Searching for Love: The Complete Story

by Christine Kersey

  “Dad seems to be feeling pretty good.”

  She bit her lip. “Yes. I just hope this was a one time scare.”

  Able to see the worry on her face, Brody hesitated to bring up his concerns. But with Reese arriving the next day, he had to clear the air with his mother. “Yeah. Me, too.”

  They were silent for a moment, then she said, “I know why you’re here.”

  Count on Mom to cut right to the chase. “Good.” But you don’t know what Reese told me about the money.

  She crossed one leg over the other and kept her gaze steady on his. “Have you thought about what I told you the other night?”

  He nodded. “Of course.”

  Her lips barely lifted in a smile. “Good. And?”

  Fury once again swept over him, but he kept his anger reigned in. “And…I can’t believe you think you should get a say in my personal life.”

  Displeasure bracketed her mouth.

  Brody didn’t give her a chance to respond. “Who I choose is none of your business.” His voice was calm, but intense. “Ever.” His jaw tightened. “Do you understand?”

  She nodded once. “I understand that you’re angry with me for talking to Reese about your relationship with her.”

  Disbelief at her nonchalance made him shake his head as his mouth turned up in a half-smile. “Are you kidding me?”

  Her eyebrows drew together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Trying to remain calm, he said, “Reese told me what you did.”

  Her head tilted in question. “Did?”

  “You offered her…” His mouth compressed. I still can’t believe she did that. “You offered her money to leave town, Mom.”

  Laughter burst from her mouth. “What?”

  Her spontaneous reaction gave Brody pause. Reese didn’t just make that up. I know she didn’t.

  His mother’s eyes were wide. “And you believed her?”

  He pictured the look on Reese’s face when she had told him. At the time he had had no doubt. Don’t start doubting her now. You know her. She’s going to be the mother of your child. Your wife. You know she’s not hiding anything from you. “Yes, I believe her.” He stared at her. “Are you denying it?”

  She straightened her shoulders. “How much money did I allegedly offer her?”

  “Don’t be a lawyer with me, Mom. There’s no allegedly. You offered her twenty thousand dollars to disappear from my life. Don’t try to pretend it didn’t happen.”

  “Brody, do you really think I’d sink that low?”

  He didn’t want to admit it, but yes, he did. Because she did sink that low. At least according to Reese. And I believe her. I do. “If you thought you were protecting me, then yes, I think you would.”

  The lines around her mouth tightened. “And what has Reese done with this…” She waved her hand in the air. “This money I gave her.”

  “You know she turned the money down.”

  “Oh, how clever she is. She accuses me of trying to bribe her, but she has no money to prove the bribe occurred. Hmm.” She paused. “And of course we know how trustworthy Reese Jacobs…Excuse me, Reese Montgomery is.”

  Brody hated the way his mother was so good at planting doubts in his mind. “So you’re saying it never happened.” She stared at him, but he noticed she didn’t deny it, which just confirmed to him that Reese was telling the truth. Right, so stop doubting her.

  “Brody,” his mother said. “Like I told you the other day, your father and I want what’s best for you. That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”

  “And you think Reese is not what’s best for me.” He frowned. “And what, in your opinion, is best for me?” He smirked. “Or should I say, who is best for me? Because I’m sure you have someone in mind.”

  His mother laughed, but it sounded forced. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I know you well enough to know that you must have an ulterior motive. And if I were to guess that ulterior motive, the name Kayla Haworth would come to mind.”

  “She is a lovely woman, Brody. You can’t deny that. So perfect for you.”

  “Are you freaking kidding me? That’s what this is all about? You want me to be with Kayla?”

  His mother shrank back at his anger.

  “Mom, do you really believe you can choose who I’m going to be with?” He shook his head, then took a deep breath to calm himself. “Look, I’m going to give you the chance to fix this.” He stared at her, his eyes hard. “Because if you don’t, if you make things difficult for Reese, then you won’t be seeing much of me at all.”

  “Is that a threat, Brody?”

  “No, Mom. It’s a promise. A promise I’ve made to myself to live my life they way I see fit, whether you agree with my choices or not.” He sighed. “I don’t want to cut you out of my life, but I will if I have to.”

  Sadness crept into her eyes, which made Brody feel guilty. But he meant it. Although he didn’t want to trade one family for another, he and Reese had something special, and he wasn’t going to let his mother interfere.

  “It sounds like you and Reese are getting serious,” she said, her voice softer.

  You have no idea. “Is that a question?” Because I’m not going to tell you my good news under these circumstances.

  Her expression became pensive. “You know all I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.” She pulled in a deep breath, then slowly released it. “After what you went through with Megan, I felt so helpless.” She smiled, but it wavered. “I guess I thought if I could somehow…I don’t know…keep you from getting hurt…” She smoothed her slacks. “That’s all I wanted. To protect you.”

  The anger Brody had felt for his mother left him. Despite what she had done, he knew she only had his best interests at heart.

  She kept her gaze steady on his. “What is it you want me to do?”

  Thrilled that she had finally seemed to have gotten it, he said, “Reese will be arriving tomorrow.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Already?”

  Ignoring her question, he said, “I want you to call her and invite her to meet you for lunch. And I want you to beg for her forgiveness.”

  She chuckled. “You want me to beg?”

  “If that’s what it will take, then yes. But Reese has a very kind heart so I doubt begging will actually be required.”

  That statement seemed to take her aback. “Oh.”

  “That’s right. People have treated her like dirt most of her life, but she doesn’t hold grudges. No, she just feels like she deserves to be treated like dirt. And the way you treated her fit right in with her view of herself.”

  His mother’s forehead creased, and he could see remorse in her eyes.

  “You know,” he went on, “she wanted to donate an organ to her mother, a woman who evidently has never been there for her. She was willing to cut out a piece of her own body for this woman.”

  Her lips parted, and she was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t know that.”

  Brody nodded. “It didn’t work out, which made Reese feel even worse. Her mother’s going to die, and she can’t do anything about it.”

  His mother looked at her lap, then met Brody’s gaze. “Perhaps I’ve misjudged her.”

  “Yeah. I think you have.”

  “I can see an apology is in order.”

  “Only if that apology is to her.”

  “Right.” She smiled. “Of course.”

  Feeling better about the whole thing, Brody was glad he hadn’t left this up to Reese to handle. That would have been a mistake. “I’ll let you know when Reese gets to town. You can call her and schedule the lunch then.”

  “Okay. I’ll do that.”

  Brody stood, and his mother stood as well. Wanting to show her that he was ready to move past this, he drew her into a hug.

  After a moment, she pulled away and looked at his face. “I’m sorry I overstepped my bounds.”

  They both knew it was much more than that, but Brody didn’t want t
o hold a grudge any more than he knew Reese would. He wanted to focus on his future with Reese and the child they were expecting.

  Thinking about the baby that he hoped would be a miniature of Reese, he couldn’t hold back a smile. “I accept your apology.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled. “Now, why don’t we see if your father is getting hungry.”

  Brody took a step toward the door.

  “Wait,” she said.

  Brody stopped and turned.

  “If you don’t mind, I’d rather your father not learn of my…impetuousness.”

  Brody had no desire to make matters worse by involving his father. And as long as his mother realized what she had done was wrong, and as long as she set things right with Reese, he was fine with keeping it between them. “All right.”

  With a nod, his mother took his arm and they walked out of the office.

  Twenty

  When Reese pulled in to the secure parking lot the next evening, Brody was there to meet her. When she saw him standing next to his Porsche, her heart nearly burst with love. And when she remembered that he was going to be her husband, her throat became clogged with emotion.

  “Brody,” she murmured, eager to be in his arms. Quickly parking her RV, she raced out the door and into his arms.

  He tugged her against him, enveloping her in his embrace.

  Savoring the strength and security he exuded, Reese was beyond happy that they had a future together. The only thing marring her happiness was the thought of facing Grace. Don’t think about that right now.

  “Ready to go home?” he asked after pulling away.

  It really will be my home now, won’t it? Almost unable to believe how her life was going to change, she nodded.

  Twenty minutes later they had loaded her things into his car and had driven to his house.

  “You know where to put your stuff,” he said with a grin as they walked into his beach house.

  It had only been a week since the barbecue and since she had packed up her belongings with the thought that she would never see this house again. But everything had changed. Drastically.

  “Before you unpack,” Brody said with a big smile on his face. “I need to tell you something.” He took her by the hand and led her to the couch.

  Curious what it could be, she sat beside him. “What is it?”

  “I know you said you wanted to handle things with my mother.”

  Oh. This is about his mother. Tension tightened her body.

  “So don’t be upset with me,” he said. “But yesterday she and I had a good talk.”

  The smile on his face made her think their talk had gone well, but she would reserve her judgement until after she had heard the details. “Okay.”

  His smile dimmed. “She didn’t exactly confess to what she had done, but I made it clear that she wasn’t to interfere in our relationship.”

  She didn’t confess? “But you believe me, right?”

  He took her hands “Yes. I believe you, babe.”

  Relieved, Reese waited to hear the rest. “What did she say?”

  His smile was back. “She’s going to take you to lunch and apologize.”

  “Oh.” That wasn’t what she had expected. And she wasn’t sure if she was excited about facing Grace alone.

  “Don’t worry. I promise she’ll be nice.”

  Reese didn’t know how Brody could be so sure, but she trusted him, and she knew if Grace said something to upset her, she would tell Brody about it. “Okay.”

  As Reese drove to her lunch date with Grace two days later, she thought about the phone call she had received from her the night she had arrived in town. Right away Reese had noticed a difference in her tone—she had seemed more friendly than she had before.

  I hope that’s how she really feels.

  They were meeting at the same place they had met the first time—a time which seemed ages ago. Brody had let her take his Porsche again, and this time she had left in plenty of time so that she arrived before Grace did.

  The hostess seated Reese, and while she waited for Grace to arrive, she looked over the menu. Trying not to think how their lunch could quickly turn sour, Reese focused on her future with Brody—a future Brody had asked her not to tell Grace about just yet.

  “Hello, Reese,” Grace said as she approached the table.

  Reese’s head snapped up, but when she met Grace’s eyes, she didn’t see any hostility there, and the butterflies that had woken up in her stomach settled back down. “Hi.” She gestured to the table. “Please join me.”

  Grace smiled and sat across from her. She picked up a menu, then looked at Reese. “I’m sorry to hear that your mother is ill.”

  Grace seemed sincere, and Reese smiled. “Thank you.”

  They ordered their food, then Grace said, “I’m sure Brody told you that he and I spoke the other day.”

  Nodding, Reese held her breath, worried about where the conversation would lead.

  “Well,” she said with a tentative smile, “I’ve come to realize that I was in the wrong and I want to apologize for everything I put you through.”

  Exhaling softly, Reese felt her tension melt away. “I appreciate it, but you don’t have to…”

  Grace held up her hand and her expression softened. “You know, Brody told me that you would be quick to forgive.” She laughed softly. “I can see that he knows you well. And…well, I can see that you have a compassion about you that I willfully ignored before.” She paused a beat. “You’re good for Brody.”

  Not sure how to respond, Reese’s lips curved into a smile of cautious optimism. She really seems to mean it. “Thank you.” With the warmth she felt from Grace, she wanted to tell her about the baby and her and Brody’s engagement, but she held back, keeping her promise to Brody.

  “Now,” Grace said, “I’d like to hear more about the trip you and Brody took to Yellowstone.” She smiled. “That part of the country seems like a beautiful place.”

  Pleased that Grace asked, Reese told her all about their trip. They chatted throughout their meal, and when they were done, Grace smiled.

  “You’re a charming young woman, Reese,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed talking to you.”

  “It’s been fun to talk to you too.” And she meant it. Then, as she realized that this woman sitting across from her would soon become the only mother-figure in her life, she felt doubly grateful that they had worked through their issues.

  After they parted, Reese began the drive back to Brody’s, but as she zipped along the freeway, her mind on how happy Brody would be to hear how her lunch had gone, she didn’t notice the stopped traffic in time. And as she slammed on her brakes, then swerved to avoid the car in front of her, she hardly had time to scream before the Porsche went skidding across two lanes of traffic, barely missing the other cars, before rolling on the side of the road.

  Twenty-One

  Reese woke in a hospital bed, but found it hard to open her eyes. It was as if her eyelids had been glued closed and it just took too much effort to open them.

  What happened? Where am I? Why do I feel like this?

  The last thing she remembered was being so happy after having lunch with Grace. Then…nothing.

  Peacefulness settled over her, and her mind went blank as she fell back asleep.

  Later, when she woke again, her eyelids weren’t quite so heavy, and she managed to open them just a crack, enough to see Brody sitting on a chair beside her bed, reading a magazine.

  “Brody,” she croaked, barely above a whisper.

  Brody thought he heard a sound come from Reese’s direction and he turned to look at her. That’s when he noticed a slight flutter of her eyes. Tossing the magazine aside, he leapt up to stand beside her, then slipped his hand into hers.

  “Reese? Can you hear me?”

  Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

  “I’m here,” he said as tears filled his eyes.

  When he had gotten the call that someone driving h
is car had crashed and had been taken to the hospital, it had felt like his heart was tumbling onto the floor. Flashbacks to the day he had learned of Megan’s death in a car crash had rained down upon him, overwhelming him.

  No, no, no, he had moaned as he had collapsed to the floor. Then, clinging to a sliver of hope that she was still alive, he had called Logan to pick him and bring him to the hospital.

  That had been the day before. Now it was late into the night and he hadn’t left Reese’s side. Others had come and gone—Avery, Logan, both of his parents—but he had stayed the entire time.

  Unconscious but stable, Reese’s prognosis was good. The doctor had told him that she had a broken leg and a bad concussion, along with lots of bruising, but besides that, she was okay.

  “Brody,” she murmured, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

  He leaned towards her and kissed her softly on the lips. “I’m right here, babe. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “What…what happened?”

  He swallowed over the lump in his throat. “You were in a car accident.”

  Her eyebrows puckered. “My RV?”

  Overjoyed that she was awake and speaking, he laughed. “No. My Porsche.”

  Eyes widening, she looked stricken. “I…I wrecked your car?”

  “I don’t care about my car, love. I care about you. That’s all.”

  Then fear swept over her features. “The baby…Is the baby okay?”

  Brody had asked the doctor the same thing, but he had said she was so early in her pregnancy that it was too soon to see anything with an ultrasound. Nevertheless, he had said she hadn’t had any bleeding that would indicate a miscarriage, and he had taken a blood test to confirm a pregnancy still existed, so he had said he didn’t have any reason to suspect a problem.

  “Yes,” Brody said, wanting to reassure her. “The baby’s fine.”

  Relief smoothed her brow.

  “And you’re going to be fine,” he said. “You broke your leg and you’re pretty banged up, but you’ll be fine.” He had to draw in a lungful of air to keep down the emotion that welled up at that statement.