As Tears Go By

by Lydia Michaels

  His hands cupped her face and he kissed her. “I think Hunter would enjoy having some younger siblings. How many should we give him? Three? Four? Six?”

  Her face dropped. “Whoa. Let me take a breath. How about we try for one and see how that goes?”

  “But Hunter’s older. The little guy’s gonna need a buddy. Let’s shoot for two and if God blesses us with more we’ll count ourselves lucky.”

  Her heart fluttered with rekindled enthusiasm. “Okay,” she softly agreed.

  “What about moving?”

  “I told Kevin I’m selling the house. I don’t want to live there anymore. It isn’t a happy place for me. The memories aren’t pleasant, aside from a few precious ones. I’d like to start over—with you.”

  “Lucky for you, I have the perfect place for new beginnings. All that’s missing is the key to my future.” He kissed her nose and whispered, “That’s you, angel. You and Hunter.”

  “I do need to talk to Kevin again. I want to give him one more chance to be the bigger person and negotiate our situation in a civilized manner before I’m forced to take him to court.”

  “I’m coming with you. He pulls any shit and I’ll deal with him.”

  “Braydon.”

  “What? I’m done playing games. You’re a grown woman and I’m sick and tired of him getting in the way of your happiness. He either steps aside and lets you move on or I move him.”

  She smirked. “I like this aggressive side of you.”

  “Good, because I’m done passively waiting around for things to go my way. I know what I want and I’m taking it. Anyone gets in my way…they’ll regret it.”

  She kissed his nose where a small mark showed from when she hit him with the bible. “My tough mountain man.”

  He growled and rolled on top of her. “And you’re going to be my sexy mountain woman. I can’t wait.”

  Neither could she.

  Chapter Seventeen

  After convincing Nikki they’d talked out all their issues and then some, she finally gave up the code to the safe. Carla picked them up as planned and dropped them off at Becca’s where Braydon decided to stay for a few weeks until they ironed out all the kinks and made arrangements for the move.

  They faced Kevin the following weekend and Braydon proved to be a logical asset and diplomat. Kevin had immediately gone on the offensive when they asked him to sit down and talk.

  “What’s this about?” he asked, crossing his arms and ignoring the seat offered.

  “We need to discuss our arrangement. The house is listed and I’d like to have a fair plan regarding Hunter’s situation before we involve the courts,” Becca explained.

  Braydon cleared his throat. “We’re giving you the chance to voice any realistic concerns so they can be addressed amicably, Kevin. It benefits no one to go into a situation like this as adversaries.”

  “I don’t see how this concerns you,” Kevin said snidely.

  Becca spoke before Braydon had the chance. “It concerns him, because he will be a part of our son’s day to day life. The moment you accept that the easier this will be for everyone, including Hunter.”

  Kevin drew in a slow breath and stared at the wall. When he exhaled, his body stiffly lowered into a kitchen chair. “Tell me how you see this working, though I’m doubtful there’s a solution here that benefits all of us.”

  Braydon and Becca sat in the chairs across from him. “We aren’t trying to start a war here, Kevin. The goal is for us to work as a team.”

  Her ex-husband shrugged indifferently. “I still want to see my son every other weekend.”

  Becca nodded. “Okay. I think that would make Hunter very happy.”

  He turned and frowned. “You do realize how far Center County is, Rebecca.”

  “I do. I also believe his time with his father is worth the drive. We can figure out a mid-point to meet on your weekends. There will be times Braydon and I will be returning to the city and we can plan visits in relation to Hunter’s schedule whenever possible.”

  “You’re also welcome to visit Center County,” Braydon added.

  Kevin appeared skeptical, but Becca went on. “You’ll always be included in holidays and birthdays where Hunter’s concerned. It was never my intension to deprive you of those celebrations. Hunter would expect you to be there.”

  At that, Kevin’s opposition seemed to mildly fade. He quietly admitted, “It’s going to be a difficult adjustment.”

  “For all of us,” Braydon agreed. “But we want to make it as easy as possible for Hunter. I think the three of us are in agreement about that.”

  Kevin met his gaze. “You’re taking away the two people I love most in this world.”

  Becca prepared to argue that Kevin had let them go long before Braydon even came into the picture, but Braydon responded first. “It may be cold comfort, but all I can tell you is that I love them too, and I plan to take very good care of them. I think, if you and I aren’t enemies, we all have a better shot at success.”

  Her hand was shaking when she reached under the table and squeezed Braydon’s. He was handling this awkward situation extremely well.

  “It’s a difficult pill to swallow,” Kevin admitted. “But, oddly enough, I agree with you. I know you’re not the enemy, Braydon. You’re just the guy living the life I expected. I’m not your biggest fan, but I’m man enough to acknowledge you care for my son. I believe you genuinely do.”

  “I do.”

  Kevin let out a long breath. “Then there really isn’t anything I can do. I already lost one person. I won’t lose him too. Maybe—with some adjusting—we could actually make this work.”

  “We can,” Becca promised. They had to.

  Once Kevin had a more positive attitude, their transition took a smoother course. He was accommodating enough to take Hunter the following week. It seemed, now that the move was imminent, Kevin understood how valuable every second with their son was. Braydon handled a lot of the scheduling and miraculously, Kevin appeared more than willing to assist.

  They had an appointment before the judge in a month to adapt their custody agreement, but in the end, Kevin seemed to accept the situation. He’d have Hunter two weekends a month, much like he did now, and during certain holidays. On the holidays he was without their son, he was welcome to join them on the Mountain. It would be a lot of commuting, but Becca knew she’d be back to visit Carla and Nikki often.

  On moving day Becca was a mess. It was impossible to plan for a home she’d never seen. While her friends had pushed for her and Braydon to find their happy ending, they threw a tantrum when they realized there would be no more impromptu office visits or midweek lunches together. In the end, they cried over a box of Fritz’s brownies—compliments of her man—and planned ahead for weekend visits.

  She and Braydon spent the last night boxing up all of Hunter’s toys, but Braydon kept suggesting she leave older items behind. “But what if he needs that?”

  “We can come back if you decide you want it, but let’s get there first, Becca.”

  Her house was listed, but they had some time before showings would be scheduled. Luckily her best friend was handling the sale. She supposed leaving a few items behind wouldn’t hurt.

  Becca had no doubt she’d be overwhelmed enough moving into a new home. She couldn’t wait to see what Braydon designed. If anything, Braydon was good at his job. She’d seen his work from a commercial standpoint, but she couldn’t imagine what sort of home he’d design for himself.

  Secretly, she hoped it wasn’t filled with the steely grays and cold metals he tended to lean toward in his apartment. She liked color and so did Hunter. There would definitely be some compromising ahead.

  They rented a U-Haul and towed the van to Center County. It was convenient that Braydon’s car was already at his parents’.

  She was anxious from the minute they left, to the minute they pulled into town. At the base of the mountain, Braydon stopped the truck and faced her. “You ready
?”

  She snorted. “No.”

  The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Yeah, there’s no preparing for this sort of thing.” He held her hand. “Let’s go.”

  As the large truck made a sluggish chug up the mountain she fidgeted. Her nerves jangled with such unrest she was surprised she didn’t throw up. Everything looked different because there was so much more snow weighing down the trees and covering the ground. The roads were mostly plowed leaving large drifts on the shoulders.

  The sweet scent of burning wood streaming from nearby chimneys comforted her in an odd nostalgic way. As they turned onto the road Maureen had stopped her from walking down, she held her breath. This was it. She was finally turning that corner, venturing down the path of her future—all the while holding Braydon’s hand just as she was meant to be.

  The truck made slow progress. Steep drifts buffeting the edge of the forest. It was so different from the city. Tread marked the path as they worked their way through the white slush.

  A large Victorian mansion blocked her view. She leaned forward, trying to recall which relative lived there. “Are they our closest neighbors?”

  He laughed and pulled the truck close to a snow bank and shut the engine. “Nope. That’s your new home, angel.”

  Whipping her head around, she gaped. There was no way he built that.

  “What do you think?” he asked, his own anxiousness showing.

  “This can’t be it.”

  His laughter turned nervous. “What do you mean? Of course it is. Do you like it?”

  “Braydon…” There were no words.

  Snow covered shingles followed neat peaks up to various angles of the roof. Paned windows, crisp and white, shined in the sun. There was a large wrap around porch and a copula with a copper soffit. The siding was cheery yellow with black shutters, much like the house she’d admired in town, but prettier. Moldings framed each crown with impeccable attention to detail. It was absolutely stunning and they were going to break it the second they stepped foot inside.

  “Tell me you at least like the color.”

  She couldn’t take her eyes off of it. It was so picturesque. “Braydon, it’s too nice. How did you manage to build this in such short time?”

  “I poured the foundation the week after Thanksgiving. Like anything else, I started from the ground up and looked to family and friends for the help I’ve always been able to count on.”

  She laughed. It was a short puff of breath she couldn’t contain. Swallowing did nothing to bring moisture to her dry throat.

  “Come on. I’ll show you around.”

  When he came around the truck to her door she still hadn’t moved or blinked or even breathed much. He took her hand and lifted her down. Though she didn’t measure love by material things, this mammoth structure of beauty represented how committed he was to them. Like the foundation, he’d cemented himself in their life, offered strength and shelter and a safe place to belong. The meaning of such a grand gesture pierced her heart, opening up flutters of hope and spilling out all the hidden faith she held in this amazing man.

  Guiding her through the snow to the gate at the fence, he held her shoulders and stood at her back. His voice was soft as he whispered. “When we first see something we enjoy, we experience lust. I remember the first time I saw you. You were so beautiful and innocent and nervous. I never expected to find everything I’ve found in you, but it was there all along. I just had to dig under the surface a bit and convince you to let me in. Everything about you seemed so perfect at first glance, angel, but as I got to know you, it was the wonderful imperfections that made me fall irrevocably in love with you.

  “It’s a pretty house. Go ahead and lust for a minute.” His hand slid over her jacket and rested above her pounding heart. “But I intend to make you love it, not because it’s pretty, but because of all the hidden treasures inside.”

  She turned and hugged him fiercely. The house was beyond lovely and pristine in a way that intimidated her. But that wasn’t why she hugged him. No. She hugged him because no one had ever felt so strongly about her. Of course she loved him, but the way he loved her, it was euphoric and tangible, like a slow awakening from her hazy reality. Today was the beginning of the rest of her life. A happy life. And she couldn’t wait to move forward with him.

  Her gaze searched his blue eyes. “I love you, Braydon. Those words seem so small compared to what I’m feeling right now. Thank you.”

  “Love me, angel. That’s all I need. Just love me.”

  Pressing up on her toes, she kissed him. This man, this incredible man, was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to her. So long as she had Hunter and Braydon by her side, it seemed all the worry and fear didn’t quite matter, because they filled her with more hope than she’d ever thought possible.

  Taking a deep breath, she turned and looked back at the masterpiece he’d created. There was no way it would always look as neat and perfect, not once they settled in. Poor Braydon probably had plans to decorate it with fancy, little, breakable knick-knacks that wouldn’t survive the first burst of Hunter’s energy. But she loved him for his efforts. Loved him so much it should probably be illegal.

  “Do you want to see the inside?”

  She did, but she didn’t. He was so happy. She could read all the expectation in his eyes. It was a lot to live up to. “Please.”

  She pulled at the gate, but it didn’t budge. “It’s stuck.”

  “It’s coded.” He flipped open a hidden hatch and exposed a keypad. “The number’s three seventeen.”

  Glancing at him curiously, she asked, “Three seventeen?”

  “St. Paddy’s Day. March seventeenth.”

  She laughed and punched in the code. A tiny red light flashed green and the locking mechanism released. “That’s amazing. Where did you even find something like that?”

  “You’d be surprised what you can find when you really want to keep those you love safe.”

  This was going to be a lot harder than she anticipated. If Braydon thought ahead enough to install safety locks, he probably thought of other things that were going to embed him further in her heart. She braced herself as they stepped onto the wraparound porch. There wasn’t a keyhole on the door. Rather, another hidden keypad.

  “All of the codes can be updated. There’s an app I’ll put on your phone. It lets you monitor the house and alerts you the second the security system’s breached.”

  Yup. She was a speechless goner.

  He typed in another code and the door opened a crack. “Ready?”

  Nope. She nodded.

  They entered into a large foyer painted a vibrant shade of coriander blue. The carpet was soft with a hypnotic pattern. It looked nothing like what she expected, mostly because she wasn’t expecting more than sheet-rocked walls and unfinished floors.

  “Oh my God.”

  His face split with a prize-winning grin. “Hunter likes to make tracks with his trains. I figured he should have a permanent one.”

  It was difficult to breathe. On the wall was a large, framed picture of her tree that had been cut down. She gasped. “Where did you get this?”

  “I took it with my phone and had it blown up. The frame’s bolted to the wall at each corner and the glass is plexi so it won’t shatter if it gets bumped.”

  Her jaw nearly hit the floor. Brushing her fingers lightly over the photo, she blinked back tears, but her vision didn’t clear. Wiping her eyes, she faced him. “I don’t know how many more surprises I can handle. You’ve thought of so much and we’ve barely made it through the door.”

  He kissed her brow. “Let me show you the playroom. I think you’ll like it.”

  They stepped into a dark room and the floor felt squishy beneath her feet. Braydon went to a wall and flipped a switch. Pink light traveled through a pillar in the corner. It was like a lava lamp filled with tiny racing bubbles.

  He flipped another switch and a fish tank built into the far wall illuminated. “I th
ought Hunter would wanna help choose the fish.”

  The walls weren’t painted one color, but several. Each bright shade swirled around objects and wheels that were bolted into place. There were soft beanbag chairs and pillows in all the primary colors. A school would be fortunate to have such a multisensory room.

  “How did you do this?”

  “I had some help, but once I knew what I was looking for I went a little crazy.”

  She went to the window and brushed her fingers lightly over the simple café curtains sewn in a bright red. “Café curtains.”

  “Watch this.” He played with the security device on the wall and the mechanism beeped. As he slid open the window, cold winter air rushed in. “These curtains are made to dance in the breeze. Try to push your hand through the screen.”

  She pressed on the screen and it didn’t budge. “What are they made of?”

  “They’re incredible, right? They can’t be punctured. Every window in the house has them.”

  She turned and paced in a circle, then dropped into a plush chair with no hard edges. He frowned and kneeled beside her. “You okay?”

  Lips pressed tight, she shook her head and sucked in a jagged breath. “No one’s ever cared this much. I don’t know how to process it.”

  “You have years to process. Right now just experience it.”

  She gripped his arm and squeezed. “Braydon…I’m the only person who ever loved my son enough to try to see the world through his eyes. You’ve somehow designed all of this from his perspective.” She gave a watery laugh. “This is incredible. You are incredible.”

  “It’s my job to know the people I’m designing for. Luckily, I know you guys by heart.” He had the grace to blush. “And, in all fairness, I’m trying to convince you this is where you belong. I may have gone a little overboard, but I had a blast designing it. Don’t cry. I want you to see the rest.”