by Toni Aleo
While Rodney was busting at the seams excited, Brie looked like she was getting dental work done the whole time. He hoped she would be impressed by the organic garden; she wasn’t. He was sure she would think the little market was cool; she didn’t say anything. The barn, boring. Apparently, so was the workshop. She looked so angry that it ruined everything and worried the shit out of Vaughn. He couldn’t even enjoy Rodney’s excitement. Though, he’d give it to her, when Rodney would get excited, she’d at least smile. That was, until Vaughn looked at her. Then she was glaring.
It was extremely stressful.
“Is that a church?” Rodney asked, pointing toward the little chapel, and Vaughn nodded.
“Sure is.”
“Can we see it? My mom loved churches. We used to go on these car rides to different churches—to bring cookies and stuff.”
Brie’s lips curved as she patted his back. “We used to do road trips out to churches in the country and other stuff like that. Our mom was a missionary of sorts.”
“She had all these cool pictures of churches too.”
“She sure did.”
They shared a small smile, and Vaughn felt this was his chance. His in. Practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, he started for the church. “Yeah, for sure. It’s beautiful. I built it.”
“You did?” she asked, and he grinned back at her.
“Yeah, with Jensen and our best friend, Wells. We built that and did all the homes too.”
“Oh.”
Oh. That was all he got? Oh?
Fuck him.
Not letting that derail him, he led the way to the church that held maybe fifty people. Considering there weren’t even that many on the grounds, he felt it was a decent size. Opening the door, he allowed them to enter first before walking in behind them. It was small, but it was beautiful. The stained-glass windows, the high ceilings with the awesome little pews that Wells had spent hours carving into, it was all so special to him. Along the back of the first pew was Nathan’s name. Something Wells had done especially for him.
Smiling, he glanced up as Rodney turned back to look at him. “I love this church. Don’t you, B? It’s pretty.”
“It is. Very much so.” She ran her hand down the back of the pews, and she smiled when she traced Nathan’s name. “You guys did a beautiful job.”
“Thank you. There is service every Wednesday and Sunday. Marl leads those.”
“He’s a jack-of-all-trades, I see.”
Vaughn grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest. “They both are. I would be lost without them.”
“They seem like good people.”
“They are.”
“She makes cake, I like her.”
Vaughn laughed as Brie smiled, rubbing Rodney’s back and saying, “You worry me, kid.”
“She’s nice!”
“I know.”
She looked back at Vaughn but only for a brief instant before looking away. He thought, for maybe a moment, he saw the girl who had that little gleam in her eye. The one before their blowup the day before. He had been thinking about their fight over and over again. Trying to figure out how to fix it. He had never cared before. If someone was mad at him, they’d get over it. But it was different with Brie. He didn’t want to hurt her and he had, for some reason that didn’t sit well with him. Because of that, his spirits were down. He didn’t think this was going to go the way he wanted. The way he prayed it would for Rodney. And if it didn’t, this would forever be heavy on his heart.
Not that he would admit that to anyone.
“All right, ready to see your house?”
Rodney about came out of his skin, running toward Vaughn as he nodded. “Yes! Come on, B.”
“Slow down, Rod.”
“Sorry.”
“And remember, we’re just checking it out. We haven’t decided.”
Rodney laughed, looking back at her. “I was a yes the moment Mrs. Dawn said cake!”
Vaughn saw Brie roll her eyes, but when her gaze met his, he saw the pain in her eyes. She didn’t want to hurt her brother, but it was visible that this girl didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him. She needed trust to allow him to take care of her brother, and he’d probably messed that all up. Looking away, he swallowed hard as he chewed his lip. He hated being nervous, but Brie Soledad made him more than nervous. Almost jittery, like he was jacked up on something. He wasn’t sure if he liked that feeling.
Catching up with Rodney, he wrapped his arm around his shoulders as they headed for the little group of houses in the middle of the property.
“Where is everyone?” Rodney asked, and that was a valid question. They hadn’t seen any of the other residents during the whole tour and with good reason.
“Everyone is really friendly here and very distracting. So when there is a tour, everyone gathers in the main house for a movie before lunch. You’ll meet everyone at lunch.”
“Oh, cool. With cake.”
“Yes, lots of cake. And by the way, Grams makes the best cake ever.”
Rodney’s face lit up, and Vaughn grinned back. Dawn had been right, Rodney did favor Brie a lot, which he hadn’t noticed before. He had her eyes, the deep blue that was almost electric. “I love it here.”
Vaughn was the one beaming then. “Do you, buddy?”
“A lot, but I don’t think B does.”
When he looked back at her, she was looking around, a perplexed look on her face. When her eyes met his, he smiled. But as he expected, she just looked away. “Let me worry about her,” Vaughn said with a wink as his heart dropped into the acid of his gut.
“Good luck.”
Vaughn laughed. “I’ll need it.”
When they came up on the little house that would be Rodney’s, Vaughn dug in his pocket for the key as he looked it over. It mirrored the main house, classically styled with a big window that looked into the living room. It was just smaller, way smaller. Vaughn opened it with the key he had and pushed the door open, letting them in before him. The living room made up most of the house, but it was attached to the mini kitchen that had a stove, refrigerator, and sink. A bathroom was off the living room, under the equipped stairs that led up to the bedroom loft.
“Whoa! It’s huge,” Rodney almost yelled as he looked through the fully furnished house. The décor was traditional to complement the exterior style of the house. Dark furnishings with dark browns and reds. A table for two sat in the kitchen, and Dawn had made sure to decorate it up with fresh flowers and place mats. It looked classy, and Vaughn made a note to give her a smacking kiss when he saw her. “It’s so much bigger than my room, B! Look, there are stairs.”
Rodney then ran up the stairs as Brie rushed to them, uneasiness on her face. “Slow, Rod! Come on.”
“Sorry,” he called down to her as she began to look around.
“His heart?”
“Yeah, he forgets sometimes.”
“I’m sure it’s hard.”
“Yeah.” Sitting on the couch, she bounced a bit as she looked out the window.
The silence was killing him, and soon, he was rambling. “It’s 500 square feet. Fully equipped, cable, Wi-Fi, everything is like an apartment, with the main house a hop, skip, and jump away. Marl does night checks to make sure everyone is settled, but they’re basically on their own.”
“What if he can’t cook?”
“Then he’ll learn. But until then, he can go eat with Marl, Dawn, and the girls.”
She nodded. “What if he burns down the house?”
Vaughn smiled. “Then I’ll rebuild it. But there are smoke detectors, and they are programmed to Marl’s and Dawn’s phones. So as soon as they go off, they’ll be running out here. There’s also a panic button in case he needs medical help immediately.”
She seemed a little impressed…or she had to fart, he wasn’t sure, but then she said, “You built this place too?”
“All of the homes, yes.”
“Wow.”
Ha! He got a wow that time!
Before he could agree or even comment, Rodney was coming down the stairs again. “B! Please, I have to live here! The bed is so comfortable. And I love it. I love it so much, I could cry. Like literally cry.”
Standing up, Brie took his hands in hers. “But you haven’t even had the cake yet.”
He paused. “I haven’t.”
“So let’s go eat, and then we’ll discuss, okay?”
“But I want to live here.”
“I hear you, and we’ll see, okay?”
“But it’s great.”
“It is.”
“I want to live here,” he said once more, his voice rising an octave, and Vaughn could see that he was getting upset.
“I understand that, but I’m not sure,” Brie tried, but he shook his hands out of hers, stomping his feet.
“Why? Why can’t I have what I want? This makes me happy. I hate where I am. You never let me do anything!”
“Rodney, that’s not true and very unfair. I don’t know about this. I’m nervous.”
“I don’t care, I want to live here. Now!” When his hands came up to his head, Vaughn leaped into action, taking Rodney’s wrists in his and turning Rodney to face him.
“Hey, buddy, come on. Let’s go meet everyone and eat.” Rodney was breathing hard, his eyes full of tears as he looked everywhere but at Vaughn. “Hey, it’s okay. What did I say? I’ve got this. I’ll work it out.”
“She’s gonna say no.”
“Let me worry about that, okay? Come on, let’s go eat. Grams and Gramps and everyone else is probably waiting for us.”
Rodney’s breathing gradually started to slow down as he nodded. “Okay.”
“You okay?”
He nodded once more. “Yeah.”
“Okay,” Vaughn said with a grin, smacking him gently on the chest. “Gotta keep that heart strong. No more getting upset, okay?”
“Okay.”
“All right, come on,” he said, leading Rodney out the door, but before he could fully get out, Brie’s words stopped him.
“You jumped in there quickly.”
He nodded. “I have experience.”
She held his gaze. “Why say that?
He turned back, looking at her as Rodney headed for the house. “Say what?”
“Tell him you’ve got this? I’m more than likely going to say no.”
His heart sank. Her words were like knives, and they were slowly gutting him. “Then at least it will be on me instead of you. I’d rather he be mad at me than you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve already caused you enough grief. I don’t want to cause any more,” he said softly, his eyes meeting hers as he exhaled heavily. “But let’s worry about that later. Hopefully, Dawn’s cake will sway you differently.”
Without letting her comment, he trotted to catch up with Rodney.
Vaughn wanted to spend as much time with him as he could.
Since this might be the last time he saw Rodney, and that hurt more than he cared to admit.
Why did life have to be so hard?
As Brie sat between Amy and Phyllis MacDock, she plastered a smile on her face. Though, she didn’t have to try too hard because Dawn’s girls were a pure delight. She hadn’t met a set of twins with Down syndrome before, and they were just the cutest ever. Even though she was trying to be all hard in front of Vaughn and look like she hated everything about NateWay since she was still so pissed at him, she had to admit, the place was spectacular.
The grounds were something out of a fairy tale, so lush and picturesque; all it was missing was a big castle. But instead, the main house looked like Tara from Gone with the Wind, and the little houses mirrored it, little mini Taras. The church, the market, the workshop, everything was so perfectly done to match and be eye-catching. He had done a great job with the grounds, and it completely blew Brie away. Vaughn did this. All this. That was so hard for her to believe.
But it was awesome, and so perfect for someone like Rodney. He would thrive here; he would grow and be the best version of himself. She could see it on his face as they walked around, just as happy as a clam, excited. She had never seen him so happy as he fluttered through the grounds. Even when she had to scold him to calm down, he still grinned, not the least bit worried that she was getting on his case. All he cared about was everything around him. Yet, Brie had an awful feeling in her gut because she couldn’t commit.
Not to that lying asshole Vaughn Johansson.
But what killed her was that at NateWay, everyone loved him. She was used to seeing people flock to him, adoring him since he was the star of the Assassins, but at NateWay, they didn’t gravitate to him because of his career or his sick wrister. They wanted to be with him because of who he was and what he had done. In this setting, with all these sweet, amazing adults with Down syndrome, he was stunning, mind-blowing, even. He knew everyone’s name, their backstories, their parents, everything. He spoke with meaning and compassion to everyone he talked to. She had never seen him hug and kiss so many people in her life, but whenever Dawn was beside him, he pressed a kiss to her temple. It pulled at Brie’s heartstrings. And then she saw him with Dawn’s children, who weren’t as high functioning as Rodney…and just like that, she was goo.
He loved everyone in this place with his whole soul. There was no denying that. Yet, he had lied to her. To her face, over the phone, the whole nine. The problem was, she wasn’t sure she could hold that over his head for much longer. She didn’t think that excuse could last long because Rodney was in love with the place. Hell, she was too. It was perfect, and from the moment they pulled up, Rodney had been beside himself with excitement. He wanted this so badly, and she wanted it too. But could she let go of the awful feeling circling in her gut and trust Vaughn? Trust the people he had in charge to care for her brother?
They all seemed amazing. Marl was a little grumpy, but he lit up the moment his girls were around, and even around the other residents. Dawn was a complete godsend, and from what Brie heard, the nurse practitioner was amazing too. Plus, the residents loved Rodney. For a moment, she was pretty sure Vaughn had paid everyone off, but then they all just clicked. There were five other men and four women, plus Dawn’s two daughters. Once all the guys got together, Rodney was in heaven, especially when they started talking about Pokémon. It was perfect, and she loved seeing her brother so happy, but still, she worried. The anxiety was overwhelming, but thankfully, she had time. With Rodney’s surgery and recovery, she wouldn’t have to make any kind of decisions for another month, much to Rodney’s dismay.
Vaughn’s, too.
She could tell that Vaughn wanted this badly for Rodney. She really didn’t understand why he wanted to take the blame for all this. That wasn’t like him. He didn’t care about anyone else. Or, at least, she thought he didn’t. One day with him on this farm, and he was like a totally different dude. And if she were honest, she was completely attracted to him too. More than just the sexual side. He was kind, sweet, and so damn gentle. It was a lovely thing to behold.
But she still hated him.
She had to, or she was going to fall face first for him.
Like an idiot.
“So, Vaughn tells me you’re a reporter for the Assassins. That must be an exciting job.”
Looking up from the cake she was devouring as she had an internal battle with herself, she found Dawn grinning at her. She was older, maybe in her fifties, but with bright brown eyes and a smile that was unstoppable. She looked like a grandma, someone you could cuddle with, and a part of Brie could really use a hug from someone like her. Deciding that was a bit weird, she just nodded. “Yup, I love it.”
“He also told me you guys leave a lot, though. That must be hard with Rodney and all.”
Brie’s lips curved into a grim smile. “It is, hence why I’m nervous about moving him. He’s already established, and everyone understands my crazy there.”
“Oh, of course. I co
uldn’t imagine, but I can promise you, you have nothing to worry about if he does come here. We love our babies. All of them.”
Brie watched as Dawn looked out at the dining room, everyone from every walk of life around the table, eating and laughing, all smiles. Every single person was so happy, but all Brie saw were Vaughn and Rodney, both smiling from the inside out. “Even the big lug at the end of the table. He’s my favorite, though.”
Brie grinned. “I can tell.”
“We lived in Colorado, right down the road from him and Nathan. Natty would come and stay with us when their daddy and Vaughn had to work. But when Vaughn had hockey, Natty’d sit in that damn rink for hours, just watching Vaughn. He was such a sweet boy, so full of life. When we lost him, we were all so crushed. But Vaughn, bless him…” She shook her head. Brie wanted more, but when she glanced back to Dawn, she knew it wasn’t Dawn’s story to tell. “It was touch and go for a while, but here we are. Two NateWays and almost forty beautiful, amazing adults with Down syndrome with loving and supportive homes. I’m a happy camper.”
“There are two?”
“Yup, one back home in Colorado and then this one. Vaughn is looking into building one in New York and then Florida, before heading out to the West Coast.”
That impressed the hell out of her. Who would have thought Vaughn Johansson had such a huge heart? It was obvious this place wasn’t cheap, especially if he was paying the way of some of the residents. “Wow, that’s amazing.”
Dawn nodded. “He’s got some big plans—and an even bigger heart.”
Glancing to where Dawn was staring, she saw that Vaughn was wrapped up in a hug between Rodney and Mitch, Rod’s potential neighbor. Vaughn’s face was full of bliss as he laughed loudly, holding the two men like brothers. If she’d thought he was stunning before, nothing could touch the beauty of the euphoric look on his face at that moment. Looking away because it was too much, she felt her heart actually ache. She wanted to say no, she wanted to tell him to fuck off, but not only did he look pleased as punch, but she could see Rodney belonged.