3 Seconds (Time for Love Book 6) (18 page)
Read 3 Seconds (Time for Love Book 6) Online
Authors: Bethany Lopez
His fingers
stilled on the strings and his eyes hit mine.
“I won’t.”
“I don’t want
you to wake up one day and regret giving in to my desires, rather
than following your own.”
“It’ll never
happen, Freckles, my desires
are
your desires.”
He placed the
guitar on the floor next to him, propped up against the chair, and
I moved closer, as if being pulled by a string.
“You have so
many opportunities available to you … Paris, New York … You
shouldn’t give all that up for me.”
“Those places
are meaningless without you.”
Brendan got to
his feet and moved the mic stand off to the side, then jumped down
off the stage and stood before me.
He was saying
all the right things, but, “I want kids.”
He reached out
and caressed my cheek.
“I want
our
kids.”
A small laugh
escaped as I sobbed with joy.
“I love
you.”
Brendan pulled
me to him so swiftly that I swayed slightly, then his lips were a
breath away from mine. My heart stopped and he replied, “I love
you, too, Bronagh. The only thing I need in this world … is
you.”
One….
Two…
Three…
That’s how long
it took before my heart started beating again. The crowd cheered
loudly around us as his lips crashed down to mine, and we wrapped
ourselves around each other.
Chapter
Thirty-One ~ Brendan
I tried to sit
still, but my leg kept bouncing as anticipation rolled through me.
Bronagh placed her hand softly on my thigh, causing me to settle,
and I looked to my left to see Brock grinning down at me. Victoria
sat next to him, her small hand cradled in his large one.
I grinned back
at my brother, then turned my attention back to the stage.
“Brady
O’Malley,” the emcee called out, signaling it was time for my
brother to cross the stage.
After twenty
weeks of training, my brother was finally graduating from the
police academy, and I couldn’t be more proud.
I fought the
urge to stand up and cause a ruckus, knowing that it would just
embarrass and piss off my older brother, but that didn’t stop me
from clapping and whistling as he walked.
He didn’t
smile, but he strode purposefully, posture erect and proud, and I
knew he was feeling happy as shit, and thankful that the rigorous
training was over. We’d only been able to get together every few
weeks, since he was so busy with training, and I was busy getting
my life together, but he’d filled me in on some of the shit the
academy threw at him, so I knew it was no small feat for him to be
graduating today.
We sat through
graduation, then annoyed Brady further by making him take pictures
with us in his snazzy new uniform. We were having a party at mine
and Bronagh’s place that afternoon, with everyone in
attendance.
“C’mon, just
wear the uniform to the party, give everyone a little thrill,”
Brock was saying to our brother, half serious, and half busting his
balls.
“Not gonna
happen,” Brady said wryly. “I’ll stop at my house and change, and
then be over. It won’t take long, I promise.” This he said to
Bronagh, and I knew it was because he didn’t want to piss off my
new wife.
She’d told me
about the conversation they’d had after she’d broken things off
with me, and although
we
both knew his heart was in the
right place, he was still worried that she hadn’t forgiven him for
coming down on her so hard.
He’d been
trying to make it up to her since she’d finally taken me back that
night at the pub. Now that she was part of the family, he looked
after her with the same pit-bull mentality he looked after all of
us. No one messed with his family, and he wanted to make sure she
knew he would do anything for her.
Bronagh knew,
and had grown closer to him over the past eight months, but I still
enjoyed seeing him sweat.
“All right,
party-pooper,” I said, ribbing him a little. “We’ll see you at the
house.”
A couple weeks
after Bronagh and I had gotten back together, I moved out of my
loft and into her house. It was a much bigger space, and she loved
it there, so it only made sense that we would make our home there.
At least for now.
Once she’d
finally believed I wanted only her, I hadn’t wanted to wait to get
married, so our engagement had been very short. Since she’d already
had a big wedding with Maxime, we had a small ceremony with our
family and friends one afternoon by the lake. It was simple and
beautiful. Her da had walked her down the aisle, and Brock and
Brady had been my best men, while Ming and Cass shared maid of
honor duties.
As we finished
up the final touches of the dishes we’d prepared in our fantastic
kitchen, I pulled my beautiful wife in for a deep kiss.
“Mmmmm,” she
murmured against my lips, nibbling lightly before pulling back to
look up at me.
“That’s a
promise of what’s to come later,” I said, running the tip of my
finger along her nose, following the pattern of her freckles.
“We’ve got a baby to make, after all.”
Bronagh flushed
with pleasure, and I knew it was partly at the thought of getting
pregnant, but mostly because she was thinking about all the things
we would do to each other later.
My wife was a
fucking sex addict, and I loved every second of it.
The doorbell
rang, and our friends began to arrive. Everyone came out to
celebrate Brady’s latest accomplishment, and I loved the fact that
our home was filled with the laughter of children, love of family,
and comfort of great friends.
I noticed Ming
watching Brady, who was too busy watching Natalie to notice
Bronagh’s best friend’s stare.
Natalie had
finally left her loser husband, and was in the process of getting a
divorce. She was back at
Jake’s
and getting on her feet, but
still looked like a scared rabbit most of the time. I knew by
looking at her that she’d bring out the protective side of my
brother, but the way Ming was clocking his movements made me
curious. I’d have to ask Bronagh about that later.
Later that
evening, as I was sitting out on the porch, sharing a beer with my
brother’s I turned to Brock and said, “Thanks.”
“For what?” he
asked casually as he leaned back into the cushions, his long legs
stretched out before him.
“For always
being there. For making all of
this
possible for us.” I
gestured around the yard, then waved my hand between Brady and I.
“You’re the best role model a guy could have, and you supported us
in all things, and kicked us in the ass when we needed it.”
Brock was
silent, and I could tell my words had affected him and he was
trying to maintain his composure.
“I feel like I
owe who I am today, to you,” I admitted, getting choked up myself,
but needing to tell my brother what he meant to me.
“That goes both
ways, Bren,” Brock said when he was able to speak. “I’m so proud of
you both.”
He clapped a
hand on my knee, and another on Brady’s, then settled back in to
finish his beer.
My brothers and
I didn’t say anything else. We didn’t need to.
When it was
time to say goodnight, I held Brock and Brady a little tighter than
usual, then ushered them out the door.
I needed to
grab my wife and make good on my promise.
Acknowledgements
I never
imagined when I published my first book over four years ago, that
I’d get a chance to meet and work with the amazing people I have in
my life today. I’m so very grateful to everyone who is reading this
now!
Raine Thomas,
I’m so thankful that you were one of the first people I “met” and
interacted with, and that you’re willing to put up with my crazy
self. Your input about my work is invaluable.
Thanks to Lori
Rattay, Jennifer Snyder, Kristi Strong, Christy Townzen Autumn
Hull, and Laurie Treacy, for Beta Reading 3 Seconds for me. Your
feedback on Bronagh and Brendan’s story, really helped make it the
romance that it is today.
Kristina
Circelli, my editor, and Karen Phillips, my formatter, I appreciate
that you both always have time for me, and that you help my
manuscripts shine.
Allie Brennan,
my wonderful cover designer, who always says “yes”, even when we
have to figure out how to make things work. I love working with
you, and am always thrilled when I see the cover that you’ve come
up with.
My husband,
Jaime, and my kids, Jacinda, Diego, and Katie, who even though they
get tired of hearing me say, “just let me finish this one thing…”,
always show me unwavering support. I love you.
To those of you
who take a chance on my books, and keep coming back for more, I
wouldn’t be where I am without you, and I love that you enjoy my
characters. One of my greatest joys is hearing from you. Thanks for
reading!
About the
Author
Award-Winning
Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. She's a
lover of all things romance: books, movies, music, and life, and
she incorporates that into the books she writes. When she isn't
reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and
children, traveling whenever possible. Some of her favorite things
are: Kristen Ashley Books, coffee in the morning, and In N Out
burgers.
Follow Me:
To learn more
about upcoming events and releases, sign up for my
newsletter
.