Worth the Wait (Picking up the Pieces #4)

by Jessica Prince

  “YAY!” they cheered, hopping off our laps and jumping up and down.

  We grabbed our stuff and left the park. As we walked, I looked over to catch Brett’s eye, mouthing a silent thank you to him. He smiled politely, but the expression in his eyes told me he was just as curious for an answer as my kids had been. That was a conversation I had no intention of ever having with him

  All thoughts and talk of their grandfather was completely forgotten by the time we walked through the door of Virgie May’s. After eating a delicious lunch and visiting with Emmy, where she plied my kids with pie (whoever said sugar doesn’t affect a child’s energy level is a jackass), we spent the rest of the day running around, enjoying the beautiful weather.

  By the time the sun started to set, Callie and Cameron were dead to the world and I was thankful to have Brett there to help me carry them up the stairs and into the apartment. He put Cameron on his bed as I laid Callie down on hers and stepped out so I could get them in their jammies and tucked in properly. Neither of them flinched as I got them set.

  Stepping to the doorway, I flicked the switch off and turned to look at my two tiny angels sleeping peacefully in their beds before pulling the door to and heading back into the living room.

  “Thank you.” I reached for the beer Brett offered and plopped down on the couch, sucking down a generous gulp before dropping my head back and closing my eyes. The couch dipped with Brett’s weight as he took a seat next to me, both of us sitting in companionable silence for a few minutes.

  “I appreciate you coming with us today,” I spoke, breaking the peaceful quiet. I felt him shift next to me and my eyes popped open at the sensation of his fingers brushing along my cheek.

  “I had fun. I always have fun when I’m with those two.”

  The grin on his face as he tipped his head in the direction of the hall caused butterflies to take off in my belly. He was always so genuine when he talked about my kids.

  “They really like you,” I whispered, emotion clogging my throat as I thought back to how he was with Cameron and Callie earlier in the day. I’d never seen a man connected so well with them before. Lance was always too busy or too tired to be bothered with them, but Brett had the patience of a saint. It pulled at something inside of me that I was trying so desperately to ignore.

  “I really like them, too.”

  I studied his face, trying to find something that indicated what he said was a lie, but I came up empty.

  “You really mean that, don’t you?”

  His eyes narrowed as he gazed at me as though he was trying to see all of my secrets. It was such a disconcerting feeling that I found myself leaning away from him.

  “Why is that so hard to believe?” he asked softly. “You’re a fantastic woman who, in turn, is raising two fantastic kids.”

  I turned away and took another sip of my beer with a mumbled, “Thanks,” not knowing what else to say.

  Obviously having had enough of me evading his gaze, Brett took my chin between his fingers and tilted my face toward his.

  “What happened to you, beauty? You can tell me.”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” I lied, standing from the couch and taking a step away. All of a sudden, I needed space from him and his questioning eyes. I hated how he was looking at me. The pity masked with concern cut like a knife.

  He stood as well and reached out for my hand, but I quickly pulled it away. “Kenz, I saw how you reacted when Callie asked about her grandfather. There’s something there, something you’re keeping locked up. You don’t have to do that, baby. You can trust me. I would never judge you.”

  What a joke. If there was one thing I’d learned growing up, it was that you could never trust anyone but yourself. Trusting people—especially men—had never caused me anything but pain. Emotionally and physically.

  “It’s late and I’m tired,” I replied lamely, choosing to ignore his declaration. “I think you should probably go. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.” I walked over to the front door and pulled it open, giving him no choice but to leave.

  Brett calmly placed his half-full beer on the coffee table and made his way over, stopping just in front of me.

  “You ever plan on trusting me, beauty?”

  Lifting my chin in the air, I looked him directly in the eyes, working hard to make sure my voice didn’t waver as I answered, “I don’t trust anyone, Brett. I learned that lesson a long time ago.”

  Something flashed across his face. Was it disappointment? The thought of him being disappointed in me in any way caused a pain deep in my chest that I couldn’t stand.

  “That really makes for a sad, lonely existence, Kenzie.”

  He didn’t say anything else as he walked away, not once turning back to see just how badly his parting shot gutted me.

  I didn’t call Brett the next day like I said I would, or the day after for that matter. And before I knew it, six days had passed without any communication. My stomach was in knots as me and the kids drove to his house to help set up for their birthday party that was starting a few hours later.

  My emotions were off kilter. I was nervous about seeing him for the first time since avoiding him for a week. I feared he’d give me the cold shoulder for how I’d been acting. But the feeling that stood out the most was how much I’d missed him.

  By the time we pulled up, the driveway was full of cars. I got the kids out of the car and carried the cake up the front walk to the door.

  “Brett! Brett!” the kids shouted as they barged through the door without so much as knocking.

  “Callie, Cameron! You don’t just run into someone’s house,” I scolded as I followed after them, trying to catch up.

  “Hey, birthday buds!” Brett replied just as excited as they were as he bent down and scooped them both up, one in each arm. He looked over at me with that signature grin of his and I felt the nerves in my belly uncoil just a bit. The relief I felt that he didn’t appear mad was almost overwhelming.

  “Is that the cake?” Emmy and Savannah came rushing up to me, pulling my attention off Brett as they peeked through the clear plastic lid to the birthday cake I’d spent way too many hours making last night.

  “Oh, my God, that’s so pretty!” The rest of the girls ran over to inspect my work, oohing and awing over the two tiered, pirate-themed cake I’d made. The bottom tier was black, with white skulls and crossbones for Cameron, while the top tier was pink with black pirate accents. The twins loved it and I was ecstatic that I only had to make one cake.

  “How did you do that?” Mickey asked me.

  “It was my first foray into fondant, and I’ll tell you this now, I’m never doing that again. There’s no friggin reason it should take me four hours just to decorate the damn thing!”

  Brett set Cameron and Callie back on the floor and looked over my shoulder. As it did every time he was close, my body reacted to him, flushing with an attraction I couldn’t beat down.

  “You did good, beauty. Why don’t you go put it in the kitchen? I have something I want to show you.”

  “Hey, you two, why don’t you come with me?” Emmy waddled over to the twins and took their hands. “The guys are in the backyard. We have some surprises for you.”

  I watched with a smile on my face as Cam and Callie jumped up and down as the followed Emmy out.

  Grabbing my hand, Brett led me away from the back door. “Come on. I want you to see this.”

  I blindly followed him down the hall, reveling in the feel of his palm against mine as memories of our one and only night together flashed back through my head. Arousal flowed over me the closer we got to his bedroom door. I couldn’t help but remember exactly how he’d manipulated my body in the very best ways in that room.

  Pausing outside a door one room down from his own, Brett turned to look at me. I could tell the moment he realized what I was thinking about. His lids lowered half-mast as he took me in, his gaze trailing down my neck and chest before returning to my own.

&n
bsp; “You’re remembering it, too, aren’t you, beauty?” he asked in a low, deep voice as he stepped in closer to me, crowding me against the doorframe. He leaned in and ran his nose along the bend of my neck to my ear. “I can’t stop thinking about that night, Kenzie. It’s burned into my fucking brain.”

  “Brett,” I panted.

  “You still feel it, don’t you?”

  I reached up and placed my palms on his hard chest to push him back, but he only moved just enough to look at me.

  “Please, Brett. Don’t do this. Especially right now.”

  A growl rumbled deep in his chest before he dropped his forehead to mine and let out a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, taking a step back. “It’s just do fuckin’ hard not to touch you, Kenz.”

  Trying to push down the feeling of just how badly I missed his warmth or how much his words penetrated my heart, I attempted a smile and cleared my throat. “It’s okay. What did you want to show me?”

  At my question, his face lit up, making him look like a little boy and endearing me to him that much more.

  Following him into the room we were standing in front of, he walked over to something covered in a sheet, and whipped it off. My breathing stalled and tears instantly filled my eyes as I took in the sight of the most beautiful toy chest I’d ever seen. It was made of solid wood with a hinged lid. The craftsmanship was like nothing I’d ever seen before. The wood was stained a beautiful cherry with hand carved toys, everything from trains to teddy bears. On the lid, in the most beautiful carved scrolling letters I’d ever seen, were my children’s names. If not for that detail, I would have taken the toy chest for an expensive antique. It was nothing less than stunning.

  “Oh, Brett,” I cried before I covered my mouth with both hands, tears breaking free and running down my cheeks.

  His brow furrowed with worry as he took in my tear-stained face. “Ah, Christ, beauty. Don’t cry.” He rushed to me and scooped me into a tight hug. “I won’t give it to them if it upsets you. It was a stupid idea. I shouldn’t have built it without talking to you first.”

  I pulled back, stunned. “You made this?”

  “Well, yeah.” He let me go and reached back to rub his neck, an adorable blush creeping up his neck. “I saw the small bins you were using when I watched the kids for you. I just figured you could really use something to keep their toys in so they weren’t spilling out all over the place. I didn’t think—”

  “Brett,” I interrupted, placing my palms on his cheeks so he’d look at me. “I love it.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. This is, by far, the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given my kids.” I let him go and walked over to the chest, running my finger along the intricate carvings. “It’s so beautiful. I can’t believe you made this. It’s almost too much.”

  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. It was charming how embarrassed he appeared at my compliments of his work.

  “I just wanted them to have something special. You think I should have gone with a Toy’s R Us gift card instead? What if they don’t like it?”

  At the look on Brett’s face, I wanted nothing more than to erase all the concern that marred his expression, but just as I opened my mouth to speak, Cameron and Callie came rushing into the room.

  “Mommy! Mommy! Brett got us a bouncy castle!”

  “What?” My head shot back in Brett’s direction, my eyes the size of salad plates. “Now, that’s too much.”

  He shrugged casually and shot me a wink that made my stomach flutter. “What can I say, I love spoiling them.

  Gah! Could he just stop being so wonderful for one damn moment so I could get my head straight!

  “What’s dat?” Callie asked, running over to the toy chest with Cameron right on her heels.

  “Wow,” they gasped as they ran their little hands over all the different toys carved into the wood.

  “Do you like it?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Dis is so cool!” Cameron shouted.

  I walked over and pointed to their names on the lid. “Look here. This says Cameron and this says Callie.” I traced each letter for them. “Brett built this for you all by himself so you can keep your toys in it.”

  They jumped up off the floor and ran straight for Brett, wrapping their arms around his legs as they told him thank you over and over. He squatted down to their level and hugged them both tightly. My heart squeezed violently when Callie took his face in her itty-bitty hands and planted a kiss on his lips.

  “Love you.”

  “Me too, me too!” Cameron cried, not to be outdone. And with that, the twin tornados were back out the door and, no doubt, heading straight for the bounce castle as Brett stayed hunched down, looking like his world had just been rocked. I knew the feeling.

  “I think it’s safe to say they love their present,” I whispered, my voice coming out scratchy as I tried to get a hold of myself. I’d never in my life seen my kids take to another person the way they’d taken to Brett. It moved me in a way I couldn’t describe.

  Before Brett could stand to his full height, I took the opportunity to step past him and start out of the room. I needed to try and get my head straight and I couldn’t do that when I was near him. But his next words stopped me cold.

  “I love them, too, you know.”

  The only movement I could make was to look over my shoulder as my eyes stung with tears and my jaw dropped.

  “I really do, Kenz. I love those two kids something fierce.”

  He walked past me and down the hall while I remained frozen in place, attempting to process what he just said. As I played his words on repeat, I couldn’t deny the fact that I really did believe him.

  I wasn’t much of an expert on parties, but this one seemed to be going off without a hitch as far as I was concerned. The girls had all the food and decorations set up. The guys and I had set out the tables and chairs, the guests—little demon spawns from the twins’ daycare class—were running around like a bunch of rabid hyenas hyped up on speed, and best of all, the bounce house was still in working order, no little devil child had popped it yet.

  I’d say that was a success. Cameron and Callie were having the time of their lives so even if the skies opened up and flooded the shit out of everything, as long as those two kids were smiling, I was happy.

  “I still don’t get it,” Trevor stated from where he was standing in a group next to me, Savannah, Jeremy, and Luke. “Why can’t I have a turn on the bouncy castle?”

  “Because you’re a grown man!” My eyes rolled skyward, thoroughly fed up with having to explain it to him for the third time. He was worse than the damn five-year-olds.

  The son of a bitch actually had the nerve to pout. “That’s not a very good excuse.”

  “Oh, my God!” Savannah exclaimed. “I’m not having this conversation again.”

  “What’s happening?” Lizzy asked as she walked up to us.

  “Your husband’s throwin’ a damn hissy is what,” Savannah answered.

  “Ah, damn, baby. What did you do now?”

  Trevor threw his hands up in the air. “I just don’t see why I can’t get in the damn bouncy castle!”

  “Ah, shit, babe. Do we really have to have this conversation again?”

  “For the love of…” I started. “Can y’all please watch your language?” I griped. How hard was it for a group of adults to remember to watch what they said around little kids?

  Luke looked over at me with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Looks like someone’s turning into a big boy.”

  I opened my mouth to spell out what I thought when I felt a tug on my pant leg. Cam was standing next to me doing a funny little dance, hopping around from one foot to the other.

  “What’s up, little man?”

  Grabbing hold of my shirttail, he pulled me down until he could whisper in my ear. “I gots to go potty.”

  I looked up and scanned the b
ackyard for Kenzie but didn’t see her anywhere. “Where’s your momma, bub?”

  “In the kitchen making dip. I really gots to go, Brett,” he answered, speeding up his little dance. “And there’s a line for the potty.”

  “That’s okay, you can just go out by the trees.”

  His eyes grew wide as his jaw opened slightly. “You mean tee-tee outside?”

  Oh, this poor little guy. Being raised by a single mom, he’d lost out on all of the cool shit us boys got to do. “Yup, just one of the things that makes being a guy awesome. Come on, little man. Let’s go.”

  I took him toward the back of the yard by one of the trees so he’d have a little more privacy.

  “Here you go, dude. Have at it.” I turned around and crossed my arms over my chest and looked around the backyard at all the kids running amuck.

  “Uh…Brett?”

  I turned to look at Cam over my shoulder, his little back to me and the rest of the backyard.

  “Yeah, bub?”

  “I can’t go.”

  “Huh?”

  “I can’t potty. People are watching me.”

  “No one’s watching you, little man,” I encouraged, but apparently he wasn’t buying it because he asked, “Can you do it with me?”

  “Uh, not really sure if that’s kosher, dude.”

  He peeked over his shoulder with his big ole’ hazel puppy-dog eyes. “Pleeeeeease?”

  Letting out a sigh, I finally relented, “All right, all right. You stay there and I’ll go over here.” I stepped on the other side of the tree and prepared to take a leak in the backyard.

  “Uh…what are you doing?”

  I spun around, zipping up so fast I almost caught my junk in the fly. That would have been a disaster of epic proportions.

  “Mommy! Brett’s teaching me to tee-tee outside cuz we’s cool guys!”

  Kenzie glowered at me before turning back to Cameron. “Yeah, bub, let’s go ahead and shut this down. Zip up, bubs, you got a party to get back to.”

  Cam quickly finished up his business and ran off toward the piñata, leaving me to deal with his mom’s wrath, all on my own.