Reawaken His Heart

by KL Myers

  “I hear congratulations are in order?” Jaxson says. “I’m so happy you have finally decided to make an honest woman out of my sister, dude. I was contemplating how long to wait until I showed up to kick your ass for taking advantage of her.” I hear a light snort come from Braedyn, which causes me to smile.

  “So, have you two decided when you might want to tie the knot? I don’t want to miss it, but my riding schedule is packed this year. Not that it is all about me, but I’ll be damned if I don’t see my sister get married.”

  “Jax, I can’t get married without you, because I want you to walk me down the aisle.” His face is a little stunned by my statement. “Ry, don’t you want Dad to do that?” he asks. “Hell, no,” I tell him. “That man has done nothing for me my whole life. He and Mom treated us like the help, not like their kids.” Jax nods his head in agreement. “I’m not even going to tell them until it’s over. I’m the one who calls at all the holidays; they never make any attempt to call me, so as far as I’m concerned, I won’t let them have an opportunity to turn my special day into a disaster.” Braedyn pulls me in tighter and kisses the side of my head, giving me the support he knows I need. Jaxson agrees with me, and he lets it go at that but tells me he would love to be the one to give me away. “Do you think Penny can be my flower girl?” His daughter is the cutest thing there is. When he and Rosie had a child, I was so excited. I wasn’t sure if Jax’s lifestyle would allow him to settle down, but he found the right woman and not too soon after, my niece arrived. I’m not quite sure how Rosie does it with Jax gone for such long periods at a time, but it works for them. I know having Braedyn gone even for forty-eight hours is hard for me.

  “I’m sure Penny will be over the moon happy to be a flower girl in your wedding. I can’t wait to tell Rosie the good news. She’ll be happy to know I won’t be going to prison anytime soon. Conjugal visits would suck, if you know what I mean.” He laughs hard. I forgot how much I missed that laugh. Growing up, the two of us would sit outside at night to stare at the stars, laughing and sharing what we wanted to be when we grew up. Jaxson always knew he was a cowboy through and through, but me, I wanted out of West Texas. Farming wasn’t in my future, and I didn’t care if I had to wait tables for the rest of my life. I just knew I was out of there and headed west at eighteen

  Jaxson visits for a couple of hours before he has to leave. He has to be in Colorado Springs for Rumble in the Rockies, but before he leaves, Braedyn and I decide that the last week of October will be our day. Jaxson will have to be in Tucson at some point that week, and this will allow him to be in the same state, so we can spend some time together before the wedding.

  Later that day, I call Bailey to give her the good news. By the time I hang up the phone, she already found all her wedding pamphlets she got when planning her wedding. She also scoped out the internet to find out when the next bridal show will be in town. You’d think she was the wedding planner by trade instead of me.

  I can hear Braedyn on the phone with his mom. “Yes, Mom, we’ll stop by today. No, Mom, I won’t. I said no, Mom, let it go.” His voice is starting to rise, which raises red flags up all over for me, because he never raises his voice with his mom unless she is pushing him about his brother. “Mom, I said no. The date is firm. We won’t be making any changes to our life to accommodate him.” I knew it; she is bringing up Gauge again. I don’t know when that woman will learn that he has no desire to rekindle the relationship with his brother right now.

  Braedyn took the first step when he was in the hospital to meet with his brother, but he hasn’t spoken with him since. We’ve talked about it several times, and though I don’t understand why he is so adamant, I will always support him. When he hangs up the phone, I go to him, wrap my arms around him, and just hold him until I can feel the tension leave his body.

  “I take it your mom is on the subject of our wedding and Gauge?” I ask, and he responds, “I’ve asked her to drop the subject more times than I can count, but it’s always the same thing. She feels I should have my brother at our wedding as an usher.” Tension is radiating off Braedyn. “I’d rather we get married by a justice of the peace than have him at our wedding. She just doesn’t understand, Rylee. I’m so tired of having the same discussion with her over and over again.”

  “Brae, have you tried explaining why you don’t want Gauge in the wedding, let alone at the wedding? Maybe she would let it go if she understood what your concerns are.”

  “I’m not ready to talk to my mom about it, Rylee. There are just things she won’t understand, and I don’t want to be the one to share with her exactly what her son is,” he says.

  “What exactly is he, Braedyn? I think you have a preconceived notion about your brother that makes him out to be a bad guy. Maybe I can help you see it from a different perspective.”

  “I don’t want to have this discussion with you right now, but since you are so persistent, here it is. Gauge is dangerous. He’s been in and out of trouble his whole life, and I’m not so sure that is over. When he joined the police force, I thought he finally got his shit straightened out, but then he quit the force and started hanging out with the Devils MC. He got wrapped up in drugs and went to prison. I don’t want that around us. His views on women and sex are so different than what I believe in. He likes it rough; he likes them submissive. It’s a lifestyle I can’t condone. It’s just better he lives his life and we live ours. I’ve done without him all this time, so why change that now?”

  I’m looking at him like he has growth three heads. “Really? That is why you don’t want to mend your relationship with your brother? Because he has a different view on sex and women? Well, hello, pot, meet kettle.” Braedyn has the deer in the headlights look on his face, so I decide to break it down for him. “Brae, you are so blind to how much like him you truly are. No, you don’t do drugs, and you’ve never been in trouble with the law. But tell me you don’t get off on tying my hands, spanking my ass, and taking control.” I can tell that what I am saying is starting to sink in, so I continue further. “You, my dense man, are just as equally Alpha as your brother and love it when I am submissive to you. You are two peas in a pod minus the criminal record.”

  I can tell Braedyn wants to argue with me, but he knows I’m right. He loves bending me over and holding my shoulders down against the bed. He gets off on smacking my ass and leaving his mark. Shit, all this talk has got me wet and wanting. “Don’t answer me, just think about what I’m saying, OK?” His nod tells me he heard everything I said. Now I need to get him naked to relieve the throbbing in my pussy this discussion caused. “I love you, baby,” I tell him. “Love you back times ten,” he says and places a kiss on my lips. “How about we get back to where we left off last night? I seem to remember waking up alone, so why don’t we just head right back up there, get naked, and crawl into bed? Then we can ravage each other's body, snuggle, and watch TV in each other's arms for the day.” Brae takes my hand and heads to the stairs. “I think that is the best idea.”

  Braedyn

  IT’S BEEN TWO MONTHS since our discussion about me mending my relationship with Gauge. What started off as a quiet day goes to hell by lunchtime. I planned to call Rylee to let her know the announcement has been made this morning and it’s become official I am the newest lieutenant at the station, but that gets shot all to hell when she shows up at the station at lunch time with Gauge and my mom. It seems she and my mom have been helping Gauge find a new place to live.

  By the time they leave, I am so worked up over the fact that she is out with my family that I never told her the news. I kept this a secret from everyone but Scott, because I worked with the majority of these guys for over four years, some of them longer, so the thought of having to start fresh with a new captain and crew was not my idea of good times. I talked it over with Scott to get his opinion, and he mentioned that he overheard Jason, my current lieutenant, say that he was putting in for a captain position downtown. When I heard this, I couldn’t have be
en more excited for two reasons. One, my brother would hopefully get the position he deserved; and two, if all went well, I wouldn’t have to leave the team that has become my work family.

  I didn’t mention any of this to Rylee, because I didn’t want to get her hopes up that I would get the position, but now that it’s official, I’m dying to tell her and celebrate. On New Year’s, Rylee and I celebrated being together for a year. It was a symbolic day for me in many ways. First, my life was complete again. I had a woman who loved me more and more every day. And secondly, my career path was going to change. Rylee and I celebrated quietly at home that night. She told me this would be my year and that all my dreams would come true. So far, I’d say my wishes were coming true. I’m going to marry my girl in seven months, and now I’ve got the promotion I wanted, and I don’t have to leave my crew.

  After dinner, I decide to call Rylee. I’ve had the chance to calm down some. When she answeres the phone, I just blurt it out. “I got it. You’re talking to the newest lieutenant at the station, so when I get home in the morning, we are celebrating by spending the whole day in bed.” The squeal that comes out of her mouth is loud enough to threaten to break my ear drums. “I’m so happy for you, Brae, but why didn’t you tell me that there was a position open you applied for?” I can hear the slightest bit of hurt in her words. I don’t keep much from her, because we always agreed to be open and honest with each other about everything. So this probably isn't sitting well with her. “Babe, I didn’t want you getting excited if it was never coming to fruition, so I just wanted to wait and see what happened and then surprise you.” This means she can worry less when I leave for work. The danger will still exist for me, but it won’t be as severe.

  “Brae, you should have told me, but I understand why you didn’t. However, you do realize that when you get home tomorrow, you will be paying the punishment for keeping it a secret.” She’s laughing when she says, “So that means I get all the orgasms, and you get none.”

  “Ry, when I get home tomorrow, I’m going to worship that pussy of yours until you forgive me, then I’m going to bury myself so deep in you that you’re going to forget you were even mad at me.” “Promises, promises.” I hear her say. “You just wait, baby, and you’ll see. But now I have to go, because I’ve got myself so worked up that my dick is hard, and I have to take care of it. Love you, babe.”

  Rylee

  Today is one of those days where I’m second-guessing everything. It's been two months since Braedyn told me about his promotion. I sleep better at night knowing he isn’t rushing into burning buildings all the time. I know that there is still a chance he could get hurt again, but I also know that what he does now deals more with logistics, preparation, and training, so I don’t worry as much. However, knowing that there are days when Brae says he wishes he would have never taken the position has me wondering if he may one day blame me and feel he would be better off without me.

  Last night, Braedyn and I talked about starting a family after we ‘officially tie the knot’ as he calls it. I worry about bringing another life into this world; I don’t know if I’ll be a good mother since I didn’t have a good mother figure to model myself after. Gidget is the perfect mom; even when she’s a pain in the ass, she does it with love. Brae said if I love our child as much I love him, he or she will be the luckiest kid around.

  On top of that, the pressures of planning this wedding are driving me crazy. My emotions are all over the board these days. Most of my insecurities have gone away, but every now and then I wonder whether Brae will eventually get tired and leave me. I’m not weak anymore, and when I think back at the person I was back then, I get angry with myself. I can honestly say I’m going into this marriage giving one hundred percent of myself and standing on my own two feet. I’m independent now and in control of my life.

  Gidget finally gave up on trying to convince Brae to allow Gauge to come to the wedding. I didn’t push the issue since Brae didn’t push the issue with me not wanting my parents to come. We both agree that not having either of them at our wedding won’t make a difference. The people we both love will be there, and that is all that matters.

  When Bailey arrived this morning, I told her about Brae wanting kids and our conversation last night. “Rylee, that’s wonderful,” she said, “I think you should start on that right away. Then our kids can grow up together.” It took me a moment to realize what she said. “Bailey, you said our kids. Are you pregnant?” I’ve not seen my friend this happy before.

  “Yes, we found out yesterday. I’m twelve weeks along, but don’t worry, I will have popped this kid out by the time you get married. Isn’t it wonderful? If you were to get pregnant soon, then our kids could grow up together.” I love the thought of her and me doing mommy and baby play dates in the park. “Bailey, I am so happy for you and Chris,” I tell her.

  We’ve got a ton of things to wrap up today for the wedding, so I tell her we should get going. As a wedding planner, you would have thought that planning my wedding would have been a piece of cake, but it wasn’t. Braedyn is so easy to please; he says whatever makes me happy makes him happy. If it weren’t for Bailey, I don’t know if I would have ever been able to wrap up the plans. Every time I got flustered and couldn’t make up my mind, she told me to breathe in and breathe out, close my eyes, and give her the first response that came to mind when she needed me to make a decision.

  That is how we ended up with lavender being the color of the bridesmaid dresses. I couldn’t make up my mind and kept going back and forth between teal, pink, and lavender, but then Bailey said, “What color do you envision when you are most relaxed?” And lavender it was.

  “Shit, Bailey, do we need to find a different style of dress for you now that you’ll be sharing it with another person?” I picked out a long, sleek gown for her. “Nope, that little person will be our plus one at your wedding, and come hell or high water, I will lose that baby fat and fit in this dress” Bailey tells me. “I’ll make it work. We are not starting from scratch on my dress. But if we don’t find one for you, it will be an issue.”

  Finding the right dress for me was a bit more challenging, because I was so concerned about the cost. Brae and I are paying for all of this. Since I didn’t tell my parents I am getting married, I’m not about to ask them for any help financially. They didn’t have time for me as a child, so I can’t care less if they are here for my big day. Jaxson is walking me down the aisle, which is all that matters to me.

  I try on ten different dresses until I finally decide on a Sophia Tolli, an Australian designer who has the most uniquely elegant designs. I go with the Dolce Vita; it’s a sleeveless, misty tulle gown with lace straps, a jewel neckline, a plunging V-neck, a hand-beaded bodice, and the back features diamante buttons, while the skirt has several layers and flows just the way I want it to. Bailey agrees with my choice, saying I look like Cinderella in it. I definitely know then that it’s the one.

  “Rylee, why don’t we take time out for a decent lunch today? We can go over locations then. I’m feeling a bit tired,” Bailey says, and she looks it.

  Over lunch, the both of us toss out various locations to each other. Finding the right place to have this wedding seems to be a bit more challenging than I thought. I originally wanted to have a wedding up in Sedona, but when I found out that Brea had gotten married in Sedona to his previous wife, that wiped that location right off the map for me. We are starting our life together, and I want nothing but memories of us.

  “I’ve got it,” Bailey says while she stuffs a French fry into her mouth. “There is this resort in Fountain Hills. It has one of the best views at night of the valley and the Sonoran Desert. We can go check it out after lunch.” Then she takes a huge bite of her prime rib sandwich. Probably not the most ladylike gesture, but I’ve come to expect nothing less from her when she is with me.

  When we get to the location, I realize Bailey is right; the place is amazing. “I love this location, Bailey.” It is everythi
ng I wanted for an outdoor evening wedding. Brae and I agreed to keep the wedding small; we were only inviting Brae’s family and close friends on his side; on my side, I limited it to Bailey and my brother’s family.

  Bailey is smiling from ear to ear. “I think this is the perfect place for you and Braedyn to start your new life as husband and wife together. Now, let's see if you are luckily enough and they have the day you want available.”

  ***

  “I can’t believe it, Bailey, everything just fell together at the last minute. Dresses, location, flowers, and cake. It’s finally feeling real.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, my stomach starts to roll. “I need a bathroom.” I take off running for the ladies’ room. Once inside, I lock myself in a stall then everything I placed in my body at lunch finds its way into the toilet. I hear the door open and close. “Rylee, you OK?” Bailey asks. Before I can answer her, another wave hits me, and I’m heaving the last of what’s left in my stomach.

  “Wow, you look really bad, Rylee.” A concerned look crosses Bailey’s face. “You look worse than I do,” she tells me. “I can get you some water if you like.”

  “No, I’m fine,” I assure her and make my way over to the sink to splash some cool water on my face. I do this a couple of times and feel much better. “See? All better,” I tell her.