The Better Brother

by Rye Hart

  “Absolutely,” I replied and traced a finger down the center of his chest. “It’s going to be hard to leave at the end of the break. I don’t want to go back to school after everything that has happened.”

  “You have to go, though. I am not going to deprive you of your degree. Our relationship will be here when you’re done.”

  “What do we do in the meantime, then?” I asked.

  Gabriel pressed a kiss against the side of my head with a smile. “Well, I’m buying you a brand-new phone. We can call and text every single day if you want to, until you’re done with school in May. I can even come out for a weekend here and there if you don’t have exams scheduled.”

  “There is spring break, too,” I said. “It’s for an entire week in March. Not long like winter break, but I could come here to Chicago to stay with you if that is possible.”

  “Hmm.” His fingertips trailed up and down my spine. I let my eyes slipped closed at the contact, my senses being lulled to sleep from the simple touch. “Maybe a trip to somewhere nice and warm would be better. It’s rarely springy around her in Chicago in early March.”

  “What are you thinking then?

  “A nice sandy beach in Hawaii,” Gabriel said, sighing. “That sounds better to me than anything else. Digging my toes in the sand, watching you play in the sea with a bikini on. That’s an ideal type of spring break vacation for me.”

  I opened my eyes to gaze up at him. “What about Alyssa? I don’t want her to feel like the odd man out throughout this.”

  “Alyssa already has plans for spring break. That’s why I’m suggesting Hawaii.”

  “She does?” I asked, propping myself back up. “What are her plans? She hasn’t said a word to me.”

  “California with Scott,” he said. “She told me about it just yesterday. The two of them plan to fly to California to spend some time together there, since both of their breaks are at the same time.

  I studied Gabriel’s face intently. “And you’re okay with your daughter dating? There was this big thing about it for a long time, according to Alyssa.”

  “It’s not easy letting your kid go out on their own,” Gabriel said. “She’s always going to be my baby girl. No matter how old she gets, I still see a little girl. That’s how your mother sees you, too. It doesn’t matter if you’re an adult at this point—we still see our babies.”

  “The protective father,” I said, grinning. “That’s very nice of you to let your daughter do what she wants to do. I think Scott will make her happy. She rarely spends time with guys, so I think this one is special.”

  “It sounds like it. I promised that we would all go walk the mall one last time before it closed early tonight.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  We spent the rest of the morning cuddling together in bed. We even squeezed in a quick lovemaking session, before the sound of Nikki and Alyssa’s voices broke through the silence of the condo. I slipped into a sweater in time for Gabriel to open the door to his bedroom. He kissed me one last time on the lips before we both walked down the hallway in the direction of the living room.

  I stopped in surprise to find a Christmas tree in pieces on the ground with boxes of ornaments scattered about. I looked over at Alyssa as she shrugged out of her coat with a grin.

  “Found the decorations,” she said. “They were locked up in our storage attic thing upstairs. We haven’t decorated the condo yet. It’s time to get in the Christmas spirit.”

  I glanced over at the calendar that was nailed into the wall over Gabriel’s desk. Christmas was in three days. I had lost track of time with everything that happened in such a short amount of time.

  “Sounds good to me,” Gabriel said, grabbing the bottom piece of the tree. “What time are we meeting Scott at the mall?”

  “At four,” Alyssa said, and she glanced at me. “Are you coming too, Penny? It’d be nice if you came along to meet him, too. Now that you’re my new stepmom.”

  I laughed at that. “Very funny,” I said, smiling. “But I’d love to come along.”

  We spent the entire afternoon hanging up decorations. The condo looked like a Christmas parade float by the time we finished emptying out all the boxes together. Bidding my mother, who looked quite content wrapped up in a blanket with a book, goodbye, I followed Gabriel and Alyssa out of the condo to meet William downstairs. We drove to the mall in silence with Gabriel seated in the front seat. He kept our affection tucked away when we met up with Scott, out of respect for Alyssa who was still adjusting to our relationship. He didn’t want to overwhelm Scott, either, upon first meeting him.

  I hovered back while Gabriel and Scott got to know one another as they walked through the mall. To my surprise, and relief too, Alyssa hooked an arm through mine as we walked along behind the two of them.

  “This is going to sound strange,” she said over the Christmas music blaring in the mall. “But I’m glad that you were able to convince my dad to come out here to meet Scott. He never does things like this.”

  “I didn’t convince him,” I said, shaking my head. “He wanted to come out here of his own accord”

  Alyssa sent me a pointed look. “My point exactly. Even if this is going to take some time for me to get used to, I can’t sit here and tell you that you haven’t done some good for my dad. He’s happy, and that’s all I care about.”

  “We really do love each other,” I said. “I hope you know that. I wouldn’t ever try to intentionally hurt either one of you.”

  “I know that.”

  Alyssa’s eyes focused on the Starbucks on the bottom floor. She nudged me gently in the ribs to nod down at it before tapping Scott on the shoulder to get his attention.

  “How about some Christmas Mocha Lattes?” she suggested. “I’m in the mood for one. Anyone else?”

  “Absolutely,” Scott said, smiling. “How about you, sir?”

  “I’m right behind the both of you,” Gabriel said with a smile. He waited for Scott to take Alyssa by the hand before coming up to me. “Let’s get some coffee. What do you say?”

  I smiled up at him. Christmas lights were twinkling in I’m right there with you.”

  He leaned down to press his lips against mine in a soft kiss that instantly sent my stomach soaring in various directions. He pulled back to rest his forehead against mine while whispering, “I love you, Penny.”

  I rested my hands on the tops of his broad shoulders to feel the lingering wetness of melted snowflakes. “I love you, too, Gabriel.”

  EPILOGUE

  GABRIEL

  ONE YEAR LATER

  Christmas music played cheerfully from the living room when I stepped inside the condo after a long day at the office. The dim, festive lights, coupled with the smell of sugar cookies, washed over me pleasantly as I set my briefcase down. I hung up my coat up next to the door while I listened to the conversation in the living room. A smile graced my lips as the stress from the day finally fell away from my shoulders.

  It seemed to do that every single day now when I stepped through the front door. Seven months ago, I had stood in the crowd with Nikki, proudly cheering Penny on as she received her diploma from the Dean of her college. Four years of education were behind her, and I’d never felt prouder of her. It was also that same month that I had insisted on Penny coming to live in the condo with me while she took a few art and literature classes here in Chicago. Those few months we had spent apart were physically painful for the both of us. Neither one of us wanted to go through it again, so Penny had enrolled in a few classes at my encouragement, to keep herself busy while I worked at the office throughout the week.

  Seven blissful months of having Penny in my daily life. Nothing about our life together now was dull and boring; unlike the way I had felt before Penny, whenever I tried to get close to another woman.

  It hadn’t been easy to weather. Once my ex-wife caught wind of my relationship with Penny Marshall, there had been hell to slog through. My ex had been determined to use
the relationship to stir a public outcry, after word reached me that my company would be used to help the government predict consumer spending. None of it had worked in the long run like she had hoped it would. The general public didn’t seem to care about my love life, and that was fine by me. It wasn’t any of their damn business in the first place.

  I stepped into the living room to find the Penny, Alyssa, and Nikki seated on the couch as they talked over coffee. My eyes landed on Penny, where she sat next to her mother. Today, she had put on bright maroon leggings with a baggy Christmas sweater that reached the middle of her thighs. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a loose braid that rested over her shoulder.

  The smile that spread across her ruby red lips sent a stab of fire through me. I reached up to touch the inside of my blazer pocket, where a small box was wrapped with a diamond ring in it. That was how much my feelings had developed for Penny Marshall over the past year.

  “How was work?” Alyssa asked when she realized I was standing in the living room. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”

  “Busy as usual,” I said, and poured myself a cup before walking over to press a kiss against Penny’s head. “We just finished up a contract, just in time for the holiday break.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” Nikki said, cradling her cup with a smile. “Penny was just telling us how hard you’ve been trying to get this new contract out.”

  “I wanted to spend some time with everyone over Christmas without it hovering over my head,” I replied, and sat down in the chair next to Penny who smiled sweetly at me. “Where is Scott? I figured he would be here tonight.”

  Alyssa sipped at her coffee with a smile. “He’ll be by later. He had to drop his parents off at the airport. They are flying out to Hawaii for their Christmas present this year.”

  “That must be nice at this time of the year,” Nikki said, sighing. “I would love to sit on a warm sandy beach right now without a care in the world.”

  “You were just in France,” Penny exclaimed, shaking her head. “The most romantic place to be on earth, Mom.”

  Nikki sniffed indelicately at that. “I was inside a majority of the time, watching models prance around in my new fashion line. I didn’t get to sight see like I wanted to.”

  The conversation slid over to Alyssa’s winter semester. Next year, she and Scott both planned to travel abroad with one another. A year ago, I would’ve never been comfortable letting my daughter travel in a foreign country with some guy that I barely even knew, but Scott had merged himself seamlessly into Alyssa’s life. The two of them were closer than ever, from what Penny confided in me. They were head over heels in love, too, but they were both determined to finish out their schooling before progressing to the next step, something I greatly approved of with Scott. He didn’t want to rush things while they were still experiencing life together.

  I let my gaze settle on Penny who was chatting amicably with her mother, who had also made some changes in her life over the past year. A French man named Lawrence had become a constant fixture in Nikki and Penny’s life. He was a few years older than Nikki, and he owned a couple of international banks throughout the world. Tonight was the last night that Nikki would be with us before flying out to New York City to meet with Lawrence for a private Christmas vacation. She had made it a priority to come out to spend an early Christmas with Penny and me before leaving, but it worked out for my plans in the long run. I wanted Nikki and Alyssa both here for what I wanted to ask Penny tonight.

  It was an early Christmas gift that I knew everyone in the room would be ecstatic over. Neil had graciously kept the ring I picked out a month ago hidden at his house so Penny wouldn’t stumble upon it.

  I waited for the catching up conversation to taper off before I decided it was time. I had dinner reservations for all of us to celebrate afterward. Placing my mug of coffee down on the table, I reached out to grab ahold of Penny’s soft, warm hand. She turned to smile at me, but a question lingered in her eyes when I swallowed the nerves in my throat. I couldn’t remember feeling scared shitless when I had proposed to my ex-wife several years ago. It hadn’t been right back then.

  It was much different this time. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Penny because I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.

  “I’ve been walking around for the past month, waiting for the right time,” I said, finding the strength to speak. The entire living room went quiet at that. “I think this is it.”

  Penny’s chest rose rapidly when I reached into the front pocket of my suit jacket. She clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise when I sank down to one knee in front of her.

  “Oh my god!” Alyssa cried, shaking her head. “I can’t believe it, Dad. You’ve kept this secret from me?”

  I smiled over in her direction. “Because I knew you would spoil the surprise. You can’t keep a secret worth anything.” I redirected my attention to Penny, who had tears in her eyes as she smiled around her fingers. “Penny Marshall, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

  I opened the small box to reveal the diamond ring that I had spent hours inspecting before settling on it with satisfaction.

  “Yes,” Penny whispered, her hands trembling in mine. “Yes! Absolutely, yes!”

  My heart swelled with love and relief as I slid the ring onto her finger. She wrapped her arms around me tightly to hug me fiercely. I pulled back to place a kiss on her lips while happy tears glittered in her eyes.

  “I can’t wait spend forever with you,” she whispered, her arms tight about my shoulders. “I love you, Gabriel. More than anything in this world.”

  “No more than me,” I replied, joy surging through me as she glanced at the ring with a happy smile. “Nothing but smooth sailing from here, baby.”

  Penny glanced up at me as Nikki and Alyssa immediately flanked her side to take in the ring. She smiled tenderly at me.

  “Absolutely,” she said. “Smooth sailing.”

  The End

  BEST SELLER: ROCK HARD BABY DADDY

  A Billionaire Cowboy Romance

  CHAPTER ONE - BELLA

  I’ve seen the world through a camera lens from as early as I could remember.

  I couldn’t help but be drawn toward the beauty around me. For whatever reason, I felt the need to document it in a timeless photograph that could speak to others, and maybe even spark a moment of serenity in their hearts.

  Yes, it all sounds very artsy-fartsy, even hippie-ish . But I couldn’t help myself. I was who I was.

  My mother saw it in me before I did. Even with pressure from well-meaning teachers, attempting to dissuade me from what they saw as a simple hobby, Mom always told me to screw what they thought and go after what was in my heart.

  “Bella, you have a fire in you,” she’d told me at a young age. “You don’t realize it now, but you will change the lives of others with your talents. Promise me and, more importantly, promise yourself that you’ll always go after your dreams, no matter how hard the journey.”

  Yep, she was pretty much the best mom on earth.

  And now the best mom in heaven.

  She’d done a damn good job raising me all on her own, and I hoped and prayed that someday when I had my own children, I could be half the mom she was.

  May her precious heart rest in peace.

  Fast forward to present day, and I’m nowhere near where I’d imagined I’d be at my age. On paper one would think I was nuts for even complaining about my situation.

  Engaged to a good, beautiful wealthy man.

  A big princess wedding only months away.

  And an even bigger rock on my left hand.

  I’m not one to lack appreciation for the lavish life I was living, but I felt my confidence dwindling day by day in my fiancé Gavin’s presence. Gavin’s constant berating and trivialization of my interests had all but destroyed the passion I had left for my art.

  He would never admit to it, but he essentially saw me as his trophy wife. In
his eyes, my job was to sit quietly and look pretty. He didn’t mind me having a side hobby or two, but he didn’t like the idea of me pursing my dream of becoming a widely influential artist. He knew how much it would take, and that simply didn’t align well with his plan for life.

  He did everything he could to diminish the flames that sparked inside of me. Now, as I look at myself in the mirror, I can barely recognize the girl I once knew. It was the thought of losing that last bit of fire that scared the fuck out of me.

  “This place is a dump, Bella.” Gavin had curled his lip at my friend’s place for the second time that evening. The first time was when we drove up and parked outside, and now I’d hoped he’d keep his voice low enough that the other artists present wouldn’t hear. There were writers, painters, and other photographers within earshot.

  A friend of mine from my photography class owned the coffee shop, so I hoped he wouldn’t throw his countless insults this direction, but that was a proving to be a major fail at this point. The truth was the coffee shop was one of the best and busiest shops in the city, and the patrons had all built such a camaraderie that they were like a small family. It would take a complete asshole not to appreciate the charm it had to offer. Today Gavin was that asshole.

  Kayla finally showed, and I breathed a sigh of relief as she crossed the room. My best friend would be just the lift I needed.

  “This is awesome! I’m sure you’ve already sold a ton of copies of the journal, right?” she asked enthusiastically.

  “She’s signed five and two of those were for the same woman. She has only sold one print.” Gavin smirked.

  Why am I with this dickhead anyway? I asked myself.

  “She bought the books for her daughters,” I said, in attempt to sway the direction of the conversation back to something positive.

  I smiled remembering the older woman who had seemed way out of her element. She had come across town to buy copies of my photography collection for her daughters, who were avid readers. Both had enjoyed my collections in the past and owned a few prints, so she’d wanted to surprise them.