by Maya Rossi
Ava watched Brayden’s face transform into a mask of total confusion. “What are Janet and Hannah doing together?”
Hannah and Janet stood in the foyer sizing each other up like two boxers just before the ref rang the bell. Dressed in a simple cut-off jeans and a white shirt, Hannah looked casual and beautiful. In her knee-length skirt and button-down shirt, Janet looked nothing like the coked out version she met at BMF a little over a year ago.
When Hannah saw Brayden, she skipped forward like she wanted to throw herself into his arms and stopped. “I was at a diner in town — not like this place is a town or anything, and--”
“She wanted to know how to get here so I helped her,” Janet finished.
Hannah lifted her chin at a stubborn angle and addressed her brother. “I’m not here to see you, I came for Max. Ava said I could come.”
“Who’s Max?” Janet asked almost pleasantly.
“None of your business,” Hannah said.
Ava took her hand and led her to the room where Max still slept.
“He looks so much like Bray,” Hannah whispered. “Better looking too.”
“Your mother knows you’re here?” Ava asked.
Hannah shrugged. “No, but I told my father. I’ll soon be eighteen and out of her hair.”
“I can’t imagine Max never being my baby,” Ava admitted.
“You’re a good mother. If you had a mother like mine, eighteen can’t get here quickly enough.”
“What do you think Janet wants?” Ava asked quietly. She felt guilty pumping Hannah for information but she couldn’t help it.
“I think she’s blackmailing him,” Hannah said, poking Max’s side to prod him awake. “See? He’s awake now.” Gently she lifted him out of the crib. “Hi, Max. I’m Hannah, remember me?”
Ava left them to return to Brayden. She found him in his office talking with Jack.
“I think you should listen to her, Bray,” Jack said, his words clipped in anger.
“It’s the only idea I have for — Ava. Is everything all right?”
“Janet’s gone?”
“Yes.”
“What did she want?”
Jack shook his head and walked out.
Brayden rubbed a weary hand down his face. “She’s blackmailing me, she’s been blackmailing me for years.”
Ava ran around the office desk and wrapped him in her arms. Brayden laughed, holding her close. “You don’t even know the details.”
“To allow her blackmail you for years, I figure it has to be something deeply important to you.”
“Yeah.”
She cupped his cheek, leaning close to kiss him on the lips. “I’m sorry, Brayden.”
He stopped her with a finger against her lips. “I want to make love to you..”
Brayden led her to the rug in the room's corner. There he made love to her, worshiping every inch of her skin he could reach. Finally, when she couldn’t endure the onslaught any longer, Ava reached for him.
“The condom,” she breathed. He leaned forward, catching the lobe of her ear between his teeth. “But I’m on the pill,” she added in a rush.
He froze, just breathing in steadily in and out. Ava laughed nervously. “I ah- I thought maybe we could ditch the condoms? You know what? Forget it, we used triple protection and still had Max.”
Slowly, he eased off her to lie by her side, staring upwards. Ava turned to watch him with anxious eyes. “You hated how the pills made you feel,” he said.
“Yes,” Ava began cautiously, “but since I had Max, my flow has been heavier and painful so my doctor put me on the pill.”
He was quiet for a bit. “I want to apologize for insisting you go on the pill before… but Ava? I don’t want another baby. I really don’t.”
She laughed, relieved and happy they could talk about this. “You didn’t want Max either. May I ask why?”
He swallowed hard. “Because — because of my father, I don’t want a child like me.”
“Brayden! I’m honored and happy to have Max, I will be grateful if Max is the man you are--”
“I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Okay, okay. But let it be on record that I’m happy to have you as the father of my children--”
“Ava,” he growled in warning.
“I’m on the pill and I’m still breastfeeding,” Ava drawled.
“And the chances of getting pregnant?”
“Very low,” she arched her eyebrows, “but given that you wrapped up twice and still got me pregnant?” She lowered her voice and deepened it dramatically. “Maybe you’ve got a very strong seed.”
Brayden laughed. “I get your point.”
“But one condom is probably enough,” she whispered.
“Yeah, I apologize if I made you feel some type of way with that.”
Ava kissed him, pushing her tongue into his mouth to duel with his. Climbing over him, she moved to straddle his thighs, pushing his hands to cup her breasts. When he tweaked her nipples, she moaned. She broke the kiss to take in much needed air, raking her teeth over his jaw and neck.
Brayden ran his hands over her, paying special attention to her hips and buttocks. When she tongued the flat disk of his nipple, he groaned in approval. He whispered, “Ava, my love.”
She bit his nipple hard, remembering how much he loved to be marked. He pushed a thigh between her legs, providing the perfect counterpoint for her aching mound. Ava took advantage, momentarily pausing in her ministrations to ground against him.
“That’s it,” he muttered, “ride me, take your pleasure, baby.”
As the pleasure pounded through her, Ava dragged her nails down the muscled planes of his stomach. His breath left him in a hiss. Brayden grabbed her hips, tilting her forward and down over his hardness. Ava grabbed the condom, taking her time to wrap him up, savoring the trust and love it represented on his path.
With his help, she pushed his penis against her fluttering warmth and carefully brought herself down. Over and over, they enjoyed the dance as old as time. And when her pleasure reached a crescendo, their eyes met, Ava cried out.
Brayden joined turned them over, hitching her thighs to her chest, the planes of his face, hard as he chased his pleasure. Despite just coming, streaks of heat fanned out from her center to her nipples, tightening the buds to the point of pain. With every thrust, Brayden grunted, powerful and hungry in his desire to come.
Suddenly, he groaned, lowering his head to catch her nipple between his teeth. Ava cried out, raking her nails down his sides. Brayden released her nipples and grimaced. His penis pulsed inside her and he groaned.
“Ava,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “My love.”
Chapter twenty-seven
“It’s the silence I recall. I mustn’t make a noise not to make mother angry. I lived in silence at home because she never wanted to hear me speak. The irony is, she spoke more to me while pregnant with Benjamin than at any other time in my life.”
“Benjamin, that’s the ‘B’ in BMF? Benjamin Marshall Foundation, right?”
Yeah,” Brayden ran a hand through her hair, gently untangling a knot, “mother got him a locket, made a place for him at breakfast and everything--”
“Before he was born?”
“Before he was born,” Brayden confirmed. “She said he was the better son. When I showed her my grades, she’d say Benjamin’s better. Benjamin was better at everything than I was. I grew to hate my brother.”
“That’s sick,” Ava muttered.
Brayden wasn’t listening. “So, when Hank--”
“The present Sheriff?”
“Yes. It was the last day of school, Hank invited me out with the other guys. And since I had never been out with them, I thought why not? I would only hear about Benjamin’s day at school, anyway. So I went.”
“How old were you?”
“Fourteen.”
“What happened?”
His tone turned rueful. “I d
idn’t have a great time. The boys seemed to speak a different language. Gladys said I was too matured for my age. Anyway, five minutes after we got there, I wished I hadn’t come. I hated disobeying mother.”
His hands tightened around her and his voice became rough with emotion. “The guys began fighting over Janet and--”
“This same Janet?”
“Yep.” He cleared his throat. “I decided to walk home when Hank got involved. Someone threw a bottle and Hank was bleeding. The boys ran off. I thought he’d die. So I called 9-1-1.”
Ava ran a hand down his side as his voice got increasingly choked. “He died?”
“No,” Brayden breathed in deeply. “He was fine. Sheriff did his thing, got the names of the kids and called our parents. Mother came for me. I can still remember what Sheriff said ‘Your son is a great example, he’s the reason things aren’t worse than they are.”
Brayden coughed, brushing his temple with a finger. “I remember thinking it was the nicest thing anyone every said to me. But mother didn’t even pay him a glance. The Sheriff Mason took one look at her and said asked if I should cool my heels in the station. Mother could wait in the motel in town since the drive back was long. She was seven, and half months gone. But mother said, ‘He’s his father’s son and will sleep under his father’s roof.’
Pushing her gently off his chest, Brayden sat up and downed the glass of water on the nightstand. He stared at his hands, clenched and unclenched them. “On our way home, she said nothing. Not a word. Word, pleas stuck in my chest making breathing painful but I dared not. Suddenly a deer raced into the road, mom braked hard and swerved. My seat belt cut into my middle.”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “I had never been so afraid. Somehow, we got the car moving again. But when we got home and mother got out of the car, I saw blood on her thighs. I ran forward to help, not that I knew what to do.”
“Touch it,” She ordered
I shook my head, trembling all over.
“That’s Benjamin. He would have been famous but you just killed him. Touch him.”
With a trembling hands, I touched the blood. It was warm, almost hot to the touch. I couldn’t stop shaking.
“Father took her to the hospital and mother was fine but Benjamin was not.” Brayden hitched a breath, fighting back tears. “She made me promise to make Benjamin famous, said he would have been great if I hadn’t killed him.”
“Oh, Brayden,” Ava whispered, wishing Sarah Jacobs was right there so she could strangle her.
“You know,” he wiped his tears, “sometimes I wonder if I didn’t kill Benjamin--”
“That’s not true--”
“I know, I know.” His face crumpled. “But I didn’t really like him, my brother. And I think mother suspected.”
Ava drew him into her arms as he cried. “She knew I hated him that’s why I killed him.”
“That’s not true, baby. It’s really not.” She pressed a kiss to his hair. “You’re a father now, put Max in your shoes, would it be fair to blame him?”
Brayden shook his head, tears running down his cheeks. “Ava--”
“Will you blame him, like she blamed you?”
“No,” he finally answered.
∞∞∞
“Hi.”
He forced his eyes open to find Ava watching him intently. He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. “How are you?”
“I want to stay right here but I’m about to be summoned in one, two and three.”
They laughed as Max’s cry split the air. Brayden pulled Ava to her feet. “He sounds really hungry.”
“Like he hasn’t eaten in years,” Ava confirmed.
“You didn’t pump breast milk into a bottle?” Brayden asked, pushing the door to Max’s room open.
Ava stopped, surprised. “How did you know about that?”
Color suffused his cheeks. “I’ve seen you do it.”
Face red, legs and hands pumping, Max looked mad. Brayden stared at his son. For the first time, he noticed they had the same eyes and chin. In fact, they looked scarily alike.
“Where’s Hannah?” Ava asked, picking Max out of his crib.
“She’s at the Sheriff’s. He’s growing fast.”
“He has a really tight grip, see?” Ava pushed her forefinger into Max’s fist and he held it tight. She smiled encouragingly. “Try?”
Heart pounding like a jackhammer, Brayden complied. The moment Max grabbed his finger, he opened his eyes. “He knows the hand feels different,” Brayden said in wonder.
“Bray?” Jack called from the door.
“What?”
Jack grimaced. “Sarah’s on the phone.”
“Damn, I was having a good day,” Brayden said with feeling.
“You’re embracing fatherhood now?”
“I don’t know, I want to try. She makes me want to try.”
Jack held out his hand for a fist bump. “I think it’s the best idea you’ve come with yet. Now, if you’ll just add going back to boxing to that list, your fans will be happy.”
“Only after you give Ujin a chance,” Brayden retorted.
But Jack shook his head. “Nah, I’ve found single hood rewarding.”
At the office door, Brayden gave him a look. “Who are you deceiving with that shit?”
“You don’t even know if I’m attracted to him,” Jack said, exasperated.
Brayden arched an eyebrow. “Really? Are we both demisexual now?”
Jack burst into laughter and wandered off.
“Mother.” Brayden turned to the windows overlooking the south side of the house.
“You have a child? What were you thinking?”
Brayden tightened his grip on the phone. “How are you?”
“Is there not enough Marshalls in the world you have to bring another into the world? Have you forgotten what you are? What your father is?”
“I haven’t forgotten--”
“When will you learn that blood always tells? You think it was a coincidence Ryan died? I know you never meant to kill him but you did, just like your father.”
Brayden threw the phone hard against the fireplace where it smashed.
∞∞∞
“I miss Max,” Robin sighed.
“But not me?” Ava tried to inject outrage into her voice.
“How’s my boy?”
Ava ran her hand over Max’s smooth cheek. “He’s doing great, getting to know his father.”
“And you, are you getting to know his father too, both biologically and emotionally?”
Ava laughed. “You, my friend, are crazy. But yes.”
“We should start shopping for wedding dresses then? I have a great--”
“Slow down, Robin. We’re taking it slow.”
“I hate that word.”
“We have to, we both carry baggage and we need to drop them to be happy.”
“I get it. Sorry babe, gotta go. Just— don’t do what I wouldn’t do.”
Round nine
Chapter twenty-eight
“Soooo, Janet was right.” Jack took the dustbin and crammed the remaining fan mail inside it.
Brayden ran a finger down the document, the remarkably detailed text about his history, trying and failing to figure out how the sender knew so much about him. “I’ll talk to mother and Hannah, maybe — no.”
“Maybe, they’ve talked to anyone about the past?” Jack asked.
“Yeah.”
He shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”
“I doubt if it would help,” Brayden tipped his head back, “no way Sarah’s talking about the past to anyone.”
“I think Ava should be aware of this,” Jack said.
Brayden laughed. “You think?”
“Seriously, Bray--”
“No, I’ll handle it.” Jack lifted his hands up in exasperation. “How will you handle it when you don’t even know what the person wants or who he is? This isn’t Danny or Janet anymore.”
It really wasn’t. Whoever the sender was, he knew things even Brayden didn’t. The prison where Joseph Sidwell was incarcerated, the exact number of times Sidwell had tried reaching him and even about Benjamin. The sender hadn’t left an address or contact. What did he want?