by Toni Aleo
Her brows came together. “Is it Nate or Mr. NateWay?”
“I like using both.”
Rolling her eyes, she leaned her head toward his as she drew in air through her nose. “I don’t know him, and it scares me.”
“He’s nice.”
“I don’t know that, though.”
“But I do.”
Rod was so damn stubborn, always right in his eyes, and it drove Brie batty. She desperately wanted him to realize that anyone could take advantage of his sweetness, his good heart. She was determined never to allow that to happen again. He looked up at her, and she got lost in his sweet blue eyes as he begged, “I want to live at NateWay. I saw pictures online. Nate has even let me talk to some of the people, and they are so cool. I want to go, Brie, please. I want to.”
Looking away, she closed her eyes as she squeezed his wrist, backing away slowly. “After Christmas.”
“No, now! I hate it here. I feel like an animal. I want to be free. Brie, please.”
Looking around the room, she shook her head. This was all she could afford because of her mom’s debts and the state funding. It wasn’t much. He had a bed and a microwave, along with a nice TV she had bought him for his birthday. Nothing else and nothing more. He didn’t have a space like she did, with the furniture and the home feel. This place wasn’t a home, it was a…cell. She had her brother in a cell, and if she didn’t change that, soon, he would lose it. He would be that animal he already claimed to be, and she couldn’t have that on her hands.
“I’ll call when I get home,” she said suddenly, but Rodney was moving before she even finished her sentence. Producing a card, he held it out to her.
“No, now. Make an appointment. Please. For Christmas. Make this my Christmas gift.”
Holding his gaze, she didn’t reach for the card. “I don’t have the money for this.”
“He said I can live there for free.”
“Nothing in life is free, Rodney.”
He reached out, gripping her wrist. “Love is free, and if you love me, you’ll give this to me. At least give me the chance. Please.”
As she shook her head, her eyes burned into his. “Using Mom’s ‘love is free’ thing is rude, Rodney.”
He grinned, and she couldn’t help it, she smiled back. He had an infectious smile, and it really did warm the hearts of all.
“I’m ruthless.”
She grinned as she took the card, taking her phone out of her pocket. “Yeah, you are.” Staring at her phone, she cut her eyes back and forth between the card and the phone. She didn’t know what to do. Something was holding her back because she just didn’t trust it. It had taken her forever to trust the people at Riverdale, and now she would have to trust someone else. She understood it was something that Rodney wanted, needed, so how could she leave and work when she was worried for him?
“Please, B. I want this. I really want this.”
Damn it.
Rolling her eyes, she dialed the number as Rodney watched, his eyes intent on her as she waited for Mr. Way to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hi. I’m looking for Nate Way, of NateWay Homes for Adults with Down Syndrome?”
Clearing his voice, he said, “This is Nate. Who’s this?”
Wow, he did have a nice voice. Deep, and she was curious if Chrissie’s admiration of him had merit. He sounded hot. “Yes, my name is Brianna Soledad, and I’m calling on behalf of my brother, Rodney McAdams. He had given me your card.”
“Brianna?”
“Yes?”
“Soledad?”
“Yes?” She was confused. Why was he asking and saying her name like that?
“Brianna Soledad?”
“That’s me.”
He paused. “And Rod is your brother?”
“Yes, he is.”
Clearing his throat, his voice dropped an octave. “Sorry, yes, Rod the Man and I go way back. I’m glad he gave you my card. I was starting to worry.”
Rolling her eyes, she shot Rodney a look. “He basically stuffed it down my throat. We’d like to have a tour of your homes, but I want to discuss this scholarship program. You’ve mentioned it to him and have given him the literature on it that he also stuffed down my throat.”
He laughed. A beautiful sound. “Yes, Mrs. Soledad—”
“Ms.”
“Ms. Soledad, excuse me. I assumed that since you two don’t have the same last name—”
“Different fathers, and you shouldn’t assume. It makes an—”
“Ass out of you and me. My bad.”
Why was she smiling? Get it together, Soledad! “It’s fine. Frustrating day, but my budget is pretty tight just affording this place, so I can’t even get his hopes up if your place will cost more.”
“It won’t. Rod the Man would live here for free but work on the premises to pay his way. A regular job, not some crazy sweatshop setup.”
Too good to be true. Clearing her throat, she asked, “And that’s all?”
“Yeah. I know it sounds too good to be true, but I get some really great funding from different outlets, and it’s working. We have nine residents as of now living in our homes.”
“Homes?”
“Yes, they are mini homes. Almost like one-bedroom apartments, but a bit bigger than one of those tiny houses from TV. A church is on the premises, a store for small items, the Walmart is just down the road, and the clinic is right by the main house where the property manager lives.”
“You aren’t the property manager?”
“No, I pay someone to do that. His name is Marl, and he drives everyone around, takes great care of them. He has raised two of his own kids, who both have Down syndrome. He’s a good man.”
Her brows drew in. “And where are they?”
“They live in the main house with him and Dawn.”
“So do you even have space for Rod?” she snapped. She wasn’t sure why she was being so defensive. Okay, she did. She didn’t like this at all. It all sounded too good. Too easy, and nothing in life was easy.
At least, not for her.
“Yes, Ms. Soledad. I’ve had his house ready for two months now.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And how did you find my brother? I find it odd that we didn’t contact you, but the other way around.”
“Understandable. There is a resident at Riverdale by the name of Elaine Mendel, and her son, Arnold, lives here. She comes to visit every week and told me about Rodney. So I, in return, came to see him, and we clicked. He’s a good guy. He speaks fondly of you. Though, he only talks about you as B, not as Brianna.”
“Old nickname. But okay, when can we have an appointment?”
“Well,” he said, slowly hissing out a breath. “I’d want to do your tour, since Rod is comfortable with me and all. Plus, I’ve been the one talking to him. But can we do it after Christmas? I’ve leaving town for my other job for the next couple days, and then there’s Christmas, which I’m sure you’ll be busy with.”
“That’s fine, I have to leave for work too. So let’s do the twenty-sixth?”
“Perfect. Noon? We can have lunch here.”
“Rod would love that, and I, of course, will have questions.”
“I’m sure you will, and I look forward to answering them.”
“Thank you.” She was trying to be civil, but it didn’t sound that way. Sounded more like she was in pain.
“Don’t hurt yourself there, Ms. Soledad. Don’t worry, I’m not stealing your brother from you.”
She glared even though he couldn’t see her. “Never thought so.”
“Sure. I’m excited to see you guys.”
“He is very excited. Thank you.”
“You should be too. This will be great for him,” he reminded her, like everyone else had. Before she could say more, though, he said, “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.” Hanging up the phone, she glared down at it as Rodney bounced beside her.
“What did he sa
y?”
Looking up at her baby brother, she smiled. “We go on the twenty-sixth. Merry Christmas.”
He let out a screech of happiness before wrapping her up tightly in his arms. “You’ll love Nate. He’s great. And I’m so excited! Thank you, thank you so much, B.”
He kissed her on her cheek, and she smiled as she leaned her head on his. Mr. Way sounded every bit as gorgeous as Chrissie had described him, but something in his voice sounded familiar. Almost like she knew that voice. It made her belly warm and her heart race, and that scared her. She didn’t know this man, didn’t know his end game, and she wasn’t sure if this was going to be as easy as he had made it sound. But as Rodney danced around the room, she wasn’t sure if there was any other option but to make this work. She had to tuck in her overprotectiveness and go into this with a truly open mind.
It wasn’t about her or how this felt like she was losing Rodney.
It was about Rodney—and her promise to her mother.
Brie was still beside herself when she got to the Nashville Assassins’ compound.
Something wasn’t sitting right in her gut, and she wasn’t sure what it was. Even though everyone thought the little community of NateWay would be great for Rod, she wasn’t so keen on it. At Riverdale, his doctor was a hop and a skip away, and the doctors on site knew what was going on. What if the ones in the new little community weren’t up to speed? What if they didn’t know how to take care of someone like Rod? Yeah, he was very exceptional on the spectrum of Down syndrome, but his heart problems were scary, and it had always been an issue when they were growing up.
He couldn’t play like he wanted, and she was always the bad guy, telling him to go slow when all he wanted was to go fast, try to keep up with the other kids. He was already different, and when she and her mother held him back, he resented them. She knew he did, and it broke Brie’s heart. But above all, he scared her to the core. She could handle him resenting her for loving him and being protective because she knew that if this newest pacemaker didn’t work, they’d probably push for a new heart.
Closing her eyes, she sucked in a deep breath as she leaned into the wall. He worried her to pieces, Rod did. He was such a sweet soul and she understood his need to be a man, as he always said, but she wasn’t sure she could let him. Her role as a big sister had morphed into that of a mother, and in a way, she felt too young for this responsibility. How dare her mother leave her to do this? Yeah, it wasn’t her mother’s choice, but still, she wasn’t adult enough for this. She felt like she was constantly looking around for the adult, only to realize it was her.
Man, life was hard.
Moaning loudly, she knew she was supposed to go downstairs, but she had a good twenty minutes and she needed every one of those minutes to collect herself. For the first time, she didn’t want to be downstairs at the Assassins’ compound. She wanted to go to her new apartment and just sit on the floor with a tub of ice cream so she could cry. She needed to cry so damn bad, but she just didn’t have the time.
Her life was a mess.
Or at least, she felt like it was.
Shaking her head, she swallowed hard as she held her phone lightly in her hands. She couldn’t stop thinking about the NateWay community, and the more she thought about it, the more she needed to know before she took Rod there. She couldn’t ask the questions she wanted to in front of him because she knew he’d freak. Before she even realized what she was doing, she had clicked Nate Way’s number once more and held her phone to her ear, her hand shaking. She didn’t want to sound like one of those overprotective sisters, but she was pretty sure that ship had sailed and she was wearing the sash that proclaimed the truth.
“Ms. Soledad, twice in a day, I’m surprised.”
His voice was deeper, and she wasn’t sure why that turned her on, but it did. Lord, she needed to get laid. She also prayed he was ugly as sin because there was no way she would be able to keep a level head as she checked the place out with some sexy guy who wanted to help adults with disabilities. It was a no-brainer for Rod if Mr. Way was gorgeous. Just like that, she wondered if he planned on that.
And at that moment, she decided she needed a sash for “Crazy” too.
“Yes, Mr. Way, I was calling to ask a few more questions.”
He chuckled softly. “Because Rod isn’t there, I’m guessing?”
She pressed her lips together. “Doesn’t matter if he is or isn’t. I’m still not a hundred percent sold.”
“I wouldn’t think you would be,” he said, and she glared at the condescending tone. “You’re protective, which is understandable. So, please, ask away.”
Okay…maybe she was overreacting. Maybe he wasn’t as condescending as she assumed. Clearing her throat, she stood erect as she stared up at the banner that hung above the doors of the Assassins’ compound. It was of some of the players being all serious and sexy. Sinclair, Odder, Reeves, Thomas, and of course, that asshat Johansson all stared back at her, a smug little cocky grin on JoHo’s face. Rolling her eyes, she looked anywhere but into the dark brown eyes of Johansson that somehow kept pulling her back in. “Yes, thank you for understanding. Do you have doctors on site?”
“Not a doctor, but I have a nurse practitioner who comes in the morning, afternoon, and evening to evaluate meds and anything else anyone needs. Then there is my registered nurse, Dawn, who has been working with children and adults with Down syndrome for thirty-five years, and she lives on the property. She’s my property manager’s wife, so she’s always there. Everyone pretty much looks to them as Grandma and Grandpa. Hell, I call them that.”
“Oh. Okay. Do you know that he has a heart issue?”
“Yes, he told me that would be your main concern. I talked to Trish, my nurse practitioner, and she said she knows about his condition and can handle the issue at hand, the meds and all that. But, if I wanted to hire a specialist, she would understand and work with them since his case is a little more advanced than a textbook heart defect. I’ve already looked into it, but Trish is more than qualified since she mostly works with adults with Down syndrome and autism who do suffer from heart issues.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I’ve done my homework, Ms. Soledad, and I truly believe that we are what is best for Rodney.”
“You don’t know him.”
“True, not like you, and I know that. But I feel this would be great for him.”
She swallowed hard as she dropped her head, staring at her feet. “I don’t have the money for this, and if I get in there and you tell me it will cost more than what I’m paying now for Riverdale, I might cut you right there. Rodney is excited, and he thinks he’s already in.”
“He is. If he wanted to move in today, I would help. But I promise you, there will be no additional cost to you or him. He will work to pay his way. It gives the residents a purpose, and I know Rodney wants that. He hates how much you do for him and feels he doesn’t do anything for you.”
“He loves me, and that’s enough,” she said quickly, her eyes filling with tears. “I don’t trust people, especially when it comes to Rodney, but I’m trusting you, Mr. Way.”
He paused for a moment, and soon she was uneasy. Why was he pausing? “I appreciate that, and I promise I won’t do anything to hurt your brother—or you, for that matter. I will stay true to my word. He will live here for free, and he can work for anything else he wants.”
“Why?” she asked then, a tear rolling down her face. “Why are you doing this? You don’t know us from Adam.”
He chuckled a bit, and she didn’t understand. She had applied for plenty of grants and scholarships for Rodney to get into other private facilities and got nothing, which was why he was in Riverdale. It was the only home the state would pay for. But now, after three years, this came along? It all just seemed too good to be true.
“Because Rodney reminds me of my brother. And the moment I met him, I knew he was special, and no, not in a creepy ‘I want your brother’ way, but in a g
enuine, ‘I have to help this guy be happy’ way. There are good people out there, Ms. Soledad. Even if they wear a hard shell that no one can get through, they’re good people.”
His words hit a little too close to home, but she wouldn’t let him know that. “Well then, let’s hope everything you just said is the truth.”
“It is.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“And I look forward to hearing your verdict when we meet, which I’m sure will be a very interesting meeting.”
Her brows pulled together. “Why do you say that?”
His voice got deeper, if that was even possible, as her eyes met the poster of Johansson once more. Why did she keep doing that, and what the hell was wrong with this guy’s voice? “Because you don’t trust me, even after this conversation, despite the fact that you say you do. So I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun the moment we meet face-to-face.”
“Do you have a frog in your throat or something?”
He laughed, a real laugh. “No, why?”
“Your voice keeps getting deeper, and it’s weird. Stop being weird.”
“I apologize, Ms. Soledad.” And why did his voice sound like utter sex there?
“Are you flirting with me?” Lord, why did she ask that!
He was still laughing. “For someone who doesn’t trust me, you sure do move fast.”
Her brows shot up as she glared at Johansson’s poster. “Fast? I’m just setting ground rules here, Mr. Way. And the first one is, you can’t flirt with me.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Sure. I think I’m done here.”
“Are you?” he asked, laughter in his voice, and her heart skipped a beat. Yup, she’d need to get her ducks in a row before she met this guy. He was trouble, he cared about adults with disabilities, and he had a sexy voice. She bet Chrissie was right; he was probably all sexy and shit too. Yeah, Brie wouldn’t make it. She was too horny and too emotionally fucked up.
“Stay away from me,” she blurted out, and he laughed harder.
“That’s gonna be hard.”
“No, uh, okay, bye.” Hanging up, she let her head drop. “I’m an idiot.”
“I would like to think you’re not, but explain to me why that applies today.”