If Only In My Dreams (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Book 5)

by Calhoune, Belle

  Delilah got up from her seat and grasped Rose by the arm. She tugged at her until she stood up. “Leave it to me, my friend. I’ll make you look like a goddess. And you’ll look as natural as sunshine.”

  Normally she might reject Delilah’s offer, but in the past few weeks she’d been making a concentrated effort to look more eye pleasing. For so long she’d been hiding behind her glasses, over-sized outfits and unflattering hairstyles. It was her safe zone. But now it was time to switch things up a bit. It was time to stop allowing the past to determine her future. If she wanted love to find her, she might as well give it a slight nudge in her direction.

  **

  Rose rubbed her hands together as she walked with her son down Main Street towards Sweet Treats Bakery. The December wind cut a chill straight through her coat. Tiny snowflakes swirled around them, creating a beautiful wintry effect. The town square was so picturesque it could have been featured on a postcard. It was quaint and utterly lovely.

  “I’m so excited!” AJ said, looking up at her with bright brown eyes and a huge grin.

  “Good!” Rose said, reaching out and adjusting his hat so it covered his ears. “Little boys need a dose of excitement at least once a day.”

  Thank you, Brandon Donahue. Bless you for providing this moment of frivolity for AJ. Even though she’d signed her son up for every after school activity known to mankind, she hadn’t seen him smile like this in ages. For so long she’d viewed her boss as an icy, emotionless task master. How could she have been so wrong about him? She would be forever grateful for the bargain he’d made with her.

  “Mommy, do you think there are going to be samples for us to taste?” AJ was looking up at her with wide, expectant eyes. His little cheeks were flushed red from the cold.

  “I don’t know sweetness, but I imagine so considering it’s at a bakery.” She reached down and tweaked his nose. “That would be pretty sneaky of them to invite us to a bakery and not give us even a taste of their delectable treats, wouldn’t it?”

  AJ nodded his head. “Real sneaky. And your boss owns Sweet Treats, right?”

  “No, his family owns it. You do remember Mr. Donahue, don’t you?”

  AJ scrunched up his nose and squinted. “Kinda. It was a long time ago. I was five.”

  Rose chuckled. A year in her son’s young life seemed like an eternity. Last year she’d

  brought AJ into work for “bring your child to work day.” Brandon had been scheduled to leave the country that morning, but he’d made sure to arrange a wonderful mother-son lunch for her and AJ at the Four Seasons in Boston.

  It had been one of the nicest things her boss had ever done for her. Now that she thought about it, Brandon Donahue had always treated her very well. A stab of guilt pierced her insides as she recalled all the times she’d viewed him as arrogant and demanding. Judge not lest ye be judged. It was such a basic principle. Why hadn’t she extended that grace to her boss?

  As soon as they reached the bakery, Rose stopped and turned towards her son. “It’s really nice of Mr. Donahue to invite us to this event today, don’t you think?”

  AJ nodded his head vigorously as he gazed into the bakery’s storefront window. The Donahues had gone all out to create a festive window display. Cherubs hung in the air surrounded by an assortment of baked goods. As AJ peered in the window a huge grin broke out on his face, showcasing his missing two front teeth. Her heart threatened to shatter into a million pieces. Her son looked over the moon with joy.

  “Let’s go in, Mommy. I want to decorate a cupcake.”

  Rose looked down at her ugly sweater. It had sequin Christmas bears and lots of bejeweled presents on the front. Before she’d gotten the job with Brandon she’d done most of her shopping at Goodwill. She still shopped there on occasion, knowing the quality of the items was top-notch. She could never be a label snob or dismiss second hand items. Even if she won the lottery she’d still shop at consignment stores.

  She smiled at the sight of AJ in his ugly Christmas sweater that was peeking out of his down jacket. Rose grabbed her son by his mittened hand and pushed open the door of Sweet Treats bakery. The moment they stepped over the threshold, the heavenly aroma of baked goods rose to her nostrils. Suddenly she had a hankering for something sugary and gooey. The inside of the bakery was packed with people. For a moment she felt out of place, uncertain of being in the midst of such a big crowd of strangers.

  “Hello. Welcome to Sweet Treats.” A warm, soothing voice washed over her, immediately calming her fractured nerves. A beautiful woman with mocha skin, caramel colored eyes and auburn hair stood before them. She had a welcoming smile that seemed to mesmerize AJ. He was staring up at her as if she was a movie star. Rose covered her mouth to mask her low chuckle. Her little man was becoming such a little flirt. Beauty captured his attention every time. And this woman had it in spades.

  She held out her hand. “I’m Gabrielle. You must be Rose.” She winked at AJ. “And that makes you .AJ. Am I right?”

  Oh boy, Rose thought. If the look on her son’s face was any more rhapsodic, he’d be in a trance. “How did you know?” he said in a voice filled with wonder.

  Gabrielle bent down so that she was eye level with him. “Because Brandon told me you guys were coming. In a town this size I know most of the regulars. I guess you could call it process of elimination.”

  AJ slowly nodded his head. “Nice to meet you, Gabrielle.”

  Gabrielle reached out and tweaked him under his chin. “Are you ready to decorate some holiday cupcakes?”

  AJ looked around the bakery, his eyes widening at the sparkly Christmas tree in the corner. There was a table filled with children who were icing cupcakes and making a mess of things. The vibe thrumming in the air was one of frivolity and fellowship.

  “There’s Tommy!” he cried out, pointing at a tow-headed boy sitting at the end of the table. Hearing his name being called, Tommy looked up and began to wave frantically at AJ. “Can I go Mom?” he asked with pleading eyes.

  “Of course,” Rose said with an encouraging smile, watching as AJ darted off to meet up with his classmate.

  “Would you like to come into the back where the grownups are hanging out?” Gabrielle asked. “It’s pretty loud out here.”

  “Shouldn’t I stay here with AJ?” she asked, feeling a sense of worry growing inside her. Although she wouldn’t describe herself as a helicopter mom, she knew she was overprotective. As AJ’s sole parent, and his main caregiver, she always felt a heightened sense of responsibility for his well-being.

  Gabrielle reached out and touched her arm. “Trust me. He’s fine. We have some teens here who are working with them and they’ll make sure the kids are fine. One of them is even stationed by the door to make sure no one escapes.” She winked at Rose. “Not that any kid would willingly escape a bakery.”

  Rose laughed at the idea of it. Gabrielle was correct. These kids were in their glory, surrounded by the tastiest confections one could imagine. “You’re right. We’re pretty new in town, so I’m still figuring out the lay of the land,” she explained, feeling a little sheepish. Gabrielle waved her into the back of the bakery where a crowd of adults was gathered. Immediately, she spotted Brandon sticking out from the crowd due to his height and commanding air. Their gazes locked from across the room, and she watched with tightly held breath as he quickly made his way over toward her.

  “Hey, Rose. Glad you could make it.” He craned his neck towards the doorway. “I assume the little guy is out there getting sugar happy.” His smile was nice and easy. She almost didn’t recognize him. Brandon’s arms were resting at his sides. His expression was relaxed. He looked regular. As regular as someone as dashing as Brandon Donahue could look.

  Rose felt her lips twitching at the sight of his red and gold sweater. It had a huge Christmas tree right in the center surrounded by a herd of deer. He’d out uglied every other sweater in the place.

  “That might qualify as the ugliest Christmas sweater I�
��ve ever seen,” she said with a laugh.

  Brandon chuckled, his pearly white teeth contrasting nicely against his rich russet colored skin. “My Mom is one hundred percent responsible for that.” He glanced behind him. “Would you like to meet her? She’s been asking about you ever since you arrived in town.”

  Asking about her? Whatever for? She wondered. Rose was startled by the possibility of meeting Brandon’s mother. She didn’t know why since Maggie Donahue was the owner of Sweet Treats along with her husband. Duh! Of course she was here today for the holiday event. She’d probably been the one who’d organized the festivities.

  Rose bobbed her head. “O-of course, Brandon. I’d like to thank her for having us here today.”

  Brandon’s brows knit together. He lowered his head towards her. “My mother…she’s been diagnosed with vascular dementia, so there are times she gets a little confused. Just giving you a heads up in case anything comes up. Although today’s been a good day so far.”

  Vascular dementia? She’d heard of it before, but she didn’t know a lot about the condition. Brandon’s family sure had been through a lot of trials in the past few months. First his father’s stroke and now dementia. It was a lot for one family to bear. She would add Brandon’s mother to her prayer list.

  “Thanks for telling me,” she murmured, following behind Brandon as he led her towards the other side of the room. All eyes seemed to be on her as Brandon led her to a circle of people who were congregating near a side table overflowing with food. An attractive women with rosy cheeks and auburn hair tinged with gray smiled up at Brandon as he approached. The expression on her face shimmered with affection.

  “Mom. I want to finally introduce you to Rose. You’ve dealt with her on many occasions over the phone,” Brandon explained as he turned towards Rose. “Rose Maddock, meet my mother, Maggie Donahue.”

  Maggie spread her arms wide and stepped toward her. “Rose! Now I can finally put a face to the sweet voice I’ve been hearing over the phone all these years,” Maggie gushed. Before Rose could say a word, Maggie had enveloped her in a tight bear hug. Brandon’s mother smelled of peppermints and hot cocoa, two scents she adored. There was something so endearing about a woman who gave so much of herself in an embrace.

  “M-Maggie, s-she needs to br-breathe,” a voice said, seconds before Maggie released her from the hug. A man with salt and pepper hair and twinkling blue eyes reached for Maggie’s arm. He held out his hand to her. “I’m Alec Donahue, Brandon’s father. A pleasure to meet you.”

  “Thanks for having us,” she said smoothly, her thoughts straying to her son in the other room.

  Alec waved a hand in the air. “Thank you for coming. We love having holiday open house here. It makes us happy when this place is filled with love and laughter.” He winked at her. “And kids of course. Lots and lots of kids.”

  “Why don’t you get a plate and fill it with some goodies,” Maggie suggested. She placed her arm in the crook of Rose’s arm and walked her over to the table. Rose’s stomach voiced her approval as she laid eyes on a sampling of the most decedent pastries she’d ever seen.

  “She likes whoopie pies, Mom.” Brandon’s low, deep voice trailed after them.

  He remembered. Rose felt a jolt of happiness course through her veins. Uh oh. What was going on with her? What were these feelings flowing through her like a rushing river? Had they always been there, nestled under the surface? And how in the world was she going to act as if nothing had changed between them when it felt as if that little kiss they’d shared had changed everything.

  “I knew that I was going to ask Gabrielle to marry me when she met the whole Donahue family and didn’t blink an eye.” Remy Donahue

  Chapter Four

  Brandon felt a warmth spreading through his chest at the sight of Rose mingling with his family and the townsfolk of Breeze Point. He watched as she chatted amiably with his two sisters in law, Layla and Sarah. She seemed outgoing and at ease. He’d nearly rubbed his eyes when she’d walked into the back room with Gabrielle. She looked stunning. The hair. The slight application of makeup. The cute little holiday sweater and the form fitting jeans. She looked like a completely different person. Had she always looked so eye catching and he’d just never noticed it because she was his secretary?

  Well, her being your secretary didn’t stop you from kissing her! A little voice buzzed in his ear. Stop thinking about that kiss! It was a simple moment in time, never to be repeated again. What a colossal shame! Kissing Rose had been one of the most unexpected and interesting things to happen in his life in quite some time.

  Serendipity. It was a word he’d always loved. In life there were few things that were serendipitous. There were so few happy surprises. He couldn’t help but grin as he watched Blue come up behind Sarah and embrace her from behind, his hands draped across her gently swollen belly. He still couldn’t believe Blue was poised to be a father in a matter of months. And that Nick was a married man. Remy and Ryder were both engaged and soon to be wed. God really had been good to them, bringing joy to the family amidst the hardships and the sorrow.

  Nick. His youngest Donahue brother. He felt a pang of guilt pierce him at the thought of all the lost years between Nick and his wife, Layla. It was impossible to go back in time and support Nick’s decision to elope with Layla when he was a freshman in college, but if he could change the way he’d handled things, he would do so in a heartbeat. In many ways, Nick had symbolically taken the place of Lionel, the brother he’d so tragically lost. Protecting Nick had always been his priority. Because of Nick’s dyslexia, finishing college had been of vital importance to his future. As wrong as he’d been to convince Nick to change his plans, he knew if Nick had dropped out of college to marry Layla, his whole life would have been altered. Attending a college like Stanford had been an amazing and rewarding experience for Nick, particularly since he had excelled despite his language based learning challenges. It made him feel slightly better about things.

  Yet, he still felt guilty. He still felt the need to make amends, even though Nick had told him that everything between him and Layla had worked out the way it was meant to be. Each and every time Brandon was around Layla, he felt a twinge of discomfort. Did Layla know the role he’d played in busting up their relationship?

  “So, that’s the infamous Rose Maddock?” Brandon turned towards the slightly mocking tone of his brother, Wyatt. With his sandy blonde hair and sky blue eyes, Wyatt had the all- American good looks that went hand in hand with being a celebrated baseball player for the Bay State Bombers. His brother’s image had graced posters, billboards, books and cereal boxes. He was every kid’s hero. Women flocked to him like bees to honey. And after surgery for a torn meniscus and a lengthy recovery and daily physical therapy sessions, Wyatt was looking forward to getting back in his uniform.

  “Shh. Infamous doesn’t sound like a compliment. I don’t want her to hear you,” Brandon scolded, quickly darting his eyes in Rose’s direction.

  “So, what’s the story?” Wyatt asked. “Are you two dating or something?”

  “No, we’re not dating,” Brandon snapped. “She works for me.”

  Wyatt shrugged. “That doesn’t mean you can’t date her if it’s handled tastefully.”

  Nick walked up and snapped his fingers. “Oh, so that’s Rose Maddock, executive secretary extraordinaire.”

  “Will you guys lower your voices for once in your lives,” Brandon grumbled. “It will be awkward if she thinks we’re talking about her.”

  Nick made a face. “What’s the problem? I was complimenting her. After the way you’ve raved about her all these years I feel like I already know her.”

  “She’s easy on the eyes,” Wyatt said with a wink and a jab at Brandon’s elbow. Brandon glared at him. He didn’t like the whole wink wink, nudge nudge bit. Not when it was Rose they were talking about.

  “She sure is attractive,” Nick agreed. “A fact you’ve never once mentioned.”

  �
�Not a single time,” Wyatt noted.

  “That’s enough!” Brandon scolded. “She’s here with her son. I don’t feel right about talking about her when she’s ten feet away from us.”

  Mac walked up and let out a low whistle. “Sounds serious. You rebounded from Thalia quickly.”

  “We are not dating,” Brandon said through clenched teeth. “And I wondered how long it would take you Neanderthals to mention Thalia.” He swung his gaze around at his brothers. Each of them appeared to be holding back laughter. One of them snickered, then all three burst into hoots of laughter. Mac clutched his belly and howled while Wyatt let out a few snorts as he doubled over. Nick raised his hand to cover his mouth, presumably so Brandon wouldn’t see him chuckling.

  Brandon folded his arms across his chest and rocked back on his heels. “Go on. Get it out of your system. Laugh until your sides ache.” He would just have to grit his teeth and bear it. This was the Donahue brothers’ way. Donahue strong! Being teased unmercifully about something embarrassing was par for the course. He didn’t expect to get off easy.

  “Knock it off guys. You’re being brutal.” Layla’s stern voice cut into the laughter and the jokes. All eyes turned toward her. Her normally warm, welcoming eyes were flashing like warning signs. Her beautiful features were marred by an intense frown.

  “It’s okay, Layla,” Brandon murmured. “I can take what they’re dishing out.”

  “No, it’s not,” Layla said, her soft brown eyes glaring at Nick. “It’s not nice to kick a person when they’re down.”

  He puffed his chest out a little bit. “I’m not down. Not really. To tell you the truth, I’m a little relieved, even though Thalia’s delivery was pretty rotten.”

  “Layla, we were just playing around,” Nick said, reaching out to pull her toward him. Layla gave him a withering glance and pulled away. Mac and Wyatt began snickering at the wounded expression on Nick’s face.