Beautiful Bridges (Bridges Brothers Book 3)

by Lia Fairchild

  “I can’t believe this. How…”

  She deserves the whole truth but that means telling her I went behind her back to her mother, again, something she’s already told me was unacceptable. I pull my lips tight, searching for the words.

  “Did you do this, Justice?”

  “I know I’ve overstepped before but—”

  Kaylee throws her arms around me, burying her face in my neck. “Thank you.”

  I let out a nervous chuckle as I hold her. “Well, as you just heard, your mom and Mina did the heavy lifting. I just set the ball in motion.”

  She pulls back to look at me, keeping her hands around my back. “What did you do?”

  “I just talked to Gretchen, convinced her she was making a mistake not trusting you. I told her I love you and believe you, and she should too.”

  She takes my face in her hands. “Oh, my God…” Then she presses her lips to mine.

  I smile against her lips. “Well, I also told her honestly what I thought of her husband. Then we both went to talk to Mina and came up with this plan.”

  “You did all that for me?”

  “I told you. I’d do anything for you, Kay.”

  When a tear slides down her cheek, it suddenly brings me back to reality. “Shit, your makeup!” I pull the bottom of my shirt up and dab at her cheek.

  “I don’t care. I need to look for my mom.”

  “Kaylee! There you are.” A girl I don’t recognize comes running toward us, clipboard in hand. “You missed your spot. We had to swap you with Trista.” She grabs Kaylee by the arm. “Come on!”

  Kaylee locks wide eyes with mine. “But…”

  “It won’t take long. We can look for her together when you’re done.”

  Kaylee’s already letting the girl lead her down the hall. As I follow behind, she glances back and mouths thank you. The look on her face makes my chest swell with pride—a feeling I haven’t experienced much over the last few years.

  We keep going, maneuvering around different clumps of people until we get backstage just moments before Kaylee heads out.

  I watch her do her thing, completely floored how she just seems to flip a switch and glide on stage like she never stopped doing it. She almost looks like she’s loving it out there.

  When she gets to the end and stops, striking a few subtle poses, the photogs go crazy for her. You’d think she was the star of the show. She turns and heads back, her face lit with emotion, glowing, as if the moon lowered and reflected its light on her. When she passes the model going the other way, our eyes connect, and every emotion I see on her face passes through me.

  I back away as she comes off stage and right into my arms, looping hers around my neck. I swing her a half circle and carry her away from backstage before setting her back down. “You were amazing, baby! It was like you never left.”

  “I know,” she says, breathlessly. “It felt magical being out there. I’m sure part of that was the excitement of what just happened but… I don’t know.” She giggles and then kisses me. “It was…fun.”

  Her smile fades when her eyes drift past me. I turn and find Mina standing there.

  “You were amazing.” Her voice is quiet, her eyes filled with tears as she approaches, and I step aside. “Kaylee…I’m so sorry. I…”

  “Hey…” Kaylee opens her arms and pulls Mina into a hug. “You have nothing to apologize for,” Kaylee says quietly into her ear.

  Mina pulls back. “I’m just glad it’s all over.”

  “Everything’s going to be okay now.”

  “I know. Thank you…” She glances over her shoulder at me. “Both of you.”

  I give her a single nod and a small grin.

  Leaning in, Mina says something that sounds like, “He’s a keeper.”

  Kaylee smiles, her eyes flitting over to me. “I know.”

  “Well, I’ve got one more run.”

  Kaylee squeezes her hand. “We’ll talk more later.”

  When Mina walks off, I close the distance between us and take her hand. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “Me?” Pulling my hand to her chest, she says, “I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”

  Chapter 24

  Kaylee

  Seeing my mom’s car in the driveway, I let myself in with my key. I haven’t been home in quite a while, avoiding this place where I have so many fond memories of my dad. Being there with Archie just seemed to taint everything, so I always had an excuse when mom invited me over.

  I stop in the foyer, taking a moment to collect myself. When I glance ahead of me, noting the absence of the framed photo of Archie’s dad’s boat, I let out a sigh of relief; mom wasn’t bluffing about moving his stuff out.

  I make my way to the living room and stop in front of the window, seeing mom sitting out back next to the pool. I take a moment to watch her. Maybe I’m afraid of how the conversation will go and just want to see the woman, still, without judgement or disappointment in her gaze. Just because she finally saw what Archie did and had done, doesn’t mean she has forgiven me, or can even look at me, for that matter.

  There’s no sense in putting it off any longer. I go around toward the kitchen and exit to the yard. She turns when she hears the door slide open.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  The sunglasses she’s wearing make it tough for me to see her true reaction to me being here. We face each other a moment before she says, “You want to grab a cold drink before you come out?” She lifts the glass that’s next to her on a table.

  “What are you drinking?”

  “An Arnold Palmer…with a big-ass splash of vodka.”

  Mom is not a huge drinker, but given what she’s been through, I try not to worry too much. “I’m good, thanks.” I walk over and take the seat next to her.

  She doesn’t turn to me, just looks out across the pool. After a few moments of silence between us, she speaks. “Justice says he loves you.”

  “I know…”

  “You love him?”

  I don’t even have to think about it—I know. “I do.”

  She turns her head to me then, a thin smile at her lips. “I’m glad. He’s a good man.”

  I nod. “Mom…I’m so sorry.” I barely get out the words before I start crying.

  Turning in her seat to face me, she reaches across and touches my hair. “Don’t cry, sweetie. It’s going to be okay.”

  I squint over to her. “You’re not mad at me?”

  “Oh, I’m mad at you. But not for the reason you think.”

  I take a napkin from the small table between us and dab my eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “Goddammit, Kaylee. You made me feel like a failure as a mother.” She runs a finger under her sunglasses. “Something happened to you, something terrible, and you couldn’t even come to me so I could help you.”

  “That’s not your fault. It’s mine. I wasn’t strong enough.”

  “Bullshit. You’re the strongest woman I know. We both know why you didn’t come to me. You didn’t have enough faith in me.”

  I shake my head. “No…” But we both know my reaction is half-hearted. I just can’t believe this is how she’s seeing this whole thing.

  “I wasn’t there for you when Dad died—”

  “Stop. You were suffering too.”

  “I should have been stronger for you. Instead, I let Archie be there for me. And I haven’t exactly been a supportive mother. It’s no wonder you never tell me anything.”

  I don’t know what to say. “Mom, I love you. I just think we’re…different people. We don’t have a lot in common.”

  “Maybe I need to change…”

  “I don’t think that’s for me to say. And I think after what happened, it’s not a good time to be thinking about big life changes.”

  “Can I at least ask that we be closer? Get to know each other better?”

  “I’d like that.” I smile, thinking back to all that went down at the fashion show. “I know one thing a
bout you that shouldn’t change. My mom is a bad ass. The way you let Archie have it was awesome.”

  We both laugh and mom lets out a big sigh as she gazes out across the yard. “Oh, that was a long time coming. There were…things about Archie I just didn’t want to see. I’m sorry it took this for me to face it.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner.” I was afraid to ask, but I had to know. “What will happen with the agency? I’ve been so upset and worried about what he’ll do.” I don’t have to tell her it was one of the reasons I held back.

  “Darling, he can’t do a damn thing, to put it simply.”

  I give her a narrowed glance. “I don’t understand. He’s your partner. I’m assuming he won’t give that up…unless maybe you threaten to use that tape.” My pulse races at the thought. “Yes, that’s it…force him out.”

  Mom coughs out a laugh. “Kaylee, honey, calm yourself. There’s no need for any of that.”

  “What do you mean? Archie said he’d take the agency down with him.”

  She has an unreadable smirk on her lips as she shakes her head. “As you know, Archie has quite an ego.”

  “Ya think?” I tilt my head.

  “I may have been weak, baby doll, but I’m not an idiot. And I wasn’t about to give up half my company for a man who didn’t earn it. Yes, we were in some financial trouble after your father died, but I turned to the bank…not Archie.”

  “What are you saying, mom?”

  “I’m saying Archie has no claim on The Sumner Group. We just let everyone think that because Archie thought he wouldn’t get the respect he needed unless everyone thought we were partners.”

  “Wow…” Given I kept my own secrets, I have no right to be mad I didn’t know. It’s a momentary relief, until another thought comes to me. “But you’re married…”

  “And he signed a prenup.”

  I can’t help it; I cough out a laugh. “Geez, mother, you really are a bad ass.” She grins widely. “So you own the whole thing.”

  She lifts her brows. “Not quite, dear.”

  “Well, yeah, the bank, but it’s still yours.” I let out a long cleansing breath. “I’m so relieved.”

  “No, honey, it’s not just mine.”

  I shoot her a sidelong glance, waiting for what she clearly needs to enlighten me about.

  “Sweetie, before your father died, he made me promise to give his half of the company to you…when I thought you were ready. I didn’t tell you because…I didn’t want you to feel tied to something you clearly hated and wanted distance from.”

  A large bird could have flown in my mouth at that moment. “I…” This was all too much to take in. “Mom, I don’t hate the agency.” I look out across the pool. “I’m sorry. I know it seemed that way.” Though a big part of that was because of Archie, I did resent the business and the way it made me feel. I see now that was on me.

  “Hey, I understand. You needed to find your own way. And I couldn’t be more proud of you, Kaylee.” I must have shown a reaction on my face because she pauses. “I know, I haven’t always shown that to you, but it’s only because I truly believed you could go far in this industry. I never understood why you couldn’t see that. Sweetie, you lit up that stage like you never left. Tell me you didn’t feel something.”

  “Honestly? It did feel amazing. But not because I want that in my life. I think it was because…I don’t know, maybe I felt free and there was no pressure. Looking back, I regret how I left, but not that I left. I’m just glad I had this chance to visit that world again.”

  I can see my mom brighten, the wheels turning behind her eyes. “Well…”

  “I don’t want to run an agency, mom.”

  “I know,” she says, her gaze dropping in disappointment. With a quiet sigh, she refocuses her attention on me. “But, I still need to honor your father’s wishes. So we will work something out…together. You can decide what, if any, involvement you’ll have, and we’ll work out a percentage that reflects that. Sound fair?”

  “Perfectly.” I smile.

  We talk a bit longer about the details of signing over a portion of the agency to me, how we will both move past this Archie disaster, including helping Mina through it.

  When we finally hug and say goodbye, I promise to bring Justice to the house for dinner. This time I actually mean it, and as I climb into my car, I feel lighter than I have in years.

  ***

  Excitement bubbles up inside me, spilling over in the form of a giant smile as I walk toward the entrance of the community center. Justice is there helping Curtis and some others prepare for the soft opening later this week, which is mostly for the children and their families.

  The first person I see when I walk through the door is Curtis. He looks surprised by my smile, and it almost pulls my mood down, reminding me I haven’t always had the most positive attitude.

  “Don’t you look like a gorgeous burst of sunshine,” he says approaching me, wearing The Sparrow House T-shirt and jeans.

  We hug and I say, “Thank you. Everything looks so great. You must be so excited.” As he replies, I scan the room and spot Justice in a back corner, kneeling down organizing some gym equipment. When our eyes lock, it’s like lightning shocks my nervous system, and I stop hearing what Curtis is going on about. All I want to do is run into his arms, like some cheesy romcom, but I have one more thing to do before that. I nudge my head up in greeting, and he gives me a squinty grin, as if he’s confused.

  I turn back to Curtis. “Is your Aunt here?”

  “She is…in the back office on the phone.”

  I reach into my pocket and pull out a card. “Can you give her this? It’s my mom’s business manager.”

  Curtis looks down at the card in confusion.

  “The Sumner Group is going to be one of the sponsors of The Sparrow House.”

  Looking up, he widens his eyes. “Seriously, baby girl? How did you—”

  “Let’s just say, I recently invested in the company, and this is what I want to do with a portion of my profits.”

  Catching me off guard, Curtis lifts me by the waist and swings me in a circle. “I could kiss you, mama! This is incredible.”

  I notice a few people I don’t know look our way, and when Curtis sets me down, he takes my hand. “Shit, I will kiss you.” He pulls me toward him and plants one on my cheek.

  “You trying to steal my girl, man?” I hear Justice say behind me.

  Curtis releases me, and I turn to find the most adorable fake jealous expression on his face, topped by a deep wrinkle between his eyes. Then he laughs. “What’s this all about?” He passes a glance between the two of us.

  “I’ll let Kaylee tell you,” Curtis says before squeezing my hand again and walking off.

  “Can we talk somewhere?”

  He eyes me a moment before slipping a hand over my waist, guiding me toward the back. We go down a hall and out the back door, which leads to an alley.

  Before I can say a word, Justice takes my face and kisses me. I wrap my hands around his wrists as his lips meld into mine.

  “So…what was all that about?”

  “We’ll talk about that later.” With our faces still inches apart, I continue. “You know, you’re really not that different than I thought you were when we first met.”

  “Thanks?”

  We both laugh, and he slips his hands from my face to around my shoulders as I hold him around his middle.

  “What I mean is, I feel like you were just being you, and I never could see how wonderful that is. You didn’t change, because you didn’t need to. I just finally saw you for the incredible man you are, Justice. And though I’ve felt this for a long time, I wasn’t strong enough to say it.” I pause, telling him first with my eyes, making the corners of his lips perk up. “I love you, Justice Bridges.”

  He lifts me then, spinning me just like Curtis did. We both laugh again.

  “This better not be what you told Curtis.”

 
; “Not a chance…” Then I cover his mouth with mine, showing him he’s the only man for me.

  Epilogue

  Justice

  One year later…

  Sitting on the edge of my bed, I take the FaceTime call from my brother Ryder. It’s definitely going to be an emotional day, so I’m disappointed he won’t be sharing it with me. Still, I’m excited to see his face and hear his voice. The last time we saw each other was when Kaylee and I flew to Vegas to meet him for his twenty-first birthday. It had been one of the best times I’ve had in years.

  “You there?” Ryder’s ugly mug appears on the screen, full face beard and hair longer—and a shade darker—than mine, stopping at his shoulders.

  “I’m here, can you see me?”

  “I can now, you good-looking asshole.”

  “Not my fault you look like Sasquatch. So where are you?”

  “I told you, man, it’s Speed Week. You know I wouldn’t have missed today otherwise.”

  My brother’s life is one crazy ride, and he is way too hard to keep track of. I may have been the one who jumped from career to career, but he jumps from city to city at the drop of a hat. Unlike me, though, he’s been laser-focused on his goal for as long as I can remember—racing anything with wheels, faster than shit.

  “It’s okay. You can make it up to me with NASCAR tickets someday. Plus today’s not a huge deal.”

  “Hell, yeah it is. I’m freaking proud of you, bro.” He pulls his hair back and ties it into a low ponytail.

  I hear a knock at my door before it opens and delivers Turner. “We’ve got to go, man.”

  “Hey, is that Turner?” Ryder asks.

  Turner grins as he comes over, popping in behind me so his face is on the screen. “Hey, man. How’s it going, grease monkey?”

  Ryder shows him the finger. “And while I’m fixing engines, riding motorcycles, and racing cars, you’re aiming for high score on your little games.”

  “Come on, you two. I don’t have time for this crap,” I say.

  The three of us talk shit for a bit longer before we say goodbye, and Turner and I leave the house.

  He turns to me. “You look all kinds of adorable in that outfit?”