Allie grimaced. “Really?”
He propped himself with the other elbow and gave her a slow nod. “Yes.”
“Okay.” Allie giggled while bringing a cupped palm up to her mouth. “Ready, and… go!” The small candies hit her tongue and Allie began to chew. She noticed hints of sweet watermelon, tart, green apple, and other familiar flavors she couldn’t quite place. “Mmm… mine was good. I think I got a bunch of fruity ones.”
“I have no idea what mine were,” he said. “Just tasted sweet.”
She smiled. “No idea?”
Braden’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “None.”
She hadn’t noticed that her hand rested over Braden’s heart until that moment, when the beat of it picked up pace. Began a mad sort of thump against her palm. She glanced back to him, watched the way his gaze lingered over her face. The way he’d looked at her before kissing her out in the back yard the first time. Allie had spent a lot of time considering the contrast in that kiss versus the ones he’d given her in the workshop. Each had held their own appeal, no doubt. But this was the Braden she was used to. Slow. Methodical. And capable of setting her ablaze with far more subtly than he’d used that day. Still, she looked forward to the time the two could go to that place again. It gave her a whole lot to look forward to.
Braden slid his hand along the back of her neck, encouraging her to come closer. Allie moved in, wondering if her heart was pumping as fast and furious as his. She was certain it was. She licked her lips, pulled her face into his neck, and pressed a kiss to the slightly scratchy surface of his skin, the masculine smell of him filling her mind.
Braden’s mouth was at her ear next. “I’m falling in love with you, Allie,” he said in a raspy whisper.
Now she knew her heart was racing. It felt as if it might break through her chest. Weeks back he’d whispered that he wanted her. And while that had a powerful effect of its own, this new sentiment knocked Allie off her intellectual feet entirely. She was floating on a set of clouds now. And loving it.
His lips grazed her ear, the heat of his breath causing goosebumps to spread up her arms. “I’m falling in love with you too,” she admitted. The words were soft-spoken, and shy-sounding too, but sincere. The truth of them causing her soul to lift with the rest of her.
The short, coarse scruff along his jaw teased her skin as he glided it over her cheek. And suddenly, his kiss was hers. The conviction of it like an all-powerful spell. She’d experienced his gentle and coaxing side already. The way he’d eased into deeper kisses; all patience and pace. The workshop – that had been more hunger and need. Today was a perfect fusion of both. Passion, a sure and steady pull of it. She reveled in the heated bliss, moaning slightly as she tasted hints of sweet candy on his lips. And then his tongue. Mmm. Better than any candy she’d tasted. So much better.
He broke from the kiss for a breath, shifting until Allie was flat on her back, and looked at her with much more than his eyes alone. The connection drawing her in deeper. Making her weak. She watched as he laced his fingers through hers, toying with her hand before straightening her arm above her head. He did the same with her other arm, rested it flat above her, the frayed yarn from the blanket tickling her inner arms as she waited. Vulnerable. Ready.
With his gaze fixed on her, Braden traced down the length of one arm with the slightly calloused tips of his fingers. Another set of goosebumps rippled over her skin at his touch. Her breaths coming staggered and shaky. He moved down the next arm, tarrying at the ticklish spot along the hem of her short sleeve, teasing her there before trailing back up to her wrist.
With his eyes still set on her face, Braden lowered himself over her. Carefully. Shouldering his weight before brushing his lips over hers. Feather soft. Silky smooth. And smoldering hot. She’d never longed for something so deeply. Her desire for him went beyond mere wanting. Felt more like instinct. An awareness that he was just what she needed in every way. While fisting the blanket beneath her hands, Allie lifted her head to take more of him, pleased when his mouth finally locked on hers. She relished the full and masterful push of his kiss. The heavenly pull of his lips. And the soft graze of his tongue. Mmm. A drawn-out whimper sounded low in her throat. At last she lowered her arms to take even more. One hand raking through his hair. The other moving down his back, pulling him closer. Encouraging him further. She’d been waiting for this, and wanted it to last. Please, she pled inwardly. Please don’t stop yet.
Braden seemed to sense her plea; his magnificent kiss was persistent. A quest. He wanted to know if Allie meant what she’d said about falling in love with him. She did. And Allie made her kiss a promise in return. Assuring him of the truth of it. Accepting, receiving, committing.
A groan sounded from low in Braden’s chest as he brought their kiss to a slower exchange. Another long, drawn-out kiss. Deep and lingering. And then a series of softer, shorter kisses. “I could do this all day,” he said between kisses. “Just keep you here.” Another kiss. “Like my prisoner.” A longer, deeper kiss.
Allie sighed. She could think of nothing better. “Okay,” she whispered once her lips were free.
Braden gave her one final kiss and then rolled onto his side, leaving Allie flat on her back, dizzy from the bliss of it all. It took her a moment to open her eyes. And to calm her breath. Once she rolled onto her side as well, propping her head with a bended arm, Braden reached over, began spinning her hair around his finger once more. “Bree wants us to come fishing with her and the kids this Saturday. You up for it?”
His question seemed like a distraction more than anything else. She wondered who needed it more. Him or her. Allie smiled. “Fishing? That sounds nice.”
“Think Paige and Jillian will come?” he asked.
She pulled her eyes from the alluring sight of his lips to consider what he’d asked. Braden had taken Allie to meet Bree and her kids just last week; Allie had been charmed by the small family. “I think so. I told the girls all about Sophie and Carter. I think Jillian would go crazy for those kids. And Paige really likes to fish. Not that she eats any of it.”
“Did Terrance ever take them?” Braden asked.
Allie nodded. “When they were young. But it’s been years. Paige goes with my dad sometimes. Their uncle Alex took them a time or two as well, when they were younger.”
Braden’s brows furrowed. “How old were your girls when Alex died?”
“About eight and ten, I think” she said.
“Hmm. You know, Terrance and I – while fishing together back in the day – we used to talk about teaching our own kids to fish – once we had them. ‘Course we both pictured having at least a couple of boys. But I was always good with the idea of girls too.”
Allie pulled in a deep breath, saddened by the idea that Braden still didn’t have kids of his own.
“With Sophie and Carter,” he said, “I’ve got one of each. Those two sure bring a whole lot of light into my life, I’ll tell you that.”
“I bet.” She was glad he had them at least. And that they had him too. “How often do they see their father?” she asked.
“Every other weekend. They alternate holidays and all that too. Her ex remarried.”
“That’s good that he’s still in their lives,” Allie said. “I was thinking the other day… didn’t I hear that Bree had a stalker after her while she was in school?”
Braden’s eyes widened. “Where’d you hear that?”
She didn’t want to tell him her source was the Gossip Queen herself, Allie’s very own mother who knew everything about everyone. “Just… around. Am I wrong?”
He shook his head. “No, you’re right. I was just wondering. I know word kind of got out, but things got a lot worse than people realize.” He held her gaze through narrowed eyes, seeming to contemplate. “It was a pretty dark time in my life. Did you know he stalked her off and on for nearly ten years?”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. And within that time I lost my
dad to a heart attack, lost my mom to her second battle with cancer, and as if that wasn’t enough, I had to deal with this SOB obsessing over my sister and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.” He shook his head. “Felt like the world was caving in.”
“Oh, Braden, that’s awful.” The energy in the room had taken a sudden shift. Allie could sense the weight of the topic in the air, the heavy burden it must’ve placed on Braden. She imagined reaching out, smoothing the furrow at his brow with the gentle stroke of her thumb, but resisted the urge as he spoke up once more.
“Imagine what it must have felt like for Bree.” He sighed. “Wasn’t something I talked a whole lot about, but… well not to anyone but the police, anyway. Although at one point I did try to get the press involved, at my mother’s request, but it wasn’t something they were interested in.”
“The press?” she asked softly. “What for?”
He looked down at the blanket for a bit before glancing back at her. “With stalkers, it’s hard to take action against them. Well, it used to be, anyway. Laws are different now. But back then people could follow you around. Sit outside your work place, your house, the grocery store or where ever you went. They could torment you with calls and emails. Texts and whatnot. And the officials couldn’t do a thing to stop them.”
“Is that what he did? Follow her around everywhere?”
“Yep. It started off as an innocent thing. This kid at school, Carl Ronsberg was his name, got bullied a lot, didn’t have any friends. So Bree started a conversation with him one day, you know, trying to be nice. She didn’t think much of it at first, just kept talking with him a bit here and there. But one day out of the blue we catch him standing outside the house with this weird look on his face. He wasn’t coming up to the door or anything… just standing there. Staring.”
“Like, looking through your windows?” she asked.
Braden tilted his head. “Well that’s just it. He wasn’t right up against the house or real close to it. Just stood in the yard by that tree out front. There wasn’t much to see. Just her coming or going, I guess.” Braden gave her a knowing look. “That’s why I wasn’t too keen on you not having blinds on your windows. You just never know who’s looking in at you.”
A dark chill crept over her skin, caused her to shiver.
“Anyway, it was off and on like I said. We tried getting the cops involved several times, and though they couldn’t do much beyond talk with him, he seemed to back off for a while each time we got them out to the house.”
The expression on his face turned grave. “I remember this one time I came home from work, saw him standing there… I’d had a real crappy day and wasn’t about to let that little psychopath make it worse. I tore into the yard, drove over the curb and sped onto the grass right toward him. Had it not been for that tree, I probably would have run him over.” He let out a humorless laugh, the events seeming to play out in his mind as he spoke. “When I got out of the car, I went right up to him and knocked his lights out. Didn’t say a word. I wanted to keep going too. I swear to you, every frustration I had at that moment – my widowed mother going through chemo, Bree trying to date and work and have a normal life. And there I was working a full-time job as well as running the shop – I could have unleashed it all. Beat the life right out of him.” The truth of his words wore plainly on his tortured face. In the dark, aching depths of his eyes.
“What made you stop?” she asked.
“It was almost like I heard a voice, though it was only in my head. Just as I’m about to really lay into him I hear the word stop shouting in my mind. You can’t afford to go to prison, the voice said. Somebody’s got to take care of Mom and Bree.”
An audible gulp slipped past Allie’s tightened throat.
“Some days I wish I’d have taken my chances.”
She let that sink in before asking the next question that came to mind. “So where is he now?”
“Prison,” he said. “Let’s see if I can sum things up here. He stopped stalking her for almost a year straight. During that time Bree got married to Dallin. Once they had Sophie the stalking started back up.”
“At her new home? When she had a husband?” There was something shocking about that.
Braden gave her a wordless nod.
“That is bizarre,” she said.
“I know. Put a real strain on their marriage. Anyway, shortly after Carter was born some new laws passed, and the police finally had enough on the guy to put him in jail, which is a story in itself. But sadly, just a few months after that, Dallin filed for divorce.”
“Wow,” Allie managed. “Bree’s really been through the wringer. You both have. And good for Bree for just moving on and living her life despite it all.”
Braden managed a weak grin. “My mother was a big fan of Shakespeare, used to quote Othello quite a bit. She’d say, ‘The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief.’ Bree was better at putting that to practice. And though it was difficult for me, the idea of taking something from this guy – weakening him in some way – it made me work at finding things to smile about.
“Hmm,” Allie managed, “I’m glad you guys were finally able to get him put away. How long has he been in prison, did you say?”
“He was sentenced to seven years. It’s been five.”
Allie gasped. “He’ll be out in two years?”
“Two years,” he repeated with a slow nod.
She considered that. “Do they think he’ll leave her alone when he gets out? I mean, what are the statistics on this type of thing?”
“Not many get jail time unless they kill someone, or attempt murder in the least of it. But the ones who do seem to be so fixed on the person, they fall right back into their old patterns. One specialist told us seven years in jail would only give the guy time to obsess and plot. Said chances are, the nightmare will start up again once he’s out.”
“Oh, my gosh. How horrible. With the kids and being divorced. I can’t imagine.”
“Yep. You know sometimes I wonder if Dallin started to fear what he was capable of. A situation like that can bring out the monster in you. I know it did with me.”
Allie gulped, sensing the truth of it even then. “So when time’s up…”
“I’ve already taken care of it,” he said. “I probably shouldn’t talk about the details, but I’ve made arrangements. Bree and the kids will be safe and sound before Carl Ronsberg steps foot outside that prison.”
The conviction in his eyes put heat in her blood. Allie had seen her father harbor and protect witnesses over the years, serving as a US Marshal and all. Never did she doubt his ability to keep their visitors safe. A similar confidence rose in her chest as she eyed Braden. He’d protect Bree and the kids if his life depended on it. Still, there was something he was hiding from her. Hiding from everyone. And though she didn’t doubt it was only to protect his sister and the kids, Allie couldn’t help but feel hurt that he didn’t confide in her. She couldn’t imagine keeping anything from Braden at this point.
But Allie wouldn’t dwell on it, she decided as another thought came to mind. “Does Bree date?” Perhaps she’d be married by the time the guy was released from his sentence.
“No,” Braden said. “She doesn’t want to bring anyone into it. She never blamed Dallin for leaving. I think she carries a level of guilt over the whole thing, though none of it’s her fault.” He sat up, rested an elbow on his bended knee. “She was more generous than I am. I don’t hate her ex-husband, and I try to give him credit where I can, but in the end I think he’s a coward. A real man doesn’t abandon his family like that. I know he still sees them, but he’s got the option to bail any time the going gets tough. Part of me thinks that’s just what he’ll do.”
There was so much to take in. Bree and her past. The stalker, the divorce, losing both her parents. And Braden. Strong, protective Braden who carried the weight of those burdens on his shoulders. He had a plan for them. Only heaven knew what it was, but he did.
And Allie loved him even more for it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Looks like Sophie has a new best friend.”
Allie worked to tear her gaze from the sight before her. “You’re right,” she smiled at Bree before looking back to Paige and Sophie. The little girl had caught a fish, but the thing had flipped around so much it’d freed itself from the hook. Sophie squealed as Paige pinned it with her bare hands.
“She always wants to touch the fish,” Bree said, “but every time Braden holds it still for her she chickens out.”
Allie chuckled. “Maybe this time she’ll do it,” she said, squinting against the sun as Sophie neared the fish Paige held. The smile on Paige’s face could have outshone the sun, Allie was sure of it. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her so happy.
“Crap. Let me get a picture of this,” Bree said, pulling her phone from her pocket while running to the pond’s edge. But Braden had beaten her to it. Standing just a few feet away, he stood with his phone propped and ready, snapping pictures as Sophie mustered the courage to touch the fish. Just like a proud father, she thought.
“Ewe,” Sophie squealed, yanking her hand back. But then she ventured once more, rubbing the scales with one tiny finger. She spoke gently to it this time, her small voice barely carrying on the light breeze. “Nice little fishy.”
Paige laughed. “See?” she said. “It feels neat.”
Sophie’s pigtails bounced as she nodded in agreement. Without warning the small girl threw her arms around Paige, making Allie wish she had a camera ready to capture the moment herself. In the distance, Jillian and Carter fed the ducks on the other side of the pond. A rush of gratitude filled her heart, and Allie offered a silent prayer of thanks. Being with Bree’s small children had brought a whole lot of joy to their family that day. How wonderful it might be if they were able to grow closer to Bree, Sophie, and Carter. Become an extended family in a way. Allie’s cousins, Blake and Gavin, had a few kids of their own. Just boys for now, and though Paige and Jillian loved seeing them at family dinners and such, they rarely spent much time together, the rowdy boys too busy causing mischief with their cousins. Soon the youngest brother, Shane, would marry and add to the tally as well.
Rough Edges: Allie's Story, A Companion to the Sweet Montana Bride Series (Second Chances Book 1) Page 13
