Besting Brady: Hearts of Hollis

by J. L. Leslie

  “Works for me. Lilly?”

  I shrug, knowing I’m not reneging on my duties when there isn’t anyone else in here and since Jade and Logan are playing pool. Besides, this will help pass the time until Brady gets here.

  Now that I know my deadline is looming, I want to spend as much time with him as possible. Christ, how did my trip to Hollis become about Brady Thompson?

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Brady

  It’s late by the time I make it to Jack’s. I hadn’t planned on working the crew as long as I did, but Tate fucked up some of the flooring, and we had to pull it up and fix it in order to stay on schedule with the job. I won’t risk having an unsatisfied customer or pissed off contractors when I know the carpet is due in tomorrow. Now everything should be ready for its installation.

  After we finished up, I wanted to stop by my mom’s and check on her. I try to do that at least once a week, sometimes twice. If I don’t stop in, she gets worried. I know I was worried about working out of town earlier today, but my gut tells me Lilly can handle herself.

  I push the door open, annoyed to find everyone still here. I’m ready to have Lilly all to myself. When I walk in, I find her hugging Madden, a huge smile on her face. My insides immediately knot with jealousy.

  I walk behind the bar and grab a beer, my eyes never leaving them as she unwraps her arms from his neck and heads over to the dartboard to get their darts. They’re no doubt playing teams against Casey and Logan. Probably won. It was a celebratory hug. That’s it.

  I can’t figure out why seeing them like that gets under my skin. I know Madden is with Jade. I don’t think he’s interested in Lilly. But is she interested in him? I have no reason to feel insecure about him. She experienced her very first orgasm with me, for fuck’s sake.

  Unless she was faking it.

  No. No way she was faking it.

  “You want to play?” Lilly asks, smiling over at me.

  “Nope.”

  I know I sound rude and short with her, but the two of them are still laughing and joking around, and I don’t have the energy to try and figure out what’s going on between them. Jade doesn’t seem to mind as she and Logan play pool, but Jade is too nice sometimes and doesn’t always see when she’s being taken advantage of.

  “Don’t be a chicken shit, Brady. I’ll even let you team up with Lilly. She’s a great partner,” Madden coaxes

  “You can keep her.”

  I take a sip of my beer and try to let the cold liquid simmer the anger boiling inside me. Lilly stands with her hand on her hip, her blonde hair tucked behind one ear as she gives me an annoyed look.

  This story just sounds too familiar, and I don’t want to relive it. Madden wins again. Don’t rich, city boys always win?

  I finish off my beer and grab another while the four of them play another game, Lilly glancing over at me every few minutes. She and Madden give each other high fives and shit, congratulating each successful turn.

  I want to fucking puke.

  When they win yet again, I’m three beers in and done watching them. I didn’t come here after working all damn day to watch the two of them flirt with each other.

  “Jade, you ready to head home?” Madden asks, and she nods, walking behind the bar to get her purse. “How’s the display coming?”

  “I do have a fucking full-time job, Madden,” I snap.

  “No, shit. That’s why we didn’t give you a deadline,” he shoots back. “Just wondering how it was coming.”

  “Should be ready by Christmas,” I answer, and he nods.

  He doesn’t say another word before throwing his arm around Jade and walking out. I’m sure it’s because he doesn’t want to get his head bitten off again. Logan and Tate say their goodbyes along with Casey, the two of them walking her out to her car.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Lilly asks as she approaches.

  “Other than another man getting cozy with my girlfriend, nothing,” I answer, and she looks stunned. Okay, maybe I do have the energy.

  “Girlfriend? Brady, I am not your girlfriend.”

  “Yeah, clearly you would rather be someone else’s,” I bite out.

  “We knew this was temporary,” she clarifies.

  I slam my bottle down on the counter and ignore Lilly’s flinch. “You keep saying that, but you don’t give me any indication of how long that will be! Am I going to wake up one morning and find you gone? Fucking hell, I don’t even know where you really live, other than somewhere in Dallas!”

  “Brady, we agreed —”

  “Fine. I get it, Lilly,” I cut her off. “You know, if you want me to be the only one making changes for whatever this is, then I’ll do it. You can continue being who you are, hiding things, and doing whatever the fuck you want with whoever you want,” I shout.

  “What are you talking about, Brady? Where is all this coming from?” Lilly asks, tears welling in her eyes.

  “I’m talking about Madden, damn it! I see the way you two are around each other, and I’m not blind!”

  “Madden? Oh my God,” she sighs, almost horrified, shaking her head.

  “Like I said, I get it, Lilly. He’s probably what’s expected of you where you’re from. You can go back to Dallas and be around your rich friends and brag to them about how you bested the country boy and got him wrapped around your finger.”

  I realize I’m telling her way more than I should. I’ve let my anger get the best of me, and now I’m spouting off all kinds of shit like I have diarrhea of the mouth. She doesn’t need to know she’s bested me or that I’m wrapped around her finger. She doesn’t need to know how much I’ve changed for her. That I’ve never really been a one-woman man until now. Until her.

  Before I keep my confession going, I shut up and start toward the door. If she wants to be with Madden and wreck what he and Jade have, so be it. She’ll have one hell of a fight on her hands.

  “I’m not interested in Madden that way!” Lilly calls after me.

  “Save it!” I say over my shoulder.

  “Brady, he’s my brother!”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Lillian

  I’m glad the bar is empty, everyone having gone already. Because I just blurted out the secret I’ve been keeping since I arrived in Hollis. I hadn’t intended on telling him that way, but I couldn’t allow him to think I was flirting with Madden.

  “He’s your what?” Brady asks, turning back around to face me. “Because I’m pretty sure you just told me Madden Steele is your fucking brother.”

  “I can explain.”

  “Yeah,” he scoffs and motions to a table. “You’re going to have to.”

  I go sit down, and he takes a seat across from me. He still looks angry as he leans back and crosses his arms over his chest, but I don’t know if he’s angry because of what he just admitted to me about his feelings or because I didn’t tell him the truth sooner.

  “I was cleaning out my dad’s office and found adoption papers along with a letter. My biological parents are Stanton and Elizabeth Steele.”

  “And those are...”

  “Madden, Keegan, and Landon’s parents. They’re my brothers. I’m pretty certain Keegan and I are twins.”

  “Holy shit,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “That’s why you’re here in Hollis.”

  “I’m still trying to figure all this out. It was such a shock to me. Then, I saw the hardware store opening and that it was them who were opening it. I thought I could come here and tell them, see if they already knew, but I couldn’t go through with it.”

  “What’s your plan now? Are you just not going to tell them?”

  “I am still trying to work up the courage to tell them. I know how big of a deal it is. They’ve gone their whole lives not knowing they have a sister. Their parents left them in the dark. Madden is so happy with Jade, and Keegan is flying high on his new marriage. Landon has work and seems happy. If I tell them this, no matter what, it’s going to turn th
eir lives upside down.”

  He nods his head in agreement. “I get that, but they have a right to know. I mean you guys were robbed of time together. That’s not right.”

  I smile because he gets it. “That’s why I’ve been spending time with them as much as I can. I figure if they get to know me, maybe telling them will be easier. Maybe they’ll be happy to have a sister.”

  He chuckles at that. “They’ll be happy, Lilly. At least the part about you being their sister. They’ll probably be pissed at their parents, but I don’t think they are tight with them in the first place. They barely want to be in Dallas anymore.”

  “I’ve gotten that impression too.”

  He sits forward, reaching for my hand across the table. “Shit. This is seriously straight out of those soap operas my mom watches.”

  I can’t help but laugh at that, and I’m grateful for the break in the tension. “I know. Leave it up to me to bring the drama.” I trace his thumb with my finger. “So, you aren’t mad at me?”

  He grins and shakes his head. “No. I’m just glad you don’t want to fuck Madden.”

  I cringe at that and shake my head. “Gross.”

  He laughs and then sits up a little straighter and looks me dead in the eye. “I was an asshole tonight. I’m sorry.”

  “You really were.”

  Brady looks down at where our hands joined, keeping his gaze averted. He revealed a lot to me when he was going off. Mainly that maybe he doesn’t want this to be as temporary as it is. Part of me agrees, wants the same thing, but I have no idea how to make that happen. My life is in Dallas.

  I’m not like Madden. I can’t just turn my back on everything and open a hardware store. There’s nothing in Hollis for me. No education, no job opportunities.

  “Me and Madden have history, so I got jealous. Simple as that.”

  “I understand,” I say, standing up and tugging him up with me. “But I’m yours for as long as I’m here. I promise.”

  I can’t bring myself to tell him that’s only until Christmas. Only a little while longer. I don’t want to think about deadlines right now.

  Brady grins and then tosses me over his shoulder, giving my ass a hard smack. I squeal in delight as he bounds up the stairs to my apartment.

  Thoughts of deadlines are officially gone.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Brady

  I scroll through my phone while Lilly shops. If she can even call what she’s doing shopping. She’s been looking in the same spot for fifteen minutes and still hasn’t decided what to get her mom for Christmas yet.

  “Nothing looks Europey,” she complains. “If that’s even a word.”

  I laugh. “You are limited to JC Penney. Maybe you should just get her some of Amelia’s jewelry stuff since you said you ordered your dad’s gift online already.”

  “I know, and he’ll be happy with his personalized stethoscope, but I just usually already have her gift picked out. Christmas is the only holiday we actually try to celebrate since they’re always working,” she explains. “I mean, don’t you always buy your parents special gifts?”

  I’m sure she doesn’t mean anything by this. She’s so lost in thought looking at the clothing rack, she doesn’t even seem to realize what she has said.

  “I always buy my mom a gift, but as a kid, I never really bought my parents gifts when my dad was alive. Hell, they could barely afford to buy me gifts.”

  Lilly looks over at me, realizing then what she said. “Oh my God, Brady, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even thinking.” She loops her arms around my waist and hugs me to her.

  “It’s fine, Lilly. My dad died a long time ago,” I say, kissing the top of her head before she goes back to shopping.

  Just because it hasn’t gotten any easier for my mom doesn’t mean it hasn’t gotten easier for me. I can function just fine during holidays. I don’t think about him dressing up as Santa Claus and waking me up at the crack of dawn to deliver my few presents.

  I don’t reminisce about him sneaking one of my mom’s pecan pies out to the garage so we could share it before everyone else came over for dinner. I sure as hell don’t think about his last Christmas with us when he could barely tear the wrapping paper off of his gifts.

  Nope, I don’t think about that. Much.

  “So, are you going home for Christmas?” I ask, figuring she’ll give me a solid answer while she’s distracted.

  “I promised my mom that I would.”

  I get this sick feeling in my stomach that I can’t quite describe. She’s leaving. I’ve known it was coming, but she’s avoided giving me a definitive answer on when.

  In all honesty, I should be glad. Things can go back to normal once she’s gone. I can go back to normal. I haven’t even bragged to the guys about winning the bet. I haven’t even looked in another woman’s direction since I fucked Lilly. That is not like me. I’ve been missing out being a one-woman man.

  Lilly puts the dress she’s holding back on the rack and turns to me, standing on her tiptoes to press a kiss to my lips.

  Suddenly, I forget about all of those other women. Again.

  “You know, you’re right. I think I’ll just pick my mom something out from Amelia’s collection. Plus, I still have to decide if I’m buying my brothers gifts or not.”

  I look at her with surprise. It’s still shocking to hear that the Steele brothers are her brothers. “Maybe you should tell them they are your brothers before you spring Christmas gifts on them.”

  “Probably a good idea. Get that out of the way first,” Lilly says as we slowly start walking away from the clothes, our arms around each other. “We can get lunch and head back, so I’m not late for work.”

  I agree, plus I want to work on the hardware store display while she works tonight. I’m almost finished with it, and I’m sure the guys will be pleased with what I’ve come up with.

  Lilly and I wind up choosing Applebee’s. It’s pretty crowded, but that’s typical for a Saturday. Even for a larger town like Redbud, there still aren’t that many places to eat. Applebee’s is popular.

  We take a seat and place our orders. I opt for chicken tenders instead of my usual bacon cheeseburger, and Lilly orders a grilled chicken salad.

  “Now, don’t throw a hissy fit if they bring it with fried chicken,” I tease, and she laughs.

  We’re still laughing when two women approach our table. One has her number written on a piece of paper, and she slides it across the table to me, completely ignoring the fact that I’m here with Lilly.

  “You might be a manwhore, but you can still call me.”

  I stare dumbfounded, both total strangers to me as she winks, and the two of them walk off. Lilly sits back in the booth and crosses her arms, an annoyed look on her face.

  “What the hell was that all about?” she asks.

  “I have no fucking idea. She called me a manwhore,” I answer, equally annoyed and more pissed off by the situation.

  Before I can say anything else, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see that it’s my mom. I hold my finger up to Lilly and answer.

  “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

  “Brady Dewayne Thompson! What in the world have you gotten yourself into, son?” she questions. “Did you take that picture?”

  “Mom, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Calm down.”

  “That damn picture, boy! The one of you naked as a jaybird! It’s all over town! I heard someone say it was on Facesnap and Instabook. All those social media things I don’t get into!” she answers, and I feel the blood drain from my face.

  “Mom —”

  “What in the world are you doing holding yourself like that?” Oh my God. “What were you thinking? You know, I raised you better than that!”

  “Mom, it wasn’t taken for the whole fucking town to see,” I explain, running my hand through my hair.

  “And did you put the hateful word on there? Why would you call yourself that? Is that supposed to be funny
?”

  “No, Mom, I haven’t even seen it.” I look to Lilly, and she’s looking at her phone, her eyes wide. Shit. “I need to go. I’m sorry.”

  When I hang up, a message comes through from Kelly. Looks like I’m not the only one who thinks you’re a manwhore. The picture she took of me months ago, fresh out of the shower and holding my junk — which is not completely concealed — is on my screen. The word “manwhore” is on it, scribbled across the photo in red.

  “Is she seriously trying to pretend she didn’t do this?” I grumble, slamming my phone down on the table.

  I know from my mom’s incorrect use of Facesnap and Instabook that a naked photo of me is all over the internet, and only God knows who has it. Kelly took the photo after a round of shower sex. It’s not the only photos she took, only the other pics have her in them as well. Of course, she swore she deleted them all.

  “What do you want to do, Brady?” Lilly asks, her green eyes now filled with concern.

  I sigh. “What can I do?”

  Lilly shrugs and reaches for my hand across the table. “I don’t know, but we can’t let her get away with this.”

  “It’s not that I disagree with you, but I can’t exactly prove that she leaked the picture. I didn’t exactly pitch a fit when she took it.”

  “Do not blame yourself for this! People take pictures like that all the time, and it doesn’t mean they’re meant for the public to see,” she says. “What she’s doing is wrong, Brady.”

  “Oh? How many nudey pics have you taken, Lilly Benson?” I joke, trying to lighten the situation.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” she counters. “Besides, this isn’t about me. It’s about you and the fact that your manly parts are now plastered all over the place for everyone to see. You should do something about it.”

  I slide my hand out of hers and pick up a chicken tender. “Let’s just eat and head back to Hollis.”

  I ignore the look she gives me, knowing that she isn’t happy that I’m ignoring the situation right now. I take a bite of my food and try to get rid of the feeling that everyone is staring at me. That all of the people in the restaurant are whispering about me and calling me “manwhore”. Or worse, that they’re talking about Lilly for being with someone like me.