by Abby Niles
“I thought we had. We discussed having kids in the future. Nick was always clear he wanted to wait a few years so we could have time just the two of us first. I agreed, because I do love the idea of us traveling with no real responsibility before we settled down and became parents. But in hindsight, I think that was his way of telling me.”
“Waiting a few years and not wanting kids are two totally different things. We come from a fucking huge family. He knows that. How could he think you’d ever be okay with not having children?”
He wanted a whole goddamn house full of kids. He had five sisters, one older and four younger, all stair-stepped in age. And he couldn’t image not giving his future kids the same kind of loving, large family he’d been raised in. Tessa had always felt the same.
“He hoped that by time we got a few years out, I’d have changed my mind.”
His mouth popped open, and he shook his head. Starting a marriage off based on a lie was building their life together on a shaky foundation. At least the ass had told her before they exchanged vows. “If he kept it secret this long, what finally made him admit the truth?”
“He got drunk the night before we flew out here. A friend of mine posted on Facebook that she was pregnant, and when I saw it, I mentioned it to Nick. His response was a grimace and a ‘there goes her life.’ That opened up the conversation.”
“Wow, Tessa. What’re you going to do?”
“What can I do? Do you have any idea how much he’s paid for this wedding?”
“Fuck that. If you don’t want to marry this guy, don’t. It’s that simple.”
“But it’s not. I love him, Brody. I really do. Deeply. I don’t know if I can give up kids to be with him, though. You know how badly I want to be a mom one day. You feel the same about being a dad.”
He did, and the idea of never being one was unfathomable.
“You have two days to figure this out before you walk down the aisle. I highly recommend that you use this time to do some deep soul-searching instead of worrying over every little detail of this wedding.” He stooped to look her directly in the eyes. “This is a huge decision. If you take your vows, you’re accepting a childless marriage. Can you do that?”
“I don’t know,” she said, barely above a whisper. “What if I can’t?”
“Then you come to me, and I’ll get you out of here.”
“I love him, Brody.”
“I have no doubt you do, but this issue won’t just go away once you get married. You can’t bank on hope that he’ll one day change his mind. You have to accept, and if you can’t, you need to walk away.”
A sad smile turned up one corner of her mouth. “How is such a confirmed bachelor so schooled on love and relationships?”
“I may be single, but I have always believed in marriage. Blame Mom and Dad.”
“Blame us for what?” a deep voice asked from a distance, marking the abrupt end of their conversation.
Brody glanced over his shoulder to see his tall, white-haired father beside his short, brunette wife, walking toward them hand-and-hand. It had always been that way. The two of them facing everything together. Which wasn’t saying that they hadn’t had their ups and downs. They had. When he’d been a pre-teen, there had been a time when he’d worried his parents would divorce.
His mother had dealt with some serious depression and anger after giving birth to his stillborn brother—his only brother. His parents had fought a lot back then. But each bump only seemed to make them more solid as a couple when the road leveled back out. It had always shown Brody that marriage wasn’t about just loving someone. It was about growing with someone through all the shit life had to throw at you.
“I’m just blaming you for setting a high standard for marriage.”
His dad draped his arm around his wife and squeezed her close to his side. “Marriage is work, but if you’ve married the right one, you’re never putting in the work alone.”
His mom smiled up at her husband then glanced at her children. “We’re getting ready to hit the casino. Anyone want to join us?”
“I’m heading to the pool.” He glanced at his sister. “Tessa?”
She hesitated for a moment, then she nodded slightly to herself. “I think I’m going to see about getting a massage.”
Brody squeezed his sister’s arm in support, and she sent him a soft smile.
“You kids have fun. We’ll catch you later.” His parents walked past them, still holding hands. Brody couldn’t help but smile.
“Go get your massage. Remember, if you need anything, come to me.”
“Thanks, big brother.”
“Always have been, always will be.” He placed a kiss on the top of her head then continued on to the pool.
After he picked a lounge chair and spread his beach towel over it, he sat down, lowered his sunglasses onto his nose, popped in his earbuds so the steel drums were drowned out by the Avett Brothers, then leaned back with a relieved sigh.
Tessa would hopefully chill out some now, which only left one woman to drive him bat-shit crazy while he was here.
A flash of blond caught his peripheral vision. He muttered a string of curses. Could he not get one second of peace?
Scarlett and Delaney were spreading their beach towels on a pair of lounge chairs across the pool directly in front of him. Brody crossed his arms and resisted the urge to go over.
That didn’t stop him from soaking in the vision Scarlett made in the colorful sarong she wore tied with a knot between her breasts. The hem barely covered the tops of her thighs and gave him an enticing glimpse of her beautiful legs. She kept toying with the knot that kept the sarong closed, that plump bottom lip caught between her teeth. Finally she sat down without taking the cover off. Delaney shook her head and motioned for her to stand. He guessed by the ease between the two that they had made up.
When Scarlett remained where she was, a frustrated Delaney snapped her fingers then clapped her hands. Scarlett blew out a breath and shoved to her feet. Again, her hands hesitated on the knot.
What the hell was she wearing underneath that cover?
Anticipation scurried through him, and he cursed it to hell and back. Thinking about this woman in that way had always and would always be wrong. But for the life of him, he could not drag his eyes away from her as she fought for the courage to take off that blasted cover.
Finally, she gave the knot one sharp tug and the fabric fell away.
Holy. Fuck. Everything in him stilled as she revealed a black, barely-there string bikini.
Yeah, he’d caught a glimpse of her in her bra and panties last night, but he hadn’t allowed himself a full-on perverted look while she’d been lying there unconscious. Now his eyes couldn’t get enough. The damn material barely covered anything. All he saw was skin, skin, and more skin. And he wasn’t the only dude noticing her, either.
How could this woman doubt for one second she was hot? How could she have hesitated in taking that wrap off? She should be owning that with an air that said flat out, Look, but don’t touch.
There was something extremely wrong about the fact that she didn’t, that she was awkward in her skin and in her own beauty, and it didn’t set well with him at all. He’d never thought of Scarlett as insecure. But the woman he’d known had always been with Ryan—and she sure didn’t dress like this. At least she was trying to embrace her beauty by venturing outside her typical attire, but she was nowhere near to owning the new look.
A man came over to them. A tight smile came to Scarlett’s lips while Delaney easily started a conversation with him. Everything about Scarlett was tense and unwelcoming. It was no wonder she’d resorted to having a couple of drinks last night to loosen up.
As much as he liked the idea that her awkwardness would keep men at bay, he hated seeing her so outside her element. She should have men lining up to be with her.
Body language said a lot, and the man gave up and walked away. Scarlett instantly brought her knees to her chest
, covered her face with her hands, and shook her head. Delaney patted her on the shoulder and said something, most likely a bold-face lie that the encounter hadn’t been as bad as Scarlett thought.
Brody sucked his teeth. That had gone horribly, and she knew it. She’d said all she wanted to do was practice flirting, but what if she reached for the alcohol again? Last night had come close to disaster. Hell, he’d seen the horror on her face when she worried they’d slept together.
It was evident she had no intention of fucking anyone while she was here. Why was that?
She’d talked a lot of smack in his room about being over her marriage and over Ryan, but she’d just found out about his affair, and her emotions were raw. She was rightfully hurt. However, some marriages were able to work past infidelity. If there was one couple he thought could do it, it was Ryan and Scarlett.
If she ended up getting shit-faced and doing something stupid like she almost had last night, that would just add more hurt and guilt to their problems.
She asked for a safe man.
To her, he was safe.
Still, he made himself stay where he was and watch. A few other men approached the girls. Delaney was welcoming, but Scarlett never wavered from her aloof attitude. Each man ended up focusing on Delaney while Scarlett looked around, the obvious third wheel.
After the last guy kissed the top of Delaney’s hand and gave Scarlett an awkward nod, Brody had seen more than he needed to. He stood up and walked over to them.
Scarlett lowered her sunglasses down her nose. “Brody. Hey.”
He stood at the end of her lounge chair and hesitated for just a brief moment. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d spent time alone with her. He’d done it plenty of times in the past without anything ever happening, not even a lingering weird glance. This would be no different. “Tonight. Seven o’clock.”
The grin she gave him should have made him feel good. All it did was make him certain he would regret ever agreeing to this.
Chapter Four
Why was she so nervous?
Scarlett fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. It was just Brody. They had been out plenty of times in the past, just the two of them. Brody had embraced her presence the moment Ryan had introduced her as his girlfriend. Over the years, they’d formed their own friendship outside of Ryan. It had been nice. They’d meet for lunch or catch a matinee when Ryan wasn’t available to take her.
Yeah, he was Ryan’s best friend, and she really had no idea how Brody felt toward her ex, whether he felt betrayed in his own way that Ryan had never confided in him. But one thing was clear—he did not condone his friend’s action. There was some comfort in that. It made her feel less alone than she had before. Delaney, of course, would have her back. But she hadn’t been counting on Brody’s support. It went to show what kind of man he really was.
She glanced at the clock.
Ten to seven. She took a deep breath.
“Chill out, chick. You’re acting like you’re going on a real date.”
“I know. It’s stupid, right?”
Delaney eyed her. “Nah. I like that Brody is going to get you out there and feeling comfortable again—without the excess booze.”
Earlier, Scarlett had groveled for forgiveness from her friend. Delaney had brushed the matter aside as if it wasn’t a big deal, stating it wasn’t like Scarlett hadn’t had a few run-ins with the devil-horned Delaney in the past, mostly when Scarlett had been encouraging her to leave her ex. So last night’s incident was swept under the rug with the promise that they’d have a killer rest of the trip.
“I feel bad about leaving you up here by yourself.”
Delaney waved her hand and made a pftt sound. “About what? The room service I’m about to gorge myself on, or the in-house massage I ordered? I’m looking forward to a night in. As much as I love being in the beautiful Bahamas, it doesn’t mean I want to do something every night. There’s only so much clubbing and drinking a girl can do. We’ll do something tomorrow night. Besides, we have to get up early in the morning to go snorkeling.”
Scarlett was really looking forward to that. She had never been snorkeling. The adventure they’d picked was an additional charge, but had come highly recommended by everyone.
“As long as you don’t care.”
“Seriously, go get your groove back. Besides there are worse things in the world than having to look across the table at Brody Minton.”
“Do you have the hots for him?” Scarlett asked, surprisingly unsettled by the idea.
“I won’t lie, I wouldn’t mind spending a night on that man’s arm. There’s something more to him than your typical guy.”
“I could probably hook you up on a date.” Why did she not like that?
The only real explanation was that Brody had always been hers, in a way. She’d missed him over the last year, had even tried getting him to go places with her. But after the sixth “rain check,” she’d stopped asking.
Delaney shrugged. “We still have a few days here. We’ll see how things go.”
A tap came from the door, and Scarlett’s heart picked up speed. She had to chill out, like Delaney said. These kinds of nerves were only asking for a night as dreadful as the last.
She opened the door and was shocked at the flutter that hit her stomach. Brody was dressed in a pair of dark denim designer jeans and a fitted polo shirt that hugged his strong shoulders and stretched across his wide chest. His longish dark hair was styled back from his forehead.
His light brown eyes lowered over her. She couldn’t tell by his expression if he approved of what he saw. Unlike the dress from last night, where the fabric had clung and dipped, she’d decided on a flirtier outfit for this occasion. The strapless floral dress hit mid-thigh, a look she’d finished off with strappy heels.
It was much more a cutesy dress than it was seductive. More her speed. She’d jumped too quickly into the seductive pool twice now and didn’t have the confidence to back it up yet. Today by the pool had been a disaster, especially if Brody had given in and agreed to be her mentor. He had to have seen how horrible she was around men.
“Damn girl,” he said in a very appreciative voice.
A grin spread across her lips. Okay. She could get used to this.
“Shall we?” he asked, offering his arm.
She sent Delaney a smile before stepping out in the hall and closing the door behind her. She took his arm. “Let’s.”
They walked down the hall in silence for a few moments. Finally she asked, “What do you want to do tonight?”
“I’ve got it all planned out. You just relax and enjoy.”
She could get used to this, too. Ryan had never been much of a date planner. From the time they’d started dating, his go-to had always been, “whatever you want, babe.” So she ended up always making the plans for them. This was a very nice change.
They stepped outside and followed a stone path toward the beach. It didn’t take much to realize where they were going to eat dinner. The resort offered a quaint seaside restaurant. It wasn’t one of the more upscale dining places, but when she’d passed it the first time, she thought it would be a great spot to have dinner and watch the sun set.
When they reached the open air restaurant, Brody led her to one of the picnic tables. A white cloth covered the wood. The small space was set up for dinner and had a more elegant atmosphere than the “beach bum” feel it had for lunch. Tiki torches had been lit and the shades lowered around them, except for the section facing the water, where the orange glow of the sun brightened the horizon.
“I know this isn’t the nicest restaurant here. But I thought we could have dinner and watch the sun set.”
She blinked at him, stunned that he’d had the exact same thought she’d had. Not that the idea was unique. Plenty of people probably had the same notion when they saw this restaurant for the first time. But to be so in sync with the person she was dining with was so outside her usual experience, and it was oddly exciting
.
After they sat down, she picked up the menu. So far the food at the resort had been amazing, and she was determined to try something different at each meal. At home, she was rarely this adventurous. She always stuck with old favorites she knew she’d enjoy. Here, she could try anything under the sun, and if she hated it, that was okay—she’d just pick something else.
Once the waiter had taken their orders—her blackened snapper with lemon caper sauce, and Brody’s New York strip with blue cheese butter—she linked her fingers and laid them on top of the table, leaning forward. “So what have you been up to the last year?”
Brody took a sip of his beer before saying, “Not much, really. Training my ass off.”
“I watched your fight a few months ago.”
A pleased smile turned up his lips. “You did? With Ryan?”
The mention of her ex caused her stomach to twist. Clearing her throat, she lightly shook her head. “I may be a novice to this dating thing, but I’ve read an article that advised against talking about your ex on a first date. So let’s not mention the R word the rest of night, okay?”
“You’re right,” he said with a sharp nod. “Force of habit. I apologize.”
“No need. Just putting it out there. But to answer your question, no, I didn’t watch it with him. He was on a business trip.” Now she knew what those “business trips” meant, and there was no way Brody didn’t, either.
But there was no pity in Brody’s warm eyes; if anything he seemed more pleased than he had a few moments ago. “So you watched it on your own, huh?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“In all the years I’ve known you, Scarlett, I can count on one hand the times you’ve watched a fight.”
True. It wasn’t that she had anything against Mixed Martial Arts. She didn’t. It was definitely a respectable sport, but she just couldn’t get into it like she could football. Now, that was her sport.
“There was nothing else on television.”
Brody laughed, and she grinned in response. Gosh, she hadn’t realized how much she’d enjoyed that sound until this very moment.
