by Tess Summers
Brenna jerked away from his touch. “I don’t think there’s anything left to say.”
“There’s plenty left to say,” he growled.
“Like what? Like the real reason you couldn’t come see me when you got back was because you were too busy fucking Sarah on your birthday?”
The look of surprise on his face provided her with momentary satisfaction.
He stared at her for a second while composing himself before responding, “That’s not at all what happened.”
She snorted in disbelief.
“Brenna, you need to listen to me. I did not fuck Sarah.”
“But she was with you on your birthday.”
He looked down and quietly said, “Let me explain.”
His confirmation hit her like a punch to the stomach. “There’s nothing to explain.” She shrugged her shoulders in defeat. “You were with someone else on your birthday. I’m not important enough to spend it with you, and, to top it all off, you made up some bullshit excuse about why you couldn’t see me.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, like she was trying his patience. “You’re not even close.”
“Don’t fucking insult me like I’m an idiot,” she huffed.
He didn’t say anything, just looked down and sighed.
“I don’t want to see you anymore,” she said quietly.
He jerked his head up to look at her. “Is that what you really want?”
She was surprised at how hurt he sounded when he asked that.
Brenna closed her eyes and nodded her head as the tears streamed down her face.
“Darlin’, you’ve got it all wrong, that’s not –”
She jumped at Kyle’s voice behind her. “I think you better go,” he said sternly to Ron while putting his hand at the small of Brenna’s back.
Ron looked at Kyle and then back at Brenna.
“I will call you when I get back. We’re going to talk about this,” he said before nodding curtly at Kyle and turning on his heel to leave.
Brenna held it together until the front door closed, and then she broke down in sobs while Kyle held her tightly against him.
*
Ron
Ron was pissed.
Pissed that Kyle swooped in and tried to be the tough guy/savior for Brenna. Fuck that guy.
Pissed that Sarah had shown up unannounced on his birthday–after he’d been drinking and his defenses were down. She’d brought dinner and a cake. When she eluded that her body was the present he was supposed to unwrap, he had been put in a terrible position.
Fucking pissed at himself for standing aside, against his better judgment, and letting Sarah come inside his house in the first place.
He was also pissed at Brenna for having so little faith in him.
But mostly he was fuming at how helpless he felt. He was about to get on a plane and fly umpteen thousand miles away from San Diego for Lord knows how long, when what he needed to be doing was setting things straight with his gorgeous girlfriend. And possibly kicking Kyle’s ass in the process.
His goddamn promotion couldn’t come soon enough.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Brenna
Kyle sat with Brenna on the couch, letting her cry in his arms while stroking her back. When her breathing stilled, he kissed her hair and pulled away. Wiping her tears away, he asked, “What happened?”
Tears filled her eyes again as she shrugged her shoulders. “It was like Danny all over again.”
He squinted his eyes and cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“Really, Kyle? What the hell do you think I mean?” She didn’t mean to snap, but couldn’t help it. He knew damn well what she was talking about, was he really going to make her say it out loud?
“Bren, I’m not trying to be insensitive. I loved Danny–but he was an idiot. He had no idea how lucky he was to have you for his wife. He totally took you for granted.”
Kyle had never said anything like that to her before. Somehow, she felt validated that he was acknowledging Danny was wrong.
“But, I gotta tell you, Bren. I didn’t get that impression with Ron. He seemed to understand exactly how special you are. That’s why I’m asking what do you mean.”
Brenna snorted in disagreement. “Pffst. So special that he spent his birthday with his ex. A birthday that, by the way, I didn’t even know about.”
Kyle winced. “Are you sure?”
“Yes I’m sure! He even admitted it outside right before you came out.”
“Well now I wish I would have knocked him on his ass. He’s not the guy who stood you up a few months ago, is he?”
A gasp escaped her. “How did you know about that? Did Dee say something to you?”
He chuckled. “So Out and About got something right for once. Was it him?”
Brenna shook her head. “No, his name was Ray.”
“Well, that guy is an idiot too. What’s with you and idiots?”
She nodded. “I don’t know. I’m just lucky Out and About never got wind of Ray assaulting me on New Year’s Eve.”
“What?!” Kyle roared.
“Yep. Ron actually was the one who saved me. He knew something was wrong and came back to my hotel room even though he was supposed to be headed to the base. He said his gut told him to turn around, and that he always trusted his gut.”
He let out a low whistle. “Well, was his gut not working when he spent his birthday with his ex?”
Tears filled Brenna’s eyes again and she brought her shoulders toward her ears. “I just don’t get it. He always treated me like I was special, the sexiest woman on earth. Then he got back from his last mission and avoided me. Like, barely a text until yesterday. He showed up when I told him I was going to Sullivan’s Island.”
“I know he was pretty worried about you after your fall.”
“He was?”
Kyle chuckled. “Uh, yeah. He had a hard time letting even the hospital personnel take you from him, and he was pretty pissed when they wouldn’t let him go back with you.”
“Really?”
“He obviously cares about you. Maybe you should hear what he has to say when he gets back.”
“Kyle, I vowed I would never again go through what I went through with Danny.”
He sighed. “You know I love you and have always regretted making Danny show you around the stadium when you were doing research for your movie. It was supposed to be me who gave you the tour, but Danny owed me a favor so I cashed it in. If I had known you are so beautiful, inside and out, I would have snatched you up, and you never would have met Danny until we got back from our honeymoon.”
She smiled at how sweet he was being. “You know that…” She started to interrupt but he held his hand up.
“Let me finish. It wasn’t me you ended up with, it was Danny. He wasn’t worthy of you, but I never said anything because he was my best friend. Ron isn’t my friend, and I’ve only met him once, but from what I saw when I did, and from what Dee has told me about how happy he makes you, I have to say–he seems to deserve to at least be able to tell his side of the story.”
Shit. Was Kyle right? Did she just make a huge mistake? What if something happened to Ron before she gets a chance to hear him out?
She reached up and touched his cheek. “Why weren’t you the one to show me around the park that day?” she asked wistfully.
He grabbed her wrist and kissed it. “It wasn’t meant to be. I would have knocked you up that night, and you never would have written Warning Track, or anything else because I would have kept you barefoot and pregnant.”
Brenna grinned. “You’re such an ass. God, I love you. But you’re right–if you would have knocked me up, you never would have knocked Evelyn up, and you wouldn’t have Zach. And I wouldn’t have Danielle.”
His eyes grew wide. “I never knocked Evelyn up. Zach isn’t my son–he’s Alan’s.”
She rolled her eyes. “You and I both know that’s bullshit. I don’t
care what Zach’s birth certificate says; that boy looks exactly like you, and I also know for a fact that you and Evelyn were having a torrid love affair right around the time she got pregnant.”
“Oh, you do, do you? And just how do you know this for a fact?”
“Because she told me.”
That seemed to knock the wind out of his sails.
“Did she tell you Zach is mine?” he whispered.
“No. But you know he is, don’t you?”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “I don’t know, Bren. I have a lot of regrets about how I handled things.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “So fix it now. You can still do that, you know, you’re not dead.”
A slow smile formed as he stared at her while taking in what she just said. “Um, we’re dealing with your love life tonight. Not mine.”
She leaned in and hugged him with one arm. “We’re a pair of pathetic souls, huh?”
He gave a wry smirk. “Well one of us is more pathetic than the other.”
“Hey!” she said with an indignant push to his shoulder.
“I didn’t say which one of us!” He laughed and held his arms up as if to shield himself from any blows.
Brenna rested her fist on Kyle’s chest and leaned against his shoulder.
“What should I do?” she sighed.
“Follow your heart.”
She looked up at him with a wicked grin. “You should practice what you preach, ya know.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Brenna
Brenna was nervous. She knew Ron was arriving home today- it had been all over the news. The squad he was bringing home had been in an intense firefight, and all his men made it out alive. They were now hometown heroes and all of San Diego was excited to welcome them back.
No one could be as excited as she was. She wished she could be there when he got off the plane. She fantasized about the look on his face when she ran toward him, her arms open wide. He would pick her up and twirl her around before kissing her. His beautiful lips on hers with his arms around her tight, both of them ecstatic to be together again.
She envisioned him having the most perfect, reasonable explanation about why he had spent his birthday with Sarah. He’d beg her forgiveness, and they wouldn’t be able to keep their hands off each other as they made their way to his house–barely staying dressed before getting inside. Once they made it inside…. She’d let her body do the talking about how sorry she was for doubting him.
If only life was as good as her imagination.
They had only communicated briefly since he went on this mission. After her talk with Kyle the night Ron left, she had sent the Marine a text asking him to be careful. He responded that he would be, and they’d talk when he got home. He sent her another message right after the battle his men were in, letting her know he was safe, and she was thankful he thought of her. He sent her one more text letting her know when he’d be home and asked if they could have dinner the night after he arrived.
She was disappointed he hadn’t asked her to be at Miramar with the families to welcome the men home. She understood, given how they had left things, but the fact that he hadn’t wanted her there let a little doubt creep into her mind. Their communication had been brief, and she didn’t know if it was because what she had said to him the night he left or because that was all he had time for.
Every news station in town was at the base, filming when the Marines stepped onto the tarmac and into the arms of their loved ones. She felt badly for Ron. Although he hadn’t been overseas continually as long as this unit had been, he’d experienced his fair portion of hell with them. The thought of him stepping off the plane while his Marines were being kissed and hugged by their loved ones, and he having no one there to greet him made her tear up. Everyone should be greeted with love when they return. Especially after what he had been through.
Watching it on TV made her wish she would have gone, even if he hadn’t asked her to. She almost walked out the door twice to head to the base, but doubt edged its way in each time. He hadn’t asked her to be there, and she didn’t want to overstep. They’d been apart longer than actually together, and their status as a couple was questionable. What if there was something going on with Sarah? Maybe that was what he had to explain?
Thinking about what Kyle, and later Cassie, had said, she vehemently shook her head, trying to make the doubts go away.
She smiled when she imagined his face when he saw her again. He had such a way of making her feel desired. God, she couldn’t wait to see him. While she wasn’t new to being separated from her lover–she did it with Danny every year once Spring Training started- she was new to being separated with little contact. Truth be told, she was disappointed that Ron wanted to wait until tomorrow to see her. That he was able to wait.
She was anxiously scrutinizing the news coverage, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him walking in the background of the footage. She’d recognize that swagger anywhere. God he was handsome! Then she saw what looked like a younger version of Ron, walk up and embrace him for a long time (well, long for a guy hug), and then they pulled apart, laughing while patting each others’ backs.
Brenna smiled at the tenderness of the exchange.
Next, she saw what she assumed were his parents do the same. She felt a twinge of hurt that she hadn’t been invited to be there. Out of nowhere, a tan, long-haired brunette in a sky-blue top and white shorts jumped in his arms, wrapping her long legs around his waist and her arms around neck, before proceeding to plant kisses everywhere on his face. She recognized that shade of lipstick.
The camera panned away as his hands came under her ass.
Brenna sat stunned looking at the television for a few minutes. She didn’t know if she wanted to be sick, cry, or break something.
Maybe it wasn’t Ron–just someone who looked like him?
Fortunately, she had been recording the coverage so she was able to rewind and pause. That was most definitely General Thompson. Unfortunately, she had the ability to play it over and over–which she did.
She sent a text to Cassie: Can you come over? Please?
Cassie replied: On my way.
She loved that about her sister. Cass never asked why, she was just always there whenever Brenna needed her.
When Cassie arrived, Brenna had cried her makeup off and was sitting on the couch under a throw.
“What’s going on, Bren?”
Brenna didn’t say a word, just hit ‘play’ on the DVR to start the news coverage. Cassie watched the first few seconds confused, then said, “Is that Ron?”
She kept watching until the camera cut away from him.
Brenna shut the TV off. “So, there’s that.”
Cassie seemed almost more stunned than Brenna.
“I’m so sorry, Bren.”
The older sister pursed her lips and sighed. She was all cried out. “Yeah, me too.”
“I can’t believe I tried to convince you that there had to be a good explanation about his birthday. God, I feel like such an asshole.”
“You’re not an asshole. We all wanted to believe there had to be more to the story.”
Her little sister shook her head. “I would have bet money on it. I’m–I’m shocked, frankly. He didn’t seem the type.”
“I’m so fucking stupid,” Brenna whispered. “Did I want this fairytale so badly that I overlooked the signs–again? Why the fuck haven’t I learned yet?”
“Learned what exactly? It’s not your fault. He had us all fooled. How could you have known?”
Her sister was right; there was no way she could have known. He didn’t give any of the tell-tale signs: no disappearing for hours at a time, no phone calls in the middle of the night, no showering the second he got home. When he was with her, she felt like the most important person in the world, like there was nowhere else he’d rather be than with her.
“I didn’t even have an inkling there was someone
else. With Danny, I always felt a pit in my stomach that something was wrong. But since I wanted to keep up the façade as badly as Danny did, I never did anything about it.”
“You did, eventually.”
Brenna gave a half smile. “Funny how getting ready to turn forty makes you realize you no longer give a damn what other people think. Of course, Lisa Weber letting me know she was sleeping with my husband didn’t really leave me a choice to keep my head in the sand.”
“Ugh, don’t say that bitch’s name out loud again.” Cassie made a mock-spitting motion to the ground, as if cursing Danny’s last mistress’ name. “Seriously, she is one ugly hag. Why the fuck he cheated with someone who looks like a witch is beyond me.”
Brenna painfully remembered her sister cyber stalking Lisa to find out what Danny’s lover looked like after she had contacted Brenna. Cassie couldn’t get over how unattractive she thought the woman was.
“Well, at least Ron’s got better taste,” Brenna attempted to joke.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Please, she looks like a slut.”
Brenna knew her sister was just trying to make her feel better. The woman with her legs wrapped around Ron was quite attractive and didn’t look like a slut.
On second thought, the fact that she had her legs wrapped around Brenna’s boyfriend did make her look like a tramp.
Brenna’s pride wouldn’t let her agree with Cassie out loud.
“I’m sure she has a lovely personality,” was as low as the older sister would sink.
They sat in silence before Cassie jumped up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. “Let’s have a drink.”
After three glasses of wine, Brenna started opening up.
“You know, I used to be upset about how much of my life I’d wasted with Danny. I thought the universe was trying to make amends by sending me Ron. I kept telling myself I’d stayed with Danny instead of moving on, so when Ron was ready to find me, I was available for him. I can’t believe I fell for his Always Faithful bullshit. I wanted to fall for it. He made me feel so damn special.”
Cassie gave her a sympathetic hug.