Evenings With Bryson

by Tina Martin

  Bryson glanced at her then looked back at the road.

  “Hey, Edith. How is she doing?”

  “She woke up like she did yesterday and went back to sleep immediately afterwards.”

  “Okay. Keep me posted if anything changes.”

  “Will do, sweetie.”

  “Alright. Bye.”

  Kalina put her phone back inside of her purse and zipped it up.

  “Everything okay?” Bryson asked.

  “Yes. Edith said my mom woke up and went back to sleep. It’s like she can’t stay awake for long periods of time.”

  Bryson nodded. “I can only imagine how tired she must be.”

  “Yeah, and the pain medication is keeping her relaxed, too.”

  Bryson slowed to a stop behind Isaiah as they parked on the street in front of the house. Getting out of the car, they followed Isaiah to the door.

  “What do you think about the outside of this place?” Kalina asked Bryson. The house was large – a two-story, red brick home that came with a three-car garage.

  “It’s okay,” Bryson responded, unenthused.

  When they walked in, Kalina was blown away by the grand foyer, the spiral staircase, the fireplace and the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. The house was something out of a dream. That’s why she couldn’t understand why Bryson didn’t seem impressed.

  She followed him upstairs. The four bedrooms were all good sizes, and Bryson didn’t have any complaints about the master. It came with an ensuite, walk-in closet, a sitting area as well as a balcony with a private sitting area. And the kitchen…the kitchen was a cook’s dream. There was plenty of storage, granite countertops, of course, and the pantry was huge. Then there was the nice size laundry room, the outside deck that could easily be converted into a sunroom and a backyard that looked more like a city park. As a matter of fact, the sellers must’ve had kids because there was already a swing set equipped with two swings and a slide. In one of the trees was the cutest treehouse.

  “It’s beautiful back here,” Kalina said.

  Bryson slid his hands in his pockets. Had he heard her? He was too busy imagining what life would be like with a few kids running around, playing in the yard. He wanted children, but dreams of having any fell to the wayside when…

  “Bryson?”

  Bryson turned to look at her. “Yes?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s nice, but it would be more suitable for someone with a family, or better yet, someone who wanted a family.”

  “Oh.”

  “We can go. I’ll tell Isaiah to mark this one off the list.”

  “Alright,” Kalina said, walking behind him. All of a sudden, he seemed upset. And he implied that he didn’t want a family, something she had found hard to believe. He was the perfect man for a family, but maybe the divorce made him have second thoughts.

  CHAPTER 29

  Bryson had stopped for Chinese takeout before arriving back home. When they pulled up in the driveway, Kalina marveled at how beautiful his home was. The house was incredible on the outside – multi-colored bricks enriched by coffee-brown trim, two-car garage and the landscaping was impeccable, well what little she could see of it.

  “Goodness, Bryson. You have a lovely home,” she told him as they stepped into the garage entrance that lead to the kitchen.

  “Thanks.”

  He showed her to a table, placing her takeout container there. He sat down, too.

  “May I ask why you’re selling?”

  “You can ask anything you want…doesn’t mean you’re going to get an answer.”

  “Are you in a bad mood?” she asked.

  “I’m kidding,” he told her. “I’m selling because I don’t want to be reminded of Felicia.”

  “Your ex-wife? That’s her name? Felicia?”

  “Yes. Felicia. I don’t want to reflect on or remember things that happened here.”

  “So not only are you the victim of a cheating spouse, but now, you’re making yourself a victim in your own home.”

  Bryson took a spoonful of fried rice to his mouth, then mumbled, “I’m not making myself a victim—”

  “In a way you are. You’re letting her win. I haven’t seen all of your home, but it looks magnificent. I’m not surprised you turned down every house you’ve seen so far. Nothing can compare to this house, and I think you know that already.”

  He nodded. “Barringer told me the same thing.”

  “Then stop trying to sell it.”

  “No. This is what’s best for me right now, and don’t try to tell me otherwise Ms. Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Science.” He grinned.

  So did she. Palms up, she said, “Okay. I’m done.”

  When she finished eating noodles, she excused herself from the table then stepped outside to call Edith again. Nothing had changed with her mother’s condition. Edith had basically told her the same thing she told her earlier.

  Kalina sat on the top step that lead up to the front porch and sighed.

  Once Bryson saw that she wasn’t returning, he got up from the table and came outside to where she was sitting. He sat next to her.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded.

  Bryson threw an arm around her. “Since you’re here already, would you like to see the rest of the house?”

  “Sure.” Kalina stood up and Bryson followed her lead.

  Back inside, she followed him around the lower level, telling her about all the upgrades he had done to the place – the floors, new lighting, surround sound, painting – he’d done a lot to make his home his dream home. Now he was ready to throw it all away.

  Upstairs, he showed her the bedrooms there, well, all except for the master. He hadn’t used the room since before the divorce. He couldn’t bring himself to sleep there anymore.

  “I take it this is the master?”

  “Yes. I don’t go in there,” he said and kept walking, heading for the stairs.

  “You don’t?

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t.” He turned around, watching as she touched the doorknob. “Kalina, don’t go in there.”

  “Why, Bryson?”

  “Because I don’t want you too, okay?”

  “You know what…I’m going to head home. You’re in a bad mood.”

  “I’m not in a bad mood. I just—” He sighed heavily.

  Kalina walked pass him and jogged downstairs, stepping outside onto the front porch again. Taking out her cell, she searched for the number to a taxi service when she felt Bryson’s arms around her, his chest pressed against her back.

  “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

  “Bryson—”

  “Don’t go, Kalina. Please.”

  She turned to face him and said, “I think I should.”

  “Okay, let me explain…I…I don’t use that room because I don’t want to be reminded of her…of making love to her and thinking about her making love to someone else while pretending that I was everything she wanted. I don’t want those memories.”

  Kalina sighed. “Okay. I understand and I apologize. I didn’t mean to upset you. With that being said, I still think I should go.”

  Bryson placed his hands against her face. “I need you to stay.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t…I don’t want to be alone tonight, Kalina.”

  Kalina encased her arms around his muscular frame, squeezing him. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “Can we just go back inside and talk for a while?”

  “Lead the way,” she told him.

  She followed him into a sitting room, listening as he released a heavy sigh when he sat next to her on the couch.

  “You look tired, Bryson.”

  “I am tired.”

  “I know you are. You were up late doing work for me.”

  “And I didn’t mind it one bit…I just wanted to help you.”

  �
�Why is that?” she asked, turning to face him and propping a leg up on the couch. Bryson paid attention to her foot since it was up on the couch now. He was tempted to reach out, play with her toes, but refused. She’d probably slap him and run out the door.

  He shrugged. “Because I want to be there for you. I told you I would.”

  “Why, though? It’s not like we knew each other before. You were just some random coffee shop dude.”

  “And what am I now?”

  “You’re a good man…the only man I’ve ever considered a friend.”

  “I don’t know about that…you seemed comfortable with Isaiah.”

  “No…I promise you I’ve only had lunch with him once. And if I didn’t promise him a lunch, I would not have been with him that day.”

  “So he doesn’t know you as well as I do?”

  “No. The only person who knows me more than you is my aunt. And Lizette. And June. So, count yourself lucky.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I usually don’t feel comfortable talking to people about my feelings, especially a man.”

  Bryson hid a smirk. He felt privileged to be able to be in a position where she felt comfortable. Whether she would admit it or not, that meant she trusted him. After she said she would never trust a man, she trusted him.

  She trusted him…

  She wouldn’t mind at all if he just so happened to pull her foot in his lap and massage it, so he did. He held her foot in his large hands, feeling her jerk at the sensation of his hands on her body, but she didn’t snatch her foot away from his grasp. She looked at him, held his gaze for a moment as if she wanted to say something, but she didn’t say a word, especially after he firmed his grip on her foot and rubbed it.

  Forcing herself to breathe, she said, “Oh my gosh that feels so good.” She watched him smile.

  “Lay back, close your eyes and put your other foot up in my lap.”

  She did as he asked. Bryson went to work on her feet, digging into the arch with his thumbs, listening to her moan. He concentrated on her toes, massaging them one-by-one.

  “Ah…oh, Bryson, your hands are like magic.”

  He grinned. “When you go to get your pedicures, they don’t massage your feet?”

  “No, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be as good as this. This is…mmm,” she pushed out a long exhale through her lips, closed her eyes and licked her lips. This was the life.

  Bryson smirked. While he had her in the zone, he figured he’d use it to his advantage. “Hey, so my family meets on Monday evenings for dinner. I volunteered to be the host this month, and I would like it, very much, if you could accompany me.”

  Kalina’s eyes popped open. “Accompany you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who’s going to be there?”

  “My family…my brothers and their wives. Well Everson and June won’t be there. They’re out of town. My sister Candice will be there, and my parents.”

  “Your parents?”

  “Yes.”

  “You…you want me to meet your parents?”

  “Well they will be there so, yes. And I want you to cook dinner with me, Kalina.”

  “Wait…first you ask me to accompany you to dinner and now you’re asking me to cook with you.”

  “Sorry, let me explain. So the person who hosts the family dinner is responsible for cooking the family dinner. Nothing can be store bought.”

  “Oh…I get it. So you want me to help you cook.”

  “If you want.”

  Kalina closed her eyes again and yawned, enjoying her foot rub. “I’ll help you cook, Bryson. I would love to help…you…ahh...”

  He grinned. “Good.” He took her other foot and began rubbing, hearing her moan softly, watching her fold her bottom lip underneath her teeth and alternate between releasing moans up to the ceiling.

  When she grew quiet, he realized she’d fallen asleep. She was sleeping soundly. Peacefully. It had been a long day for her. She was busy working, looking at houses with him and now, she was out.

  He lifted her legs so he could stand up from the couch, then lowered them again. He stood there for a moment, loving how nice it was to have her there. He wasn’t busy thinking about bad memories. Her presence there felt right – felt like she belonged there. And even though he knew Kalina had no intentions on being involved in a relationship, he enjoyed the challenge of making her see that he was a good man. That there was no need to judge all men by the actions of one man.

  Upstairs, Bryson took a thin blanket from a closet in the hallway then jogged back downstairs to where she was sleeping. He spread the blanket over her, watching her rest again, admiring this beautiful woman lying on his sofa with a relaxed, peaceful face. She was a damaged soul, but in his eyes, she was his damaged soul and he would do whatever it took to make her realize how much he cared for her.

  CHAPTER 30

  “I still think you should’ve woke me up last night,” she said as they stood at her front door, seven o’clock in the morning.

  “It’s fine, Kalina. You needed to sleep.”

  She unlocked the door then returned her attention to him, angling her head up to stare into his eyes. “Will you stop saying that, Bryson? It’s not fine. You have a job to do, too.”

  “I do, but you happen to be more important to me than work.”

  Kalina smiled, but it appeared more like a blush. When she saw Bryson inching closer to her, her heartbeats increased, pounding against her chest with fierce thumps. She swallowed hard when she felt his hand rest at the nape of her neck. She glanced at his lips seconds before feeling them touch hers. She was too stunned to think about this being her first kiss and how Bryson was making a move on her. She lost herself in the moment of being in his embrace, lips-to-lips with a man who cared about her.

  Like he knew she’d never been touched before the foot massage he gave her last night, Bryson also knew she’d never been kissed. He felt her lips tremble. He felt her give up all control to him, something he didn’t mind. But, he would’ve liked some indication that she was okay with his lips taking over hers. Touching hers. Consuming hers. He got that signal when he heard her moans become louder and felt her arms constrict around him. He’d been waiting a long time for this moment and it was everything he dreamed it would he.

  Kalina, pulled away from him when it all became too much – when she felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest. Her breathing felt forced. Goose bumps ran down her body and made her shiver. The man wasn’t even touching her at the moment and she was shivering...

  She licked her lips, then said, “Um, I’m going to get to work now. Thanks for driving me home.” Before he could say anything in return, she’d opened the door, stepped inside, closed it and leaned against the back of the door, breathing and panting like she’d just ran a mile.

  Kalina, what are you doing?

  Why did she allow him to kiss her when she had never let a man do that before? What was so special about Bryson Blackstone that made her weak – made her want to forget all the reasons why she never wanted a relationship? Made her want to be as close to him as he obviously wanted to be with her? The answer scared her, because history – her personal, family history – taught her that a man will love a woman as long as she never fell ill. As long as everything was okay in the relationship. As soon as a problem arose, the man was out the door. She wouldn’t let that happen to her. It didn’t matter how nice Bryson was, or how much he said she was a priority to him or even all the time and effort he’d put into helping her – she wouldn’t allow a man to do to her what Stanley did to her mother.

  * * *

  Bryson was feeling extra good today, especially after spending the bulk of yesterday with Kalina. She had takeout at his place and, after he gave her an intoxicating foot massage, she fell asleep on the sofa. He couldn’t help but take the time to admire her, to think about how beautiful she was and how little she really knew about men. He hoped to teach her.

  For
the first time since taking steps to sell his home, he was having second thoughts. Kalina loved his house and since he’d created some new memories there with a woman he was falling in love with, he wanted to keep it. Being there with her last night felt right. It was perfect, and they’d shared a kiss this morning, even though she pulled away from him and practically ran inside of her house, closing the door in his face. He found it amusing. Why would she allow him to kiss her, especially if she disliked men so much? He smiled at the thought of being the man – the only one – to have been able to break down her barriers. With a little more time, he’d have her all to himself, or would he? Kalina made it clear she’d never wanted a relationship. She had some deeply rooted trust issues and they wouldn’t go away just because he kissed her.

  Walking to his desk, he picked up his cell phone and called Edith. He’d been meaning to do so yesterday, but was occupied with work, house-hunting and anything that involved Kalina Cooper.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, Edith. It’s Bryson.”

  “Hi. How are you this morning?”

  “I’m good. Are you at the hospital this morning?”

  “No. I’m at the café right now, but I’m going to head up there later. How are you doing with work and helping Kalina out and all of that?”

  “Everything’s good. I have a question for you, though,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  “Do you remember the conversation we had about a month ago, about Kalina? It was when you told me that if you had to choose a man for Kalina, it would be me.”

  “Oh, yes. I remember that, and again I want to stress… I wasn’t trying to set you up with her. I know my Kalina doesn’t want to date, fall in love or any of that, and since I knew you didn’t want that either, I thought you’d be the perfect person to help her.”

  Bryson continuously paced the floor near his desk. “Gosh, Edith, I didn’t think I wanted that again, but with Kalina, I feel things I never wanted to feel again.”

  “What are you saying? You’re falling for her?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “But I was under the impression you didn’t want a relationship, Bryson.”