Branded (Strand Brothers Series Book 1) (22 page)

“Just a bit,” I affirmed.

She rubbed her hands up and down my arms to generate some warmth, which made me feel like crap. I held back the moan of despair and glanced sideways. Renée caught my gaze and held it intently. With her eyes, she silently asked, “You okay?” As imperceptibly as possible, I shook my head. Code for: Help me out here! Not skipping a beat, she said, “Mrs. Mitchell, do you mind if I take Aimee back to your house?”

Mom smiled, “Of course not. I’ll see you soon.” She kissed my cheek as she made her way over to her car.

Once she was out of earshot, I disclosed, “Thanks, Ren. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She scoffed, “Oh, you’re going to start talking. C’mon.” She tugged on my arm, practically dragging me to her rental car.

I made the mistake of looking towards the church. Nik stood there watching me. A look of concern crossed his face, along with some unnamed emotion. Huh, what was that about? Then I mentally scolded myself,
don’t go reading into things. You’re already in way too deep with the man.
Yeah, I was. And honestly, I didn’t think there was a way out now without shredding my heart to pieces in the process—which very well might happen in the long run. Too bad we couldn’t control who we loved. Or who we shared sexual chemistry with. Life would be so much easier if we got a say in such matters.

*****

As we drove, I did my best to sidetrack Renée. “So, how’s everything with Keshaun?”

“Great.” She shot me a wry look. Darn, she didn’t buy it. Should’ve known better than to try and pull the wool over
her
eyes. Once she cleared her throat, she pointed out, “Stop beating around the bush. What’s going on?”

Weary and sick to death of covering my true feelings, I decided to let ‘em loose. “I’m in love with him.”

“Are you, now?”

I laughed with no humor. “Hell, yes. And it’s really complicating things.”

She inquired, “Such as?”

I exhaled heavily and then proceeded, “For starters, he doesn’t feel the same about me.”

She quirked a brow at me. “Really?”

“Of course, really,” I stated exasperatedly.

“Looks to me like you’re wrong ‘bout that.”

“How so?”

She reached over and patted my hand, which was resting on my thigh. “Trust me. I just know these things.”

Truthfully, she was almost never wrong on the feelings between a man and a woman. Yet I couldn’t help but think,
there’s a first time for everything.
No matter what, I wouldn’t hold my breath on this one.

As we drove around, she continued to milk me for info. “Why don’t you think he could feel the same way about you?” She arched a brow. “Has he said something?”

Awesome. As if I would ever divulge Nik’s secrets.
Like you know them.
Well, I knew enough of them to know he was still very much in love with his late wife. Oh, he craved me as much as I did him. But that was not love. I answered, “Not in so many words. Call it female intuition.”

She pulled over beside a park and faced me. “Cut the crap. What’s really goin’ on here?”

I got out of the car and began to walk. She strode beside me as I organized some of my thoughts. I finally stopped mid-stride and challenged, “Do you think I should go through with the wedding?”

Her eyes widened with surprise. “Little late for that question, don’t ya think?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what to think anymore.” I threw my hands up in the air and pointed out, “This is the twenty-first century.”

“Um…’kay.” She countered, “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

Frustrated, I replied, “This is what women did in centuries past.”

“Not sure I’m following your train of thought here, Aims.” Her face was pinched in confusion.

Dammit. How to articulate it? I sighed, “What I mean is, women don’t get married this day and time for protection.”

“Alright, I see where you’re goin’ with this. You mean in the past it was status quo, right?”

I emphatically nodded. “Exactly.”

“But
you
love him.” She added, “So, I’d say you’re marrying him for all the right reasons.”

I marched away from her, too angry to speak at the moment. As she followed, I queried, “Shouldn’t he love me in return? I mean, aren’t I lying by omission if I don’t tell him my true feelings?”

She grabbed my shoulders and turned me towards her. “You listen to me, Aimee, and listen well. He
does
have strong feelings for you. Give him time to realize just how magnificent you truly are.”

I pulled out of her grasp and scoffed, “I can’t, Renée.”

She shook her head. “I appreciate the fact you’re humble. I do. But you deserve happiness. More than
anyone
I know.” She grasped my hands. “I have a feeling he does as well. I think you two were made for each other.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” I could hear the sadness in my voice. Would she?

“Which part? His happiness or being made for one another?”

It was my turn to grab her by the shoulders. As I declared, “No one deserves happiness more than
Nik
.”

Her brows rose to her hairline. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Not my story to share,” I conveyed.

“Fair enough,” she ceded. “You actually believe in coincidences?”

“No. You know better than that.”

“Then there you go. You were meant to be,” she reiterated.

I shook my head and slightly chuckled, “Your way of reasoning leaves a lot to be desired.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t argue with me. Can you?”

No, I really couldn’t. And the last thing I wanted was to stand there and fight over something like that. Instead, I threw my arms around her. “I love you.”

She hugged me hard. “Right back attcha.”

We began to stroll back towards the car. Once we were back inside and traveling to my parents’ house, I said, “Thank you for everything, Ren.”

“Not a problem, Aims.”

*****

A little while later, we walked into the house I’d grown up in. I couldn’t help but notice all the people I had known since childhood were there. My eyes widened in surprise as I leaned in and whispered, “Renée, did you know about this?”

“Nope. Looks like your mom and dad wanted to throw a little party for you.”

When we rounded the corner, I smacked right into my fiancé. I studied his face to see if there was anger there and then greeted, “Hi.”

“’Bout time you got here,” he declared as he cupped my face with his hands.

My heart was beating so hard I could barely hear anyone in the room. What the?!

Without warning, his lips, strong yet gentle, were on mine. Oh, boy. That was our actual first kiss, although it ended way too soon. I stared up at him breathless. His smile reached his eyes as he murmured, “I missed you,” against my ear.

Dazed and confused, I stood there blinking like an idiot for a few moments before I finally responded, “Did you, now?”

His chuckle was deep and low. “Ah, Aimee. You have no idea,” he seductively proclaimed.

I bit my lip. Goodness he was sexy as hell like this. I swallowed hard. “Well, we’re together now.”

Before he could answer, my mom walked up with two glasses of champagne. She gave each of us one as she glanced over at my dad and nodded. Dad announced, “May I have everyone’s attention.”

Everyone turned collectively to look at us. He continued, “Here’s to our lovely daughter, Aimee, and her soon to be husband, Nik. Cheers.”

With that everyone toasted. Then Nik whispered, “Game on,” so low only I could hear.

I almost spat my drink out. Once I recovered, I quickly and playfully retorted, “Bring it.”

He shook his head and then bent down to place his lips against mine. Without pulling away, he suggestively stated, “Mm, what
I
can bring
you
.”

Well, hell. When I vowed not to jump him until our wedding night, he just had to go and say that. He would pay dearly for getting me all hot and bothered like this. As he grinned at me, I knew he was well aware of my inner turmoil. Yep, pay backs a bitch. I smiled demurely and took another sip. Game was most definitely on.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Nik

My feelings for her were unmistakable. Aimee was witty and playful, and the sexiest woman I’d ever seen. By this time tomorrow evening, she would be mine. Mine forever. Reality hit hard, I really wanted this. I waited a beat to see what my head had to say about that. Nothing. A strange peace settled over me with the insight. While my heart still ached for Rachel, it was amenable with the feelings I had developed for Aimee. I knew now I was in love with her. How would I
convince
her? She knew how much I had loved my late wife—still did actually. Would she believe I could love them both? Guess my job from here on out was to make sure Aimee
knew
I was more than capable of cherishing her for the rest of our lives.

As I looked up, my brothers entered the room. I smiled while I strode towards them. They both stared at me like I had just grown another head when I hugged each one in turn. I chuckled, “What?”

Alex quirked a brow. “Nik, everything all right?”

E chimed in, “Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?”

At their inquisition, I threw my head back and laughed hard. Once I got myself under control, I replied, “I’m great. Last time I checked, I was still Nik.” I wrapped an arm around each of them. “Thank you for being here with me.”

E recovered first. “You’re really okay with all of this, aren’t you?”

“Yep, sure am.”

Alex shook his head. “I’ll be damned. You’re fessing up to your feelings for her.”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. And there was no way I would deny it. “Weren’t you the one who noticed it first?”

“Yeah. But still…”

E stated, “No one thought you’d realize it.”

I put my hand over my heart playfully. “Ouch. That hurts.”

They both grinned.

Alex affirmed, “We’re happy for you, Nik.”

“Seriously. We are,” E confirmed.

“Thanks.” I gazed at them intently, holding back the emotions that tried to emerge. “I owe you both an apology.” I shook my head. “No. I owe so much more than that. But I’ll start there. I’m sorry.”

I watched both of my brothers fight their own emotions, which was difficult. But the knowledge that I’d caused it, downright unbearable. In unison they answered, “Apology accepted.”

And then, my knees buckled. They were right there to hold me up. Just like always. What would I have done without them? They had been my foundation for so long now. I’m not a man of many words. Though I knew actions would speak louder. Once again, I hugged them hard. In front of all those people, I was actually thawing. No longer full of ice. My brothers were all I had left. And like a fool, I’d wasted so much time pushing them away. Silently I prayed,
thank you for them.
Thank you for second chances.

As Aimee approached, I knew she belonged in my family. I embraced her with all I had, nuzzling her hair.
Man, she smells good.
She whispered, “You okay?”

I couldn’t answer her, so I nodded. Then my brothers shocked me as they wrapped their arms around us.

Alex whispered, “Welcome, little sister.”

E continued, “Nice to have a girl in the family.”

We all began to laugh.

It felt good.

It felt right.

Rest of the night was a blur. There was no way I would remember all the people I’d met at the party. One thing was certain, Aimee was well loved. Made me understand why she couldn’t tell them the truth about herself. I had every intention of making sure her secret stayed safe. Not wanting anyone to accidentally stumble upon what her occupation had been for the past few years. And I definitely didn’t want Reynolds to leak the info. Alex would make sure no one would ever connect the dots. Paid to have an attorney for a brother.

When I stood back and watched my fiancée with her father, my heart melted. I got it. I really did. There wasn’t
anything
I wouldn’t do for my family. The realization only made me love her more. A small voice in my head whispered
you deserve happiness.
I couldn’t agree with that. Though, I shouldn’t have been surprised I could still hear Rachel after all this time. She had made sure I knew she was at peace with me moving on long ago. I didn’t quite see it that way at the time. But now…I did.

Once Aimee broke away from her dad, I beelined towards her. “How’re you holding up?” I asked as I put my hands on her waist and pulled her close.

She sighed, “Good, but tired.” She wrapped her arms around my middle. “How ‘bout you?”

“Better, now.”

She narrowed her eyes as she inquired, “How so?”

I leaned down to speak in her ear. “I’m holding you. Nothing’s better than that.”

She blinked several times. With her eyes shining, she responded, “What changed?”

Should’ve known my smart girl would put it together sooner rather than later. “Would you believe me if I told you, I had a wake-up call?”

“From whom?”

“Let’s just say, you’re not the only one who can put two and two together,” I replied.

Her eyes narrowed. “Did something happen in Chicago that you’d like to share with me?”

I rubbed my nose against hers. “Sort of.” She pulled back and stared at me. So I expounded, “I’ll have to show you myself. If that’s okay?”

She nodded and snuggled into my chest. It felt right to have her against me. I kissed the top of her head. I was about to drop the L-bomb when Renée interrupted.

“Hate to bother you guys, but it’s time to leave, Aims.”

“Give me just a sec,” Aimee replied.

Renée politely stepped back out of hearing range.

Aimee looked up at me. “I’m sorry I have to go.”

“So am I.” I hugged her a little tighter and fought the urge to haul her off in my arms.
Possessive much?

“I have my cell phone if you wanna text me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s allowed?”