Breaking Braydon

by MK Harkins

  “I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun in my life. This week has been better than Disneyland.” She laughed and turned to me. “It’s been better than anything I could’ve dreamed up.”

  I saw in her eyes what was reflected in mine. Happiness. We were happy.

  “Can you stay a little longer?” I asked. “Until Sunday? I want to keep you every second I can. You don’t have to go back to work until Monday, right?”

  “I was supposed to work this week. Luckily, Erik lives close and was able to go in and chart our progress on the protein pathway experiment.”

  “Please don’t say his name again. I still want to punch him.” My blood pressure rose just hearing his name.

  She grinned. “Jealous?”

  “Yes. I’ll admit it. You can tell him that. You tell him that you’re mine.” Where did that come from?

  “I am?” She moved closer and laughed softly.

  I loved her laugh. I felt immediately calm. She was mine. That jerk better not get near her.

  “You are.”

  “So, if I’m yours, does that mean you’re mine?” She rubbed her nose up my neck.

  God, that did things to me. “Nap time!” I threw her over my shoulder and carried her upstairs.

  We didn’t nap.

  ***

  “Are you sure I look all right? Your dad will be here any minute.” Jain paced the kitchen.She grabbed at her skirt and attempted to pull it down.

  I laughed. “It’s not too short. Take my word for it.”

  “My work skirts are below my knees. I feel a little naked,” she complained.

  “You have beautiful legs. You should show them off.”

  “Not to your father! He’s going to think I’m some…” She stopped.

  “Some what?” I asked.

  Her face flushed. “You know, some Hoochie Mama type person.” She was nodding her head, totally serious.

  “Is that actually a name? What did you say? Hoochie…?”

  She threw up her hands, “Colin teased me about that, too. My mom was responsible for the terminology. I’m not sure where she heard it from, but it’s real. It represents as woman who is—”

  “I know the meaning behind it. My dad won’t think you’re loose. Look at the length. It’s only two inches above your knees.”

  Her eyes traveled back down as she tugged on the skirt.

  I laughed. “You aren’t going to lengthen it by pulling on it. He’s going to love you no matter what. My dad’s a good guy. He isn’t the judgmental type at all.”

  She quit pulling on the fabric and tilted her head up toward the ceiling. “Ugh! I’ve never done this before. I’m so nervous.”

  I gave her a hug to reassure her, when a knock on the door interrupted us.

  “Should I run and change?” She moved the dress back and forth in the reflection from the refrigerator.

  “No, you look beautiful. Perfect.” I took her hand and led her to the door.

  THIRTY

  Jain

  I took a deep breath as Braydon dragged me to the front door. This was it. I was going to meet his dad. I had a civil war of emotions inside me – excitement and nervousness. This was all so new. Everything was happening fast, but in a good way. Braydon and I had started out slowly, but as soon as we clicked, we were inseparable. The one thing that surprised me was that I was comfortable going from single to couple status so quickly. It felt natural. We just…fit.

  Braydon opened the door. “Hey, Dad, come on in.” He reached down to pet Oreo. “Oreo, buddy, how you doing?”

  My eyes swung back and forth between the pair. Braydon’s dad – good grief. I knew now where Braydon got his looks. He was the most handsome older man I’d ever seen. He shared Braydon’s silver eyes, and his hair was salt and pepper to match. They both shared the same high cheekbones and rugged jawline.

  Braydon put his arm around me. “Dad, this is Jain,” he said simply.

  “I’m so pleased to meet you.” I offered him my cold, clammy hand. He pushed it away. “We’ll have none of that.” And he took me in for a bear hug.

  After a couple seconds, Braydon pulled me back to him and told his dad, “Enough. Give me back my girl.”

  My girl. My stomach did a few flips.

  “I’m glad to see she finally came to her senses,” his dad said.

  I raised my brow in question, looking back and forth between them.

  Todd had entered from the porch during the discussion. “The turkey is on the barbecue. We’re good to go.” His head turned toward me. “Remember when you friend-zoned Braydon? That’s what Brian was talking about.”

  “Friend-zoned? What do you mean?” My mind raced.

  “Starbucks. The friend handshake,” Todd informed me.

  Braydon shifted and rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Oh.” I couldn’t believe he’d told people about that. Maybe this attraction had started earlier than I thought.

  I admitted, “It just took a little champagne and a snowstorm to do the trick.”

  Brian laughed and said, “I like her Braydon. She’s a keeper.”

  “Yes she is.” He leaned down and kissed me. It was quick, but I was shocked. He’d just kissed me in front of his dad and Todd. The two men stood with their mouths gaping open.

  Needing a diversion, I squatted down to pet Oreo. “He is adorable!” He looked like a short-haired, pocket-sized border collie. “What breed is he?” I asked. He was black and white, like I expected. He was also the cutest dog I’d ever seen. He had white whiskers on one side, black on the other. The white was around his neck and his nose, with a little pink, as well. He also had all white feet, like he was wearing socks.

  “We think he’s probably a mix of border collie and rat terrier. Maybe a little corgi.” Braydon bent down to pet him with me. He said quietly, “You just need to watch out for your ankles.”

  Overhearing, Brian said, “Yeah. He bit me three times this week. He’s a vicious dog.” He was smiling, so I could tell he was joking.

  “You love him, admit it,” Braydon teased.

  “Not when he’s biting me, I don’t,” he returned.

  “Okay, I need to start giving everyone their work orders,” Todd announced. “Jain, can you peel the potatoes?”

  “I think so.” This was awkward. I didn’t cook. Ever.

  Braydon laughed. “We don’t want her to take a finger off. How about she does the green bean casserole?” Then, to me, he whispered, “You’ll just need to know how to use a can opener.”

  I gave him a little push. “That does sound safer.” I didn’t want to spoil the evening with a trip to the emergency room.

  ***

  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, without any injuries. I’d never had turkey roasted on a barbecue before, and I loved it. The extra work and double portions had us all sleepy and sprawled out comfortably on the sectional sofa with a piece of pumpkin pie on our laps. The Seahawks game was about to start, and we all looked forward to it. I drank in the atmosphere as the three men talked and laughed, making their bets on the game. This was a family. I felt a sudden twinge; I missed my mom. And I also missed something else for the first time – having a dad. Braydon and his father had a companionable relationship. They ribbed each other, poked fun, and teased. But I sensed the love and friendship between them.

  My eyes welled up, and I quickly brushed the escaping tears away. Braydon noticed, leaned over, and asked, “Is something wrong?”

  “No. Not really. I just realized what it would be like to have a father. I didn’t know what I was missing until today.” I smiled softly at him.

  “Hey, I heard that,” Brian said. “I’ve already adopted Todd as an extra child. I’ll just add you in. You can call me Dad, and I’ll take you fishing.” He beamed.

  “You don’t want to go fishing with my dad. Believe me, you’ll regret it.”

  He tilted his head. “What’s wrong with my fishing skills?”

  “Do you rememb
er the last time we went?” Braydon asked. “You accidentally threw all the bait over the side then capsized the boat trying to retrieve it.”

  “That was no big deal. We were only in two feet of water,” he defended.

  “Yeah. I had to spend the entire day with wet socks.” Braydon turned to me and whispered, “Don’t do it.”

  I laughed. “Okay,” I whispered back.

  THIRTY-ONE

  Braydon

  “I’m in a food coma,” Jain complained. She was on her back, flat on the sofa, and hadn’t moved for an hour.

  “Thanksgiving was yesterday. How can you still be full?” I chuckled watching her try to turn over.

  “Did you see how much I ate? I think I had the last piece of pie at midnight.” She rubbed her stomach. “Hey, you have a gym downstairs, don’t you?”

  “I have a better idea. Have you ever been on a horse?”

  Eyes wide, she said, “No, I haven’t. You have horses? Will you let me ride one? I can do it. I know I can. It can’t be that hard. Please?” Her hands came together in the begging position.

  “Well, I don’t know,” I teased.

  “Where are they? How many do you have? I didn’t see them in the barn when you gave me the tour.” She blushed, remembering.

  I’d taken her on a tour which included some fun in the hay.

  “I have two Appaloosas. They weren’t in the barn because Henry had taken them out to the pasture for exercise.”

  “Well?” Her eyebrows rose, waiting.

  “Let’s go. You’ll need warm clothes.” I’d never seen anyone jump to action so quickly.

  “I can’t believe I’m finally going to go horseback riding!” She clapped her hands and disappeared into the bedroom.

  She came out five minutes later, looking adorably ridiculous. When I told her to dress warmly, she took me at my word.

  “Uh, Jain, how many layers do you have on?” I would guess at least five.

  “About six or so?” She stood in the middle of the room, looking like a colorful stuffed sausage.

  “You’re going to need to take a few layers off. When you’re on the horse, you’ll have to use your arms.” I chuckled.

  She waved her arms around, noticed she couldn’t bend them, and relented, holding her arms above her head. I stripped her down to two layers. I wanted to keep peeling off her clothes, but I knew once she got something into her head there was no stopping her.

  “That feels better. Can we go now?” She started to tug me out the door.

  “We’ll just need one more thing.” I grabbed one of my Seahawk hats from the mud room. “Now you’re ready.” I pulled the cap all the way down past her eyes.

  “Very funny.” She adjusted it. “I’m going now. You coming?”

  “Anyone ever tell you you’re impatient?” I chuckled. The list was growing.

  “Oh, yeah.” She turned toward the barn.

  The horses were willing to please and gentle by nature. Once we entered the barn though, Jain hesitated a little.

  “Wow. They’re big. Um, which one will I ride?” I didn’t think she’d back down, but I could tell the large animals intimidated her a bit. Henry had saddled them up, so they were all ready to go.

  “You’ll ride Pumpkin,” I told her.

  She stopped short. “Wait.” She tried to suppress her smile, gave up, and proceeded to break down in a fit of giggles. She held her sides and bent over and laughed herself to tears.

  I laughed with her. It was contagious. “Her name isn’t that bad,” I finally said.

  “When I first met you, if someone would have told me you had a horse by the name of Pumpkin, I would have never believed it.” She pursed her lips together and tried to stop laughing.

  “Look here,” I told her, pointing to the pumpkin-shaped splotch on her coat. “Now does it make sense?”

  “That is so cool. She has a pumpkin right on her belly.” She smiled up at me. “I’ll quit laughing now.”

  I didn’t want her to quit. I loved it when she laughed. Everything about her lit up from the inside out.

  “Come here.” I pulled her to me. Those lips, I couldn’t stop myself.

  “Oh, no you don’t! I won’t be distracted that easily. We’re going on that ride. But maybe just one more.” She got up on her tiptoes so she could reach my lips.

  We broke apart a few minutes later. Breathless.

  She pulled away and walked over to Pumpkin, muttering, “I’m going to ride you, Pumpkin, even though he’s trying to tempt me.”

  I was a little concerned about her not having any experience with horses, but I felt confident she’d be able to hold her own with a few basic instructions.

  “I’m done trying to seduce you. Now let’s get you on Pumpkin.” I threaded my fingers together and leaned down so she’d have a leg up.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. She really didn’t know.

  “You put your foot in my hands, and I’ll hoist you up.”

  She glanced at me, then back to her horse. I definitely sensed hesitation this time. Right about when I thought she was going to back out, she placed her foot in my hand, grabbed the saddle horn, and threw herself up on Pumpkin.

  Once she was seated, she exclaimed, “This is even better than I thought. Can we go now? Where are we going?”

  I shook my head and smiled. I could already tell Jain was hooked. She’d want to go riding every day.

  I grabbed Pumpkin’s reins and tied them to the fence. I didn’t want her taking off before I was able to get on my horse.

  We started out along the path by the river. It was flat, and we’d be able see the surrounding valley, even though it was snowing lightly. We took it slowly, not only because of the snow on the ground, but I wanted Jain to get comfortable in the saddle. We rode in silence for a few minutes before Jain spoke.

  “I’ve never seen anything so…beautiful or stunning, or, I don’t know—picturesque? I can’t describe it. I have no words. Thank you so much for sharing this with me.”

  She took in a large breath then exhaled slowly. She tilted her head up to the sky, letting a few of the wispy snowflakes land on her cheeks and tongue.

  I’d never felt more alive in my life.

  THIRTY-TWO

  Jain

  “I could do this every day,” I told Braydon as I took in my surroundings.

  White blanketed the entire valley, although I could see little bits of green beneath the sagging limbs of the trees. There were acres and acres of untouched land, not another house in sight. The only signs of life were a few birds that flew about foraging for food. The only sounds came from our horses, with their occasional huffs, and hooves crunching through the snow. It was peaceful, quiet.

  He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I had a feeling you’d say that. I feel the same way. I’m glad I could share this with you. I’ve always come out here alone.”

  “Oh.” I was surprised by that. “You don’t have your dad join you?”

  “No. He doesn’t have an interest. Apparently, the horse gene comes from my mom. I guess she was quite the equestrian when she was young.”

  “You guess?” I asked.

  “I heard it from my uncle before he died. My dad doesn’t talk about Mom much.” He gazed off into the distance then turned back to me. “When I think about it, I know very little about my mom. Whenever I bring her up, Dad gets uncomfortable and changes the subject. I think he still grieves for her. I haven’t wanted to push him.”

  “That’s too bad. So, no stories or ancedotes?”

  “He always made sure I knew she loved us. That’s about where my information begins and ends. How about your mom? Can you tell me a little about her?”

  Where to start? “Well, she was nothing like me. She was open and warm and funny and—”

  “What are you talking about? You’re all those things.” His brow creased together.

  “It’s just that, she never
protected herself like I have. She put it all out there, every day, even when she was sick. I’ve never met a braver person. Even at her worst physically, she could still make me laugh. Have you ever met an ALS patient before?”

  He shook his head, sadness evident on his face. I didn’t want him to feel sad. I wanted him to know how special Mom was.

  “It’s pretty bad. Her muscle movements gave out the first year after she was diagnosed. She was bedridden until she died a year later. It took her pretty quickly.” I gathered myself. “Through it all, she made time to enjoy her life, as depleted as it was. She always entertained everyone at the hospital, doctors and nurses alike. They flocked to her. They loved her like I did, like I still do.” It felt good to talk about mom. “She died a month before my twentieth birthday. She knew she wouldn’t make it, so you know what she did?” He would never guess.

  He paused, waiting for me to continue.

  “She arranged to have a singing tomato come to my dorm.” I felt moisture fill my eyes, but this time, it was a happy memory. “Mr. Bob from Veggie Tales was my favorite as a child. She knew that would be the one thing that would make me laugh. He sang ‘Happy Birthday,’ but she had him add in another.” The next part was harder to talk about without crying. “He pulled out a ukulele and sang the version of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow/It’s a Wonderful World’ by Israel…something or other. It’s a Hawaiian name. I can never remember it. Do you know it?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” He smiled and asked, “I assume you like the song?”

  “It’s my favorite. Every time I hear it, I feel her presence.” I felt her right now just talking about it.

  “She sounds incredible.”

  “She was.” I took another deep, cleansing breath. “What do you think about when you come out here alone?” I knew it was a personal question, but I really wanted to know.

  He smiled. “It’s more about not thinking. I come out here to clear my head.”

  “That makes sense.” I thought about it and asked, “Am I interfering with the clearing of your head?”