The Return of Brody McBride

by Jennifer Ryan

  He ground the heels of his hands into his eye sockets and tried to relax and believe his plans would all work out in the end.

  “Brody, I was just surprised. I figured you’d make Roxy give you permanent custody and you and I would raise the girls together.”

  “As husband and wife, or co-parents?”

  “You keep talking about us getting married, but you never actually asked me to marry you.”

  He opened his mouth to ask her. If that’s all it would take, fine. Easy. She slapped her hand over his mouth before he got a single word out. Inches away from his face, her eyes burned a hole into him.

  “Don’t you think after everything that’s happened between us I deserve to be asked properly? Shouldn’t we have something special, something we do right? We shared one night, made a baby together, and then you were gone. I went through labor and delivery with my father by my side, but not the father of my baby. Can’t we do something the normal way for a change?”

  He pulled her hand away, so he could answer with more than a nod of his head. “Okay, okay. I get it. You’re right. I’m a jerk.”

  “Sometimes,” she agreed, but with little sting behind it. “Slow down, Brody. Take a breath. I’ve been in this house my whole life. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. It’s kind of nice to know you want to marry me that bad.”

  “In the worst way,” he confirmed, and cocked up one side of his mouth in a lopsided grin.

  Owen drew them back to the main topic. “So, once we have her signature on these papers, Roxy has no legal right to Autumn. If she takes her again, it will be kidnapping.”

  “How will you boys get her to sign those papers?”

  “Money,” Brody answered, but never really looked at her. He didn’t want to involve her in the dirty details right now. He had a couple of ideas. The last one depended on Rain and was absolutely a last resort. No matter what, he’d keep his family safe.

  “The money alone won’t do it. A one-time payment won’t be enough, not once she discovers how much you’re worth.”

  “I’m hoping she won’t find that out until it’s too late.”

  “You’re underestimating her. She’s a manipulative, self-serving bitch. She’s looking for the big score. She’ll lie, cheat, and steal to get what she wants. She may even try to seduce you again.”

  “Nothing she says or does will ever make me leave you. I promise.”

  Brody kissed her on the mouth, slipped his tongue past her sweet lips and tasted her. His tongue glided over hers and she gave herself over to the kiss and the slow, intimate pace he set. He wanted her to feel they had all the time in the world. No reason to hurry, they could just exist in this moment. He ended the kiss nibbling at her lips a few times. His face inches from hers, he smiled at the dreamy look in her eyes.

  “Owen, why don’t you show Rain how serious I am about staying and making her a part of my life.”

  Owen slid the papers to him and he set them in front of Rain. Sorting through several documents, he found the one he wanted to begin with. “This is my new will. As it stands now, I’ve left the girls everything, except for a large sum of money for you. Enough for you to live more than comfortably on for the rest of your life. You’ll be the trustee for the girls, until they’re of age. At which time, they’ll receive portions of my estate in increments at age eighteen, twenty-five, thirty, and when they turn sixty.”

  “You didn’t want them to be spoiled trust-fund babies,” Rain said with a huge smile.

  “I didn’t want them to blow it all before they turned thirty.” He laughed with her. It felt good to talk to her like this. The tension of moments ago gone after that sexy-as-hell kiss they’d shared.

  “Okay, these papers we’ll sign if we get married . . .”

  “When,” she said, and it took him a second to get her meaning.

  The air squeezed out of his lungs in a gust.

  “You have no idea what that means to me.”

  Her hand came up to rest on his shoulder, her fingers lightly tracing back and forth over his neck.

  “These papers change the will if we get married. You’ll then get the bulk of the estate and the girls will have trust funds that will pay out lump sums on the birthdays I said before, but the trust should grow and last their lifetimes. These last papers are the most important to you. If for any reason you and I don’t stay married before the girls turn eighteen, you’ll not only get a large settlement and my estate will go to the girls, but you will retain custody of the girls, and I’ll be granted visitation rights. Mostly weekends, a couple weeks in the summer, and we’ll swap holidays from year to year.”

  “It makes me very sad you had those papers drawn up.”

  “They’re to protect you and Brody both,” Owen tried to explain. “If you divorce, you won’t be entitled to the bulk of his estate.”

  “But I take his girls away from him.”

  “No. They stay with the mother who’s raised them their whole life. I promised you I’d never take them from you. This is your guarantee.”

  “I only needed your word.”

  “I wish that were true.”

  She meant it, but deep down she was relieved to have the papers spelling it out.

  “You’ve lived in fear, believing at any moment Roxy or I could show up and take the girls away. Once I get Roxy to relinquish her rights to Autumn, you’ll never have to worry again. She’ll be yours legally, and after we get married, if you divorce me, she’ll stay with you.”

  “If I divorce you?” Rain’s eyebrow went up and she frowned.

  “If you marry me, as far as I’m concerned, it’s forever.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Hell, even if you don’t marry me, it’s you and me forever. No one else wants a guy who’s crazy about another woman.”

  “You’re crazy about me?”

  “Crazy, stupid. Head over heels. Desperately, hopelessly, one hundred percent in love with you.”

  Owen stuck his index finger in his mouth and made a gagging sound. “You two are making me sick. Go back to yelling at him, Rain. I like that better.” Owen tried, but couldn’t hold back the laugh. “Okay, the paperwork is done. I’ll hold on to it until you get married. Brody, you hold on to the papers for Roxy to sign.”

  “What if she doesn’t sign them and wants to go to court?” Rain asked.

  Owen took a thick file out of his briefcase. Brody hadn’t seen it before, but he was interested in the stack of papers inside.

  “We have enough evidence to show you’ve been caring for Autumn since she was born. You’ve taken on the expenses to clothe, feed, and shelter her. You’ve paid for all her medical and dental expenses. We have the ER and psychiatrist’s reports for the one and only time Roxy saw Autumn four years ago. She’s never called to check on Autumn, gone to a parent-teacher conference, seen her play ball, sent her a birthday or Christmas gift.”

  “Well, I feel like shit. Thanks for that overview,” Brody said irritably.

  Owen laughed and slapped Brody on the shoulder. “You didn’t know you had a daughter. Roxy did, and still she didn’t do a thing for her.”

  “Except terrorize her for three days.”

  “My point is that we have a lot of evidence that shows Rain has been her one and only parent for the last seven years. Brody will back you up.”

  “What if she says I stole Autumn from her?”

  Owen smiled and cocked his head to the side. “Rain,” he said at length, “everyone knows you’ve had Autumn since she was a newborn. Roxy never filed a police report that you’d stolen Autumn. There’s nothing she can say that will reflect badly on you. Autumn is proof you’ve been an exceptional parent.”

  “The judge might not like the fact I bought her.”

  “Roxy will have to prove you did. Besides, the judge would toss her in jail for admitting she sold her child to you, so that’s in our favor, too. When we hear Roxy’s in town, Brody wil
l go and speak to her.”

  “Actually, I thought I’d head her off at the pass and go down to the bar and leave her my card with my cell number. Let her come to me.”

  “Then what will you do?”

  “Find out exactly what she wants. Once we know that, I’ll know how to proceed. The goal is to get her to sign the papers for as little money as possible.”

  “What if she wants more than you’re willing to pay?” Rain asked nervously.

  “I imagine there’ll be a whole lot of arguing back and forth. If she refuses to make a deal, I have another plan, but it’s a last resort. If it comes to that, you and I will have a serious talk about how far we’re willing to go to keep Autumn away from Roxy.”

  “All the way,” Rain responded. “Whatever it takes.”

  “That’s my girl.” Brody squeezed her hand on the table.

  Owen put all the papers away and snapped his briefcase closed. “I’ll meet you two down at the ball field in half an hour.”

  “We’ll see you there.” Owen gave her a kiss on the head before he left the kitchen, saying goodbye to the girls on his way out.

  “You never said what plan B is.”

  “We’ll talk about it if it comes to that. It’s a wild idea, but it may be the only option, depending on how far Roxy is willing to take things.”

  “She doesn’t give up easily.”

  “I don’t back down and I never give up,” Brody said. “Look how I’m wearing you down.” He pulled her out of her seat and into his lap. His lips were a breath away when Dawn’s voice intruded and he smiled at Rain instead of kissing her.

  “Mom. We need to get ready to go.”

  “You and Autumn go upstairs and put on your uniforms.”

  “Dad, are you coming to the game?”

  “Absolutely,” he said over his shoulder.

  “Mom, why are you sitting on Dad? You might hurt his leg.”

  Brody’s heart warmed at his daughter’s concern. “I wanted to hug her,” he explained. “She’s not hurting me at all.”

  Dawn’s arms wrapped around his neck from behind, her chin rested on his shoulder. Tears filled Rain’s eyes in front of him. “I’m glad you’re home, Dad.”

  Brody turned to her and kissed her on the head. “Thank you, baby girl. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

  Rain brushed her hand over Dawn’s head, leaned down, and kissed her. “Go get ready,” she said softly.

  The girls pounded up the stairs to their room. He pulled Rain against him and hugged her fiercely. “I missed so much. Every time I’m with them, I realize more and more how different things could have been if I’d been here with all of you.”

  “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

  “I’ll make things up to you. We’ll take care of Roxy and have the life we want. I promise.”

  Brody hoped he wasn’t making promises he couldn’t keep. He could make a good life with Rain and the girls, but Roxy was an unknown at the moment. If she didn’t sign the papers, that changed the game considerably. He’d have to resort to drastic measures, and that meant the life he wanted with Rain and the girls . . . well, it didn’t bear thinking about.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  * * *

  RAIN DROVE DOWN the long driveway toward the cabin amazed at how much progress the contractors had made in only a week. They’d have to stop calling the place a cabin. She’d seen the plans, but seeing the size of the foundation up close was something else entirely. The place was huge. With all the trucks, equipment, and noise, no wonder Brody had decided to move in with her and the girls. Not that he’d had any intention of not staying with her. He’d told Owen they’d slept together and would from now on. He wasn’t kidding.

  After the softball game last Saturday, he came back to the house with them, the girls excited about their win. Brody barbecued and Pop and Owen joined them for dinner. Autumn remained on guard and quiet, afraid Roxy would show up any minute. When the girls found out Brody was staying, they were both excited, but Autumn seemed mostly relieved. Brody’s presence in the house made her feel even safer. As she’d said, it was two against one, them against Roxy.

  Rain exited her car and headed for the portion of the cabin still standing as part of the new construction. Jim stood off to the side, talking to some of the men near a cement truck. He waved to her. She entered the main room and found the girls at the kitchen table playing a game on each of their laptops. The noise of construction wasn’t much muffled as the side and back walls had been torn down and sheeted with plastic to keep the weather and dust out during construction. Heavy canvas tarps draped over Brody’s furniture.

  “Mom!” both girls shouted.

  “Hey, guys. Where’s your dad?”

  Silence. Neither of them met her eyes. Not a good sign. They’d all seen how Brody could sometimes lapse into silence for long periods, become short-tempered for no reason, and check the locks on the house several times before coming to bed. The girls heard him in the night when a nightmare overtook him and he thrashed and yelled in bed. Sometimes she woke him easily, distracted him by making love. Other times, he’d come out of it in a cold sweat and not want her to touch him or be near him. He’d leave the room and sit on the back porch in the cold, until he was calm and under control again. She felt inadequate to help him. It took a couple of days for her to realize that as the days went by without a word or sighting from Roxy, the worse he got.

  “Dawn, where is your father?”

  “He left.”

  “Where did he go? His truck is outside.”

  Dawn looked to Autumn and both girls remained silent. Rain went to them and kneeled by their chairs. “Dawn, you have to tell me what happened. Is he okay?”

  “He was acting strange. His hands were shaking. His face got all red and sweaty. He kept covering his ears.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “Well”—she bit her lip—“they were doing a lot of sawing and hammering. He helped for a while, but then he came in for lunch and the noise bothered him.”

  Rain kissed Dawn on the forehead and did the same to Autumn. “Where did he go?”

  “He walked off toward the trees, past the lake.”

  “Okay. You two stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Mom?” Autumn’s small voice stopped her. Her big, pleading eyes nearly made her stay. She hated to leave the girls when they were scared for their father.

  “He’ll be fine, honey. We need to give him time to heal. The bad things in his mind aren’t like a cut through the skin. The mind doesn’t heal as quickly. Autumn, you know how it feels to have something terrible in your head and you can’t make it go away. At first, it was real hard for you to forget, but over time, you could forget for long periods of time, and not think about it all the time. Your dad is still thinking about the war and what happened. The few hours he’s able to put it aside and not think about it will change to days and weeks and months, until one day he’ll think about it again and it won’t hurt him so much.”

  “Hugging you makes him feel better. His face changes when he kisses and hugs you. He’s not so sad and upset. He smiles,” Autumn said.

  “He needs me and you and Dawn to remind him of good things.”

  “He only checked the locks and out the windows three times last night,” Dawn said, hopeful that was a good sign.

  “He had to live his life for a long time watching for the enemy, making sure no one snuck up on him and his team of soldiers. It’s very hard for your dad to stop a habit like that. It’s become a part of who he is.”

  “That will get better, too,” Autumn said, because she too had spent many nights checking to make sure the door was locked, the nightlight was on, and no one was hiding in the closet or under her bed. Rain remembered those nights and Autumn’s irrational fears. In those moments, Rain knew those fears were very real for Autumn. Just like Brody’s fears were real for him. Sometimes too real.

  “Yes, honey. There have
been a lot of changes in Brody’s life lately. All the changes have made it hard for him to settle. But he will, with our help.”

  Both of them looked reassured. Autumn’s eyes didn’t look quite so fearful. “I’ll be back shortly. If you need anything, Jim is right outside. Do not leave the cabin until I get back unless it’s an emergency. A lot of men and trucks are outside. You could get hurt if you, or they, aren’t paying attention.”

  Rain got the nods of agreement she expected and both girls turned back to their games.

  She waited on the porch while her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight overhead. Jim ended his conversation with another man and headed her way. She met him halfway.

  “Brody took off about fifteen, twenty minutes ago. He looked a little worse for wear. Told me to keep my eye on the girls, make sure Roxy didn’t show up and try to take Autumn. Said you’d be by soon. Everything all right?”

  “The war,” she said by way of explanation. “All the noise gets to him sometimes.”

  Jim nodded, placed his hands on his hips and stared at his boots. “I have a cousin who served a tour a few years back. I swear when he came home, he was an entirely different person.”

  “Thanks for understanding. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this between us. If people started talking, well, it would only make things harder for Brody.”

  “You got it. Brody’s a good man. This project is a real good opportunity for me and my guys. I know he wants it done fast, but we’ll do it right. He’s a real hero and deserves the best, and that’s what we’ll give him. And you. He sure does talk about you an awful lot. The two of you look real good together. Especially when you’re with the girls. It can’t have been easy for you to do it on your own.”

  “No, not easy, but my pleasure all the same. We’re happy he’s home.”

  Not wanting to waste another minute away from Brody, afraid of what condition she might find him in, she asked, “Which way did he go?”