by Abby Niles
She opened the bathroom door and stepped into his bedroom. Shirtless, Brody was lying on his side, head propped up on his palm, already on the left side of the king-sized mattress under the dark– and light-gray checkered comforter. Her heart squeezed tight.
“Goddamn, you’re beautiful in my shirt.”
This was really it. She was entering into a committed relationship, and nothing felt wrong about it. She walked over to her side of the bed then climbed under the silky, charcoal sheets. Pulling the cover up, she shifted onto her side and mimicked Brody’s position, facing him.
He reached under the covers and ran his palm up and down her hip. It was a soothing action, and intimate one, and she loved it.
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“Would you like to go have dinner with my family?”
The invitation surprised her. He wanted her to meet his family?
“I know that seems a little rushed,” he hurried to say, “but we always have dinner on Sunday. To be frank, I’m not ready to let you go back home yet. I want to spend tomorrow with you, too.”
“I’d love to go.”
“Good.” He leaned in and kissed her. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the sweet grazing of his mouth, the light nip on her bottom lip before he dragged her close to his chest and deepened the kiss. She wound one arm around his shoulder then rolled onto her back so he was above her.
There was nothing hurried about his kiss, no demanding need. It was slow, sensual, and just as hot as when he kissed her stupid. Her body buzzed to life. Her nipples hardened. It didn’t matter how this man touched her, she responded, ached for him.
His hand slid down her side to the hem of her shirt. A second later he had it pulled over her head and tossed onto the floor. He lowered his head, taking her nipple into his mouth. Gasping, she threaded her fingers into his thick hair, arching toward him. He took his time, loving each breast with both his hands and mouth until she was whimpering and shifting on the bed.
He was torturing her with this restrained lovemaking. While it built a fire in her that was about to combust, she wanted, needed, him.
“Brody, please.”
“What do you want, Scarlett?”
It was a question he’d asked her a few times while they’d been fucking. But tonight there was only one way she wanted to answer. “Make love to me.”
Happiness lightened his light brown gaze. “Nothing would please me more.”
Reaching onto the nightstand, he grabbed the condom he’d placed there. Within seconds, he had it ripped open and rolled on. He pushed himself up and over her then settled between her legs.
“This is how I’ve always wanted to be with you, Scarlett…a true couple.”
Warmth spread across her chest, and she felt his words to her very core.
Then he took her lips in a searing kiss as he slowly thrust inside her. His loving, his touches, were all so gentle, so sweet, it brought a rush of emotions over her. Tears burned the back of her eyes.
She never believed she’d mean this much to someone again, but it was in everything he did. As they climaxed together, words she had no right to say yet pushed at the back of her throat, and she swallowed them.
Now wasn’t the time to voice them. But one day, she would.
Because she couldn’t imagine a life without Brody in it. Couldn’t imagine anything tearing them apart.
Chapter Ten
Scarlett knew Brody had a huge family, but the reality of so many people was much more overwhelming than she’d expected. And not all of his sisters were even here—only three of them.
Savannah, the oldest sister, was hosting the family gathering with her husband and three daughters. Tessa was staying with Savannah, and the second to oldest, Maggie, was here with her husband and daughter. All the kids were under the age of five.
Chaos was the only way to describe what she was witnessing. The backyard was a madhouse. Bubbles, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk, screaming…
And the family gathered like this every Sunday… Every Sunday.
Strong hands latched onto her shoulders and kneaded. “About driven crazy yet?”
Smiling, she reached up and squeezed one of Brody’s hands. At least he could acknowledge this was outside her comfort area. “There sure are a lot of you.”
He chuckled behind her, giving her muscles another wonderful knead. “Yes, there are. It’ll just get bigger, too. Tessa, Heather, Rikki, and I haven’t gotten married or had kids yet.”
At the mention of kids, her heart twisted. Not that she’d forgotten about her infertility. A person just didn’t forget about that, but for the first time in years, Brody had her living in the moment. Since she’d been seeing him, she couldn’t remember once thinking about not being able to have children.
It had been a much needed break. But the issue now roared back to the surface. Brody would want kids one day. How would he handle the news of her infertility?
It was a conversation she wasn’t looking forward to, and one she wasn’t ready to have yet. It was too early. They were just getting to know each other on a different level. Bringing up serious topics would only cause needless worry. The best thing to do was just enjoy each other right now.
“Uncle Brody! Come play with me!” his four-year old niece Ellie yelled, waving a hula hoop over her head—the fourth time, so far, she’d asked Brody to play with her.
“Duty calls.” He leaned over and gave her a swift kiss on the lips then jogged over to his niece, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her in the air. A loud, childish squeal pierced the air, and Scarlett couldn’t help a sad smile.
There was so much love in this family. It was in every square foot of the backyard, in the way the family laughed together and teased each other, in the happy children that ran around.
Before it’d all gone to crap, her family had been like that. One thing had changed it all. For her dad, it had been losing his job. For her mom, it’d been when he’d cheated. For Ryan, her infertility. For herself, Ryan getting another woman pregnant.
One moment, one decision, one life hurdle could be the obstacle that destroyed the love between two people, breeding bitterness and resentment instead.
Brody’s mother Elise came to stand beside her, an affectionate smile on her face as she watched her only son play with his niece. Not for the first time since she’d stepped into this house, Scarlett wondered how Brody’s parents had beaten the odds.
“I love watching those two together,” Elise said.
Brody was dramatically failing at hula hooping. He’d lift the hoop to his waist, rotate his hips, then let go of it. It would fall straight down to his feet. His theatrical groan made Ellie cackle every time. Scarlett chuckled, too.
It was nice to see him more relaxed. This morning after they’d woken up, he’d been on his phone scrolling through Facebook. She’d felt him stiffen beside her, and when she glanced over, she caught the headline on the sports page.
Moment of Truth: Will Saturday’s Fight be The Last for Brody “The Iron” Minton?
That one had been tame in comparison to some of the others that had popped up. He tried to pretend it hadn’t bothered him. But it had. He’d become tense and inattentive until he got here. Ellie had brought a true smile to his face.
“She’s the oldest niece, right?” Scarlett asked.
“Sure is. Just turned four, and she loves her Uncle Brody.”
That had been obvious from the moment they’d arrived. Ellie had been vying since then for her uncle’s attention.
“I think she’s a little jealous of you. She’s not used to having to share him.” Elise sent her a wink.
Scarlett had picked up on that, too, and thought it was sweet. “It’s a good thing I don’t mind sharing then.”
Elise gave an approving nod. “Anyway, the real reason I came over is Dan is about to put the steaks on. How do you like yours?”
“Medium rare.”
> “You’re going to fit in just fine.”
Happiness expanded Scarlett’s chest as she watched Brody’s mother walk back to her husband. She’d just gotten his mother’s approval. Scarlett crossed her arms underneath her breasts and watched Brody. There was such joy on his face as he played with his niece. He’d make a great father someday.
The light feeling his mother’s words had given her darkened and turned heavy. There was that kid thing again.
“How’re you holding up?”
Scarlett looked over to find Tessa walking toward her, smiling. “Just taking it all in.”
“I remember introducing Nick to everyone.” Sadness tinged her words as she stopped beside Scarlett. She also crossed her arms and focused on her brother. “He had to go outside for a walk, to come down from the chaos.”
Scarlett studied the younger woman. She’d met Tessa once, years ago, when she’d come with Brody to a concert while visiting from New York.
“I heard about the wedding. I’m sorry.”
Tessa shrugged. “Love isn’t always enough, you know? Sometimes you have bigger dreams that the other doesn’t want to be a part of. Decisions have to be made. It sucks.”
Damned if she didn’t understand that herself. “It does suck.”
“Nick didn’t want kids. I do. Lots of them.”
Children. That topic just kept coming up today.
“Making that decision had to be hard.”
“It was. I love him, but I can’t imagine a life without children. None of us can. We grew up in a full household.”
None of us can. That one sentence hooked itself into her mind and wouldn’t let go as she watched Brody sit crossed-legged on the ground and blow bubbles at a dark-haired toddler.
“What about you? Do you want kids?” There was a probing curiosity behind her words, an interest that went further than general questioning.
“I haven’t given it much thought,” she evaded, not wanting to get drawn into this conversation with a woman she barely knew.
“Figured, since you were married as long as you were to Ryan and never had kids. Brody wants to have at least five.”
How dare this woman make assumptions about why she hadn’t had children?
“And you’re telling me all this, why?” Anger vibrated her words.
“Brody has always protected me. Now it’s my turn.” A grim expression cast a shadow over the woman’s face. “We don’t usually butt into each other’s business. If he gets mad, he’ll get over it. Brody has never brought a woman to a family gathering. You’ve been married before. Never had kids. Makes a person think. I don’t want him to wind up being bitch-slapped with the truth days before he’s supposed to start his life with someone, like I was. Parenthood is important to him, and if it isn’t to you, then you two need to have a serious talk now before either of you get any deeper into this.”
Then she casually strolled away.
Motherhood had always been important to her. But she couldn’t be one. Not in the biological sense. That hadn’t mattered to her. It had to Ryan. It’d mattered to him so much that their infertility journey had changed him from a man she’d loved to someone she didn’t know—a stranger.
What if the same thing happened with Brody? What if she was destined to repeat the past?
As much as the idea of letting Brody go killed a part of her inside, she couldn’t chance being hurt like that again.
…
Brody scrubbed the back of his head as he watched Scarlett. Something had happened. His family could be overwhelming, but she’d been handling it pretty well, seemed to be enjoying herself. Now she sat off alone on one of the yard benches, distant and distracted.
He sat down beside her, pressing his leg into the side of hers, then nudged her with his shoulder. “What’s on your mind?”
She sent him another strained smile—the fourth in the last hour. “Nothing.”
That was a lie if he’d ever heard one. He needed to get her up, doing something, and out of her head.
“We’re about to get a game of volleyball going? Want to join?”
Her nose scrunched. “I suck at that game. I’ll just watch, if you don’t mind.”
“I do actually.” He took her hand and tugged her to her feet.
“Brody.”
“Lighten up, Scarlett. We all suck at this game.”
He chanced a glance at her to make sure she hadn’t been offended by the blunt comment, but she laughed softly. “All right. As long as everyone sucks, and it’s not just me.”
After pulling her out onto the grass and positioning her in front of the net, he took his place behind her. From the other side, Tessa volleyed the first ball. As it arced up into the air and then down toward her, Scarlett jumped up and hit it with her palm. It shot off her hand and straight into Brody’s face. The unexpected sting had him bending over, clutching his nose.
“Oh my God! I told you I sucked!” She hurried over to him and rubbed his back. “Are you okay?”
Straightening, he blinked his watering eyes. “I’m fine.”
“Let me see.” She pulled his hand away from his nose. “Jesus, you’re bleeding. Time out, everyone.”
She ignored his mumbled argument and led him into the house then into the bathroom. She lowered the lid to the toilet. “Sit.”
“Scarlett, I’m fine. I’ve been rocked much harder in the cage. This was a baby tap that took me off guard.” He looked in the mirror and pointed to his nose, where a smidge of blood surrounded one nostril. “See? It’s not even really bleeding.”
“I don’t care. Sit.”
No reason to argue with her. If it made her feel better to doctor him up, then so be it. He sat. She opened the linen closet and pulled out a burgundy washcloth. After wetting it, she wrung out the excess water then held the cold cloth to his nose.
At her tender care, warmth filled his chest. He liked having her fuss over him. He just wished she’d open up to him. “Did someone say something to you?”
She stilled, her gaze shooting up from his nose to his eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“I’ve known you for a long time. Something is going on in that head of yours.”
She straightened, turning her attention to rinsing out the rag, her head down. “You’re amazing with your nieces.”
Now she was changing the subject. He sighed and raked his hand over his face, grimacing slightly as his nose tweaked at the movement. If she wasn’t ready to talk about what was on her mind, then he’d give her some more time to think.
“I love spending time with Ellie.”
“She’s adorable.” She finally twisted toward him and leaned a hip on the sink. “You’ll make a great dad someday.”
“I hope so. Being an uncle is a lot different than being a father. Right now, I get to rile them up and send them home, which I do every chance I get.” He winked at her and was awarded an amused smile. “Do you have any nieces or nephews?”
“No. My sister hasn’t married yet, and as you know, Ryan was an only child.”
He nodded. “I’ve always been surprised that you and Ryan never had kids.”
She pivoted back toward the sink and placed the damned rag in the corner. “We weren’t ready for all that.”
His stomach tightened. When Ryan and Scarlett first got married, all he’d talked about was having kids someday. Those conversations had died off over the last few years. Was it possible Scarlett hadn’t been so on board with having kids? “Do you want kids one day?”
Her jaw clenched, and she was silent for a long, agonizing moment, then she looked him straight in the eyes. “No.”
It felt like all the air had been sucked from his lungs. “None?”
“Not one. Thought I did at one time, but then I started working with kids all day.”
He swallowed. Jesus. How was this even possible?
“I see,” was all he could get out, his mind whirling a mile a minute.
This was why she’d grown distant
throughout the day. She’d watched him play with his niece, probably freaking out about him wanting kids, just like he was freaking out about her not wanting them.
As much as he loved Scarlett, could he give up his future children to be with her?
He wasn’t sure he could.
…
She’d never told a bigger lie.
Peeking through the blinds, Scarlett watched Brody pull away from the curb. After they’d left the cook-out, he hadn’t mentioned taking her back to his place. Instead, he feigned exhaustion, saying the kids had worn him out and he wanted to hit the sack early because he had a big day of training ahead of him.
Kids had definitely exhausted him, but it wasn’t from chasing them around.
Her lie had.
And she felt sick about it.
A retching came from the bathroom, and Scarlett spun around. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one sick. She hurried to the bathroom then tapped on the door. “Delaney?”
“Go away. I’m dying in here.”
Concerned, she chewed on her lip. Delaney hadn’t been feeling well for a few days now. “I’m coming in.”
As she pushed the door open, she found Delaney sitting on her knees, elbows braced on the toilet seat, forehead resting in her hands over the bowl. She groaned. “I feel like death warmed over.”
“Should we go to Urgent Care?”
“No.” When she glanced up, tears shone in her eyes. “I know what’s wrong. I’m just too scared to confirm it.”
Scarlett stared down at her best friend. “What?”
Delaney leaned over, pulled open a drawer, grabbed something wrapped in a brown paper bag and waved it toward Scarlett as she groaned again.
Scarlett took it and opened it. Her heart dropped at the pregnancy test inside. She glanced from it, back to Delaney, back to the test, and tears pricked her eyes. Everyone was getting pregnant but her.
What a horrible thing to think. She tamped down that knee jerk response—this was no time for self-pity. Her best friend needed her.
“How long have you suspected?” she asked.
“A few days,” she mumbled.
“Take the test, Delaney.”
Her friend lifted her head. “What if I’m right? I don’t think I’m ready to face that truth yet. Right now I can still call it the mother of all stomach bugs.”
