“Sorry,” he began to apologize.
“Don’t you dare,” his mother told him. “You don’t apologize for doing what you need to do. We just . . . We just want you back home. And don’t think we won’t make an extended trip to Devil’s Bend if it’s necessary.”
“Tessa would actually like that,” he told his mother.
“I know. I’ve talked to her every day.”
Braydon didn’t doubt that one bit. Ever since Tessa had become a part of their lives, Lorrie spent plenty of time worrying about her. If you asked his mother why, she’d tell you that’s what she did. She loved her family. It was the most important thing to her, and to have the blessing of Tessa and her brothers had put a smile on his mother’s face.
“I just wanted to stop by to see you first,” he explained. “I’ve got to go talk to Brendon.”
Braydon noticed the look that his mother passed to his father, but before he could ask what that was about, his mother said, “Dinner’s at seven o’clock. I expect you to be there.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be there,” he assured her. He’d missed way too many Sunday dinners with his family. He knew he couldn’t get out of another even if he wanted to. So, for now, he was going to be in town for a little while at least.
For a brief few minutes, he talked to his parents about his drive back, how Tessa and Cooper were doing, and when he was going to make a decision on whether he was staying or not. It didn’t last long, unfortunately. The next thing he knew, Braydon was back in his truck, pulling onto the narrow drive to his own house. The one he shared with his twin.
The first thing he noticed as he pulled up to the rustic two-bedroom cabin that he called home was that Jessie’s car was out front.
His chest immediately ached and he absently rubbed it, hoping the pain would subside. Pushing open the door, he took a deep breath and resigned himself to what was to come.
“Braydon.”
He hadn’t even stepped foot on solid ground before he heard her voice. He turned, and there in all her astonishing beauty was Jessie, standing on the front porch, her arms wrapped around herself. She was still just as stunning as he remembered, standing there in a pretty little sundress and boots, her hair shining in the bright morning sun.
Three months without seeing her brilliant smile had been the equivalent of an eternity as far as he was concerned.
She wasn’t smiling now. Nor was Brendon, who was standing just behind her.
“Hey,” Braydon offered nonchalantly. Or so he hoped. He didn’t feel at all nonchalant. In fact, he was tense to the point that he wasn’t sure he could get his legs to work to walk toward them.
For all the time he’d tried to pretend he didn’t have feelings for this woman, he was finding it more and more difficult now. The fiery passion she had ignited inside of him had been stoked into a conflagration of anger and resentment that he found himself trying to hold inside for three painfully long months. But the anger wasn’t directed at her. It was all for the situation that the three of them had found themselves in. Some of the antipathy was directed at his brother, the man who had kept Braydon from loving Jessie the way he wanted, even if it hadn’t been intentional. But Braydon had yet to determine whether that was the case or not.
The same man who clearly was interested in another woman, but refused to allow Braydon to have Jessie for himself. And now . . . Now he didn’t even know if Jessie and Brendon had reconciled and maybe the two of them were together.
Fuck.
Not that he could change any of that.
Closing the door slowly, Braydon ignored his gear in the backseat of his truck. It was there if he decided to stay and it was there if he decided to go.
Walking up to the porch, he met Jessie’s pretty blue eyes. She’d been crying, he could tell. The thought made his chest clench painfully tight, but he kept moving. He couldn’t touch her. If he did, he’d be the one reduced to tears, and the last thing he wanted was to let either of them think he was affected by their relationship.
He had to brush by Brendon to get into the house, their shoulders bumping as he did. His brother didn’t say anything, but the tension radiating from him was powerful.
Today wouldn’t rate among the best days of his life, he knew that much.
But it was time to face the music.
JESSIE DIDN’T TAKE her eyes off Braydon as he passed by her. She absorbed the massive sight of him, cataloging all the things she remembered as well as the noted differences in his appearance since the last time he was there. When his eyes met hers, she tried to read what he was thinking, but there was nothing reflected in the once-warm blue-gray depths.
No, this Braydon wasn’t the same man who’d left all those months ago. Where his quick humor and easygoing manner once were, there was something much more resigned.
She turned to face Brendon as the two brothers made their way into the house. He cast a glance back over his shoulder, signaling for her to follow. Intending to do as he’d requested, Jessie nodded and then took a step forward but stopped. She couldn’t do this. Not yet.
It was hard enough seeing Braydon. Harder than she had thought it would be. Talking to him would be damn near impossible.
So, instead of following them inside, she bolted to her car. Her key remained in the ignition, where she’d left it, and she sent up a silent prayer as she twisted her wrist, praying the damn thing wouldn’t decide to die on her today. A second later, the engine was humming to life, choking only once or twice before it was good to go.
Without looking up, she put the car in gear and headed back the same way she’d come nearly an hour and a half ago. The longest hour and a half of her entire life had been spent in silence with Brendon just a few feet away. They’d both pretended to be interested in whatever was on the television, but she hadn’t been paying much attention at all. Hell, he could’ve actually been talking to her, but she was so lost in her own thoughts, she had no clue.
It didn’t take long before she was pulling up to her little house—correction: Travis’s house. After turning off the engine, she yanked the keys out of the ignition and scrambled out of the car. She didn’t stop until she was safely inside the house, the door solidly closed behind her.
Why she was rushing, she had no idea. It wasn’t like Braydon was going to come after her. They were both probably relieved that she’d left, although now Brendon wouldn’t have anyone to blame for the events of the last few months.
Just in case, she flipped the dead bolt on the front door and tossed her keys on the small table close by before heading to the kitchen. The adrenaline flooding her system was the only thing that kept her moving. It didn’t help that she’d started to shake, her arms and legs trembling.
Probably not from adrenaline though.
When her cell phone rang a second later, she nearly came out of her skin. Jessie rushed back to the entryway, glanced down at the screen, and that was when she realized it was Kylie.
“Relax, woman,” she told herself as she hit the Talk button and greeted her sister.
“Just wanted to make sure you’re comin’ to dinner tonight,” Kylie responded, apparently too focused to apply the pleasantries that a phone call usually required. “I don’t appreciate you leaving, but I get it. I’m sorry if Travis scared you.”
“Braydon’s back,” Jessie said in a rush, not hearing most of what Kylie said.
“What?”
“He’s back. He’s at home now.”
There was silence on the other end of the line, and Jessie waited patiently for her sister to say something.
“Did you talk to him?” Kylie finally asked, her voice much softer than before.
“No.” And she didn’t want to, either. The only thing she cared about was that he was home where he belonged.
“Jess,” Kylie admonished.
“What?”
Jessie wasn’t sure she could make that promise, so she kept her mouth shut.
“Jess, I mean it. We’ve got a business to run. I can’t do this without you.” Kylie paused briefly. “I don’t want to do this without you. We’ll work through this, I promise.”
Work through what? Jessie didn’t know what Kylie was talking about. There was no way her sister could realize what was going on in Jessie’s mind. Or her heart.
“Jessie, promise me. Please.” The fraught tone of her sister’s request nearly broke her.
“I won’t,” she answered. “At least not right now.”
Kylie sighed, but she didn’t argue, although Jessie knew she wanted to. She was grateful for her sister’s ability to stay calm. At the moment, Jessie was pretty sure she was going to hyperventilate.
“Come to dinner tonight.”
“I can’t.” And that was the honest truth. Braydon would be at dinner, and it would be too awkward. Their family deserved to be able to spend time with him without having to worry about her feelings.
“Then I’ll stop by after,” Kylie suggested. “We’ll go to Moonshiners for a little while.”
Knowing she’d probably need the company, Jessie didn’t argue. “Okay.”
“All right. Well, I’ve got to go tell Travis that he nearly gave you a heart attack this morning for no reason.”
“I’ll see you later,” Jessie said and ended the call.
Making her way to the refrigerator, she retrieved a bottle of water and unscrewed the cap. Bottle in one hand, lid in the other, Jessie stared out into space, but she didn’t take a drink. She couldn’t. Her throat had tightened up to the point she couldn’t swallow.
She was going to cry, she knew it. Hoping that standing still would keep the dam from breaking, Jessie took huge gulps of air as she blinked her eyes repeatedly.
No matter how hard she tried not to, the tears started to fall and she couldn’t seem to stop them. From that point on, the sobs wracked her body and made breathing difficult. She was a mess. A complete and total mess, and the worst part about it was that it was all her fault.
How had she gotten into this position? How could she still be so affected after all the lonesome, tear-filled nights that had gotten her to this point? She wasn’t supposed to be sad. She wasn’t supposed to be upset. And she shouldn’t fucking care that Braydon didn’t want to have anything to do with her anymore.
The last thought had more tears dripping down her cheeks.
Furiously brushing the tears away with the backs of her hands didn’t do any good, so she just gave up, letting them stream down her face. The fact that her emotions had gotten the best of her only pissed her off, but even that didn’t deter the damn tears.
What the hell was wrong with her?
Heading to her bedroom, Jessie flopped on her bed and clutched one of her pillows, the tears continuing to trickle onto the soft cotton. As she lay there blubbering, the devastation taking hold, she thought back to the day she’d met Braydon and Brendon. Back to the chance encounter that started it all, the night Jessie convinced Kylie to stop at Moonshiners for the very first time.
“Hey.”
Jessie was staring at the selection of music on the jukebox when a deep, sexy voice sounded from her right. She looked up into an incredibly attractive face sporting a brilliant white grin. She noticed he had long, dark lashes surrounding inquisitive eyes, but she couldn’t make out the color because his hat was casting his face in shadow. She didn’t need a spotlight to tell he was handsome.
“Hey back,” she retorted with a grin.
“Brendon Walker,” he introduced himself, his hand held out to her.
“Nice to meet you, Brendon Walker.”
His eyes squinted and his lips tipped into a half smirk, and she was pretty sure he was responsible for making her girl parts ignite immediately. There was no doubt in her mind that the guy was on the prowl and he’d set his sights on her. Then again, there weren’t many women in the place, so his options were fairly limited at the moment.
Not that it mattered. Jessie didn’t need a commitment from the man just to talk to him.
“Can I get you another drink?” he asked, his eyes darting down to the empty glass she held in her hand.
“Grey Goose and 7. Thank you,” she replied, her eyes fixed on his. He really was absurdly attractive.
“Be right back. Don’t go far.”
Jessie glanced over her shoulder as he walked away, admiring his extremely fine ass encased in dark blue Wranglers. Yep, stopping in this bar was probably the best idea she’d had in months.
Hoping she didn’t get caught ogling, she turned back to the jukebox and glanced halfheartedly through the selection.
“Hey.”
The deep voice was back and Jessie turned, about to tell him that the bartender must like him, but she found herself face-to-face with . . . The same guy? Wearing a backward ball cap.
“Umm . . .” Jessie was at a loss for words.
“Quit messin’ with her.”
Jessie turned in time to see Brendon—yes, that was his name—walking back toward her, a glass of clear liquid in his hand.
Holy crap. These two were the spitting image of one another. Well, except for the hats and their clothes. But their faces, their builds, even their voices . . . Yeah, Jessie was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to tell them apart if it weren’t for the hats.
“Braydon Walker,” the second guy said, his hand sliding down to meet hers.
“Jessie Prescott,” she answered, still stunned.
“I’m the better-looking one,” Braydon offered, and Jessie laughed. And then all her tension dissipated.
That was when she realized she was in so much trouble.
chapter SIX
“I didn’t mean to run her off,” Braydon stated halfheartedly when Brendon returned through the front door. The moment Jessie’s car started up, his twin had set a world speed record to get back outside.
“Fucking shit,” Brendon groaned. “I should’ve known.”
“Should’ve known what?” That Jessie would feel awkward being around the two of them again? Uh, hello! Braydon could’ve told him that.
Hell, Braydon didn’t necessarily blame her. The last time he’d seen her, he had been standing behind her, buried deep inside her warm body . . . Fuck.
And then he’d disappeared without a good-bye, all because of his own desperate need to make sense of everything that was going on. And to top it all off, he had ignored her calls and texts because he was too scared to talk to her. Too scared he was going to tell her just what she meant to him.
“I told her we needed to talk,” Brendon said, unusually calm.
“You mentioned that,” Braydon stated, standing stone still in the entryway. Although technically this was his house, he felt like a guest. And since he wasn’t even sure he was staying, he didn’t want to lead Brendon to believe otherwise. “I’m here. Let’s talk.”
“No, I meant the three of us. We needed to talk.”
Braydon stared at Brendon, waiting for him to continue.
Brendon glanced around, appearing confused as to why they were still standing just inside the door. He finally met Braydon’s eyes again and said, “You want somethin’ to drink?”
“Sure.” Braydon didn’t move, waiting for Brendon to lead the way.
When his brother finally did, heading toward the kitchen but not before glaring back at Braydon, he fell into step behind him. Once in the kitchen, Braydon caught sight of the clock on the microwave. Yeah, so it was only ten in the morning. The type of drink he needed would be frowned upon this early in the day. When Brendon asked what he wanted, Braydon opted for a Dr Pepper instead.
“Do you need to go check on her?” Braydon
asked, resting against the granite countertop after he popped the top on the can, one hand clutching the edge while he held his drink in the other and stared back at Brendon.
“Shit. She doesn’t want to see me,” Brendon huffed.
Braydon’s heart came to a sudden, jarring halt as he watched his brother, confused. “What are you talking about?”
Brendon cocked an eyebrow, then followed it up with one of his infamous scowls. “Are you serious right now?”
Braydon stood there, unable to speak. Clearly he’d been out of the loop for far too long. No one had mentioned that there was any sort of rift between Brendon and Jessie. Not his mother. Not his father. Not even Travis during their brief yet volatile conversation.
“Man, I haven’t talked to Jessie in nearly three months. At least not enough for it to matter.”
Braydon nearly dropped his can. Placing it on the counter before he had a mess to clean up, he twisted back to face his brother. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Goddamn, man. You think you just disappeared and life moved on without you? What? Did you think that all of a sudden she wanted me just because you weren’t here?” Brendon laughed incredulously. “Fuck, man. You’re the one in love with her. Not me.”
Suddenly, all the frustration and resentment that had been bottled up since he walked out of this house the last time came rushing back. This time it was targeted at Brendon. How the hell could he treat Jessie like that? How could he possibly just . . . “You haven’t talked to her in three months?” Braydon yelled, unable to maintain even a fraction of his control. “What the fuck?”
Brendon stood up straight, and that was when Braydon realized he was nearly face-to-face with his brother.
“You’re the one who left,” Brendon ground out through clenched teeth. “Turn this on me if you want, but you weren’t here. You have no fucking right to be pissed at me.”
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