7 Months

by Bethany Lopez

  “Who, Craig?” I asked, my beer-addled brain trying to figure out why.

  “Yeah, he’s been doing a great job and I’ve been thinking about offering him your old position.”

  My heart clenched painfully. The hardest part of following my dream to become a cop had been telling Brock that I no longer wanted to help him run O’Malley Brothers. I’d felt like I was letting him down by not staying on at the business he’d built from the ground up, especially knowing that Brendan’s dreams led him somewhere else as well.

  But, of course, Brock had never made me feel like my decision was a disappointment at all, instead giving me his total support.

  Craig had worked with us a little after high school and during his breaks from college, and had come on full time once he and Gwen graduated and moved back home.

  “He’s a great kid and good with the crew. I think it’s a good move,” I told my brother, even though it felt like another piece of my past was gone.

  “I think so too,” Brock said, then narrowed his eyes at me and asked, “You didn’t drive, did you?”

  “Nah,” I replied, slapping him playfully on the cheek, which caused him to chuckle. “My partner has my back.”

  “That’s good, brother,” he replied. “Be safe.”

  “You too. Kiss Tori and the kids for me.”

  “Why don’t you come over for breakfast tomorrow and kiss them yourself. They miss you.”

  I nodded.

  “Will do, bro.”

  We said our goodbyes, then Doobie and I left the party.

  “That was fun, Brady, thanks again for inviting me.”

  “No problem,” I replied easily. “I’ll let you know when the next one is.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “Hey, I may need you to give me directions back toward your place. I haven’t been in this part of town before.”

  I started to agree, then realized what I wanted, no, needed, to do.

  “Hey, instead of home, can you drop me somewhere else?”

  “Sure, where to?”

  “Thanks, man,” I replied, then gave him directions to Ming’s loft.

  Chapter Sixteen ~ Ming

  The unexpected knock at my door had me throwing my blanket onto the back of the couch and placing my reading tablet on the coffee table. My brain was distracted, still stuck on the fact that the main character in my book had just found out that her brother was still alive, so that was why it took a second for the fact that Brady was standing in my doorway to register.

  “Hey,” he said, after I stood there just looking at him for a few seconds.

  “Hi,” I replied, my eyes looking him over. Devouring him as if it had been ages since I’d seen him, rather than just days.

  I fought the urge to jump him, my body tingling at the sight of him.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, because I was pretty sure that we’d discussed the fact that our “relationship” was over, and him showing up like this, at night, and obviously a few drinks in, was kind of cruel.

  How am I supposed to say no to him when he is leaning against my door looking sexy as hell with a devilish-looking grin on his face?

  “I needed to see you,” Brady said, and I felt my body sway toward him of its own volition.

  “Brady,” I warned, but I wasn’t sure if it was a warning for him, or for myself.

  He held his hand up and said, “No touching, I promise. You said you didn’t want things to be that anymore and I’ll respect your wishes, but I needed to see you. Can I come in?”

  I stood to the side and let him enter, my brain harping on his no touching promise. It was great that he was abiding by my wishes, but when he walked by and his scent hit me, I had to curl my fingers into a ball to keep from touching him.

  “Did you drive?” I asked.

  “No,” he replied with a shake of his head. “Doobie dropped me off.”

  “Doobie?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, even though I was desperate at the thought that he was here to share things about himself with me … finally.

  “Yeah, my partner,” Brady replied, then when he caught the surprised look on my face he asked, “I’ve never talked about him?”

  “Uh, no,” I replied. Did he honestly not realize that he’d never talked with me about anything?

  He shook his head and muttered, “I’m such a shit.”

  “Hey.” I crossed over to him and maneuvered him toward the couch. Once he was sitting, I asked, “Are you okay?”

  His beautiful eyes looked sad, and when he asked, “How did your date with the suit go?” My heart clenched painfully in my chest.

  Tucking my hair behind my ear, I answered, “Uh, it was more of a group hangout thing. I’d just won a case I’d been working on a while, so we all went out to celebrate.”

  Brady didn’t say anything, just kept his intense gaze on me. I suddenly felt like I was under his microscope, and he was determined to figure me out.

  “So, uh, you had your partner drop you off … Were you guys out or something?”

  “Poker night,” he said in response. “It was his first time.”

  “Did you tell him about me, or…”

  I felt silly, like an unsure teenaged girl, but I was dying to know what was going on. What had brought him here tonight? What had changed, if anything?

  Brady slouched back against the cushions, his hand rubbing absently along the fur lining of my blanket. Watching him, my body seemed to come to life, tingling as if he were caressing my skin, instead of the blanket.

  “I told him a little, but not the whole story. He thinks about me the way you do.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Like I’m closed off. Hard to get to know. Keep people at arms’ length.”

  His response shocked the shit out of me.

  “Do you think you do that?” I asked, afraid to move. Afraid to breath. Afraid he’d realize what was happening and shut down on me.

  Rather than shut down, he brought his dark gaze to mine and worried his lower lip.

  “Yes,” he said simply, then he leaned forward so that he was a few breaths away. “I know that I do that, and I don’t want to … not with you. I want to try and change, but I’m not sure how.”

  My pulse started drumming excitedly, and I wanted to jump into his arms and pepper him with kisses.

  Instead, I remained calm and approached him like I would a wild animal, with a soft tone.

  “It’s okay, we don’t have to figure it all out now,” I assured him. “But it makes me really happy that you’re willing to try.”

  “It does?” he asked, his face adorably unsure. “This is what you want?”

  “It is,” I admitted with a nod. “I just want the chance to get to know you better, and hopefully, have an actual relationship, not just a physical one. Is that what you’re asking?” I asked, suddenly nervous that I was reading too much into his sudden candor. “To date … to be out in the open with everyone?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m asking,” Brady said, leaning back again and resting his head against the back of the sofa. “I have to warn you though, I’m probably going to be terrible at it, and mess shit up.”

  I chuckled at his admission, then told him seriously, “I don’t need or expect you to be perfect, Brady. I just want you to be you.”

  “That I can do,” he said wryly, then closed his eyes and sighed audibly.

  My mind was racing, trying to memorize and catalog everything Brady had said since he’d shown up. I was afraid to believe him, afraid that maybe this was the result of him drinking too much at poker night, and the harsh reality of morning would bring back old, closed-mouthed, Brady.

  My gaze flitted over him, and when I saw his eyes were still closed, I took the opportunity to get my fill of him. Tall, rugged, and handsome in a dark, mysterious sort of way, he was the kind of man I’d always fantasized about, but never thought I could ever have. Not even when I was with him.

  I worried over what would hap
pen tomorrow. What our friends would say if we actually started dating. What his brothers would say, and God, my parents. Would they welcome our relationship, or would it be too weird?

  I didn’t care about the age difference, or the differences in our jobs and pay grades, but I still didn’t know how Brady felt about those things. How he’d feel about meeting my traditional, conservative parents.

  Maybe I’m overthinking things too much…

  Brady’s breaths deepened, and I knew he’d fallen asleep. I thought momentarily of waking him up and telling him to come to bed, but then thought better of it. If he was lying next to me there was no way in hell I’d keep my hands to myself. Shoot, I was fighting the urge to straddle him on the couch…

  Control yourself, Ming.

  I stood quickly, resolved to the fact that I’d be sleeping alone again tonight. Reaching down, I lifted his legs off the floor and turned, hoping momentum would be on my side and he’d lay down and be more comfortable. Once his legs were in place, I leaned over and pulled his top half into laying position with a grunt of exertion.

  Once I’d pulled the blanket back down off the back of the couch to cover Brady, I indulged myself for a moment and pushed his hair gently off of his forehead. When he didn’t rouse, I leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips, before standing back up and whispering, “Goodnight, Brady.”

  Then I shuffled across the loft to my bed. Once I was in and under the covers, I turned on my side so that my eyes landed on the shape of Brady sleeping on my couch, then I closed my eyes and prayed that when the sun came up in the morning, we’d still be on the same page.

  Chapter Seventeen ~ Brady

  I blinked a few times as my brain tried to wake up, then turned my head when, rather than stretching across my bed, my leg fell and my foot hit the floor.

  Ming’s loft…

  I looked around and the memories of last night came flooding back. I remembered it all, I hadn’t been wasted or anything, but there was no denying that the beer had loosened my tongue and given me the courage I didn’t feel when I was stone-cold sober.

  My gaze landed on Ming’s bed in the corner, and I could see her face peeking out from beneath her large down comforter. She was snuggled in, almost fully underneath the covers, but I saw a glimpse of milky white skin and jet-black hair.

  Throwing the blanket off and sitting up, I reached in my jeans to find my phone, stretching my neck as I cursed myself for falling asleep on the couch. I was too big for it, and Christ, sleeping in jeans sucked.

  When I saw what time it was I surged to my feet and stumbled to the bathroom. After I was done relieving myself, splashing water on my face, and finger-brushing my teeth with Ming’s whitening toothpaste, I went back out into the loft and saw that she was still snoozing.

  Two weeks ago I would have walked out without a backwards glance, but because that was my first instinct, I fought it. If things were going to be different, I had to go against my instinct and think about what Ming would want me to do.

  So, I walked over to her bed and sat on the edge.

  “Ming,” I said softly, my hand finding what I thought was her shoulder and pushing gently to try and wake her up.

  She shifted, causing the blankets to slide off of her head, and I took a moment to look at her. It’s funny, but I’d never done that before, looked at her while she was asleep. She was absolutely gorgeous.

  I felt something shift inside of me, something unfamiliar and painful, yet, hopeful, when her eyelashes fluttered and rich eyes struggled to focus on my face.

  “Brady?”

  Her tone was confused and I knew she wasn’t fully awake.

  “Hey,” I replied softly, the urge to touch her great, but I stopped myself when I remembered my promise not to. “I’ve gotta go, but I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”

  “Oh,” she sighed, still out of it. She sat up, the blankets falling around her waist, and I grinned at the sight of her looking sleepy, her long thick hair in disarray. “Mmmm, do you need anything? Coffee?”

  I smiled at her offer, but shook my head, then, I’m not sure what came over me, but I asked, “I’m going to Brock’s for breakfast, do you want to come?”

  Ming blinked rapidly, her face adorably confused. When I watched her hand come up and pinch her arm, I raised my eyebrow in question.

  “Just checking,” she replied dryly, and I laughed.

  I knew it was totally out of character to ask, and I don’t know why I did it. I’d never taken anyone to Brock and Victoria’s before. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d seriously dated anyone, but it had definitely been in the pre-Victoria days.

  But when Ming scrambled out of bed and said, “I’ll just be two minutes. Don’t disappear, and don’t change your mind,” then disappeared into the bathroom, I figured I’d made the right choice.

  I wanted to do better. To make her happy and try and be a man who deserved to be with her. Even if it meant doing things I was uncomfortable with, and putting myself out there in ways that I’d probably never done before, I’d made a decision and I was going to stick to it.

  It will be good for me, I thought.

  I just hoped it would be good for Ming as well.

  Literally two minutes later, Ming came out of the bathroom, her hair back in a messy bun, her face clear of any makeup. I was thrown for a minute when I realized she’d gotten dressed, then I remembered that her closet was off the bathroom.

  “Ready?” she asked, her smile wide, conveying just how much my invitation had pleased her, and I once again felt like a tremendous ass for the way I’d been with her.

  “Yup,” I replied, suddenly nervous.

  Am I jumping into the deep end too quickly? I wondered, but when she tucked her small hand in mine and tugged me toward the door, I decided to let things ride and see what happened.

  Once we got outside, I realized I didn’t have my car. Ming laughed and said that since she was meeting Natalie in the early afternoon, it would be good for her to have her car anyway. I lived close enough to Brock, that I could walk home after breakfast.

  This meant I had to call Brock on the way, with Ming right next to me, to give him a heads up.

  “Come again?” he asked when I told him we were on our way for breakfast, then clarified, “You and Ming, together?”

  “Yup,” I said, then lowered my voice and requested, “Don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”

  His answer was a loud bark of laughter, then he shouted, “Tori, Brady’s bringing Ming for breakfast. They’re coming, together … Yeah, together, together.”

  “Shit,” I muttered, looking sideways to see Ming not even bothering to hide a smile.

  “Oh, brother, you have no idea,” Brock said, his voice full of happiness. “Victoria’s freaking out. She was just making eggs and stuff, but I can hear her yelling about crepes now. I need to call Brendan…”

  “No,” I practically shouted. “Please don’t. Not yet. Let us get through breakfast with you guys first, see how it all goes, before we bring everyone into it. And, tell Victoria the same thing. This is kind of a big deal for me.”

  “I know it is, Brady,” Brock said, and I hoped that meant he was going to abide by my wishes and not put in a call to the damn phone tree. “Okay, we’ll keep it between us for now, but I can’t promise that Victoria won’t be on that phone as soon as breakfast is over.”

  I sighed, but knew I was due. I’d give both Brock and Brendan plenty of shit over the years, so it was definitely my turn.

  As Ming pulled into my brother’s driveway, I turned and tried to give her a reassuring smile, but when she shook her head and let out a quick laugh, I knew she saw right through me.

  This was it, I realized as we got out of the car. The beginning of an actual relationship.

  I just hoped to hell I didn’t screw it up.

  Chapter Eighteen ~ Ming

  I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but I’d practically hyperventilated in m
y car on the drive over.

  I’d been to Brock and Victoria’s millions of time, but this? Arriving with Brady as his guest? I was freaking the hell out. I mean, I know this is what I wanted, what I’d been dreaming of, but now that it was actually happening, I couldn’t help but wonder what they were going to think. Would they still like me in this capacity?

  I waited for Brady to round the car and we walked up to the front door together.

  He must have sensed my nervousness, because he took my hand in his and leaned in to say, “It’ll be good.”

  Surprised that he was not only so perceptive, but that he’d tried to put me at ease, I smiled up at him. His eyes dropped to my lips and he started to get closer. My eyes fluttered shut, my entire body thrumming with my eagerness for his kiss, but before Brady could make contact, the door flung open and Brock cleared his throat.

  Brady and I jumped apart, and I heard Brock chuckle.

  “Get in off the street before you give my neighbors a show,” he said, a huge grin on his face, causing Brady to groan.

  “How long have you been waiting to say that?” Brady asked his brother as we walked inside.

  “Hey, Ming-a-ling,” Brock said fondly, leaning down to kiss me on the cheek. “How’ve you been?”

  “Good,” I replied softly, still a little unsure of how to act. “How are you?”

  “Terrific. I’ve been waiting for my little brother to bring someone home for years. I’ve got the photo albums all laid out.”

  “Shut up,” Brady called back to his brother as he embraced his sister-in-law. “Tori, please put a muzzle on your husband.”

  “There’s no controlling him, you know that,” Victoria replied with a laugh, then turned to me. “Good morning, Ming. I have some stuff to finish up in the kitchen, if you’d like to come back with me.”

  I nodded and followed her back, my eyes avoiding any more contact with either of the brothers.

  Once we were in the kitchen, I looked around at the spread of scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and the pan she was currently making crepes in, and gushed, “Wow, you really went all out.”