Finding Forever: Treading Water Series, Book 5

by Force, Marie

  “Maybe later.” Under the table, she noticed his leg bouncing and placed her hand flat on his thigh.

  “Sorry.”

  “Are you nervous about this?”

  “A little.”

  “You know they’re going to sing her praises.”

  “Yeah.” He glanced at the stage and then back at her. “I came with her last year. It’s just weird to be here without her.”

  “I’m sure it is.”

  “Have I said thanks for coming?”

  Maggie smiled. “I’m really happy to be here.”

  Chapter 24

  Brayden put his arm around her, kissed her temple and removed his arm only when the waitstaff began serving dinner.

  “This is really fancy for a benefit,” Maggie said as she cut into delicious steak and asparagus.

  “Apparently, the Hermitage donates the space and gives them a huge deal on the food and beverages. They also donate weekend packages to the silent auction. My mom used to talk all the time about how great they are.”

  After dinner and chocolate cheesecake for dessert, the program began with a welcome from the chairwoman of the board, who discussed accomplishments over the last year. They included sponsoring after-school programs that kept kids busy in what she referred to as the “at-risk hours” and matching young people recently “graduated” from the foster care system with adult mentors.

  “My mom had something like ten kids she mentored and kept in touch with every one of them,” Brayden whispered. “They came to our house for holidays and stuff.”

  “I wish I could’ve met her.”

  “Me, too. She would’ve liked you.”

  Maggie smiled at him and wished she could kiss him.

  “At this time, we’d like to honor our volunteer of the year, Kathy Thomas. As all of you know, we recently lost Kathy in a tragic accident. I’m sure I speak for so many people in this room when I say the loss of this great lady can’t be measured in mere words. I’d like to share this slide presentation that provides just a small glimpse into the impact Kathy had on our organization.”

  While holding his hand, Maggie kept one eye on the slide show and the other on him, noting the way his jaw had tightened with tension as the images of his mother with a wide variety of young people and other adults were displayed on the huge screen. In every one of them, Kathy was smiling, laughing, fully engaged in giving back to kids in need. It was obvious to Maggie that Kathy had sought to redeem the mistakes she’d made with her own son by helping other kids. Maggie found herself forgiving a woman she’d never met for having failed to protect Brayden.

  The slide show ended with a warm round of applause.

  A video played then in which several of the children and young adults Kathy had worked with talked about what she’d meant to them and the difference she’d made in their lives.

  “We’re honored to have Kathy’s son, Brayden, with us tonight to accept the Volunteer of the Year award on behalf of his mother, the indefatigable, irreplaceable Kathy Thomas.”

  Brayden squeezed Maggie’s hand and headed for the stage as the entire room stood to applaud his mother.

  Maggie had a huge lump in her throat as she stood with the others to watch him take the stage, shake hands with the program chair and take a long look at the crystal award he’d been given.

  The applause went on for minutes.

  “Thank you all so much,” Brayden said. “It’s an honor to be here with you tonight and to accept this award on my mother’s behalf. She had tremendous affection for this organization and for the amazing people she met through her work with y’all. If she were here, she would tell you she doesn’t need awards.

  “In fact, she declined this one many times over because she said the kids gave her the only reward she needed when they finished college or got a great job or started families of their own. She was so proud of every one of the young people she worked with, and I gratefully accept this award on her behalf. Thank you for remembering her this way. I appreciate it so much.”

  Maggie’s heart swelled with pride along with a surge of affection and love for him that caught her off guard. It was too soon to love him. She couldn’t… Not yet… But as he came toward her, stopping to accept condolences from numerous people, her heart hammered, and the feeling that overwhelmed her could only be love.

  She loved him.

  How was that possible?

  Clearly, she was being ridiculous, caught up in the emotion of the moment and not thinking clearly. But then his gaze met hers, and…

  Everything else fell away. In a room full of people, she saw only him.

  She loved him.

  He finally made his way back to the table and immediately reached for her.

  Maggie closed her eyes and hugged him back as her mind raced to catch up with the heart that had chosen him.

  Eventually, they took their seats again, but Brayden kept his arm around her, which was fine with Maggie. She wanted only to be close to him.

  When the ceremony ended, he said he needed to use the men’s room and would be right back. Maggie took advantage of the time he was gone to talk to some of the organization’s leaders about Matthews House and to exchange business cards.

  “We get together for lunch with other program directors the first Wednesday of every month,” one of the women told her. “You’re more than welcome to join us.”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Great. I’ll email you the info.”

  “Please do.”

  “I work with a child who would absolutely love your equine therapy program, and I think it would do wonders for his self-confidence. Are you willing to work with children outside your own program?”

  Brayden returned in time to hear the question. “I am if it’s okay with Maggie. She’s the boss.”

  “That’d be fine with me. Call me to make arrangements.”

  Maggie knew that Brayden was ready to go, but appreciated that he was patient while she talked to the others about networking opportunities.

  “We’ve heard such amazing things about your program,” another woman said. “We’d love to see your facility sometime, if that’s possible.”

  “Any time. We can do one of the monthly lunches there sometime, if you’d like.”

  “That’d be great.”

  Maggie left the event feeling like she’d made some friends and begun to set up the professional network that would be so helpful to her going forward. “That was great,” she said to Brayden when they were out of the ballroom. “Those are just the kinds of connections I need.”

  “I’m so glad you got the chance to meet some people. My mom loved working with them. She said they’re the perfect group because they care so much about the kids they serve. It’s not just a job to them, but a cause.”

  “I can see how they would look at it that way. Matthews House has never felt like a ‘regular job’ to me, and it’s not only because I work for my sister and brother-in-law. It’s because I know that even on the worst days, we’re doing something important to help people who really need it.”

  “That’s right, but tonight, you’re off duty.”

  “Until we get home, you mean.”

  “Nope. I mean until tomorrow afternoon when the kids get home from school.”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  He pulled a room key from his pocket and showed it to her. “Remember that toothbrush I told you to bring?”

  Maggie gasped. “We’re staying here?”

  “Yep.”

  “But the house, I need to… They’ll be wondering…”

  “Teresa knows you won’t be back tonight.”

  “Oh.” Maggie wasn’t sure how she felt about him telling one of their colleagues that they’d be spending the night together.

  “She said she thinks it’s great because you haven’t had a full night off since you started months ago, and she said to tell you not to worry about a thing. She’s got you covered.”

 
“This is rather sneaky of you, Brayden.”

  “I realize that, Maggie, but I thought you might enjoy the night away.” He directed her into a small alcove off the hallway, and with his back blocking the view of anyone going by, he kissed her neck, jaw and lips. “We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but before you decide, you ought to know there’s a huge tub in the room, I ordered champagne, and there’ll be room service in the morning—”

  Maggie wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him into a kiss. “Sold.”

  “What did it for you? The room service?”

  She shook her head. “It’s that I get to enjoy all those things with you.”

  “So this is a good surprise, then?”

  “A very good surprise. Did you check us into a fancy hotel with no luggage?”

  “Maybe?”

  Maggie laughed. “That’s the definition of a booty call.”

  He flattened his hand on her ass and squeezed. “I can live with that as long as it’s your booty calling.”

  “Can we go check out the room now?”

  “Absolutely.” He kissed her again before resting his forehead against hers. “Maggie…”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Is this real? Are you real?”

  “I’ve been wondering the very same thing about you.”

  “It’s the most real thing I’ve ever had, and all I want is more of it—and you.”

  “Me, too.”

  He took hold of her hand. “Let’s go upstairs.”

  Brayden had expected tonight to be a gut punch, and in many ways, it had been. Seeing the photos of his mom alive and well and laughing with the kids she’d loved so much was a brutal reminder of what he’d lost. But being there with Maggie had made it far more bearable than it would’ve been otherwise.

  Being with Maggie made everything better. He thought she was beautiful all the time, but she’d blown him away with how she looked tonight. When he saw her standing there by the truck, he’d thought for a second he was dreaming. Everything about her appealed to him, from the way she handled the residents and staff to their shared love of horses and her dedication to the program they were building together.

  She did it for him in a way that no other woman ever had. She was his dream girl, and he’d wanted their first real date to be memorable for both of them. Which was why he’d used the last of his credit card limit to reserve a room at the Hermitage so he could make tonight special for her.

  He’d be getting his first paycheck from Matthews House next week, and that would give him room to breathe. In the meantime, tonight was a major splurge, but well worth it to make her happy and to give her a badly needed break from her responsibilities at the house.

  They took the elevator to the fifth floor and followed the signs to room five twenty-five.

  Brayden used the key card to gain entry and held the door so she could go ahead of him into the elegant room with a king-size bed, sitting area and marble bathroom.

  “This is gorgeous, Brayden,” Maggie said as she took it all in.

  “Your dad builds incredible hotels. You’ve probably seen them all.”

  Maggie came to him, put her hands on his hips and looked up at him. “This one is special, the best hotel I’ve ever been in because I’m here with you.”

  She was so sweet, so adorable, so everything.

  Brayden raised his hands to her face and tipped it up to receive his kiss. He could kiss her for hours and never get enough. In fact, that’s exactly what he wanted to do now that they had all night to spend together.

  A knock on the door briefly interrupted his plans. “Hold that thought.”

  “Holding.”

  Brayden went to the door and let in the room service waiter, who’d brought champagne and chocolate. He signed the slip and included a gratuity. “Thanks very much.”

  “Have a nice evening, folks.”

  He followed the man to the door, closed it and locked it since they were in for the night. When he turned back to the room, he saw that Maggie had kicked off her shoes and was checking out the view from the window. From behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders. “What’re you thinking about over here?”

  “That I can almost see home from here.”

  “I should’ve taken you farther away than Nashville.”

  “No, this is perfect.” She leaned back against him. “Thank you for giving me the best reason to take a break.”

  “Is this the best reason?”

  Turning to face him, she said, “You’re the best reason I’ve ever had.”

  “Same.”

  As he stared into her stunning blue eyes, he wondered if she felt anywhere near what he did, because if she did… God, he couldn’t even bring himself to hope for that. “How about some champagne?”

  “I never say no to champagne.”

  He went to pop the cork and filled glasses for both of them. “They also brought chocolate.”

  “Yum.”

  She drank the champagne and checked out the selection of chocolates. “You want one?”

  He put his glass on a table, removed his jacket and folded it over a chair, sat on the bed and kicked off his shoes. “Sure. Pick one for me.”

  Maggie stepped between his legs and fed a chocolate to him.

  “Mmm, that’s good.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  They shared her glass of champagne, then dropped the glass to the carpeted floor as they fell back on the bed in a kiss that tasted of chocolate and champagne. Their heads bumped, and they laughed and then kissed some more while tugging at clothes.

  “How in the hell do I get this thing off you?” he asked, frustrated by the jumpsuit.

  “I gotta stand up.”

  Brayden let her up, and when he tried to help with buttons, she pushed his hands away. He groaned dramatically, which made her laugh.

  “Get that shirt off,” she said. “And the pants can go, too. You won’t be needing them for a while.”

  Brayden’s fingers were like thumbs as he tried to hurry. All day, he’d been looking forward to right now, when they’d have hours alone to spend together. In bed. Naked. That couldn’t happen fast enough for him as he pulled a strip of condoms from his pocket, tossed them on the bed, kicked off his pants and underwear, nearly falling over in his haste.

  Maggie covered her mouth, but her eyes danced with laughter.

  “It’s not funny.”

  “It is funny.”

  He sat on the bed, crooked his finger at her, and she stepped into the space between his legs. “You forgot a few things,” he said, using his chin to point to the bra and panties she’d left on. “You want some help with that?”

  “Sure.” She turned away from him, and that was when he saw that she was wearing a thong.

  He sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of black fabric disappearing between supple cheeks. “Maggie…”

  “Hmm?”

  “Are you trying to stop my heart?”

  “Nope.”

  He cupped and squeezed her cheeks. “Well, you just about did.”

  “I couldn’t have panty lines.”

  “I agree entirely. Panty lines are the devil.”

  Brayden loved to make her laugh. He unhooked her black bra and slid the straps down over her arms until the garment fell to the floor. Maggie started to turn around, but he stopped her. “Hang on a minute.” He stood, pushed his cock into the softness between her cheeks and reached around to cup her breasts and tease her nipples.

  She pressed back against him and made him see stars.

  Christ have mercy, he wanted her like he’d never wanted anything or anyone—ever. This kind of desire was all new to him, something he’d heard about happening to other people, but he’d never experienced it until he met Maggie and suddenly understood. He’d basically blown off most of a Key West vacation so he could talk to her, and if that wasn’t a sign that his life had taken an unexpected turn, he didn’t know what was.

  He kissed t
he back of her neck and caressed her breasts until her legs were trembling. Locking one arm around her ribs, he flattened the other hand over her belly, sliding it down between her legs.

  Gasping, she leaned into him as he played with her through the silk of her panties. He worked on her until she was breathing hard and moving with him, and then he retreated, pushed his hand inside her panties and finished her off in two strokes. He slid the panties down her legs and held her while she stepped out of them. As she turned to face him, he grabbed a condom and rolled it on.

  He guided her onto his lap so she straddled him, her arms curled around his neck and her breasts pressed to his chest. “Is this okay?”

  She nodded, lifted herself up and took him in, coming down on him slowly until he was fully buried in her.

  His hands cupped her bottom and held on as she set the pace, forcing him to follow her lead. He was more than happy to follow her anywhere she wanted to take him.

  Chapter 25

  Maggie slept like a dead woman. She hadn’t slept like that in months, since before she moved to Tennessee. Maybe it’d been before Ethan attacked her. When she woke, sunshine peeked in through the curtains, and she had no idea what time it was. Hopefully, the kids had gotten off to school without a problem and everything was all right at the house. She had to assume Teresa would call her if anything came up that she couldn’t handle.

  Expelling a deep breath, she burrowed deeper into the luxurious bed linens and wallowed in contentment as she thought about the night with Brayden. She dozed until the scent of coffee and bacon had her sitting up in bed.

  “Morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

  She pushed the mass of hair back off her face to take in the delicious sight of him sitting at the table wearing only his underwear as he read the paper. “Morning. What time is it?”

  “Almost ten.”

  “No way.”

  “Yes way.”

  “Wow. I’ve been convinced lately that I’d never again sleep later than six thirty.”

  “Now you know you still can.”

  Maggie found his discarded dress shirt and put it on before getting out of bed to use the bathroom and the toothbrush he’d told her to bring. Sneaky devil. She loved that he’d planned this amazing night away from it all for her. After she used the bathroom, brushed her teeth and tried to straighten her wild hair, she went to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind the chair.