3 Seconds (Time for Love Book 6) (15 page)

I narrowed my
eyes at her, but she kept her expression bright and innocent.

“Sure, I was
just about to make myself some eggs, did she eat yet?” I turned and
walked back toward the kitchen, sure that Gaby would be following
right behind me. “As you can see, it’s kind of a mess though … I’ve
been going through a pretty rough time.”

I was laying it
on a little thick, but I figured if the girls were going to try and
pull one over on me, I might as well get something out of it as
well.

“Oh, let me
take care of those real quick,” Gaby said when she saw the messy
counters and dirty pile of dishes in the sink, just like I knew she
would. She handed Emma to me, rolled up her sleeves, and got to
work.

As a baker,
Gaby was no stranger to the kitchen, and I’m sure the state that
mine was currently in was enough to give her hives. I
usually
kept my cooking space spotless, but I hadn’t been
able to make myself care about much of anything over the last few
days.

It was time for
me to get over this funk. It was embarrassing.

Gaby had the
kitchen cleaned up in no time and left for her “appointment,”
leaving me and Emma to scrounge together some late lunch.

My favorite
thing about Emma was how serious she was. She watched everything,
full of curiosity, taking it all in as if she was storing the
information for later.

I placed her on
my hip as I cracked eggs into a large bowl. Emma watched as I
whisked, and when the eggs were just about ready, I handed it to
her and let her attempt to stir the way she’d seen me do it.

I chuckled when
some eggs spilled over the side, and was rewarded with a tiny
giggle from the little girl.

I was careful
not to spice them up too much, in order to please the little one’s
palate, but had to add a little bit of pepper, salt, and garlic, to
give them a little punch. Then I added some shredded sharp cheddar
and poured them into the heated skillet, the sizzle of eggs meeting
the pan causing Emma to clap her hands.

“Are you
hungry?” I asked.

She nodded
silently.

I put some
toast in the toaster, figuring I’d throw my eggs between two slices
and have a sandwich.

Once our food
was done and plates were made, I realized I didn’t have a high
chair, so I put both plates at my spot and sat with Emma on my
lap.

She looked at
the fork, then the eggs, then up at me, before gingerly reaching
out and picking up a piece of scrambled egg with her fingers, and
looking at me again.

“Go for it,” I
said, giving her permission to eat with her hands. As long as she
ate, I didn’t care how she did it.

I felt like a
king when she finished the small portion I’d put in front of her,
and after I awkwardly finished off the last of my sandwich, I
lifted her and walked out to settle on the couch. I’d just turned
the TV on when her eyes began to droop.

By the time
Gaby came back, Emma and I were both dozing on the couch, and when
they left, I figured I’d lay back down and catch a nap before my
show that night.

As soon as I
closed my eyes, I heard a knock at the door.

“You’ve got to
be fucking
kidding me
…”

I heaved myself
up off of the couch and stomped to the door, sure I was going to
find Victoria and Dec on the other side.

Instead, when
the door swung wide, I was surprised to see Sasha standing
there.

“Let me guess,”
I said sarcastically, “you were able to get an appointment with a
plastic surgeon, and you need me to watch TJ.”

Sasha grinned,
ignoring my bad mood as she pushed past me.

“I’ve never
been here before,” she said, looking around with her realtor’s eye.
“It’s a cool spot.”

“Thanks,” I
said, trying to make my tone more pleasant, even though I was kind
of annoyed with the women in my life. “What can I do for you,
Sasha?”

Her heels
tapped against my wood floor as she spun slowly, taking it all in
before stopping in front of me.

“I wanted in on
the fun,” she said with a half shrug, still grinning.

“What fun?
Getting me to babysit in exchange for you guys stopping by to clean
my house and make sure I’m okay?”

Sasha lifted
her eyebrow and folded her arms. “Is that what you got out of what
happened today? I mean, yeah, we want to make sure you’re okay, and
don’t want to think of you living in a pit of your own making, but
that’s not what caused the rallying of the troops today.”

Confused, I
leaned my hip against the wall and asked, “Then what was it?”

“We want to
make sure that you are making an
informed
decision, before
you screw up your life and ruin you chance with an amazing
woman.”

Suddenly, it
all clicked.

“The kids…”

“Yeah,
the
kids
,” she replied, punching me lightly in the arm before
turning to go and sit in the chair. “Look, Bren, I know all about
not wanting to have kids. TJ and I both agreed before we got
serious, that kids just weren’t in the cards for either of us … The
way we were raised, the parents we had…” She shook her head sadly,
and I wondered briefly what she was thinking about, then her face
cleared and she brought her brilliant green eyes to mine. “It’s
one-hundred percent your decision to make, but when Victoria told
us why you and Bronagh broke up, I have to admit, we were all
stunned. You’re a kid magnet. They’re drawn to your creative spirit
and outgoing personality. We all always imagined you’d be crawling
with them once you finally got done whoring and settled down.”

“Whoring, huh?”
I asked with a smirk.

“Just calling
‘em like I see ‘em,” Sasha said, detailing one of the things I
loved most about her.

“We just want
you to be sure … So Shelly concocted the surprise babysitting idea,
to show you how much the kids love you, and maybe give you
something to think about before you make any rash decisions.”

“Brady let it
spill about France, didn’t he?” I asked when I realized what she
was talking about.

“He may have
said something to your brother last night. Who told Victoria, who
told the girls and I over mimosas this morning,” Sasha
admitted.

“Can the man
keep
anything
to himself?” I muttered, frustrated that Brady
kept diming me out about everything, but kept
his
secrets
close to the vest. “I’m gonna have to get some payback,” I
muttered, more to myself than to her.

“If you’re
talking about the police academy, he told Brock all about it last
night too.”

“Really?” I
asked, surprised he was actually going to go through with it.

Sasha nodded,
then rose to her feet.

“That’s it?” I
asked jokingly. “You aren’t going to do my laundry or
something?”

Sasha laughed
sharply and said saucily, “Oh, honey, I think you know better than
that.” Then she, no shit,
strutted
to the door, before
turning and saying, “Just think about it,” before walking out and
closing the door behind me.

I looked at the
clock, and realized I didn’t have time to do anything but get my
ass to
Jake’
s. I grabbed the sheet music I’d been working
on, eager to show the finished products to Brock and Brady and get
their thoughts on them.

I was about to
run out the door when I looked down and realized I was still in
basketball shorts, so I turned on my heel and ran up the stairs in
search of an outfit more conducive to my rock star image.

Chapter
Twenty-Six ~ Bronagh

I’d gone home
alone last night, even though I’d wanted more than anything to stop
by Brendan’s table and see if he wanted to come over.

Just to
talk.

Oh, who was I
kidding? Yes, we needed to talk, but I also wanted to take him home
and jump his bones. I was a weak, weak woman, driven by the memory
of a scruffy beard and fantastic orgasms.

Luckily, Ming
was more levelheaded, and had ushered me out of the bar before I
could make another mistake and end up hurting Brendan further, by
having sex with him again.

That was why
I’d spent the night with my trusty vibrator, rather than in the
arms of the hot young man who
should
be totally off limits
to me.

Although, if he
was off limits, what was I doing at
Jakes
, essentially
hiding behind a gaggle of bimbos?

I’d talked
myself out of coming a million times throughout the day, but by ten
o’clock, I was grabbing my purse and heading out the door.

I just
had
to see him.

I’d been so
sure when I told him we couldn’t be together anymore. It was simple
logic. I wanted kids, he didn’t. End of story. But after my talks
with Ming and Cass, then Brady, I was no longer sure … Add the
encounter with Brendan in the closet, and it was obvious that
although my brain wanted to be done with the relationship, my heart
had other ideas. And my body … well, let’s just say that it was all
the way #teambrendan.

Maybe I’d been
too quick to end things.

I hadn’t
expected it to be this hard. When I’d left Maxime, I’d been
absolutely sure that I was making the right decision, and had no
regrets, or feelings of loss.

But with
Brendan … I wasn’t finding it as easy to let go.

I’d been
thinking hard about what Brady said, and he did have a point. On
the other hand, I wasn’t ready to dismiss my dream of having
children.

I was at an
impasse, and I didn’t know what the right answer was; all I knew
was that I had a burning need to be with Brendan.

If we had the
opportunity to hash things out, not in the heat of passion or
anger, but as two logical adults, I was hopeful that we could come
to a compromise.

And if not, at
least I’d know that I’d done everything I could to make it work,
and be able to move on with my life. As much as the thought of
actually letting him go hurt, I couldn’t go on living in
turmoil.

“This will be
our last song of the night,” Brendan was saying from center stage.
“Thanks so much for comin’ out.”

God
, he
looked good.

He still hadn’t
shaved, and his hair was pulled back in a messy bun. That, combined
with black skinny jeans, combat boots, and an army-green jacket
thrown over a black T-shirt, completed the badass, sexy-as-hell,
lead-singer package.

I wasn’t alone
in my admiration … The girls in the audience seemed extra worked up
tonight, and I could only imagine it was the short beard he was
sporting. It wasn’t quite as full and “lumberjack” as his
brother’s, but it definitely turned his masculinity up a notch.
Then when you added the man-bun … instant horniness.

I sipped a cold
beer as I watched from my clandestine position, smiling when the
set was over and the three brothers gave each other that half
high-five, half hand clap, thing. This time though, rather than
heading toward the back door, Brock and Brady followed Brendan down
the stairs and followed him to the bar.

They smiled and
thanked the throng of groupies that were crowding them, but once
they had their drinks in hand, they maneuvered through the crowd to
an open table.

I was close
enough to hear Brock say, “To my little brother … I know he’ll
‘Protect and Serve’ with the best of them.” They all raised their
glasses and put them together, before Brock clapped Brady on the
shoulder and said huskily, “So proud of you, bro.”

Suddenly
feeling like an intruder on a touching scene, I was about to find a
corner to hide in while I waited for the brothers to finish their
celebration, when I heard another voice from behind me.

“Good to see
you, Brock,” the male voice said, and I turned to see who had
joined the men.

Tall, with
jet-black hair, and a suit perfectly tailored to his body, was a
man about my age. Curious, I paused, wondering what he would want
with them.

“Carson,” Brock
said, standing to shake the other man’s hand. “I didn’t expect to
see you here,” then he turned and introduced the incredibly
handsome man to his brothers. “Carson, you remember my brother
Brady, from O’Malley’s, and this is our youngest brother, Brendan.
Brendan, meet Carson Brandt.”

Brady nodded at
Carson, as Brendan stood and shook his offered hand.

“It’s nice to
finally meet you, Mr. Brandt. I’ve heard great things from my
brothers, and Victoria. Thanks for all the business you’ve given my
family.”

“Carson,
please… And I wouldn’t have used O’Malley Brothers or Victoria’s
services if I didn’t think they were the best fit for my company.”
Carson paused before adding, “Business is actually what brings me
here…”

“What kind of
business?” Brock asked.

“I’ve been
talking with some music producers about branching out Brandt
Industries. I’ve heard great things about you from Scott and Gaby,
and wanted to check out your sound for myself. Would you be
interested in setting up a meeting sometime this week?”

Brock looked at
his brothers and it seemed as though they were communicating to
each other silently, when he nodded then turned to Carson and said,
“Let us discuss it and I’ll give you a call.”

“I look forward
to hearing from you,” he replied, shaking each of the brother’s
hands before leaving them to their drinks.

“
Holy
shit
?” Brendan asked, his face beaming with excitement. “Do you
think he’s serious?”

“Carson Brandt
never jokes about business. If he says he’s interested, he’s
telling the truth,” Brock said, then leaned back in his chair.
“It’s a crazy time right now though, with Victoria being pregnant,
and Brady joining the police force…”

“Can we let the
opportunity pass us by though?” Brendan asked, and I knew he was
thrilled at the chance of making one of his dreams come true. “We
should at least set up the meeting, see what he has to say.”