Brody (3 page)

“If you don’t stop, I will kick you out, you know.”

He pouted, making me smile. When he wasn’t busy being sexy, he was often adorable, which was part of the reason he was so impossible to resist.

“You wouldn’t do that, would you?”

“Don’t tempt me,” I warned, thrusting the can of whipped cream at him. “You do the honors while I grab a robe. If we’re going to talk, you’re not going to be ogling me while we do.”

“Aw,” he groaned. “You’re no fun.”

I smacked his ass on the way past. “Now we both know that’s not true.”

I returned a few minutes later, my hair and teeth brushed, a short black cotton robe covering my sleepwear. He’d seen it all before, but this was different. Tonight I was his friend. His confidante. Not his girlfriend or lover.

“Thank you,” I said when he passed me an oversized mug filled to the brim with whipped cream. “Let’s go into the living room. Oh wait, are you hungry? I could fix a snack.”

“I don’t feel like eating, but thanks.”

When I turned on the overhead light in the living room, I noticed the dark smudges under Brody’s eyes. This definitely wouldn’t be the first night he’d lost sleep. I knew tonight’s watch could be attributed to his father, but what about the others? Was it possible he’d been thinking about me, or had he just been too busy having a good time to sleep? The latter wouldn’t surprise me.

He sat on one end of my small gray sofa while I sat on the other, facing him.

“So what else did your dad say, aside from the fact you have two more brothers?”

“Two half-brothers.” He frowned into his hot chocolate before he took a sip. “He said he got remarried. He claims he’s on the wagon.”

“You don’t believe him?”

“How can I? He’s a lying dirtbag. When I think of all the times he told my mom he was working when he was really at some poker game…” He scowled, gripping the mug a little tighter.

I rested my hand on his knee. “And you don’t believe it’s possible he has changed?”

“If it’s possible, if he did change for them, what does that say about us?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, inching a little closer.

“They were worth changing for. We apparently weren’t.”

“Brody, you don’t know that. Maybe you and your mom and brothers were the catalyst for his change. Maybe he was so ashamed of the way he treated you, he knew he needed help.”

“Do you really believe people can change?” His question was barely audible.

I knew we weren’t talking about his father anymore. He wanted to know if I believed
he
could change. “Sure, I believe people can change. If they want to.”

“What if they want to but don’t know how?”

“Then I guess they need help,” I said, trying to tread carefully. I wanted, more than anything, to believe Brody was ready to change, but I couldn’t risk getting hurt again. I couldn’t pin all of my hopes and dreams on something that would never materialize. “Maybe someone to mentor them?”

“He said he had a sponsor,” Brody said, staring straight ahead at the flat-screen TV tucked into a creamy wood wall unit I’d had made. “That’s how he got sober. He met this guy who ran a boarding house. A vet, I guess, who suffered from PTSD.”

“Really?” I was surprised Brody had learned so much about the life his father had been living for the past two decades. I would have expected him to kick his dad out before he’d had the chance to plead his case.

“Yeah, my old man seems to think he’s suffering from the same. PTSD.”

I frowned. “I don’t remember you telling me he was in the military.”

Brody rolled his eyes. “That coward in the military? Are you kidding?”

“Then how—”

“His old man used to beat the hell out of him.”

“Oh,” I said, diverting my gaze. I could tell Brody was trying to come to terms with what he’d learned, trying to decide whether he could believe his father’s claim that he’d been victimized long before he became a husband and parent.

“Yeah.” He blew out a breath before tilting his head back to the look at the ceiling. “So what the hell am I supposed to do with that? I mean, why did he even tell me? So I would feel sorry for him, cut him some slack?”

I took the mug from his hands and set it on the end table. “Maybe he just wanted you and your brothers to understand why he wasn’t able to be the father you needed.”

“I can’t tell them about this.” He tipped his head toward me, his eyes capturing mine. “You think I should tell them I saw him? Would they want to know?”

I knew Brody’s family almost as well as my own, but I couldn’t answer that question. He had to decide for himself. “I don’t know. If Ryker had been the one to see him, to learn about what he’d been up to the past twenty-plus years, would you want to know?”

“No.” He closed his eyes before reaching for my free hand. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“You don’t have to decide anything tonight. Sleep on it. You’ll know what to do in the morning.”

“Thanks for letting me crash here tonight.” He brought my hand to his lips.

“You’re welcome.” I knew if I’d needed someone, he’d have been there for me.

“I should let you get some sleep.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

After the passionate kisses we’d shared, this one confused me, even though I knew he was just trying to respect my boundaries. “Yeah, good night, Brody.”

Riley

After waking up to a homemade breakfast and freshly brewed coffee, thanks to my handsome house guest, I was trying to focus on work. It wasn’t easy when I imagined Brody making himself comfortable at my place.

I frowned, jumping up when I heard a familiar voice chatting with my assistant outside my office door. Could it be…?

“Oh my God, Macy! What are you doing here?”

My kid sister giggled before launching herself into my waiting arms. “I wanted to surprise you. Surprise!”

I held her at arm’s length, grinning from ear to ear. I hadn’t seen her in over a year, and I’d forgotten just how powerful her infectious laugh and smile were. She’d always been able to light up any room she walked into, even when we were kids. If there was one thing I needed now, it was a little light in my life.

“Get in here,” I said, wrapping my arm around her as I ushered her inside my office. “I thought you had so many performances booked. How’d you get away?”

Macy was a singer/songwriter who performed in an up-and-coming duo with her long-time boyfriend, Brendan. I was still amazed no one had signed them to a lucrative record deal, but according to my sister, Nashville was one of the hardest places to make it big.

“He has laryngitis, so we had to cancel a few shows,” she explained. “Hopefully he’ll be good to go when I get back and we can reschedule them.”

I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something didn’t seem right. I sat on the sofa where I often chatted with clients during intake interviews, and gestured to the chair next to me. “Sit. I want to hear about what you and Brendan have been up to.”

She sat in the oversized chair, looking like more of a little girl than a grown woman as she kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her. She had fair, delicate features and wide blue eyes. But at five one, she always joked if they ever came up with a pill to enhance height, she’d ask to be their first guinea pig.

“We’ve been busy with work,” she said, biting her clear-polished nail. That habit dated back to childhood and still drove our mother crazy whenever she witnessed it.

“And…?” I knew they’d leased a bigger apartment. I had expected to hear that they loved the new place and were slowly filling it with treasures from their travels. “How’s the new place?”

“It’s okay, I guess,” she said, shrugging. “There’s more closet space, which is always a good thing.”

Macy was one of the happiest, most upbeat people I knew. I’d never heard her sound so… flat.

“Is everything okay with you and Brendan?” I asked, leaning forward to grip her knee. “Is that the real reason you’re here, honey? Are you guys having problems?”

She sighed. “You know how it is when you’ve been with a guy for a long time, sis. It just gets harder and harder to keep the spark alive.”

That had never been a problem with Brody. Heat had always simmered beneath the surface when we were in the same room. Our problems ran much deeper than lack of physical chemistry. “Have you tried talking to him about it?”

“I have,” she said, sounding frustrated. “And he tells me that I expect too much. I don’t know, maybe he’s right.”

“Mace, you should never feel as though you’re settling. If you’re not happy with him anymore—”

“It’s not that easy,” she said, running a hand through her long, wavy hair. “We work together. Without him as a partner and collaborator, I’m not sure what would happen to my career.”

Macy was one of the most talented people I knew. Not only did she have an amazing voice, but she wrote beautiful music and played several instruments. They’d been supporting themselves by selling their songs since moving to Nashville. Several had been recorded by top country music artists and topped the charts, paying them a tidy residual.

“You can do anything you set your mind to,” I reminded her. “If it comes down to it, you’ll pursue your dream on your own. I know you love Brendan. He’s been a part of your life for the past six years. But don’t think for a second that you couldn’t do it without him.”

“He doesn’t think I could,” she said, her bright blue eyes brimming with emotion. “And I don’t know. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I couldn’t do it without him, sis. He’s the one who motivates me, ya know?”

I couldn’t deny that Macy hadn’t always been the most self-motivated person. She’d dropped out of college after a year, claiming she didn’t need a degree to be a musician and didn’t want to waste any more of our parents’ money.

“But if you want it badly enough, you’ll be motivated to carry on without him. Come on, I watched you teach yourself how to play guitar at thirteen. It took you months, but you got the hang of it. You didn’t give up, because you were hooked. Music is a part of you.”

“It is,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “But the grind is starting to get to me. Playing a different bar or club every night. Going out on the road with other bands, trying to make a name for ourselves. Some days it feels like we’re making headway, but other days it feels like we’re just spinning our wheels.”

I could relate. Starting my own business had been one of the hardest things I’d ever done. It took me at least two years before I gained traction and turned a decent profit. But I didn’t give up on my dream, and I couldn’t imagine my sister wasting her talent either.

“Maybe you just need a little break,” I suggested. “From Brendan and from music. Have you thought about coming home for a couple of months?”

“It’s not that easy,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “We have a lease, and Brendan can’t or won’t do gigs without me. Besides, we both rely on the income from those gigs to survive.”

Their lives really were inextricably linked, even more so than those of some married couples, and I couldn’t help but wonder whether Macy was only staying with him because she felt trapped. “You could both still write music, even if you’re apart for a while, right? Selling a couple of songs might give you some breathing room.”

“Song writing has always been a collaborative effort for us. I can’t imagine doing it without him.”

I frowned, disturbed that my strong sister, who’d always had a stubborn streak, now seemed to believe she was dependent upon a man to do something that had once come so naturally to her. “You haven’t always had Brendan in your life, Mace. You wrote songs before you met him.”

“Yeah, but I never sold any of them. They weren’t good enough.”

“Who told you they weren’t good enough? I’ve heard them. They were amazing!”

Why was she selling herself short? Who’d given her the impression she wasn’t good enough? Brendan? If it was him, I’d be on the next plane to Nashville to knock some sense into him. No one treated my baby sister that way!

“Enough about me,” she said, hiding her face in her hands as she shook her head furiously. “I’m sick to death of my problems. Tell me what’s going on with you. Have you heard from Stephan since you broke up?”

“Please, I don’t want to talk about him any more than you want to talk about Brendan.”

“Okay, how about Brody? Has he come to his senses yet?”

“As a matter of fact, there is some news on that front.” It was impossible to keep anything from Macy. She would have known I was trying to hide something if I didn’t spill my guts. “He showed up at my place last night.”

Macy clapped her hand over her mouth as she stared at me, wide-eyed. “Shut. Up! Did you sleep with him?”

“No, of course not.” Not that I wasn’t tempted. “We just talked.” And kissed a little. Including one scorching good-bye kiss that left me wondering whether he’d be waiting for me to get home so we could pick up where we’d left off. He hadn’t said whether he had to head back to Vegas, and I’d been afraid to ask. I didn’t want to make it seem as though we were settling back into a relationship where we owed it to each other to check in and clear our plans with each other.

“About your relationship?”

“No, about his dad.” I didn’t think Brody would mind if I confided in my sister. He always turned to his brothers when he needed advice, and he knew my sister and I did the same. “Apparently Jack came to see him in Vegas, and Brody was having a hard time dealing with it. He needed someone to talk to, and I tried to be there for him. End of story.”

Macy raised a brow. “Nothing with you and Brody is ever that cut and dried.”

“Well, this time it was,” I said, shrugging. “I know him better than anyone, aside from his family, and he wasn’t ready to talk to them about this. He’s not sure they’d want to know he talked to their father, so he thought he should get an unbiased opinion.”

“You do know how weird it is for a guy to turn to his ex-girlfriend when he needs support, don’t you?”

“It’s not like I invited him to call me if he needed to talk. But I couldn’t very well turn him away when he turned up at my door in the middle of the night.”