Braydon

by Nicole Edwards

  “Has he said he’s planning to do that?” Curtis asked, sounding concerned.

  “No,” Brendon admitted. “He hasn’t. But it’s only a matter of time.”

  “Not true,” Lorrie said. “I’ve talked to your brother. He has no intention of leaving Coyote Ridge for good. He needed time away, but now he’s back. This is something you’ve conjured up, Bren. You need to realize that.”

  “I do realize that!” Brendon yelled, pushing his chair back from the table and getting to his feet.

  Before he could take a step toward the door, toward fresh air, away from the chaos that was strangling him, his father was right in his face. But when their eyes met, Brendon didn’t see an ounce of anger reflected there. What Brendon saw in his dad’s blue-gray eyes had those damn tears burning his eyelids.

  And when Curtis pulled Brendon against him, fiercely wrapping his arms around him, Brendon broke down and bawled like a fucking girl.

  “MOM? WHAT’S WRONG?” Braydon asked his mother when he answered his phone. It was the middle of the afternoon, and he’d just arrived at a job site that he had to check on. His headache was looming and getting worse by the minute, but he damn sure didn’t want to sit at home and worry about his brother or pine away for Jessie while she was at work, so he did the only thing he knew to do. He had immersed himself in work.

  “Nothing, honey,” his mother answered. “Your brother came by this morning.”

  Braydon wasn’t sure if she was just telling him because this was news or if she was leading into something. Knowing his mother, she was leading into.

  “How’d that go?” he asked, making his way back to his truck so he could sit in the air-conditioning for a bit. It was that, or his head might just explode off his shoulders; the pain was getting significantly worse.

  “Not as well as I expected. Your father talked to him for a little while.”

  “What aren’t you telling me, Mom?” Braydon asked, hoping she’d get to the point. He didn’t want to rush her, but the conversation seemed to be stalled.

  “He broke down, Bray.”

  “Broke down how?”

  “His issues don’t involve a woman.”

  “No? Did he happen to mention Cheyenne?” Braydon questioned.

  “I brought her up. He didn’t have much to say about her, but honestly, I don’t think this is about her. This is about you.”

  Aww, hell. Braydon knew the responsibility was going to somehow rest on his shoulders. And truth was, he didn’t have the strength to carry Brendon’s issues at the moment. “Mom—” he began, but he was quickly cut off.

  “Listen, Bray. This isn’t something you can fix, per se. But I do think you need to talk to him.”

  “I have talked to him,” he countered. “I’ve talked to him on multiple occasions. His auto-response is that he messed up. There isn’t much of a discussion from that point.”

  “Bray,” his mother said, her voice soft yet firm, “listen to me for a minute, okay?”

  “Fine,” he huffed, turning the air vent directly on his face.

  “We’ve always known that the two of you were close. I’ve told you the story about how Brendon couldn’t bear to be away from you when y’all were little. He was always calmer when you were around. Since the day y’all were born. I don’t know why, and I’ve never really worried about it. Not until now.”

  Braydon didn’t want to be rude, but he wanted his mother to get to the point. He’d heard numerous stories about how their baby cribs had been pushed right up beside one another because Brendon slept soundly if Braydon was close by. If his parents had tried to separate their beds, Brendon would cry for hours. Braydon got it. He just didn’t understand how that was relevant to the current issues.

  “Your brother knows that things have changed for you. You’ve hit that point in your life that I think he has always feared. You’ve found a woman that you want to be with, and he feels left out.”

  “Mom—”

  “Shh,” she interrupted. “Listen to me.”

  “Okay,” he caved.

  “Your father and I have never questioned your . . . How do you put it? Unconventional behavior. We’ve never interfered, although we absolutely don’t understand it. And we’re more astute than you boys give us credit for. We’ve known that there was something between you and Jessie. And we’re happy for you. I think Brendon wants to be happy for you too, he just doesn’t know how to cope with it.”

  “There’s nothing to cope with, Mom. We’re dating. I care about her and I want to see where this goes.”

  “I understand that. Your father understands that. I even think Brendon understands that. But I think the issue is with the ‘where it goes’ part. Your brother has somehow conjured up the idea that you’re moving out, getting married, and are gonna live happily ever after without him.”

  “It’s not about him,” Braydon protested. God, his head was pounding, and he was seriously wondering if he was going to throw up.

  “Braydon.” Lorrie said his name the same way she always did when she was frustrated with his response. “As I said, you can’t fix this. At least not by changing something that you’re doing. But you can talk to him. He needs reassurance.”

  Okay, so Braydon understood that much. He did want to reassure Brendon that he wasn’t going anywhere. Especially after last night at the hospital. When Brendon had broken down, Braydon had felt his twin’s pain deep in his soul. It was that connection that he was used to. The one he was questioning now.

  “I’ll talk to him,” Braydon assured his mother. “I’m not sure it will do much good, but I’ll talk to him.”

  “Thank you. That’s all I ask.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said in response. Braydon had no idea why his mother was thanking him. He didn’t think that talking was going to do much good, but shit, at this point, anything was worth a try.

  But he damn sure didn’t intend to talk to Brendon until his headache was gone. That much he knew for a fact.

  chapter TWENTY-ONE

  “Have dinner with me?” Braydon belted the question out as soon as Jessie greeted him with a quick hello.

  She had been driving home from work when her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was Braydon, she immediately answered. She’d spent the entire day wondering and worrying about him but found herself so busy with the details of the house Kylie was now intent on making into a masterpiece that she hadn’t had time to really talk to him. They’d shared a few texts, but other than that, she’d been focused on other things.

  “Sure,” she told him. She didn’t bother to say that she would pretty much say yes to anything he suggested if she could have the opportunity to see him. “Did you have a place in mind?”

  “Not really, but we’ll figure it out. Where’re you at?”

  “On my way home. I should be there in about ten minutes,” she informed him, coming to a stop at the stop sign in the middle of town.

  “I’ve got to shower, but then I’ll meet you there.”

  “Okay.”

  Jessie disconnected the call and tossed her phone in her purse. It was early for dinner, but she had skipped lunch because Kylie was too excited about the new job for them to even stop and take a break, so she was starving.

  After they had arrived at the old Victorian house, Kylie had called Cheyenne and for almost an hour, they’d walked through the entire house, going over details with Cheyenne on the phone. Jessie had finally suggested they use video chat so Cheyenne could see what Kylie was talking about because the constant detailed explanations had gotten old fast. That had probably saved them another hour. After Jessie had jotted down at least three pages of notes, Kylie and Cheyenne had agreed to meet the next time Cheyenne was in town. According to the superstar’s schedule, that wasn’t going to be for at least three weeks.

  That hadn’t stopped Kylie fr
om putting a list of action items in order. Her theory was that she’d get the project all mapped out and the details sent to Cheyenne. She was hoping they could get started before Cheyenne could make the time to come back. It was either that or Kylie was going to have to take a job out of town, and she didn’t seem to want to be traveling much right now. Which was perfectly fine with Jessie, because, from a completely selfish perspective, she didn’t want Kylie to be gone right now, either. And when Kylie took jobs out of town, Jessie was almost always left to her own devices because her sister was generally accompanied by one of her husbands. They weren’t fond of her traveling either, but they seemed to understand.

  Jessie arrived home in time to freshen up her makeup and change clothes. Forgoing the blue jeans and T-shirt she’d worn to work that morning, she opted for a skirt much like the one she’d had on just yesterday when she and Braydon had gone to the movie.

  Wow. Had that been yesterday? It seemed like a lifetime ago.

  A knock on her front door spurred a smile, and she made her way through the house, then opened the door to find Braydon standing there. He was rubbing his forehead as though he had a headache.

  When he put his hand down and looked into her eyes, she saw the pain reflected there. This was a physical pain that she wasn’t used to seeing on his handsome face.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, concerned.

  “Headache,” he said softly. “Won’t go away.”

  “Yet you want to take me to dinner?” she asked.

  “We’ve got to eat, right?”

  “Sure. But I happen to know how to cook.”

  His eyes widened faintly as though he had no idea that was one of her specialties.

  “Come in,” she encouraged him, stepping back out of the way so he could.

  “Jess, it’s okay. Let’s go eat. I don’t want you to have to take care of me.”

  “Shut it,” she remarked, gripping his wrist and pulling him toward the couch. “Sit. I’ll see what I’ve got.”

  It didn’t take much to get him to drop down onto the cushion. With his eyes still studying her, Jessie smiled back at him. “I want to cook for you. How’s that?”

  “It sounds like a total lie, but who am I to argue with a pretty lady?”

  “Exactly.”

  Jessie kicked off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen and poured Braydon a glass of water before returning to his side. His head was leaning back on the couch cushion and his eyes were closed.

  “Take these,” she whispered, not wanting to cause him any more pain.

  He peeked open one eye and glanced at the bottle in her hand. Without an argument, he reached up and retrieved it from her and then took the water. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Take those, close your eyes, and I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready.”

  Braydon smiled, but Jessie noticed it was forced. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him like this. Despite the fact that he was in pain, she actually liked the idea of taking care of him. At least for a little while. She didn’t usually have anyone but herself to take care of. Although these days, that was generally enough for her.

  Twenty minutes later, Jessie dished up the stir-fry she’d thrown together. It was simple and light, consisting of an array of vegetables she’d picked up at the store along with some leftover chicken she had made last night when she got home, but hadn’t eaten. She knew that when she had a headache, eating was the last thing she worried about, but Braydon was probably starving, which meant he needed to eat.

  She plated the food and then carried Braydon’s into the living room first. He was sound asleep on the couch, his neck in an awkward position, but she didn’t wake him. Instead, she returned to the kitchen and got her own food before going back to join him.

  When she took a seat beside him, his eyes opened and he turned his head to face her. This time when he smiled, it didn’t look quite so forced.

  “Surprising what a short nap can do for you, huh?” she asked.

  “I think it’s the company,” he replied, sitting up straight and glancing at the table where she had placed his food. “This smells great.”

  “You act like it’s a wonder I know how to cook,” she teased, keeping her voice low.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever had a woman cook for me. I mean just for me. At least not a woman who wasn’t my mother or my sister-in-law.”

  Jessie liked the idea of being the only woman to have ever cooked for him.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes while they both dug in. After the first bite, she realized just how hungry she really was. And this was nice. After last night, after what she had witnessed between Braydon and Brendon—namely Brendon’s breakdown—Jessie hadn’t been sure she would ever get an opportunity like this again. Insecurely, she’d thought that Braydon would take Brendon’s side and she’d be tossed to the curb.

  She really needed to work on that. Her insecurity was an issue, she knew. Not that she was going to mention that to Braydon.

  “How was work?” he asked when he’d cleaned his plate.

  “Interesting,” she said simply. “Want more?”

  “If there is more,” he answered. “I can get it though.”

  Jessie put her plate down on the coffee table and took his before he could stand. “You sit. I’ll get it.”

  She returned a minute later with his plate once again full. She had dished up what was left, grateful that she’d thought about his healthy appetite when she first started. She’d purposely tripled her normal ingredients, making sure she made enough for him.

  He ate slower this time, and they chatted briefly about what had happened throughout the day, neither of them bringing up Brendon or how he was doing, although Jessie desperately wanted to ask. She was worried about him. Just about as much as she was worried about Braydon. It wasn’t just the headache that seemed to be bothering him, but she was a little scared to inquire as to what else it might be. She couldn’t seem to get the question out, because she was fearful that he would tell her something she didn’t want to hear. Like how they needed to move this back to just friends.

  Yep, those insecurities were getting the best of her these days.

  “Anytime you want to bypass the restaurants, I’m more than willing to come over here,” he told her. “That was fantastic.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “It wasn’t all that hard.”

  “Well, I still appreciate it all the same.”

  Without missing a beat, Jessie retrieved their empty plates and took them to the kitchen. Rather than sliding them into the sink to worry about later, Jessie turned on the water and proceeded to hand wash all the dishes she’d dirtied in the process.

  Avoidance much?

  “What’s up, Jess?” Braydon asked, his voice sounding from right behind her.

  Jessie stiffened, then tried to disguise the automatic response.

  “Nothing,” she lied. “I just wanted to get this out of the way.”

  Braydon moved up against her, the heat of his chest warming her back, his big hands sliding to her hips. “I missed you last night,” he said, his mouth close to her ear. “Is it wrong that I wanted to spend the night with you? I wanted to roll over in my bed and find you there.”

  No, it wasn’t wrong. She’d wanted the same thing. But she didn’t tell him that. She didn’t tell him anything.

  Unable to pretend to wash dishes all night, Jessie turned off the water and dried the last dish with the hand towel reserved for the job. Braydon didn’t move away as she did.

  When she was finally finished, he took her hand and turned her around to face him.

  “How’s your headache?” she asked as she looked up into his face.

  “Miraculously, it’s gone.”

  Jessie smiled despite herself. It was hard not to smile whe
n he was around.

  “Oh well,” she replied, pretending to look disappointed.

  “What’s that look for?”

  “I guess I don’t need to try out my other cure for a headache if you’re all better.”

  “Hold up,” Braydon said, followed by an exaggerated moan. “I feel it coming back. What’d you have in mind?”

  Jessie loved Braydon’s playful side. “It consists of a soak in a hot bath.”

  “With or without company?” he asked, a smirk on his mouth.

  “I think in this case, I should be there to keep an eye on you,” she answered smoothly. “But if you don’t think it’s necessary, we could watch a movie or something.”

  “Oh, it’s necessary,” he replied, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers while his hands traveled up the backs of her thighs beneath her skirt. “Definitely necessary.”

  “Follow me,” she whispered against his lips, making absolutely no effort to pull away. She loved the way his strong arms felt wrapped around her, the rough rasp of his hands against her bare skin.

  “Lead the way,” he told her, not bothering to move, either.

  Jessie laughed, finally pulling her lips from his. “Let me at least get the water started,” she told him.

  When he released her, she was tempted to jump back into his arms, but she managed to refrain.

  In a few minutes, she hoped they’d rectify the distance by being closer than that.

  BRAYDON COULDN’T REMEMBER the last time he’d taken a bath. He certainly couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken one with a woman. But here he was, about to immerse himself in water that was billowing steam from the oversized bathtub. With Jessie.

  Naked Jessie.

  He had left his boots and socks in the living room but had managed to keep the rest of his clothes on when she’d disappeared down the hallway to the bathroom. It hadn’t been easy, considering he was desperate to get his hands on her again. The feel of her soft, smooth skin was a temptation he couldn’t easily resist, and he was ready to pick up where they’d left off in the kitchen.