Honeysuckle Dreams

by Denise Hunter

  “How long are you staying?” He didn’t care if he was being rude. She’d never shown much interest in him and his life. Why start now?

  April tilted her head at him, her eyes going soft. “I know I haven’t been around much for you. I did what was best for you, though. My sister was a good mother to you, wasn’t she?”

  He gave his head a shake. That’s it? All’s well that ends well?

  The server stopped by to check on them and asked April if she wanted anything.

  “Oh, no, I’m not staying long.”

  Thank God for small favors.

  Hope pulled Brady’s hand into her lap. “Where are you staying while you’re in town, Mrs. Russell?”

  “You can call me April, hon.” Her gaze shifted back to Brady. “What’s become of Mom’s place?”

  “Granny left the orchard to Zoe. She and her daughter live there now.” His tone clearly said she wouldn’t be welcome there.

  “Oh my, everyone’s just grown up so fast. I’m not sure where I’ll be staying just yet. I guess I hadn’t thought that far.”

  “I’m sure you can find an old friend who’ll put you up,” Brady said. He sure wasn’t having a drug addict under the same roof with his son.

  “Probably right.”

  He could tell she was disappointed, but the safety of his family came first. Besides, she had no right to expect anything from him. He felt a prick of guilt. He should have more compassion. Like it or not, she was his mother, and drug addiction was a horrible disease.

  April looked between Brady and Hope. “So how long y’all been married?”

  “Only a month,” Hope said. “We got married August twenty-fifth.”

  “Oh, I wish I’d known! I was just down Roswell way. I could’ve come back for it.”

  “If only you’d kept your phone,” Brady said, his ire getting the better of him.

  A thoughtful frown pinched April’s forehead as her gaze drifted over to the baby and back to Hope.

  “It was a beautiful wedding,” Hope said. “We went to Gatlinburg for our honeymoon.”

  Hope started prattling on about their trip, and April listened attentively, making appropriate comments.

  Brady was grateful for the distraction. He started on his burger, which was now lukewarm and not the least bit appetizing. Hope ate between comments and broke off tiny pieces of her sandwich for Sam.

  “So what are you doing for work these days, Brady?” April asked when her conversation with Hope petered out. “You must be out of college, I’m guessing.”

  “For several years now.”

  “My, how time flies.”

  Especially when you were high as a kite.

  “He owns his own business.” Hope looked at him with pride. “He works on supercars, and he’s built up quite a name for himself around here.”

  Heat prickled the back of his neck. Part of him—the little boy who still needed his mom’s approval—wanted April to know he was doing well for himself. Another part of him didn’t think she deserved to know anything at all.

  “Oh my word,” April said. “Supercars . . . I don’t even know what those are exactly, but it surely sounds exciting.”

  “They’re the really expensive ones,” Hope said. “Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche . . . You name it. He’s the best at what he does.”

  Brady gave Hope a look. She was laying it on thick. “All right.”

  “That sounds amazing,” April said. “College really paid off for you, huh?”

  “Sure.” Actually, college hadn’t done much other than appease his dad and give him a little business sense. He’d learned cars by working on them. By being a little obsessed with them. But April wanted to justify giving her son away to her sister.

  The band kicked up another song, and the noise level went up several decibels, making conversation more difficult.

  April hitched her purse strap onto her shoulder. “Well, I just dropped by to say howdy and let you know I was in town. I’ll leave you two to your supper and your friends. Maybe we can get together soon.”

  “Sure,” he said.

  A moment later, as April was striding toward the door, Brady realized she’d never said how long she was going to be in town.

  chapter twenty-two

  Hope watched Brady as he took a bite of his burger, his eyes going to the band onstage. His mom had just slipped out of the Rusty Nail.

  “Are you all right?” she said over the music.

  “I’m fine.”

  He didn’t seem fine. His face was an enigmatic mask, and his hand shook as he took a sip of his Coke.

  Beside her, Sammy slapped the table with his palms. “Ba-ba-ga-da!”

  Hope broke off tiny bites of her grilled cheese and put them on his plate. She tried to imagine how Brady might be feeling. She’d never been abandoned by a parent, but she’d studied the subject. And having that parent suddenly slip back into his life as if she’d never left had to stir up some major hurt. He couldn’t have an appetite after what he’d just been through, but he kept eating. Maybe he didn’t know what else to do.

  “You want to go? I can take off the rest of the night.” He didn’t need to be alone tonight, and Alan Morgan was on the clock. He’d filled in for her a time or two.

  If Brady heard her, he gave no indication. His eyes hadn’t left the stage. The lead singer, Rawley, broke into the chorus of a rousing country tune. A cheer came from the room behind them where a pool game was underway.

  She touched his arm. “Brady.”

  He turned her way, and she nearly melted at the vulnerable look in his eyes. But they shuttered almost instantly.

  “Why don’t we go home? It’s almost Sam’s bedtime anyway.”

  Brady normally hung around until closing, Sammy often falling asleep in his arms or on the way home, but she sensed he needed to decompress.

  “You have to work.”

  “Alan can fill in. It’s just a few hours.”

  “Okay, sure.” He tossed some bills onto the table and pushed back.

  “Hey, man . . .” Jack leaned closer. “You all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Well . . . if you need to talk, my door’s always open.”

  “Yeah,” Brady said. “Thanks. We’re going to take off now.”

  Five minutes later they got into Brady’s car. He’d dropped Hope off at work earlier so they could ride home together. He drove them through town and headed down the road that took them to his place. He’d quietly put Sam into his car seat and hadn’t said a word since.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  He gave a dry laugh. “I don’t even know what to say.”

  “It must be confusing to have her turn up so suddenly and show an interest.”

  His hands gripped the steering wheel. “On the contrary, that’s what I’ve come to expect from her.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  It didn’t take a psychology course to see his walls were up high where April was concerned. And who could blame him? Self-preservation demanded it. Hope wondered if talking about it might help.

  “I don’t know much about what happened back then. She was young when she got pregnant with you, wasn’t she?”

  “Eighteen. But she slept around so much she didn’t even know who my father was. She was pretty wild. I’m sure my grandparents weren’t too happy about the pregnancy, but they let her stay. They supported her.”

  “She didn’t do drugs while she was pregnant, did she?”

  “No, that started after I was born. She was in a car accident—I was actually in the car too. But she didn’t have her seat belt on, and she broke a couple of ribs. They put her on narcotics, and she got hooked.”

  “Oh, that’s terrible.”

  “Once she couldn’t get refills of her pain meds, she found suppliers and eventually moved on to harder stuff. She started going out a lot, neglecting me, and my grandparents figured it out. They
confronted her, but by then she was too far gone. She didn’t want their help.”

  “How did the Collinses end up adopting you?”

  “There was some big blowup over the drugs, and April left town with her friends. My grandparents had the orchard to run, and it was harvest season. Mom and Dad had recently married, and Mom took over my care. When April came back months later they convinced her to sign rights over to them. I found out several years ago that my parents actually paid her off. Nice, huh? My birth mom sold me to her sister.”

  An ache bloomed inside of Hope. Drug addicts weren’t capable of caring about anything but their next high, but hearing that wouldn’t ease Brady’s hurt.

  It was impossible to read his face in the darkened car. “I’m so sorry. I’m sure Zoe’s mom was totally smitten with you and willing to do whatever was necessary to keep you.”

  “She was a good mom,” he said wistfully “I was blessed to have her.”

  But she didn’t think he was feeling very blessed at the moment. Mrs. Collins had died in a bicycle accident on a family spring break trip out in California. The mom who loved him was gone, and the one who didn’t wouldn’t go away.

  When they pulled up to the house, Brady got out of the car and took Sam from his seat.

  “Want me to put him down?” she said.

  “I’ll do it.”

  She watched Brady carry the sleepy baby up the stairs. It wouldn’t take him long. Sam had already had his bath, and he had a full belly. He only needed a diaper change and a fresh sleeper.

  Hope flipped on the TV, and a few minutes later Brady padded down the stairs. He looked tired in the yellow glow of lamplight, his shoulders slumped, his steps slow.

  He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking beaten. His arms hung down at his sides, and he looked around as if wondering how he’d gotten there.

  “You okay?” Everything in her wanted to erase the forlorn look from his face.

  His gaze swung to her as if just noticing her presence. “Yeah. I, ah, think I’ll just go to bed, though.”

  She pulled her feet onto the sofa. “But it’s barely after nine.”

  He gave her a wan smile. “I’m not good company tonight, Hope.”

  “Well, I’m not expecting you to entertain me,” she said softly. She patted the sofa. “Come on. Let’s watch a movie or something.”

  He shifted, looking undecided.

  “I DVRed While You Were Sleeping recently. You could learn about leaning.”

  When the corner of his lips turned up, it felt like a major win. “I confess I’m still curious.”

  She smiled at him. “Come on, then. I saved you a seat.”

  While he made his way to the sofa, Hope found the movie and started it. She turned out the lamp.

  “Want some popcorn?” she asked as he settled beside her, slumping down in the fluffy leather sofa.

  “No, thanks.”

  “Sammy settle down all right?”

  “Yeah, he’ll be out like a light.”

  “You’re not going to fall asleep, are you?”

  “Depends how lame the movie is.”

  She nudged him with her elbow. “It’s not lame. It’s one of my favorites.”

  He gave her a skeptical look. “Didn’t you also like You’ve Got Mail?”

  She gasped. “That’s a classic!”

  Brady’s lips twitched, probably at the affronted look on her face. He relaxed into the sofa, his shoulder coming to rest against hers. “When does the leaning part come up?”

  “It’s a ways in. Just stick with it.”

  The movie started, and they both grew silent as they followed the plot. Lucy, a lonely token taker on Chicago’s rail system, rescues Peter from the track and is mistaken for his fiancée at the hospital. While Peter’s in a coma the family takes her in, and she connects with his brother, Jack.

  Hope peeked over at Brady a few times. His eyes remained opened and focused on the TV. His face looked relaxed in the flickering glow of the screen’s light. When the “leaning” scene came, his gaze sharpened, the moment onscreen drawing out with sexual tension.

  Brady’s eyes flickered briefly over to hers, hanging for a long moment. But a moment later he turned back to the screen.

  The rest of the movie passed quickly. Hope’s eyes stung when Jack finally kissed Lucy. Didn’t matter how many times she’d seen it, she still went all mushy inside. The credits began to roll, and that’s when Hope realized Brady was watching her instead of the TV screen.

  “What?” she said.

  “That was enlightening.”

  “Does that mean you liked it?”

  “It wasn’t as lame as I expected.” He shifted until he faced her, placing his elbow on the sofa behind her head. His face was in the shadows now, but she read his intent in his body language. In the subtle shift of his focus.

  “So,” he said softly, his breath a whisper on her skin. “This leaning thing . . .”

  “You, uh, seem to have it down pretty well there, Collins.”

  “‘It implies wanting . . . and accepting,’” he quoted.

  “That about sums it up,” she whispered. “You’re a quick study.”

  He moved closer, their lips almost touching but not quite. Her heart pounded against her ribs. The spicy scent of his cologne beckoned her.

  “Do those things apply only to the leaner or also to the leanee?”

  “I, um, think we can assume it applies to both.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  He closed the distance between them, and her pulse fluttered as their lips came together. He was in no hurry, kissing her like they had all night.

  Her hand slid up the hard curve of his bicep, past his shoulder, and threaded into his short, soft hair. Then she felt his hand under her, and she went weightless as he scooped her into his lap. She sank into his solid chest, relishing his reverent touch.

  Oh mama. Her husband was good at this kissing stuff. He could narrow her world to just the two of them in ten seconds flat. Make her forget where she was. Who she was.

  A moment later an unwelcome sound filtered into her brain, and the external world came crashing back in. Sam was fussing, his cries growing more insistent through the baby monitor behind her.

  She and Brady parted, their breath coming heavily between them. He leaned his forehead against hers, groaning.

  She concurred.

  “I’ll get him,” they said at the same time.

  Giving him a shaky smile, she palmed his face, loving the feel of his raspy jaw. He’d had a rough night. Had a lot on his mind and needed some time to process everything.

  She kissed his forehead. “You go on to bed. He probably just needs a little cuddling.”

  She sank into his chest as his lungs emptied on a heavy sigh. “You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Thanks. Take some Tylenol with you just in case.”

  She reluctantly eased off his lap, wishing she could recapture the last few minutes. “This teething stuff is for the birds.”

  “For everyone involved.” He flipped off the TV, and the room went dark except for the glow from the stove. “Night, Hope.”

  “Night, Brady.” When she turned partway up the stairs, he was still watching her.

  chapter twenty-three

  The next week passed uneventfully. Hope was sure Brady was relieved that his mom hadn’t come around. Zoe had seen her at the grocery store, but other than that, she seemed to be keeping a low profile. Hope was caught between wishing the woman would slip quietly out of town and wanting her to make a real connection with Brady. But if she was still on drugs, that was pointless.

  Hope still hadn’t heard from the oldies station and was starting to feel discouraged. Brady tried to reassure her, but surely they’d interviewed the guy from Chicago by now. She wished Diana had given her some kind of time line.

  She’d called her parents earlier in the week and caught up. April’s reappearance made
Hope appreciate them in a fresh way. They weren’t as close as she’d like, certainly not geographically, but they loved her and made sure she knew it.

  She snapped the legs on Sam’s outfit and scooped him up from the changing table. Heather was going to pick him up in an hour so he could spend the weekend with his grandparents.

  With only a week left before Zoe and Cruz’s wedding, there were a million details to be handled. The couple was having their bachelor and bachelorette parties tomorrow. The boys were taking a road trip to see the Braves play, and the girls were going to Spaaaah! in Chattanooga to be pampered within an inch of their lives. Afterward they were going out for a tame but undoubtedly fun night on the town. It would be good to have some girl time.

  “What else do you need in your bag, huh, punkin?”

  Sammy tugged at her ear. “Ba-ba-ba!”

  “I’ve already got Boo Bear. How about your paci? Your clothes, your bibs . . . Do you want your blankie?”

  “Ba-boo!”

  “Yes, you do!” She swept up his favorite blanket and tucked it in the bag, giving Sammy neck kisses until he laughed.

  He babbled happily. Tylenol. She needed to stick that in the bag too, and she needed the teething ring from the freezer.

  She bopped down the stairs, purposely bouncing Sam the way he liked. After shutting the gate at the bottom of the stairs, she set him down on the living room floor and went into the kitchen.

  The savory smells of garlic and oregano filled the room. She had a new recipe in the Crock-Pot. Later, Brady was taking her out for dessert at the Blue Moon Grill. He’d offered to take her out for a supper date, but she still felt guilty for spending all that money on the heels and purse. She was determined to stick to their new budget.

  She was retrieving the teether from the freezer when a knock sounded at the door. Heather already? It was way too early.

  She peeked through the screen door and saw April standing on the stoop. Her dark hair was pulled back into a braid again, and her eyes scanned the outside of the house before they lighted on Hope.

  “April,” Hope said. “I wasn’t—was Brady expecting you?”

  “No, honey, I was just in the neighborhood.”