Her Lucky Love

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  She had more to lose than just her heart, and Brayden was currently holding those things now.

  Everything was moving too fast for her and not fast enough. Her arm ached like a bitch, and she just wanted to curl into a ball with some chocolate and wait for everything to get better.

  Yeah, like she’d ever done that in her life.

  No, she didn’t run away from things. She just kept going with the grain, sometimes against it, until she couldn’t move anymore. She lived for her kids, not herself. And right now, since she wasn’t working and her kids weren’t in school because of a man—no, gnome—she was floundering.

  And yet, why did she want to set everything aside for a moment and sink into Brayden’s arms?

  God, she didn’t want to be that woman. No, she’d rather kick ass than have him fall into her arms. That sounded like a better deal.

  Cameron ran up to her and put his arms around her waist. “Why do you look sad, Mom?”

  She ruffled his hair and leaned down to inhale that little boy scent. “I’m just worrying, you know me.”

  “With Brayden and the rest of the Coopers around, nothing can hurt us.”

  Oh, if only that were true. Though she believed that, with the authorities on David’s trail and the Coopers rallying around them, they were safer, that didn’t mean they were safe from getting their hearts broken.

  “I still want you to think safe, okay? Just because we’re staying here with Brayden doesn’t mean you can stop looking out for yourself and your brother and sister.”

  He nodded and rubbed his cast, his eyes looking tired.

  “I think it’s time you lie down for a bit. What do you say?”

  Cam scowled and shook his head. “Aiden and Lacy aren’t going to lay down.”

  “Aiden and Lacy didn’t have their arm broken last night.”

  He let out a putout sigh and rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

  “Fine is right. You don’t have to sleep, just lay down.”

  He rambled off to his room, or at least the room he was staying in. She didn’t want to create those connections and settle down. Not when they’d hopefully be leaving soon.

  She couldn’t entwine their lives with Brayden’s anymore than necessary. It would hurt too much when they had to leave.

  “Knock knock,” Jordan said as she walked into the house. The alarm immediately sounded, and Jackson came in behind her, turning it off.

  “I thought you two would have work today,” Brayden said as he walked into the house, Lacy and Aiden by his side.

  Bray took off his jacket and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead, and Allison’s gaze landed on his chest that filled out his Henley quite nicely.

  “I’ve already done my work for now and can do the rest from home for now,” Jordan said as she leaned down to give Aiden a hug.

  He blushed and fidgeted in her arms.

  Jackson took off his jacket then picked Lacy up for a hug. Allison blinked as Lacy kissed the usually stern man’s cheek and hugged him hard. Jackson’s cheeks reddened, but he hugged her back.

  “I closed down the office today. I figured you guys could use my help.”

  Everyone froze. Jackson was the only dentist for counties and was frankly a workaholic who never took days off.

  Miracles of miracles. Scary Jackson Cooper had a heart.

  “Thank you, Jacks. And Jordan of course,” she said, still surprised they were both here.

  Jordan smiled. “Well, we figured you could use a break to go to the sheriff’s department to talk to Tyler about last night, plus go to your place and get anything Justin and Rina forgot. Brayden should go with you though so you’re not alone.”

  Allison could have sworn the other woman winked when she said that. Well, it looked as though the Coopers were playing matchmakers as well as protectors. She didn’t know quite how she felt about that.

  “You’re going to babysit?” she asked Jackson, a little worried. It wasn’t as if she didn’t trust the man, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him particularly warm to her children, besides what she’d just seen with Lacy.

  Jackson quirked the side of his mouth up in a semblance of a smile. “I did help raise my four younger brothers, in case you’ve forgotten.”

  Allison blushed, ashamed. “I’m sorry; I don’t mean to be rude.”

  Brayden came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She stiffened at the obvious show of affection in front of his family. What on earth could that man be thinking?

  “You’re not rude. Jacks just doesn’t show off his Babysitter’s Club side often.”

  Jackson shook his head and, with Lacy still in his arms, turned toward the living room. “I’m going to let Lacy show me what toys she brought with her. You two go do what you need to. We’ll hold down the fort.”

  He walked away with Lacy in his arms, Aiden trailing behind him.

  “Okay, who was that man?” Jordan asked.

  Brayden laughed. “Jacks isn’t that bad, you know.”

  “Oh, I do,” Allison said. “But, this doesn’t seem like him.”

  “Tell me about it. When he offered to come with me today, Matt nearly passed out.”

  They laughed, and Allison couldn’t help noticing Brayden’s arm was still around her, even though she didn’t need the support…well, at least physically. His warmth felt damn good on her, not that she’d say that out loud.

  “Okay, you two go off and talk to Tyler. We’ll be here if you need us.”

  Jordan followed Jackson and the kids and left Allison standing in the foyer alone with Brayden. Allison held up her hand and ran behind them, making sure she said goodbye to her children before she left.

  “With Jordan here with her magic, that you know and trust, the kids should be safe,” Brayden said as he bundled her up, his fingers dancing along her neck as he helped with her jacket.

  Shivers ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Allison ignored them, and they piled in his truck, her hands shaking.

  “I know she’ll take care of them. I’m just worried like a normal mom. I have a list though of what we need so that shouldn’t take long. I’m just not in the mood to have to relive everything that happened last night when we talk with Tyler.”

  Brayden pulled out of the garage and held her hand. “I won’t let you be alone.”

  She warmed at his words but shook them off.

  “Don’t do that,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Don’t treat me like this. Bray. I know I kissed you back today, but I shouldn’t have. We can’t be together. Don’t you get that? I need to make sure my children are safe. I don’t have time to worry about myself. I can’t be selfish. And yes, I know in my heart that you’re not Greg. I trust you Brayden, even with the magic thing that I just don’t know about. But it’s change. You know? I can’t deal with all of this and take care of my children.”

  He squeezed her hand but didn’t say anything for a while as they drove toward the station.

  God, she’d ruined it. She’d only meant to protect herself and her children, and she’d hurt Brayden…and herself, in the process. She didn’t deserve him.

  “Don’t count me out yet, Ally. I won’t stand in your way of being the best mom you can be, but at some point, you need to realize it’s all right to be a woman too.”

  “I can’t, Bray.”

  “No, you can, but you aren’t. You won’t. That’s the difference. You’re scared, and I know you have a right to be. But I want you to take a chance. I’ve been standing on the sidelines for ten years because I thought that was what I had to do and I was wrong. I’m not going to let you through my fingers again. I’m not losing you. I came to close to it before and I’m not letting that happen.”

  “Bray…”

  “No, don’t say anything. Let’s talk to Tyler and get it over with. Then we can talk about us.”

  “There is no us.”

  “There will be.”

  “B
rayden…”

  “I’m lucky, remember? It’s time I use my lucky talisman for something other than myself.”

  They got out of the car and headed into the station. The cop on duty in the front of house let them go straight back to Tyler’s office, though Allison could feel the stares of the people in the room as Brayden put his hand on the small of her back.

  She could only imagine the rumor mill at this point, considering she and her children were living with the man.

  Tyler opened his arms, and she went in for a quick hug when she walked into his office. She’d always hugged the Coopers like they were her family and hadn’t thought anything of it until she heard that growl come from Brayden again. It’d never been a problem. But of course, that was before she’d found out that his feelings went beyond a cup of coffee and she’d felt his lips against hers.

  Something he wanted to do again.

  Something she desperately wanted to do again but knew she shouldn’t.

  Tyler raised a brow but didn’t say anything, sitting down in his chair behind his big desk.

  “Let’s make this quick because I can’t really say everything, right?” Tyler asked, and Allison nodded.

  Brayden took her hand in his, and she held on for dear life. She didn’t care if it made her look weak; she needed his strength.

  She was tired of being strong for herself when she had no one to lean on. Maybe she could just relax for a little while. But that didn’t seem fair to Brayden or her.

  She told Tyler what had happened that night and earlier that day in the diner. Though she knew he already knew most of it through Rina and talking to her in the hospital. But apparently droning on about every detail was a part of police work. She knew they wouldn’t put the magic elements in the report, but the fact that Greg’s family wanted her kids was something that couldn’t be ignored. Yes, she was afraid of their magic, but that didn’t mean they could tell the world.

  Greg’s family didn’t have a leg to stand on concerning custody, but that didn’t matter to gnomes apparently. Well, it didn’t matter to regular people either. The fact that they seemed like they were going to go after them no matter what, meant legal procedures meant nothing.

  “We’ll do all we can. I know you need to get back to work and your kids need to get to school, so we’ll be sure we have someone watching you guys as much as possible,” Tyler said as they finished up.

  “But what about everything else in town? You can’t drop everything just for us.”

  “We can, and we will. But honestly, all of us Coopers can help too. It’s not just a law enforcement problem, Ally.”

  Yes, the gnomes were something involving magic. Something that she didn’t understand.

  Allison looked over at Brayden and thought about the magic around his neck and shuddered. Everything seemed out of her control, and she hated it. It made no sense not to like his magic because of Greg. Maybe it was because everything was moving so fast.

  They said their goodbyes, and Brayden drove them to her apartment. Seeing the shabby place after spending the night at Brayden’s made her feel insignificant, as though she couldn’t care for her children.

  With a brave smile pasted on her face, she walked up the steps to her place, Brayden on her heels. She could only imagine what he thought of her apartment. Still, it was hers, something she could afford, and it had kept her babies safe.

  At least it had until now.

  There was a new door in place, and she froze. She didn’t have the keys to this door. How was she going to get in?

  “Crap, I forgot, sorry.” Brayden dug into his pocket, and Allison tried not to stare at how well he filled out his jeans. “Jordan gave me a key. Matt fixed your door this morning. I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head. “It’s fine. That was nice of Matt. How much do I owe him?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Bray.” She would not be in debt to another Cooper.

  “No really. He charged the apartment complex. If they charge you extra on your rent, let us know because it’s the facility’s problem, not yours.”

  She nodded, feeling silly that she’d been so defensive over money.

  Brayden followed behind her and closed the door.

  “Damn, the power’s out,” Brayden said.

  “I have some candles that we can light.”

  Oh, great, Brayden Cooper by candlelight. That can’t end well. Or it will end too well.

  “I’ll just start packing. You can hang out I guess.” She turned and saw Brayden staring at the floor. She looked down and froze.

  The bloodstain had been smaller when she remembered it. God, that was a little too close to everything going from bad to worse for her.

  Brayden pulled her into a tight hug, his nose against her neck, and she felt him inhale. She wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her hands roam up his back.

  She’d been so scared, but as soon as Brayden had walked through the door, she’d felt better.

  “I almost lost you,” he said, his rumbling voice low, deep, sliding over her body like silk.

  “But I’m fine,” she said soothingly and let her hands slide under his shirt, gasping at the heat radiating from him like a furnace.

  He pulled back and ran his hands up her sides slowly. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you. I just found you.”

  “Bray…”

  “I know I don’t have you. Not yet. But I’m not giving up without a fight. I’ve loved you for ten years, Allison. I’m not going away anytime soon.”

  She pulled back slightly, stunned. “Ten…ten years?”

  He nodded, his jaw firm. “I’ve sat back and watched you in a relationship you hated. Then I stood back and tried to be the friend you could count on, all the while holding back my feelings. I don’t want to do that anymore, Ally. I want to be with you.”

  “How could you love me? We’re not even together.” Though when she said the words, she knew exactly how, considering she loved him too.

  “Just because I couldn’t be with you doesn’t mean I don’t know you, Allison.”

  “I care about you,” she started, knowing she hadn’t said the words she felt, the words he needed to hear. She saw the flash of hurt in his eyes but didn’t stop. “I can’t make any promises. I stayed with a man I didn’t love because of magic. I don’t know if I can trust anything having to do with it, Bray.”

  “I would never use magic on you.”

  “I know, and I trust you. That scares me because I don’t know why I do. I want you, Bray. I know I shouldn’t. I know I should walk away right now and take my kids and find a way to live without you. But I don’t want to. Not now.”

  “Then let’s live right here. Right now.”

  “I don’t get to decide my own fate. I have to put my kids first.”

  “I’m not saying we should ignore them. I love those kids, Ally.”

  “I know you do. That’s why I’m in this room with you in the first place. If you didn’t care for my kids, I wouldn’t be here. I just don’t know, Bray. Everything is just moving too fast right now, and I have to think.”

  “Don’t think. I’m going to kiss you, Ally. And then maybe do something more. And when it’s over, and you’re gasping for air, then we can talk about the future and everything that it brings. But for just once in your life, live for the moment. Live for yourself.”

  Her body warmed at his words, and she let him tip her face up so he could capture her lips in a bruising, yet, sweet kiss.

  Allison parted her lips, letting his tongue dance with hers. She ran her hands up higher on his back, scoring her nails down when she exhaled.

  “Fuck,” he breathed. “You taste like sin and happiness, Ally.”

  She let out a laugh. “I like that.”

  He grinned, his eyes full of intent. “Good, then you’ll really like this.”

  He ran his hands down her sides, brushing against her skin as he trailed his fingers up her shirt along her spine. Tendrils
of pleasure wound their way through her, leaving heat along the wake.

  Brayden kissed her again, this time harder, with a purpose.

  She couldn’t believe she was doing this. There was a madman out there waiting to take her babies, and she was kissing…and probably doing more…with a man she knew more than anyone yet hadn’t even held a real conversation with about who they were.

  God, she couldn’t do this.

  Brayden pulled back and framed her face. “Stop thinking so much, Ally.”

  She looked into his deep blue eyes and shook her head. “We can’t do this, Bray. I’m no good for you. All I bring is trouble, and I don’t even know if we’d have a future. You deserve something better. You deserve a real family to fill up that home of yours where you can create your own memories, not just take all the trouble that comes with mine.”

  Brayden tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re wrong. You’re beyond wrong. I don’t know what our future is, Ally, but I know I don’t want mine to be with anyone else. I’ve had years, years, to find someone, and I couldn’t. You know why? Because I’d already found her but I couldn’t have her. I’m not going to let someone hurt you or your babies, and I’m not going to stand by and watch you walk away.”

  “Brayden, we’re not a couple. Not really. I can’t just jump into a relationship. Not after…”

  She couldn’t say that last part. Even though it had been magic keeping her there—something else standing in the way of her and Bray—she couldn’t forget what Greg had done.

  She could never forget.

  “Ally, what happened with Greg? I think I know, but I’m hoping my imagination is far worse than anything that could have happened.”

  He wrapped his arms around her waist, anchoring her to him for more than just that moment.

  Allison let out a shaky breath, her knees growing weak, though Brayden held her up. He was always holding her up lately. God, she hated it. She wanted, no needed, to hold herself up.

  She couldn’t rely on any man.

  She pulled back slightly, putting distance between them. She caught the flash of hurt on his face before he covered it up.

  Damn it, she wasn’t good at this.