The Return of Brody McBride

by Jennifer Ryan

  Rain appeared in the entry from the kitchen. She leaned her shoulder against the doorframe and stared at him. Her eyes spoke volumes. Fear, reservations, resignation, relief at seeing him. He didn’t know which to address first, so he walked to her with Autumn in his arms. She immediately handed Rain the flowers. He kissed Autumn’s cheek and set her down. His hands reached out for Rain, and she moved toward him. He kissed her, buried his hands in her hair and tilted her head back so he could take the kiss deeper, the scent of roses surrounding them.

  “They’re kissing again,” Dawn said from behind him.

  Smiling against her mouth, he opened his eyes to the laughter in hers. “I missed you today.”

  “You saw me this morning.”

  “I miss you whenever you’re not with me.”

  “Brody.” She took a second to look down at the roses. “What are the flowers for?”

  “You. I’m so lucky to have you in my life, Rain. You’re so beautiful, and you have the biggest, best heart. You’ve had a hard couple of weeks, you’re tired and worried about this situation and how it’s affecting Autumn. You do everything for all of us, and I haven’t spent nearly enough time making things easier for you.”

  “Everything went well?”

  He hated her suspicions, but deserved them after what he’d done in the past. Meeting Roxy without her stirred up old wounds and hurt feelings again.

  “I think I got what we wanted. We’ll see in a couple of days. I’ll tell you all about it after dinner and when the girls are occupied.”

  “You’re angry,” she said, the flowers held in front her.

  He shook his head that he wasn’t, but she added, “You took two full steps away from me and stuffed your hands in your back pockets. If that doesn’t say you’re pissed, I don’t know what does.”

  He stalked her as she backed away from him. He came through the kitchen entry. Owen sat at the table reading over some papers. “Get out,” he said between clenched teeth. Owen read his mood and tone, stood and left without a word.

  Rain’s back hit the counter. He grabbed the flowers out of her hands and tossed them aside. Planting his hands on the counter at her sides, he leaned over and looked her in the eyes.

  “Brody, I—”

  “My turn.” He cut her off. “I’m not mad at you. I’ve had one hell of a day. I have a pounding headache.”

  “I’ll get you some ibuprofen.”

  She tried to move past him, but he kept his arms caged around her, leaving her nowhere to go.

  “I don’t want you to get me anything. If I want something, I can get it myself. I want you to relax, take a break from taking care of everyone but yourself. I feel like I’ve done pretty well with the girls. I help them with their homework, have even put them to bed a few nights for you. We’re getting closer, they treat me like I’ve been the dad in the house all this time, not like a stranger anymore. You and I share the same house and bed. We’ve mended fences, but I’m sorely lacking in the taking-care-of-you department. You’re always there for me, day and night. I need you so damn much, I forget you need me, too.”

  “I’m fine . . .”

  “No, you’re not. You don’t sleep because I keep you awake. You work a full day and still make time for me and the girls whenever we need you. You’re the first one up and the last one to bed. The house is clean, the meals prepared and cleaned up, and you run all the errands in between everything else you do. Every night you come to me, give yourself to me with so much love and passion. Sometimes during the day, too, when I need you, like Saturday in the woods.”

  He stood tall, grabbed her hips, and lifted her onto the counter, stepping between her thighs and pulling her hips to his. His erection pressed into the V between her thighs and came into intimate contact. He rocked forward and her eyes dilated, her fingers dug into his shoulders.

  “I stepped away from you before because all I want to do is drag you upstairs to bed. If I kept kissing and touching you, I would have taken you right there in the living room. This house is too full of people, and all I want is to be alone with you.”

  Her hands slid up his neck to his jaw. She held him and leaned down to kiss him, her tongue traced his bottom lip, he groaned, and she dipped her tongue inside his mouth, smoothed it over his. They lost themselves in the kiss, the closeness they shared whenever they touched.

  She pulled back, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him with all her strength. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She needed this. Just to be close and held and loved.

  The girls were getting restless in the other room. Owen told them twice dinner would be in a few minutes. Rain leaned back and traced her fingers over his forehead to his temples where she rubbed softly to help ease his headache. “You can’t help yourself, can you?”

  “Taking care of you. No. I love you.”

  He planted his lips over hers, slipped his hands under her hips, and picked her up with her legs wrapped around his waist. Still kissing her, he carried her to the table. Without breaking the kiss, he released her legs and let her body slide down his. When her feet hit the ground, he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her down into a chair, ending the kiss. “Sit.”

  He moved to the cupboard and piled plates and bowls. He carried them to the table and placed them at each spot. Over his shoulder, he called, “Owen, girls, dinner.”

  Owen brought in the bags of food and pulled out the cartons of Chinese take-out.

  “You got me chicken chow mein?” Rain asked.

  “Your favorite, if I remember right.”

  “I love Chinese food.”

  Body filled a vase with water, unwrapped her flowers, and placed them inside. He carried them to the table and set them in the center. Autumn and Dawn were already digging into the food. A fortune cookie sat in front of each of their plates.

  “I know you do. That’s why I got it. Eat, honey.”

  He sat next to her and for a while they all ate in silence. Owen looked preoccupied and kept checking his phone.

  “Waiting for a call?”

  “A client,” he said and frowned.

  “Something serious?”

  “I helped her with her divorce. Her ex was just released from jail. She’s nervous.”

  “She have reason to be?”

  “And then some,” Owen answered.

  “Let me know if you need some help.”

  “It’s fine. She’s fine,” he said, though it sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as Brody.

  “Did you get those papers signed?” Owen asked, changing the subject.

  The girls had no idea what they were talking about, but Rain’s head snapped up and turned to him.

  “Not yet. Day after tomorrow.”

  “Why not sooner?” Rain asked.

  “Bank was closed, plus she set the day, not me. Believe me, I wanted to get it done sooner.”

  “How much did it cost you?” Owen asked.

  “One hundred.”

  “A hundred dollars,” Dawn said, a touch of awe in her voice.

  “Eat your food,” Rain admonished. “We’ll talk about this later,” she added to him and Owen.

  Brody set up a movie for the girls and made them a bowl of popcorn after dinner. He figured all the crunching should keep them from overhearing the conversation in the kitchen. They knew something was going on, but best to keep the details from them.

  Rain sat with her hands wrapped around a cup of tea. He came in behind her and clamped his hands down on her shoulders. Tense, he rubbed the knots in her neck and between her shoulder blades.

  “I met Roxy at the bar. She tried to get me to follow her upstairs.”

  Rain’s shoulders went rigid beneath his hands, but he kept rubbing and kneading while he spoke.

  “I waited in the main part of the bar for her to come back down the stairs and talk to me in her office.”

  “I bet that ticked her off,” Owen said with a smile of approval.


  “Bet your ass. I did it on purpose to piss her off. Every person in that bar will blab the story all over town. I refuse to have people talking about how the past repeated itself, even though I’d never be that stupid again.”

  He brushed his hand over Rain’s hair to show her how precious she was to him.

  “We went into her office. A bunch of bills were piled on the desk, including the renewal for her liquor license. I think she’s hurting for money. The bar does okay, but it could do a lot better if she put some money into the place. Owen, I’d like you to find out what the bar is worth.”

  “Why do you want to know?” Rain asked, turning her head up to him.

  “I want her out of our lives and out of this town for good. If I buy the bar, she’ll have no reason to come back, even after she signs the papers for Autumn.”

  “Do you think she’ll sell to you?”

  “I’ll set up a dummy company and buy it under that name. Owen can take care of the paperwork, get a realtor to make an offer, and she’ll never know it’s me. She may guess, but she won’t be sure. If my guess is right, she’s desperate for money, and since I didn’t meet her million-dollar demand, she might jump at the chance to get more money through the bar.”

  “She asked you for a million dollars?”

  “That was her opening offer.” He dug his knuckle into a knot between her shoulders and worked the stiff muscle. Rain leaned against the table, her forearms braced as he pressed hard against her back.

  “What was yours?” Owen asked.

  “Twenty grand. Cash.”

  “Did she laugh?” Rain asked.

  “Not when I threw it in her face she’d already been paid. She countered with a half million, I offered fifty and made it clear if she went through with her threat to take Rain to court to gain custody, she’d lose. She backed down a bit, but in the end, I had to use my trump card to make my point.”

  “What was your trump card?” Rain asked, nearly lying on the table now as he massaged her neck, her hair falling over one shoulder.

  “If she didn’t take my offer, I’d put you all on a plane and take you out of the country where she and the courts couldn’t touch us.”

  Rain turned completely in her seat. “What?”

  “I won’t let her ruin what we have, or have a judge say she can visit Autumn. As it happens, that threat was enough to get her to take one hundred thousand and sign the papers. I’ll get the bank to issue the cash tomorrow, meet her the following day, and we’re done.

  “Owen, can you get the info on the bar tomorrow? Find out about any outstanding loans or liens. Anything that will make it easier to get the bar and her out of town.”

  “I’ll get to work on it first thing in the morning. I’m glad you got her to agree.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not celebrating yet. She wasn’t happy with the amount and stalled the payoff another day. She seemed nervous and desperate. She made a couple passes, even though I’d made it clear I wasn’t interested. I downright insulted her, played up my relationship with you, Rain, and how you’ve made quite a life for yourself despite Roxy trying to ruin things for you.”

  “You said that to her?”

  “Damn right. But as I was walking out of the bar, I think I spotted her boyfriend. He looked like he wanted to kill me. Whether that was because Roxy and I were in the office for a while, or because she’s fed him a bunch of bullshit, I don’t know.”

  “You think he’s a problem?”

  “My instincts say Roxy isn’t one to make things easy.”

  “She took the money I offered her and left,” Rain pointed out.

  “Not the second time. When you went to get Autumn, she didn’t just take what you offered. She demanded more and didn’t want to give Autumn back.”

  “It was only eight thousand dollars.”

  “She knew you didn’t have more. Maybe her plan was to take what you had and find me, hoping to get more.”

  “She didn’t know where you were,” Owen said.

  “No? These days, it doesn’t take much to find someone. Rain couldn’t find me because I was on the move. Roxy could have hired a PI, used my social security number to find out I was in the military. Maybe she already knew.”

  “It doesn’t matter now. You made the offer, she accepted. We’ll wait and see what she does next when she comes for the money.” She rolled her shoulders, loosening the muscles he’d already worked.

  “Why don’t you go sit with the girls and watch TV. I’ll clean up the kitchen.”

  “What have you done with my Brody McBride?” she asked, joking.

  He pulled her up and into his arms. “I’m all yours, sweetheart.” He kissed her and Owen groaned behind them.

  “You two are really starting to make me sick.”

  “Jealous.” Brody gave him a big smile and gazed down at Rain. She surprised him and laid her head on his chest and held him around the waist. He wrapped her up tighter in his arms and looked over at Owen. Owen was at a loss, too, and shrugged. It wasn’t like Rain to be so quiet and cling.

  It took some doing, but he got Rain to relax on the couch with the girls. Before long the three of them were laughing and having fun while they watched the princess movie. He and Owen cleaned up the kitchen and went over the plan for giving Roxy the money, getting the signature they needed, and how they could covertly buy the bar to keep her away for good. Irritated everything was still in the planning and waiting stages, nothing finished, like the end would never get here. Maybe that’s how Rain felt too, only she’d been waiting years to end this. No wonder it was taking such a toll on her.

  “I’ll catch you later.” Owen slapped him on the back and headed out the back door.

  Brody walked into the living room and took charge. “All right girls, you got to stay up an extra half hour with your mom. It’s time for bed. Upstairs, brush your teeth, and get two books each.”

  Both girls got up, but he stopped them before they headed up. “Kiss your mom goodnight.”

  Rain stood, hugged and kissed each of them. Brody hugged them before they pounded up the stairs. He went to Rain and pushed her back down to the couch.

  “Wait here for me.”

  He handed her the remote and climbed the stairs. The girls were changing clothes, giggling and talking in their room. He went to his and Rain’s room and into their bathroom. He ran the water in the tub and poured in some of the scented oil from the tub shelf. The room filled with the smell of lavender and white lilies. Soft, sweet. He lit the candles near the tub, grabbed the ones out of the bedroom and brought them into the bathroom, too. Done filling the tub at the same time the girls finished brushing their teeth, he met them in the hallway.

  “You guys get your books. I’ll be in to read in just a second.”

  They dashed off and he went to the head of the stairs. “Rain, come on up. I have a surprise for you.”

  She appeared at the foot of the stairs and made her way up to him, looking tired and moving slow.

  “A surprise.”

  “Yep. Come with me.”

  He took her hand and pulled her down the hall to their room. Once inside, he closed the door and turned to her. “Strip.”

  “Excuse me,” she shot back, one eyebrow going up.

  “You’re right. I like to do it myself.”

  He reached for her and brought the hem of her shirt up and over her head. Lucky for him, she didn’t argue or stop him. His fingers dipped inside the top of her jeans and skimmed over her belly. He unbuttoned them and slid the zipper down. He leaned forward and kissed the swell of her breast over the lace bra and tugged her jeans and panties down her hips and legs. She helped by kicking them off, and he undid her bra and brought it down her arms, dropping it on the pile of other clothes at their feet.

  Standing back for a moment, he looked his fill as she stood before him, perfectly content to allow his perusal. He took her hand and pulled her toward the bathroom door.

  “Brody, what are
you doing?”

  He opened the door, revealing the candlelit room. The soft sent of flowers wafted out.

  “Oh, Brody, you . . .”

  “Wanted to do something nice for you,” he finished, because he didn’t want to hear her say he shouldn’t have. He should have done a lot more. “Get in, honey. Relax. I’ll take care of the girls and lock up the house.”

  She snagged a clip off the counter, piled her hair on her head, and with a hand from him, stepped into the tub. She settled into the fragrant, steaming water and closed her eyes on a sigh. Satisfied she was happy and relaxing, he headed out to read to the girls.

  She stopped him before he left. “Brody, thank you.”

  Leaning over the tub, he kissed her on the forehead and whispered, “I love you.” He wanted to dip his hands in the water, smooth them over her soft body. Instead, he let her have her peace and quiet.

  It didn’t take long to read stories and settle the girls in their beds. He walked back into the bathroom and found Rain lounging in the tub, her eyes closed, perfectly relaxed and half-asleep. His heart eased, his shoulders relaxed just seeing her content. So beautiful, his eyes traced the column of her throat, down her chest to her rounded breasts tipped with soft pink nipples. He knew how she tasted, wanted to fill his mouth with her even now. Her belly was flat, her hips slightly flared. He imagined her swollen and round with his child, sorry he’d missed it with Dawn and hoping to see her heavy with pregnancy soon. He skimmed over the thatch of dark curls. Tonight, he wanted to keep his passion in check and allow Rain the rest she needed. Still, her legs were a lovely sight. Trim, strong, well-defined muscles, firm when he grasped them and drove himself inside of her.

  Detour. Back to admiring her, not lusting after her, he thought.

  With a heavy sigh, he pushed the drain down and took her hands. Her eyes opened and held a dreamy quality. Compliant to his coaxing, she stepped out of the tub and stood while he softly wiped the water from her skin with a thick towel. No words were spoken; they weren’t needed as he scooped her up and carried her to the bed and laid her on the cool sheets. He pulled the blankets over her and stripped off his own clothes and rounded the bed. Naked, he slipped beneath the covers and pulled her close. Her back to his chest, her hips snug against his erection, he draped his arm over her and took her breast in his hand. Her heart beat against the heel of his palm and she sighed and snuggled closer. He kissed her shoulder, trailing kisses up her neck to her ear. He whispered, “I love you, sweetheart. Sleep.”