Reed handed her phone to her. She pulled up the conversation. This is what she read:
Todd: Hey, baby. I miss you. I would do anything to have you here with me right now. I am still begging you to forgive me. I was weak and wrong, I am in love with only you. I want to prove that to you. I want to be the man that marries you. I want to make you happy. I’m planning on flying down to see you soon. I need to talk to you and fix everything between us. I don’t want anyone else but you. Please, say that you’ll give me the chance to talk with you. I want you so badly. I screwed up, but I will never do anything to hurt you again; I swear it!
Reed: My name is Reed Hinton. You can look me up on the internet if you’re curious. I’m Brynley’s boyfriend. You need to understand that I am completely devoted to her. You also need to know that I will not lose her, period. Understand that if you come here, I will be waiting for you, and I will send you back home in an ambulance. This is not a joke, and I’m not to be tested. My jealousy for her makes me very dangerous to you. I will not warn you again, and I will not have mercy on you when I start beating you. Stop texting her, and don’t you dare come to see her. I will harm you, and you will suffer from the lasting effect of it for the rest of your life.
Todd: She hasn’t been there long. There is no way that she can love you or even be in love with you like she is with me. I’ve been with Brynley for two years, and you’ve probably been with her for two days! I love Brynley; you just lust after her! I’ll have her back as mine; you can rest upon that. I will take her away from you because I know what it takes to make her happy, and I know how to please her. You need to understand that I don’t care who you are or who you think you are. The only one between the two of us that will need medical attention is going to be you. Brynley can explain to you just how dangerous I can be. So, don’t bother trying to threaten me. I will come for Brynley, so, yeah, you be looking for me.
Reed: I’ll be waiting.
Brynley swallowed hard. This was very bad. She knew Reed was a big guy, but she also knew that Todd was dangerous. Todd had a black belt in Karate. He has hurt people before, and many people were afraid of Todd back home. She needed to explain that to Reed.
“Reed, Todd is very explosive and dangerous. He has a black belt in Karate. He has hurt people before, and I don’t want you hurt. Please, just let this go. I won’t speak to him. There is no need for you to seek him out. I’ll make sure that he understands; I want nothing to do with him. I’ll also make sure that he understands that I want to be with you and you only. Please, don’t push him.” Brynley felt so nervous. Reed did not look concerned, and that upset her.
Reed slowly turned his head towards her, and he looked wrathful. She was alarmed. “Brynley, I am going to try to stay as calm as I possibly can. I don’t want you to worry about me. I guarantee you that your boyfriend, me, is more dangerous than some guy with a black belt in Karate. I will annihilate Todd, and I’m not just talking out of pride and anger. I am dangerous; you just don’t know all of me, yet.” Brynley felt chills run up her spine. “Don’t worry; I won’t be the one that will be hurt. You need to know that I won’t stop until he’s hurt, very badly. Do you have a problem with that?” He looked dangerous right now.
“I don’t care about Todd in an intimate way, but I don’t want anyone hurt. I am asking you to please avoid a confrontation with him.” Brynley could feel her heart beating harder.
“It’s only been four months since you broke up with him. Do you still love Todd?” Reed looked incensed.
“I did, but he betrayed and hurt me. I could never go back and trust Todd again, Reed. I am ready to move on; I’d like that to be with you. What I do know about you, I really like. I know that I really like the way you make me feel; when you’re not angry with me, that is. I love the way you kiss me. I love the way you protect me. I know it’s only been a few days, but I can see the possibility of a wonderful relationship with you. I also think that you are incredibly handsome. When I first saw you, I thought I would swoon.” Reed finally smiled. It didn’t last long, though.
“When I first saw you, Brynley, I was in pain. I saw a beautiful woman that I feared I would never have. When I finally met you, I was in fear again; because I feared that you wouldn’t have me. That’s why I was so jealous and had screwed up so many times when I thought you weren’t interested in me. I didn’t know how to handle it because I never experienced it before. I don’t fear much, Brynley. I most definitely don’t fear Todd. I only fear losing you, and I will not let that happen. I want to know everything about you; so, I can make you happy, in every way.” Well, that got my boy a big kiss!
“Be good to me, and you will never have anything to fear. I promise.” She gave him another kiss. This time, she made sure her kiss let him know just how much she liked him so far. Brynley believed that he quite enjoyed his kiss. His eyes had that dreamy look after she kissed him, and then, they both smiled.
“I think we’ll talk more tomorrow. Tonight, I’d much rather kiss you all night long, instead.” He had the grin of a cat that just ate the canary. His kisses were divine! Brynley relished in every one of them. Reed took his time with every kiss, his kisses were soft and gentle. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin. His fingers gently caressed her face. Reed’s tongue sought after hers. The thrill of that sent tingles throughout her body. Suddenly, she was lifted in the air and planted on Reed’s lap. “Don’t worry; I just want a better angle.” His grin was unrepentant!
They must have spent a couple of hours in his room. They both heard another ding on her phone. Reed immediately stopped kissing her. His face hardened, and his jaw was clenched. She watched him slowly pick her phone up, to read the message. He raised both eyebrows and then handed the phone to her, Brynley quickly scanned the message. It was Kendra, thank the Lord! “You’ve been in his room for two hours, are you being good?” Brynley laughed. She looked at Reed. “Am I being good?” He took her phone and started texting.
“How can I be good when I have the hottest and baddest boyfriend in the world?” His smile widened, and then handed the phone back to Brynley. She rolled her eyes at him when she read his text.
“OMG! This has to be Reed because I know Brynley would never type such tripe! Girl, it’s twelve-thirty. We should be getting ready to leave. I don’t want to upset your aunt.” Kendra was right. Brynley looked at Reed.
“I know, I know, you need to go. Come on; I’ll drive you home.” He pulled her up off the couch and walked her down the stairs. Everyone piled into Reed’s car, and he drove them home. Brynley’s aunt was at work, but she did have several cameras. Skylar was kissing Kendra good night. Reed pulled Brynley off to the side. “Don’t talk or text Todd. If you do, I’m going to hurt him even more, ok? I have football practice tomorrow, but I want to see you tomorrow night. You, me, Skylar, and Kendra. We’ll go to the lake and have a midnight picnic; except, it will be before midnight.” They both laughed. “Just remember, I am your boyfriend. I am jealous, and I am possessive over you, and I can be very mean if provoked.”
“I remember. You just remember that I can be jealous and possessive too; however, I am not mean. In fact, I’m usually too nice.” She pouted to make sure she got her kiss.
Reed smiled. “I love your lips. I love the fact that you want to be jealous and possessive over me, and I love how sweet you are. I adore your pouty look, and I know you use that to your advantage!” I gave him an innocent look.
He kissed her, and she laughed. She watched Skylar walk away to the car. Kendra already went inside. “You better go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Reed hovered for a few seconds.
It seemed like he wanted to say something but chose not to. Instead, he turned around and walked away. Brynley gave a big sigh and then entered the house. Kendra was waiting for her.
“I want to know everything, down to the finest details!” Brynley laughed at Kendra and then spilled her guts about every moment with Reed.
After several hours of gossiping
and talking about their men, they went to bed. It was almost four in the morning. Brynley knew that Kendra and she would definitely be sleeping in. The boys had football practice tomorrow until about four in the afternoon. Brynley figured Kendra, and she would probably sleep until noon or one. They were going to try and get a quick workout in, before meeting up with the boys.
Chapter Thirteen:
Kendra and Brynley slept in until one. They decided on going to the gym and getting ready there. They planned on working out for a couple of hours, and the boys wanted to pick them up by five. It would be a warm evening, and the boys wanted to swim at the lake and have a bonfire, with just the four of them. Kendra and Brynley packed their clothes, makeup, curling irons, and swimsuits. They both put their hair up in ponytails, and headed on over to the gym. Today, they worked out with free weights. They did upper body work out and then finished with a relaxing sauna. After their showers, Kendra and Brynley sat down at the makeup counter to get ready. They plugged up their curling irons and hair dryers. Brynley had just finished drying her hair when her phone dinged. She knew it was Reed checking on her. As she started reading the message, she felt a wave of nausea come over her. She looked incredulously at Kendra. Brynley’s hands started shaking.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Brynley handed Kendra her phone. She gasped. “Oh my gosh, what are you going to do?” Brynley just stared into the mirror. She didn’t know.
She read her message again. “Brynley, I just boarded the plane, and I’ll be in West Virginia in about seven to eight hours. I want to see you tomorrow. I’ll be staying at the Crescent Inn, room three nineteen. I’ve rented a car. I’m going to pick you up at eleven; so, be ready for me. I’ll take you out to lunch, and then we’ll talk. I’m not leaving until I see you, Brynley. I still love you, and I’m going to fight until I win you back! I’ve been looking at apartments. I’m going to move closer to you; so that I can be with you. I’m serious about you, Brynley. I see the colossal mistake that I’ve made, and I want to beg you for mercy. I will never fail you again. I love you, and I will see you soon.”
Brynley pinched her nose to help ease the pain in her head. Todd was eighteen and could move here alone if he wanted to. His father was wealthy and a very busy man. He usually didn’t care what Todd did, as long as he didn’t get into trouble. Todd’s father liked Brynley; so, she was sure, that he encouraged Todd to come after her. Brynley heard Kendra ask her again, what was she going to do? Brynley turned to her and said, “I can’t let Reed find out. He and Todd will get into a horrific fight, and I’m afraid Reed will get hurt. If he doesn’t get hurt, then I’m afraid that he’ll get into trouble. I can’t have that on my conscience.”
“Brynley, Reed will be furious if he finds out you didn’t tell him about Todd. He’ll tear the earth apart if he finds out that you went to see Todd alone. Just tell Reed and let him handle it. You could lose Reed if he feels like you betrayed him.” Brynley had considered that.
“I would rather lose Reed than to have him hurt by Todd. You know how aggressive and dangerous Todd is; you know he can hurt Reed. I can’t let that happen. I know Reed won’t stay away from him; so, I have to try to hide the fact from him instead. It’s not what I want to do, but what I have to do to protect Reed. I’m going to tell Todd to leave me alone. I’m going to tell him that I don’t want him anymore. Todd is vain and prideful; I think he’ll eventually get frustrated with me and leave.” Brynley wanted this to be over with, and without Reed finding out.
“What can I do to help?” Kendra was such a good friend.
“I’m going to pretend that I’m not feeling well tonight. I’m going to have Reed take me home early. I just need you to keep the story up with Skylar and Reed, that way, I can avoid Reed tomorrow; so I can get rid of Todd.”
“Ok, I can do that; I’m really scared this is going to backfire, Brynley. What if Todd becomes physical like he did the last time?”
Brynley thought about that possibility. “If I don’t text you every half an hour, then you and Skylar come and get me, ok? I’ll text you a code word; so that you’ll know it’s me and not Todd. I’ll text you the word rainbow.” Kendra shook her head. “Everything will be alright. I’ll make sure Todd will leave, and everyone will be fine.” Reed’s words haunted Brynley. “If I find out you talked to him or see him, I will hurt him badly.” She had to do this to protect him.
Kendra and Brynley finished getting ready. They wore their bathing suits underneath their clothes; so they could change easily to go swimming. They told the boys that they would drive to the lake tonight. They were ok with that. Kendra and Brynley got to the lake at about six o’clock. The boys were there waiting for them. Reed and Skylar walked over to them and helped them out of the car. Reed gave Brynley a wonderful ‘hello’ kiss. All of them walked to the lake. There were large blankets on the ground, with many pillows were thrown about. A couple of extra blankets were there, in case they got cold. Kendra and Brynley took their clothes off since their bathing suits were underneath. Reed grabbed Brynley’s hand, and they jumped into the lake together. The water wasn’t that cold. Reed called for another breaststroke race. Yes, he won this time; but Brynley was right behind him. She pouted in protest, which caused her to win a very lovely kiss for second place.
The night was going well. They fixed hot dogs again because it was the easiest thing to cook with a bonfire. Everyone ended up lying on the blankets by the fire. Skylar and Kendra were on one side of the fire; Reed and Brynley were on the other side. Reed wanted to continue their conversation from last night. “Has Todd text you anymore?” Oh Lawd, what was she going to say? She didn’t want to lie, but she didn’t want him to know and get angry. Brynley looked up into the sky and watched the bright stars all around her. She had to answer him. Stalling would make him suspicious.
“Not today. I’m hoping you scared him away. I don’t think we will need to worry about him anymore. I don’t want to dwell on him right now. Let’s talk about something else.” Reed had an odd look about himself. Did he know that she was lying? Her heart picked up a beat. She was trying to slow her breathing down and remain calm.
“Let’s talk about us, then. Now that you’re my girlfriend and we’ve set some rules down for us, I want to talk about school. I’m sure that there are going to be a lot of guys, stupid enough, to try and flirt with you. I don’t do well with that. I know that you’re wearing the three rings that I got you, but I want to give you something else.” Brynley watched Reed pull out a box from underneath a pillow. She sat up to see what it was. It was the ultimate gift that a high school boy could give to his high school girl; his class ring. It was big and very unique. She squealed with delight. “I want you to wear this every day. The guys can’t miss this gargantuan thing!” Reed laughed. “They’ll know that this is mine, and so are you. Between the rings and my menacing looks, I don’t think any guy would be stupid enough to approach you.” Brynley laughed. She could see him sulking in the halls and everyone scattering out of his way!
“I will wear it every day, and I will tell every guy that I am your girl; I promise!” Reed seemed very satisfied with her answer. Brynley kissed Reed; it was a different kind of kiss. There was so much more emotion to it than the others. “I do believe that I’m in really deep like with you, Reed Hinton.” Reed’s smile was gorgeous!
“I know that I’m in really deep like with you, Brynley Parks! There will be no other woman for me, except you. Don’t ever doubt it, and if you do, come talk to me first. Girls like to flirt with me, but I don’t want any of them, do you understand? I know that I only want you, and that’s not going to change.” She gave him another kiss. This night turned out so perfect; she didn’t want it to end. It was getting late, though, and the girls needed to leave. It was close to midnight. Brynley’s aunt was home tonight, and she asked for the girls to be home around midnight. Brynley told Reed that they had to go. He picked her off from the ground and stood her up. Brynley gathered up her things and met up wi
th Kendra, then Brynley kissed Reed goodbye and then climbed inside the car. The drive back home was quick. Kendra seemed upset.
“Kendra, are you ok?” Kendra didn’t look at Brynley.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her answer was short and clipped. She was not fine.
“Did you and Skylar get into an argument?” Brynley knew something was wrong.
Kendra pulled into the driveway and got out of the car without answering Brynley. Brynley followed behind her. Brynley was really worried. She hadn’t seen Kendra this upset in a long time. Kendra didn’t stop; she went straight upstairs and to her room. Brynley followed her up and walked through her door. She found her sitting on her bed, crying. Brynley sat down next to her and hugged her.
“Kendra, tell me what’s wrong. I want to help you. Please, tell me.” My heart felt sick for her.
“You’ll be angry with me, Brynley. I don’t want you angry with me.” Her tears turned into sobbing.
“Kendra, I will not be mad at you. Just tell me, what is wrong?” Brynley was feeling anxious. What could she possibly think Brynley would be upset with her about?
Kendra faced Brynley. “I told Skylar about Todd. He agreed that you shouldn’t go and speak to him. He said that he and Reed would take care of it tonight. I’m so sorry, Brynley. I was so worried about you seeing Todd. He can be so aggressive with you, just like you said; I didn’t want you hurt. I also didn’t want Reed to find out, and you lose him. He’s perfect for you!” Brynley’s heart plummeted. She wasn’t angry with Kendra. She was just heartsick, with what was going to happen tonight. “Skylar told me that Todd couldn’t possibly hurt Reed. He said that Reed has boxed for eleven years, and he has a black belt in something called Combat Shuai Jiao. Skylar said that Reed is the dangerous one, not Todd.” Brynley instantly took in a deep breath to calm down.
Pride and Passion Page 14
