by Jami Alden
Oh, God, was he already gone? She parked and walked up to the front door just to make sure, resolving to drive all the way to Idaho to find him if need be.
###
Brady cursed when he got the text from Stan, saying he’d left the house drawings at the restaurant with “that cute little blond.”
Because, yeah, that’s exactly what he needed right now was to have to come face to face with that cute little blond who, less than twenty four hours ago, had ripped out his heart and stomped it into mush.
Your own fucking fault, dumbass. How many times will it take you to learn?
There was a knock on his door. When he opened it, he swore again to see Molly standing there, as though he’d summoned her.
Who would have ever thought the sight of five foot four inches of curvy blond would ever fill him with such dread?
“Oh, hi,” she said, sounding a little surprised. “I wasn’t sure you were here. I didn’t see your truck.”
“Jordan has it. He’s over at Cindy’s. Saying goodbye.” Hurt all you want, he told himself, feeling like his heart had cracked open all over again at the sight of her. Only sin is in letting anyone see it. “What do you want?” he said in as harsh a tone as he could muster.
“I came to bring you this,” she said, holding out the thick binder. Her eyes were red rimmed and puffy, and he took a savage delight in knowing he wasn’t the only one suffering in this.
Bile pooled in his throat. As he took the binder, the hard plastic seemed to sear his hand, making him burn with humiliation at all the foolish, impossible dreams the damn thing represented.
“Thanks,” he said and started to close the door, but she scooted into the entryway before he could shut her out.
His stomach churned as she put down her purse and slid off her jacket as though she planned to stay.
“I’ve got a lot to do before I go— ”
“I looked through it,” she said as though he hadn’t spoken. “The house looks incredible.”
Yeah, an incredible delusion. The only response he could muster was a grunt as he tossed the binder onto the kitchen counter.
“Too bad you’re not going to build it,” she said. “It would be an amazing place for a family.”
Yeah, another family. Not his.
He walked past her without a word and picked up where he’d left off unloading the dishwasher before he’d been interrupted by her knock.
“Is it true that you’re selling this place?” she finally asked after several moments of silence.
“Don’t see much point in keeping it if I’m not coming back. You interested?”
“Not unless you’re included.”
The plate he was holding went clattering to the floor as he whipped around. “What?”
“I’m interested in living here, but only if it’s with you.” Her fingers were twisting and untwisting in front of her, her mouth trembled a little, but the blue gaze that met his was unwavering.
His heart pounded in his chest, blood roaring in his head as he shook it, convinced he hadn’t heard her right. “What are you saying?”
“You put a nursery in the master bedroom,” she said shakily.
He felt like he had whiplash from the sudden change in direction the conversation had taken.
“And a picket fence in the front.” She choked on a little sob. Brady couldn’t stop himself from moving closer.
“You had me in mind when you had him do the drawings. Us. Didn’t you?”
A voice screamed in his head to deny it. He’d already let himself be crushed. The least he could do was try to hang onto whatever shreds of dignity he might have left. “Of course.” The words slipped out before he could call them back.
###
Molly’s breath left her lungs in a rush as she hurled herself full force against him, glad he caught her because the sense of relief was so profound it turned her legs into wet dishrags.
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed against his chest as the tears she’d held at bay during the drive over and in those first, tense minutes, when every cell in his body had vibrated with the message for her to get away, came out in one giant rush.
“I’m sorry,” she said again, when she could finally catch her breath. “After what happened yesterday, I panicked. It had nothing to do with your family. It was you wanting to keep everything so secret that made me panic.”
She took a deep breath, trying to hold back the sob building in her throat. “I told myself if you wouldn't let me know you, there was no way I could trust you. And I can’t be with someone I don’t trust. I needed to get out before I made another huge mistake.”
She felt him stiffen and start to pull away, and she wrapped her arms tighter. “But then I realized how stupid I was being. The only mistake I was making was letting you go.”
“Yeah? What changed your mind?” He looked down at her warily, as though still unwilling to trust this was really happening.
“Since I met you, you always came off as a player, a guy who would never settle down. I couldn’t believe you would ever be satisfied tied to one woman for the rest of your life. I knew better than to have any expectations that this could go anywhere.” She swallowed hard. “But then I found myself falling in love with you anyway, and it scared me. It scared me that I knew so little about you and your life before. It scared me that if you wouldn’t tell me, that maybe there were other things you weren’t telling me.”
“Like what?” he asked hoarsely, reaching his hand up to gently brush her hair away from her face.
“Like, no matter what you said about wanting us to be more serious, you would never want the same things from me that I wanted from you, the kind of life I couldn’t help but imagine with you. And maybe you’d try it out for a while, but you would never be happy. And eventually you would leave me too.”
His arms tightened around her. “How could I ever leave you when I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for you?”
She squeezed her eyes shut but couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. “I know that now. I knew it as soon as I saw that.” She pointed at the binder. “And that’s really all I need to know about you. All of this time, all these years as you tried to get away from your crazy family, you’ve been wanting the exact same things I do.”
“That’s not entirely true,” he said, and Molly felt a pang of fear clutch at her heart. “I could take or leave the picket fence.”
She gave him a little slap as she choked on a relieved sob.
“Seriously though.” He reached his hand to her cheek, and she nuzzled in like an eager kitten. So eager for his touch, especially when she thought she’d lost him forever. “It’s true I always wanted something different from the way I grew up, but I never knew exactly what I wanted until I met you. The house, the family, I always thought about it, but it never felt real until I imagined it with you.”
###
Brady felt his eyes burn and his mouth tremble. He disguised it by pressing his lips to hers, tongue sliding against hers as he gave himself over to the boundless emotions swelling up in his chest. He lifted his mouth from hers and finally gave voice to the words that had been burning in the back of his throat, practically from the first moment he laid eyes on her. “I love you, Molly. And I’m going to do my damnedest to give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”
Nothing could have made him feel better than the pure joy that lit up her face. Nothing that is except for her saying, “I love you too. More than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone.”
He kissed her again, tasting the salt of her tears, and maybe his too if he were being completely honest about it.
“I can’t believe I almost let you go,” she said, fingers clutching at his shoulders as though she thought he might disappear.
Brady’s hands slid down her back, tugging at the hem of her shirt as his kiss grew hungry, suddenly eager to prove to himself she was really here. That she was really his.
His hands moved
eagerly over the smooth skin of her back, his tongue taking her mouth in hungry thrusts.
Molly met him caress for caress, as though she felt the same need to touch him, to taste.
“What about Jordan?” she whispered as he moved them down the hall to the bedroom.
“He left right before you got here. It’ll be awhile,” he said as he pushed her through the door and closed it behind them.
Clothes were pulled off and tossed aside as he backed her over to the bed. Then she was cradling him between her soft thighs and, oh Christ, he was inside her.
Even as he wanted to thrust hard, take her like a savage, he made himself pause.
He held himself inside her, kissing her, savoring her unique taste and the insane feel of her body clenching around him.
“I love you,” she murmured against his mouth, “I love you so much.”
Joy burst through him and he started to move. “I love you too,” he breathed, eyes squeezing shut at how incredibly good she felt around him, against him.
He took her with heavy thrusts, laying his claim. He’d never felt like this, even with Molly, his body singing with pleasure, his heart so full it felt like it was going to burst in his chest.
He heard her cries, knew she was close, and reached down to stroke her over the edge. His own orgasm roared through him with a force that had him seeing stars.
When he finally came back to himself, he opened his eyes to her soft, satisfied smile, her eyes shining with satisfaction. And love that mirrored his own.
###
“You really have to go, don’t you,” Molly pouted later as Brady loaded his duffel bag into the back seat of his truck while Jordan did the same.
“I really do,” he said, and there was no mistaking the regret in his voice as he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the mouth. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Even if I have to come back and forth, I promise I won’t be gone for more than a week at a time.”
Though she hated the idea of being away from him, even for a short time, she knew he had to go back to Idaho to start the process of getting full custody of Jordan until he turned eighteen.
“I could go with you,” she said hopefully, not surprised when he shut that idea now.
“I just got you back,” he said and gave her a little squeeze. “You think I’m going to risk exposing you to the rest of my crazy family in person?”
“I would never—”
He cut off her protest with another kiss. “I’m just teasing,” he said, and kissed her again, harder. “But really, this won’t be a pleasant trip. Besides, I need you at the restaurant to keep an eye on your mom and make sure she doesn’t personalize too many of my recipes.”
She nodded, albeit reluctantly. “Hopefully what your lawyer says is true,” she said and turned to Jordan, who was looking as happy about the prospect of heading back to Idaho as Molly felt about the whole business, “that with your mom’s record and pattern of leaving you alone, this won’t take very long.” She reached out and gave him a quick hug, which he awkwardly returned.
She let him go, and then Brady pulled her in for one last, long hug. “I’ll call you every day,” he promised, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “And while I’m gone, you can start thinking about paint colors and light fixtures and all the stuff for the new house we’re going to build.”
Warmth bubbled up in her chest at the way he so easily talked about their future, as if it was a given.
As if he’d known all along it would turn out this way, and he’d just been waiting for her to get a clue.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him one last, lingering kiss goodbye, happier than she’d ever been that she’d finally seen him for who he truly was.
A good man who loved her. And together they were going to create the life they’d always wanted.
Epilogue
“What do you think?” Molly said as she gestured to the wall of the nursery.
“Looks great,” Brady said, coming up behind her and sliding his hand around her waist.
There was a thump against his palm, and Molly laughed. “I guess he approves too," she said, smoothing her hand over her rounded belly as she admired the paint applied so smoothly; a professional couldn't have done any better.
“I still don’t think you should be painting,” he groused, covering her hand protectively with his.
She rolled her eyes. Ever since she’d told him she was pregnant, just a few months after their wedding last summer, he’d been treating her like she was made of spun glass. “The paint is totally organic and toxin free, and the doctor keeps telling you it’s good for me and the baby for me to stay active.
He grunted like he didn’t quite believe her.
“Besides, I like knowing I had a hand in making his nursery nice.” Like Brady, she’d tried to be as hands on as possible in the process of building their house. It had started as almost a hobby, with Brady and Molly showing up to help with the framing after they’d broken ground last May, and helping to install plumbing and fixtures along with the contractors.
Molly had learned to wield a mean nail gun.
Once Molly had learned she was pregnant, Brady had put the kibosh on any actual labor, limiting her to picking out fixtures, and finally allowing her to paint when she insisted.
In the last few weeks, however, their assistance, along with that of Damon and Ellie who showed up to help as much as they could, had become a necessity. While all of the main construction was complete, hardwood floors installed and finished, they still needed to put in the last finishing touches so they could move in and get settled before their son was due to arrive in just a little over a month.
“Sage green for our baby Sage,” she joked as she admired the pale green shade.
“I’m still not sold on that name,” Brady said as he took her hand and led her out into the main room, his boots echoing on the polished hickory hardwood floors.
“It’s a great name,” Molly protested. If anything had been a bone of contention in their eight months of marriage, it was the baby’s name.
“It’s a plant.”
“It’s an herb,” she corrected. “And as a chef, you should appreciate the significance.”
“And if it we have a girl I suppose you’ll want to name her Rosemary?”
“I wouldn’t rule it out,” she said with a grin as she followed him out of the master suite and down the stairs. As they walked outside, Jordan was just pulling up in the truck Brady had passed down to him.
Despite her initial protests, Connie had turned over custody to Brady relatively quickly and Jordan had come back to live with them—permanently this time—a year and a half ago.
It helped that, in exchange for her cooperation, Brady had agreed not to press charges for her wielding a knife at him that long ago day when the Simply Delicious film crew had come to town.
Now a thriving senior at Big Timber high school, Jordan was getting excellent grades and set to start his freshman year at the University of Montana in the fall.
Even after all this time, Molly couldn’t help but marvel at the change in him as he climbed out of the cab and shut the door behind him. The sullen, wary teenager who walked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders had disappeared. In his place was a smiling young man, confidant of the bright future ahead of him.
In front of all of them, she thought as she surveyed the beautiful, almost finished house they would soon move into. It even had a picket fence.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Brady said with no small amount of pride.
“Better than I ever could have imagined,” she said, sighing as she leaned into his side. Love poured through her for this man, the husband and father of her child she’d always dreamed of. The man she’d least expected to give her everything she’d ever wanted, and so very much more.
