“She was concerned, mostly because of your reputation.”
His gaze dropped to the floor. Without him saying a word, I could see the emotions play over his face. He looked devastated.
“You have me wrong, you know that?” he said, brushing a hand through his hair. I was stunned to see he was trembling.
“My mom heard Heather might be pregnant with your baby.” There, I’d said it. And he’d heard me loud and clear.
His face fell, and his eyes searched mine. “You’re serious?”
I nodded. “Yes. she heard about it, and she didn’t want me to go through that pain again.”
“Who told her Heather was pregnant?”
There was no effort on his part to deny it. In fact, he seemed more worried about who had said anything to my mom. “I don’t know who told her. What is important is the truth. Please God, tell me she’s not pregnant.”
He dropped his hands to his sides and took a step toward me. “Of course she’s not pregnant.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jesus, Mandy.” Closing his eyes, he took a breath and released it. “I swear she’s not pregnant.”
“How do you know for sure?” I said, hating the fact that my voice cracked.
“I was careful. We used protection. I used a condom every time.”
And yet he hadn’t when we’d had sex.
The thought must have been written all over my face, because he shook his head. “You’re different, Mandy. You’re different from anyone else I’ve been with.”
I didn’t know what to say. God, I wanted to believe him. I did. And yet I had reservations. I had been knocked off my feet once before, devastated by the news of a pregnancy that had forever changed my life. “Condoms break.”
“Don’t you trust me?” he asked, and although I wanted to tell him I did, I realized in that moment that I didn’t.
Maybe I didn’t know how to trust any more.
I dropped my gaze to the floor. “I want to trust you.”
“Fuck,” he said, running his hands through his hair. “You might think I’m some bad boy type that doesn’t give a shit about anyone, but that’s not the truth. Yeah, I’m a bit skittish when it comes to relationships. I didn’t have the best examples. My mother, basically my only parent, spent her lifetime trying to get someone to love her. Maybe in some ways I’m like my father, a selfish bastard who is afraid to commit, but I don’t want to be. I just felt like I hadn’t found the right person…until you came along. I know you’ve been hurt. I get it. I do. I’m not that guy you think I am, Mandy. I’m not.”
I could see what it took him to say those words. I felt every single word pierce my soul. I had hurt this beautiful man who I had come to care for so deeply in such a short period of time. I had been foolish with my words, and instead of just telling my mom how I really felt, I had instead tried to ease her fears. Hell, maybe I had tried to ease my own fears, too. Use them as protection against news that had the potential to destroy me.
Feeling defensive, I said, “My mom just doesn’t want me to get hurt.”
He winced like I’d slapped him. “I would never hurt you, Mandy. I don’t want to be with Heather. Plus, if she was pregnant, I would have known by now. She’s not.”
I hesitated, not knowing what to say. I thought of Heather, of what she’d said about being with him recently, the things Kara had said to me, the concerns my own mother had.
He cussed under his breath and pulled out his phone.
“I thought your mom liked me,” he said, dialing a number and putting the phone on speaker.
“She loves you. She said as much when we were talking.”
He shook his head, clearly not believing me.
A woman answered. Hello? She sounded hesitant.
“Heather, it’s Brax.”
Even I was surprised by this move. He must be pretty dang confident he wasn’t Heather’s baby daddy if he was calling her in front of me.
“Hey…”
He cleared his throat and said, “I heard a rumor that you might be pregnant with my child.”
Silence met his question, and I felt my heartbeat in my ears.
Finally, after ten agonizing seconds, she responded. “Um…no…”
I nearly collapsed with relief.
Brax’s expression was impossible to decipher. “You’re sure,” he said, his voice intense.
“Of course I’m sure,” she said, sounding defensive. “I mean, I would have told you. Jesus, Brax.”
“Alright, that’s all I wanted to know.”
“Um, okay…”
He ended the call and looked at me. “I’m not seeing anyone else. There are no secret babies. No skeletons in my closet that I’m trying to hide. I may not have the best reputation out there. I admit it. I just want you, Mandy. Just you.”
I took the step that separated us and went into his arms that wrapped around me tightly. Relief rushed through me. “I love you, Brax—and I want to be with you. I just need to learn to trust again. It might take some time. I just…”
He kissed me softly and smiled against my lips. “Say it again.”
“I love you and I want to be with you. And only you.”
His eyes searched mine, in that intense way that made me feel like he was peering into my soul. A thousand different emotions rushed through me, most of all an intense love for this man who wanted to fight for me. He made me feel cherished and special.
“I love you, Mandy.” He kissed me softly. “And I want to be with you. Only you.”
EPILOGUE
Amanda
I sat in the chair beside my bed, looking at the man who slept so peacefully. My heart squeezed with how much I loved him.
Long lashes cast shadows upon his well-defined cheekbones. His perfect lips were slightly open, his dark hair mussed from our recent round of lovemaking. His long body, all muscle and sinew under that gorgeous tanned skin, was gloriously displayed on crisp white bamboo sheets.
Every single time he walked into a room, my pulse skittered and I got a little weak at the knees. I had asked myself a million times in the past few months how I had been so lucky to have found someone as perfect as Brax Mitchell.
And all along he’d been right under my nose. Under my roof for a decade of my life. I smiled, thinking back at how odd life was sometimes.
People that knew him called him a heartbreaker, and maybe they always would. We had set tongues wagging, I know that much. But I didn’t care. I welcomed the stares and whispers because I had never been so happy in all my life.
Behind a beautiful exterior was a man with a heart of gold. Someone who would take the shirt off his back for anyone that needed it. Of course, he had his personal demons. We all did. I struggled with trust and I probably always would because of what I’d been through and because of the whispers that always seemed to be associated with Brax. I just hoped that one day I could trust wholeheartedly and not have my stomach drop to my toes every time Brax’s phone rang, or not feel insecure when he received a lingering glance from a waitress or some random chick walking past us.
Always, in those moments, he held me close and reassured me that I was the one he wanted to be with. That no one else interested him. That I was his, always and forever.
And I believed him. I didn’t doubt the emotion I saw in his eyes or the way he looked at me with so much love. You couldn’t fake that.
He wanted me. I wanted him. That’s all the mattered.
Kara had told me to screw the haters, and she was right. I didn’t care what anyone thought. They might make fun of the cradle robber, or so I had been called on so many social media sites, which made me laugh. I was less than five years older than Brax, but if that made me a cradle robber, then so be it. I owned the title. Plus, like she said—they were just jealous.
Although my mom had originally been nervous about me dating Brax, she had quickly come around once she realized the rumors were just that. When we’d gone to our first Sunday di
nner together as a couple at my parents’ house, Mom had taken Brax aside and apologized to him for believing such vicious gossip. He told her he understood her concerns as a mother. After that discussion, Brax seemed really relieved, and to be honest, so was I. I wanted the people we loved most to be happy for us.
Thank goodness for my family and friends like Kara, who had proven to be a great friend and confidante. She was one of my biggest cheerleaders. Along with my brother and my parents, and, of course, Brax, I had come to embrace Maple Creek and everything it had to offer. This was home, and Brax Mitchell was my man…and I would hold onto him with both hands.
Touching the infinity necklace he had given me for our sixth month anniversary, I smiled and glanced down at the photo I had taken of him sleeping.
“What are you doing, babe?”
I glanced up from the camera to find sleepy green eyes staring back at me. “Taking pictures.”
“You’d think you’d get tired of taking pictures of me,” he said, holding an arm out. “Come here.”
Needing no further urging, I put down my camera and climbed into bed with him. I molded to his long body, resting my head on his shoulder. “I’ll never get tired of taking your picture. You’re perfect.”
He snorted. “I’m not perfect.”
“You are to me.”
“You’re perfect.” Brushing his thumb along my jawline, he kissed me softly. “I love you, Mandy.”
I would never tire of hearing those words. “I love you, too.”
He grinned, a big dimpled smile that made my heart skip a beat. “I was thinking that since we spend so much time with each other…maybe we should move in together.”
Of course I had hoped the topic would come up. “So you would move in here?” I asked, already excited at the prospect of living under one roof.
“For now, but maybe we could find our own house.”
Our own house. That sounded serious. I was ready for serious when it came to this man. “You mean sell both our houses…”
“And buy one that’s ours.” I could hear the excitement in his voice.
“A house on acreage with a shop?” I said, remembering him mentioning that’s what he wanted.
He grinned. “And one that has a room for your studio.”
“My studio?”
“Yeah, a photography studio. You’ve been taking pictures for your mom and her friend’s property listings. Why not go for it? Make photography your career.”
Oh my God, I loved this man. Taking pictures had been a passion for me a long time ago, and he had helped rekindle that passion. “Would I still work with you from time to time?”
He lifted a brow. “Of course. I like having you as my assistant, but when we have children, I’d love for you to have the option to stay home with them.”
My stomach tightened. Any talk of kids took me back to less than happy times and discussions. I couldn’t deny the appeal of having our children though. I wanted to be a mom, and having been around Kara, Marcus, and their kids, I yearned for a family even more.
“Damn, I forgot to call Kev,” he said, pushing up on his elbows.
“What?”
“Will you go over to my top drawer and grab my address book? I need to call Kevin and see if he’ll drop by the masonry, but I forgot the address.”
I’d given him the top two drawers of my dresser months ago when he’d become a regular overnight guest. “It’s too far away, and I’m too comfy,” I said in protest.
“Please,” he said, kissing my nose. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
I glanced at his suddenly rigid cock, slid off him and walked over to the dresser, pulling it open.
My breath caught in my throat.
There was a small box with a bow on it.
I swallowed hard.
My heart pounded so loud, there was a roar in my ears.
Grabbing the box, I turned to find him standing five feet away.
“Open it,” he said, taking the steps that separated us.
With trembling hands, I opened the box to find a beautiful, flawless, solitaire diamond ring. He took my left hand and slid the ring onto my third finger. “Marry me, Mandy.”
“Yes,” I said, kissing him with every ounce of my being. “I’ll marry you.”
Pulling me close, we hugged and held each other for a while.
“So that’s why you want to move?”
He nodded. “I have my woman and now I want the rest.” I loved his tone, the possessive way he said he had me.
“Sounds like heaven,” I said, snuggling into his warmth and knowing that I had finally found the man of my dreams in the most unexpected place.
Home.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author of over twenty adult romance novels and novellas (writing as Julia Templeton), and eight young adult/new adult novels and novellas, Julia enjoys reading, research, traveling, riding motorcycles, and spending time with family and friends. A certified psychic medium, Julia is married to her high school sweetheart, has two grown children, and four grandchildren. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and loves hearing from readers. Please email her at [email protected].
OTHER BOOKS
YA/NEW ADULT titles by J.A. TEMPLETON
The Deepest Cut (The MacKinnon Curse, #1)
The Haunted (The MacKinnon Curse, #2)
The Departed (The MacKinnon Curse, #3)
The MacKinnon Curse novella (The MacKinnon Curse, #4)
Thin White Line (Badboy Rockers, #1)
Ryder’s Redemption (Badboy Rockers, #2)
The Gatekeeper (Otherworld series, #1)
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE BY JULIA TEMPLETON
A Second Chance
The Conquest
Masquerade
Now & Forever
Little Miss Independent
Trail Boss
Kieran the Black
Forbidden (writing with Tracy Cooper Posey)
Dangerous Beauty (writing with Tracy Cooper Posey)
Dangerous Desires
Sinjin (Rakehells of Rochester, #1)
Victor (Rakehells of Rochester, #2)
Rory (Rakehells of Rochester, #3)
The Bargain
Return to Me
Parlor Games Anthology (Border Lord)
* * *
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