Broken by Love

by C. A. Harms

  Riley called, and she and I decided to do a little shopping. I loaded up Carley and drove over to her apartment. Walking up the stairs, I had to say I was a little bit shocked. I was seconds away from knocking when the door flew open and Zander came storming out. He gave me a forced smile before stomping down the stairs. I turned back to face Riley’s tearstained cheeks. I walked into the apartment and closed the door behind me.

  After I sat the infant carrier down on the floor, I turned to face Ry. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

  She shook her head and walked toward the kitchen. “You don’t need my drama, Kate. I’m okay, really. It’s nothing.”

  “Oh no, don’t you dare give me that. You have suffered through a lot of bullshit with me, and I’m not letting you shut me out.” I leaned my hip against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest. “Spill it.”

  “It’s so stupid, and we really shouldn’t even have been fighting about it. Zander just gets so pigheaded sometimes.” I couldn’t control the giggle that escaped me. Her eyes met mine and she glared. “What?”

  I gave her a knowing stare before I continued. “Zander isn’t the only one who is pigheaded, Ry. You know as well as I do that you are stubborn as all get out. You hate not getting your way. Whatever this is, I am sure you both aren’t budging, and that’s only making it harder.”

  She flopped down onto the bar stool across from me. “He wants to get married on Valentine’s Day.” She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Kate, I can’t do it. He is such a guy and thinks it would be so romantic. In reality, it is just his way of making sure he never forgets the date. He even wants the theme to match the date.” She threw her hands up in the air. “I can’t do it… I won’t.”

  I hid my laughter behind my hand. “You are kidding me, right?” I was laughing at two things here. First, I had to agree the whole Valentine’s themed wedding was a total bust. I wouldn’t do it, either. Two, were they seriously fighting over this shit?

  I took a deep breath. “Okay, so I think you two need to take a break. You can decide on a date later. You both need a breather, and a day at the mall with me and your niece would be the perfect solution.”

  ***

  We had just spent three hours digging through racks of clearance items. Baby clothes, especially the sweet little dresses and tights, were addicting. Between us, I was pretty sure Carley had a new outfit for every day over the next few months. The little princess would never be seen in the same thing twice.

  “Carson is going to shoot me. He just told me the other day that I was creating a monster.”

  All Riley could do was laugh. “Oh, tell him to bite it. Every girl should have variety when it comes to clothes and shoes.”

  “Riley, she’s not even three months yet, and she has more shoes than you do.” Riley snuggled Carley and kissed her cheek.

  She whispered just loud enough for me to hear. “That is because Aunt Ry can raid your mommy’s closet whenever I need something. I get to save money that way and still look good.” She looked up and winked at me.

  “Hooker.” I wrinkled my nose at her, laughing.

  Riley stuck her tongue out at me. “You love me, bitch.”

  “Whatever you want to keep telling yourself.”

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Carson

  It had been a long week, and I’d barely had a chance to see Kate. When she was coming, I was going, and at night we were both so worn out from the day that all we did was curl up and sleep.

  I finally had a couple days off, and I was ready to spend some quality time with my girls.

  It was only a little after six in the morning, but I had to take the time that we were given. I knew Carley would be waking up soon, so first things first.

  I crawled up the mattress and hovered over Kate as she continued to sleep. I lowered myself carefully, placing kisses along her jawline. The moment I found that spot just behind her ear, a moan escaped her.

  “Well, good morning to you too, handsome.” She ran her hands through my hair as she guided my lips up to meet hers. Biting my lower lip, she gently sucked it. I felt the sensation run completely through me and groaned.

  “I’ve missed you this week. I’ve missed your lips.” I kissed her softly. “Your body.” I ran my hands over her hips bringing them to rest over her tits. “I figure we have maybe thirty minutes before we have to take care of our daughter.” I trailed my tongue down her neck, nibbling on her shoulder. “I want to spend that time inside you. Is that okay?”

  She nodded, wrapping her legs around my waist, pulling me in tighter. It took us no time at all to strip our clothes and devour one another. We were both needy from our long week and had no intentions of wasting time.

  The moment I sank into her heat I almost lost it. Fuck, I had missed this so much. She was my heaven, and I was lost in her. She raised her hands above her head as I looked into her eyes, continuing to move together. Her gaze locked with mine and made my chest feel tight. The love I had for this girl was overwhelming; she was it for me.

  Kate and I were always so passionate and hungry. We were so connected sexually that it was easy to forget everything else. Today it was different. It was gentle and slow. We needed this connection; I know I did for sure. This week I had felt like we were so far apart. It left an ugly emptiness in my chest. But right now, this moment, that hole was being filled. We were making love, and nothing could be sweeter.

  Feeling her tighten around me as she whispered my name, I lost it. I pumped my hips as I joined her, marking her with my release.

  We lay there wrapped in each other’s arms, breathing against one another until we made our way back to the present.

  I slowly lifted my head, and our eyes met. She smiled at me sweetly. “Waking up like that, I must admit, was a very nice surprise.”

  I swept away the hairs that had fallen down around her face. “We’ve had a busy week, and I thought we could use a little us time. I’ve missed you. Feels like we’ve been miles apart, and I didn’t like it.” I kissed her again, letting my lips linger over hers.

  “I’ve missed you too.”

  We lay like this, kissing and touching, for the next ten minutes before the sweet sound of Carley caused us both to smile.

  “Why don’t you and Carley get ready and let me take my girls to breakfast?” Kate smiled at me, and we crawled from bed. I jumped in the shower, and when I came out of the bedroom fully dressed and ready to go, I found Kate in the kitchen. She held my phone in her hand, and she looked concerned.

  I met her at the counter, and she held out my phone. “You need to call Tanner.” I lifted a brow, waiting for her to continue. “It’s Max. Tanner needs your help.”

  It never failed with these two fuckwads. There was always something going on. I seriously couldn’t even begin to imagine the shit they were into now.

  I dialed Tanner’s number, and after the second ring he answered. “Dude, it’s about time.”

  “What’s going on now, man? I got the day off, and I’m spending it with my girls.” My eyes met Kate’s, and a smile spread out across her lips. She was clearly pleased with my recent announcement.

  “It’s Max, man. He won’t admit it, but he’s fucked up.” He paused and blew out a deep breath. “Bree went out with that Cody guy from Zander’s band again. He ran into them at the bar, and I guess things got a little ugly. He got shit-faced drunk, and then after he was kicked out of the bar, he walked home. I found him on the front steps this morning passed out.” I ran my hand through my hair and pulled at the ends. “He won’t talk about it. He’s being a fucking bear. He put a hole in the bathroom door and stormed out to go to the gym. I’d call Dad, but I’m pretty sure he’d make things worse. Hell, dude, I don’t know what the fuck to do with him.”

  “T, what the hell am I supposed to do? I told him if he didn’t wake up, someone else was gonna come along and treat her right.” Kate’s phone chirped from across the room. “I guess I can stop by the gym and try to ta
lk to him, but I’m not sure I can help much. He has to be the one to change shit, not me.”

  “I’ll meet ya there in thirty.” I agreed and hung up, turning to face Kate. She was just finishing up a call and stuck her phone into her back pocket. I took a few steps toward her and placed my hands on her hips.

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “Riley.” She looked up at me. “Cody and Max got in a fight last night. Not a fist fight, because the bouncers broke it up before it reached that point, but it was close.” I nodded, letting her know I knew. “Bree’s a mess, and Riley thought we could go see her.”

  “Why is it so hard for us to get time together? It always seems to be interrupted by other people’s drama.” She smiled, and I kissed her gently. “I’m just glad my ass woke up and realized I had a good thing. The best thing you did was leave me.” She wrinkled her brows in confusion. “Really, think about it. You left me. You forced me to realize how dumb I was acting. Your actions made me wake the fuck up.” I held her close, stroking my thumb over her cheek. “Baby, that was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through. I felt like my heart was ripped from my chest. I could barely breathe without you, but it made me understand what was important. It made me fight for what I wanted, and now here we are, stronger than we have ever been. I know now there is nothing I want more in my life than you and Carley.”

  We stood in the living room kissing as I rocked her from side to side. Pulling back to look into her eyes, I had no doubt in my mind this was where I belonged.

  “You go with Ry to see Bree, and I’ll take Carley. Uncle Max needs a little sweetness in his life. What better person to give that than my little princess?” I winked as I released her, making my way to Carley. I picked her up and held her out in front of me. “Okay, baby girl, it’s you and me, and we’re gonna team up on this one. We need to go find Uncle Max and beat some sense into him.” I looked over my shoulder and found Kate watching us.

  I held Carley against my chest and walked toward Kate. “Look at this sweet little face. If you were a big, beefy meathead with an attitude problem, wouldn’t these cheeks melt your ugliness? There is no man on earth who wouldn’t fold seeing this drooling bucket of cuteness. Uncle Max doesn’t have a chance.”

  Kate helped me pack a bag before Carley and I made our way to the gym. When we pulled up, I found Tanner leaning against his newest obsession. Him and Zander and their damn street bikes. They both scared me with their need for speed.

  He immediately reached out for Carely when I pulled her from her car seat. “You brought the princess. Let me have her.”

  I nudged him with my shoulder. “Hell no, back off. You aren’t using my daughter as a buffer. You’re scared Max is gonna rip you an ass for calling me. Carley isn’t here to protect you. My baby girl and I have a plan. She’ll melt the meathead’s outer shell, and I’m gonna drive the nail through his soft center once it’s exposed.”

  Tanner chuckled as I walked toward the gym doors. “Yeah, right, dude. We are talking about Max, and that asshole doesn’t have a soft thing about him. He is fucking grouchy, man, I ain’t kidding. I’m not even sure Carley’s chubby little cheeks can break through his pissed off state.”

  I shrugged as I pushed through the doors. “We’ll see.”

  ***

  Tanner and I stood in the doorway watching the scene in front of us. Max was pummeling a padded guy in the center of the ring, and it was a little disturbing. He was relentless, and the guy backed himself into the corner as Max continued to whale on him. A few guys were hollering from the side to get Max’s attention. Nothing was breaking the mood he was in.

  I quickly passed off Carley and told Tanner to go back out front with her. I took off toward the ring and slipped in between the ropes.

  “Max!” I hollered, but he kept swinging. I gripped his shoulder, and he spun around, drawing back. I squared my shoulders and braced myself for the impact of his punch. Max’s eyes widened in an uncontrolled rage, and his chest heaved.

  “What the fuck are you doing, man? Beating the shit out of an innocent guy won’t fix your problems. Hell, bro, you know that.” He stared at me as his eyes bored into mine. After a few minutes he began unlacing his gloves, dropping them to the center of the mat. He walked to the ropes and stepped from the ring, stalking toward the locker room.

  I turned to face the guy in the corner. “You okay, man?”

  He shook his head and laughed. “Yeah, I’m good. That dude has one helluva fucking punch. Gloved or not, that shit is fierce. He’s one mean son of a bitch.” I couldn’t help but chuckle along with him. He was right; Max was mean. He had spent his life being the brother who protected everyone. He was always the one everyone ran to when they needed help. He was the protector.

  The sad part about it all was he was also the brother who refused to show emotion. You never heard the guy express his love for anyone. It was always done in a sarcastic manner instead. We, as his family, knew how to take him. We knew how he was, but others never knew when he was joking or being real. In the end, he was the brother I worried about the most. Max had a good thing, and now that he had pushed her away, he was losing control. I feared what an out of control Max meant.

  I made my way back to Tanner, thinking my original plan was a flop. There was no fucking way I was going to subject my daughter to Max while his mind was this far gone. I knew he would never intentionally act out, but the anger pouring from this guy was something I didn’t want Carley hearing.

  I took Carley from Tanner. “Call Mason.” He knew Mason was always our last resort. We never wanted to involve him in Max’s shit, but I had no idea what to do at this point, and the guy needed something. He needed someone to break through that anger. Mason was levelheaded, and talking to him seemed easy. When he needed to handle shit, he knew how to get it done quickly. Mason rarely got pissed, but he could hold his own when necessary.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Kate

  “He was so mean… scary, even. He acted like I was cheating on him.” Bree sniffed and grabbed another tissue, holding it to her reddened nose. “The last time he and I were together was the night before your cookout.” She looked up at me before continuing. “He showed up at my place about ten-thirty, and he had just gotten off his shift at the station. He was freshly showered, his hair was still wet. He didn’t even give me time to talk. When I opened the door he rushed in and pushed me up against the wall. He was aggressive, but that’s Max. I didn’t have a fighting chance once he started. Not that I wanted to stop him.”

  Riley and I sat quietly and let Bree get it all out. It was so evident that she was in love with Max, but she had reached the point where the games were no longer something she was willing to play.

  “Passionate and aggressive, that’s just Max. That is how sex with us always was. We stood there in the hallway against the wall with his pants around his ankles, and it was off the charts hot. That has never been our problem… ever.” I looked over at Riley as she wrinkled her nose.

  “Sorry, Riley, I guess you really don’t want to hear about how good your brother is.” I couldn’t control my laughter, because I remember all the times I tortured her with sex stories about Carson.

  “It’s okay. Hooker bitch here,” she pointed at me, and I rolled my eyes, “has a tendency to torture me with Carson’s bedroom skills. Blah.” She cringed, and Bree and I laughed.

  “Honestly, though, it’s not just about sex. Max isn’t always the hard-ass he pretends to be. He has a really sweet side. I remember when I had the flu and he stayed with me for three days. He made me soup and ran my bath. He was gentle and sweet.” Her eyes overflowed with tears. “I love him, but I’ve come to realize he isn’t ready for that. He’s not ready to be exclusive, and I can’t battle for his attention anymore. I never know which way is up with him.” She blew her nose and let her hands fall into her lap. “I don’t like who I became with him. If I’m being honest with myself, then I would say he never even too
k the time to know the real me. I want someone who looks at me like Zander and Carson look at you two. I want someone to love me unconditionally and without pause.” She shrugged and hung her head.

  This poor girl had tried for so long to be the one Max let in. She forgave him so many times and waited for him to want her like she wanted him. Looking into her swollen eyes, my heart broke for her. She just wanted what all of us want. I silently prayed Max would walk away and let her heal. Move on and allow Bree to find herself, because she was such a beautiful person, and not only on the outside. She truly was a jewel that should be treasured, and Max was such a fool if he couldn’t see that.

  Riley and I stayed with her until her friend Ryan showed up. Ryan was the only family she had. Riley and I learned a few things about Bree today that Max didn’t even know. Things that made my heart ache for her just a little more.

  Bree grew up in foster care. She was removed from her parents’ home when she was seven. She never really gave us the details of why, but you could sense it was more than just neglect. For the next nine years Bree bounced around from foster home to foster home before finally settling in the same one as Ryan. He was a year older, and together they built a little family that has lasted. After Ryan turned eighteen, he took her under his wing.

  When we asked her why she and Ryan never hooked up, she laughed. She said that could be a problem, considering he was as attracted to Max as she was. He was the one who pointed Max out to her the first night they saw him. Ryan had told her if she didn’t go get her some of that, then he would be doing everything he could to turn that hot piece of ass.

  Max being hit on by a six foot two, blond, hunky man would have been a sight I’d pay to see. I’d be the first to admit Ryan was a hottie. He oozed hunkiness, but he batted for the other team.