  She couldn’t blame him for his lack of faith in her, but she knew her heart, and she knew that she wasn’t ready to give him up. “I won’t disappear, Brody.” Resting her forearms on the table, she leaned forward. “I love you.” A wide smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  Relief replaced the doubt in his eyes, and she knew he believed her. But deep inside, down where her primal instincts lived, she feared he was right, and that her apprehension of facing his family, of facing their judgment of who she was and where she came from, would keep her from following through on her promise.

  Five

  When Brody left their hotel early the next morning, Reese immediately felt his absence. This is what it will feel like if you chicken out and don’t go to Malibu. You’ll be alone all the time. Is that what you want?

  There was no question that she didn’t want that. She loved Brody. She wanted him to be in her life. But she was scared that his sophisticated family would see through her and convince him that she wasn’t right for him. And that terrified her.

  While she waited for her RV to get fixed, she spent her time going through the hundreds of photos she had taken while in Yellowstone. Using the wifi the hotel offered, she uploaded all the ones she believed were salable, then called Brody to see how he was doing. It was early afternoon, and she hoped he wasn’t getting drowsy driving all by himself.

  He answered her call almost immediately. “I was hoping you’d call,” he said by way of greeting.

  “You could have called me, you know.”

  He laughed. “I know, but knowing you, you were going through all those pictures you took.”

  Pleased he had gotten that right, she smiled. “I had to take advantage of the wifi.”

  “I know.” He paused. “I miss you, Reese. I wish you were sitting beside me.”

  So do I. “Oh yeah? What would you do if I was?”

  “Hmmm. Since this truck has a bench seat, I’d pull you right up against me.”

  “I like the sound of that.” The memory of the intimacy they had shared the night before filled her mind, and she longed to be with him.

  “Any word on your RV?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I hope they can get it done faster than they said.”

  “Me too, sweetheart. Me too.”

  She pictured his face, especially his blue-green eyes, and knew that despite her fears, nothing could keep her from going to Malibu. She thought about the day he had taken her into the ocean, and how he had yanked her against his chest when a massive wave had been about to crash over them. That was the first time she had been close to him, and she wanted to be close to him now. “When I get there,” she asked, her voice filled with longing, “will you take me in the ocean again?”

  Brody smiled, thrilled to hear her make a comment that proved she would be coming. “Absolutely. And I’m going to get you your very own wetsuit.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know I don’t. But I’m going to.” He pictured the way it would look on her, hugging her curves, and he wondered what in the world he was doing driving away from her.

  They chatted a while longer, and with every passing mile, he missed her more and more. She’ll come. She promised. Clinging to that promise was the only thing that kept him moving south instead of turning around and going back to Reese.

  Early Monday afternoon the repair place called to let her know her RV was fixed. They offered to pick her up from her hotel, and after gathering the few belongings she had taken out of her RV and to the hotel, she waited for her ride.

  Forty-five minutes later she was behind the wheel of her home sweet home, heading south to Malibu. To Brody. Spending the last few days without him had put an exclamation point on how awful it would be to stay away from him, and though her apprehension
at meeting his family was strong, her love for him and her desire to be with him was even stronger. She clung to that yearning as she drove inexorably onward.

  Shortly after she pulled onto the Interstate, she dialed Brody’s phone.

  “I was just about to call you,” he said. “Any word on your RV?”

  The sound of his voice brought a wide smile to her mouth, and as she imagined his reaction to the news that she was on her way, warmth spread throughout her chest. “As a matter of fact, yes. It’s all fixed.”

  “That’s great! When do you think you’ll leave?”

  “I’m on the road now.”

  “Really?”

  She could hear the smile in his voice. “Yes. I miss you so much, so I decided to leave immediately.”

  “I miss you too, but promise me you’ll be careful. You don’t have to drive too fast.”

  Reese’s eyebrows bunched. Why the sudden worry? “Okay.”

  Brody frowned at the tone of Reese’s voice. I don’t think she’s taking this seriously. He had yet to tell her about Megan, the woman he had loved who had died in a car accident a year earlier. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t told her anything about Megan yet—maybe because a part of him was still mourning the loss. Regardless, the thought of Reese driving too fast because she was in a hurry to reach him, and then something happening to her, made his stomach churn painfully. “Just promise me you’ll take your time getting here.”

  “Okay. I promise.”

  He shook his head, not feeling comforted at all.

  “Did you tell your family about me?” she asked.

  He hadn’t yet, and he didn’t know why. “I was planning on telling them today.” No you weren’t. But now he would. He wanted to do what he could to make sure Reese felt comfortable meeting them. And if she wanted him to ‘warn’ them about her, he would.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “What do you want me to tell them?”

  “Anything except the…you know…the stuff about my parents.”