The Slade Brothers: A Complete Small Town Contemporary Romance Collection

by Alexis Winter

  I wake with a jerk, panting and sweating. My body is shaking just as it was that night. My pajamas are clinging to my body. My hair is soaked, and my cheeks are wet with fresh tears. I sit up straight in bed and examine the room around me. The TV is on, lighting up the room just enough to see. Everything is in its place.

  I push myself up and go to the bathroom, turning on the water to shower. It’s going on four a.m. After that dream, there’s no way I can go back to sleep anytime soon.

  With the water as hot as it will go, I step into the tub and sink down to the bottom. The hot water beats down on my legs and chest, instantly making the skin red. It burns, but it’s a good burn. The kind of burn that washes away fear, insecurities, memories. My heart is still pounding wildly, but my hands have slowed on their shaking. I lean my back against the cold, porcelain tub and suck in a deep breath, forcing myself to let it out slowly. I push all thoughts away.

  I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them, resting my forehead on them. I close my eyes, trying to relax. For once, it’s not Glenn waiting for me behind my lids. It’s Clay. His blue eyes are shining bright with the midday sun beaming off of them. His lips are curled into that breathtaking smile that has stolen the air from my lungs since day one. He’s wearing his red baseball cap, his blondish curls sticking out around the bottom. Picturing him makes me remember our time together. An ache forms between my thighs, and my body is suddenly too hot for the hot water that’s beating down on me.

  I shake the thoughts from my head and stand up to shower off after turning down the hot water. As I wash my hair, I think about that day. Clay seems like the sweet boy next door type, but he claimed me like no one ever has. He has a side to him that I never imagined—a demanding, dominating side. He never gave me time to push him away—not that I wanted to. He never second-guessed himself. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he took it. Thinking about it makes a shiver race up my spine.

  Sunday, Bryce and I spend most of the day in the motel. We slept late into the morning, spent a good hour or two lounging around in our pajamas, then had a picnic in the park where he played all day. After a quick dinner at the diner, off to bed he went.

  When Monday rolls around, I’m more than ready to get back to working on the house. Not to mention, today is my date with Clay. I know I made him promise that it won’t be anything special, but deep down, I’m looking forward to seeing how he is on a date. Is he romantic? Will he whisper all of the right things in my ear? Will he hold me close as we dance? Or is he the more talkative kind? Will he want to get to know everything there is to know about me? That worries me. Even though the two of us are getting closer, I’m still not ready to open up about the past that’s chasing me.

  I want to look nice for our date, so I dress in a white summer dress that ends just above my knees. It has thin straps that show off my bronzed shoulders and neckline. I curl my hair, leaving it to hang down my back. It’s too hot for a full face of makeup, so I just add a little lip gloss and mascara. I slide my feet into a pair of wedged sandals to finish of the summery look.

  “Ready to go?” I ask Bryce, holding out my hand.

  He hops up and places his hand in mine, looking me up and down. “Where you going? You look pretty.”

  I laugh as I lead him outside. “I thought I looked pretty every day,” I say, teasing him.

  He shrugs. “I guess, but today you look extra pretty.” He smiles up at me and bats his long, dark lashes.

  I laugh again as I place him in the van and buckle him up.

  After dropping him off at daycare, I swing by the diner and grab six coffees and a dozen donuts to take to the crew that’ll be working on the house. When I pull up in the driveway, there’s already a handful of men carrying the cabinets into the house. Clay notices me. He walks away from the guys.

  “Hey,” he says with a smile.

  I smile back. “Morning. I brought coffee and donuts.” I hand him the cupholders full of coffee out the window. When I open the door and climb out, he lets out a long whistle. I bend over the seat and pick up the box of donuts, glancing at him from over my shoulder.

  “What? I wanted to look nice for our date.”

  He lets out a chuckle. “I’m going to have to beat my guys off you with a stick.” He glance down at the coffee in his hands. “Or I guess I could throw hot coffee at them,” he teases with a grin playing on his lips.

  I roll my eyes. “Play nice. Let’s give this stuff to the guys, check out the house, and then you can take me wherever you want. Deal?”

  A fire lights in his eyes. “Oh, you got a deal.”

  We walk into the house, and I’m surprised to find the kitchen almost all put together. The cabinets are being hung, and the island in the center is in place, looking brand new. As guys hang cabinets on one side of the room, another is putting up tile on the opposite wall. There’s another man that’s installing new kitchen windows, and another standing on a ladder, installing a new light fixture in the center of the room. No way they got all this done this morning.

  “Guys, I want you all to meet the new owner, Autumn. She’s brought some coffee and donuts for all of you.” Clay places the coffee on the island, and I slide the box of donuts next to them. They all say hello and wave as they grab their morning treat..

  One man in particular comes up to shake my hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Jerry.”

  I smile and shake his hand. “I’ve heard about you as well. You have the awesome wife, right?”

  He laughs and nods. “She is pretty amazing. Hang out a while and you’ll get to try some of her baked ziti for lunch.” He winks and shoots me a grin before walking away.

  “Alright guys, you have your assignments for the day. Call if you need anything,” Clay says, placing his hand on my elbow and leading me back outside.

  “What do they think we’re doing?” I ask as he walks me over to his truck.

  He shrugs. “Going over plans and picking out things for the house.” He opens the passenger side door for me, and I climb into the seat.

  When he climbs behind the wheel, I turn to face him. “How much time did you spend working this weekend?”

  “What?” he asks, scrunching up his face as he backs out of the drive.

  “I know they didn’t get all that done this morning, and when I came by Saturday, you were in there working alone.”

  He waves his hand through the air. “It was nothing. I just want to give you and Bryce a place to call home as fast as possible.” His eyes are focused on the road in front of us, but I can’t help but to fall for him just a little bit more. Where did a man like him come from? He doesn’t know anything about me and yet, he’s still working himself into the ground to help me out.

  “Stop it,” he says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  “Stop what?” I ask.

  “Staring at me like that. You look like you’re about to profess your love or something,” he jokes. “It really wasn’t a big deal. I always work through the weekend. I’d go crazy from boredom if I didn’t.”

  I force my eyes to look out the windshield instead of at him. I know what he’s saying, but I’m not buying it. Deep down, I know he did it for me.

  “So, where we going?” I ask, wanting to change the subject.

  “To my place. I figured you could check it out like you wanted to. We can sit and talk, enjoy the day. Sound good?”

  I offer up a smile and a nod, but down deep, I’m worried. I’m scared that he’ll want to know more about my past. Not only am I not ready to tell anyone about it yet, I’m also afraid of the way he could react. I’m scared he’ll look at me with pity, or maybe disrespect for staying as long as I did. Even though there’s overwhelming fear pumping through my veins, there’s also hope and a sense of calm. Clay is different from the rest. If anyone will understand, he will.

  Fourteen

  Clay

  It isn’t long before I’m pulling up to my single story cabin. She looks out the winds
hield, and her mouth drops open.

  “This is amazing. Did you build this?”

  I nod as I shut off the truck. “It took a couple years since I was basically doing it all myself.” I climb out of the truck and walk around to open her door for her. My house is nothing like what her B&B will be. My place is small. It’s not overdone with flowers or decorations either. Everything here has a purpose. The cabin is made out of cedar siding, and it has a screened-in porch that wraps around the entire house. I love starting a fire in the wood burning stove and sitting out here, watching the night pass me by. The stars are always bright and shining, with no city lights to hide them from view.

  I open the screen door and allow her to walk in ahead of me.

  “I love the screened-in porch. Do you think we could do something like this on the back of the house? Give the guests a little place where they can sit and relax without having to worry about getting eaten up by mosquitos?”

  “Sure, if that’s what you want,” I answer, opening the front door for her.

  She steps in and spins in a slow circle, taking in every inch. The living room is pretty basic. There’s a couch, my favorite recliner, the fireplace, and a couple of tables and lamps. There’s a homemade bookcase against the far back wall that I just completed.

  “No TV?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow.

  I laugh. “No. I’m not much on technology. I prefer to read.”

  “Don’t you ever find yourself too tired to read? One of those nights where you just want to space out and not have to move or do anything?”

  I nod. “I do…sometimes. But that’s when I make a cup of hot tea and sit out on the porch. I watch the stars, the wildlife, the fire. Just whatever.”

  She offers a small smile but doesn’t say anything as she heads into the kitchen. “All these cabinets are hand built, along with the island in the center.”

  I lean against the island that’s between us.

  “Your woodworking guy?”

  I nod. “He does good work.”

  She runs her hand over the cabinet door. “He does. I really love the kitchen at the B&B now. It really brings the place to life…if that makes sense. They look like they belong there.”

  “I agree.” That pull that always seems to make itself known when she’s around is already beginning to tug me closer to her. I don’t want her to think that I brought her here to get what I want, so I try resisting it despite how tight the hold. “This way is the bedroom and bathroom,” I tell her, walking toward the hallway.

  “Only one bedroom?” she asks, following along behind me.

  “Yeah, it’s just me.” I flip on the light in the bathroom and allow her to peek inside before moving toward the bedroom.

  When I get to the end of the hall, I walk in and turn the light on. She joins me and suddenly, the room feels even smaller. Her eyes light up when she sees the bed.

  “This is beautiful.” She runs her hand across the footboard.

  “It’s all local wood cut from the property. I wanted to put everything to good use. If I had to remove any trees to build the house, I made sure the wood was put to good use, not going to waste. I made this bed, that bookcase in the living room, and the kitchen table and chairs. The beams that go across the ceiling are the same wood.” I point up, and she follows my finger in amazement.

  “Want to check out the garden?”

  “Sure.”

  I lead her back out and stop in the kitchen to pour us both a glass of iced sweet tea. We take our drinks with us outside and sit on the back porch. I point at different spots in the yard and tell her what’s growing there. “About fifteen yards past those trees, there’s a small river that rushes along the mountain side. At night, when everything is real quiet, you can hear it.”

  She leans back in her chair and closes her eyes when a warm summer breeze blows by. “Sounds relaxing.” She smiles with her words. The sun lights up her face and her hair blows in the breeze. She’s fucking breathtaking. I can’t think of anything but feeling her lips against mine, tasting her. I push all of that away though. Right now, I want to get to know her—all of her.

  “I packed us a lunch. I thought we could have a picnic.”

  Her eyes flash to mine. “That sounds perfect. It’s a nice day. I’d hate to waste it inside.”

  “I’ll be right back.” I go into the house and grab the picnic basket along with a blanket to throw on the ground and a bottle of wine. I’m not much on the stuff, but I’ve been told by the guys that wine is a must on a date. It’s been so long since I’ve been on an actual date, I never even considered it.

  When I walk back out, she’s exploring the backyard and the solar panels.

  “Ready?” I ask, stepping down from the porch.

  She nods and follows me off to the side of the house, into the small open field. I set the basket down, then toss out the blanket. She takes a seat and I fall to my knees, digging through the basket. I take out two wine glasses and pour a little wine in each one. I hand her one glass. She takes a small sip.

  “I didn’t really know what to pack considering this isn’t your typical date,” I say, pulling out a fruit and cheese plate.

  She reaches over and takes a grape, popping it into her mouth. “This is great, Clay. Thank you.”

  I pick up my glass of wine and sit back. “How are you adjusting to country life? This must be quite a change for you.”

  She nods her head slightly. “It is, but that’s also what I wanted. I needed to slow down and enjoy life again.”

  I take a sip of my wine, wondering if I should ask her the things I really want to know. “Again? You weren’t enjoying it before?”

  She gives me those eyes, the eyes that tell me she knows exactly what I’m getting at. Her back is straight, and her chin is held high like she’s preparing to deflect. “No, I wasn’t. I was so busy, you know? I had a full-time job as a receptionist. I had Bryce and that kid comes with a lot.” She laughs. “He was in a private pre-school, like one of those fancy ones where they prepare you for kindergarten and not just have snacks and do arts and crafts all day. He had homework at three-years-old. It wasn’t ever anything outrageous or anything, but still. I’d get off work, pick him up, take him to soccer practice. Then we’d have homework and dinner, and then bath and bedtime. Once he was out, I had cleaning and laundry to do. It was just a race, every day. I needed to force myself to slow down. But back then, I had all these friends—the better-than-you kind. They had the perfect houses, cars, and families, so it was like I was always trying to compete. If I didn’t start the dishwasher one night, it was unforgivable.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t understand how people can live like that. I mean, I know we’re adults and have responsibilities, but one day, we’re going to be gone. I want to do more with my life than just pay bills.”

  Her eyes lock on mine and suddenly, they’re much softer. They’re bright green and lit up from the sun that’s high in the sky. They’re lined with long, dark lashes. There’s something about those eyes that cut right through me.

  “So, how’d your husband play into all of that?” I finally break down and ask.

  She shrugs her shoulders and turns her head, breaking eye contact. “Our marriage wasn’t good. It was rocky from the start and only got worse as time went on.”

  “I don’t mean to be forward, but I can tell you’re running from something, Autumn. You don’t have to hide from me.” I reach out and take her hand in mine. Her eyes find me again, this time, I see sadness behind them.

  “I’m afraid, Clay,” she whispers so softly I barely hear it with the light breeze blowing.

  “Afraid of what?” I gently sweep my thumb back and forth across her hand, wanting her to know that I’m here for her.

  “I’m afraid that if I tell you, you won’t look at me the same anymore.” I can see the tears building in her eyes, but they don’t fall. She’s too strong to let them.

  “That could never happen, Autumn.” I shake my
head. “There’s been this pull in my chest, in my stomach, since the moment I met you. I’ve been trying to fight against it, but I failed that day in the pond, and then I failed again in the rain. I don’t like to fail, Autumn. So,” I shrug. “I gave in. Why fight it? Why fight something that feels so right?”

  She lifts her glass to her lips and takes a long drink. “His name is Glenn. We had only been dating for a year when he asked me to marry him. My situation wasn’t good at the time and I thought I loved him. I thought that he was my knight in shining armor, showing up to take me away to where we could live happily ever after.” She stops talking for a moment and stares of in the distance. I want to pull her to me and tell her everything is ok now.

  “We got married almost immediately, and I got pregnant within the first few months,” She continues. “Everything was perfect for a while then. We moved to Ohio from Virginia, and that’s when things started to change. He became very controlling. He wouldn’t allow me to work, but always claimed that it was because I was pregnant and it wasn’t good for the baby. I was basically locked up in the house all day while he was at work. He was my only contact with the outside world. Then one day, I decided to go out and do some baby shopping. I was excited about picking out the items for his nursery and buying diapers and bottles and everything. I met a woman at the store who was about as far along as I was. We got to talking and decided to go to lunch. We became close. When I mentioned it to Glenn, he got angry. He said that I didn’t even know who this woman was or what she was capable of. He decided that if I needed friends, he would find me friends. He put me in contact with the wives of the guys he was friends with. I’m sure none of this sounds that bad. He seemed so loving and caring. But slowly, he started to take more and more from me. I thought that things would change when Bryce was born, but things got worse. He became violent, more controlling.” She sucks in a staggering breath.

  Anger rises in my chest, but I try to push it away. I don’t want her to see anger when she looks at me. I’m betting she’s seen enough of that over the last few years.