This was the part where Ted was supposed to piss himself and cower. Apologize for being a selfish fuck and then slink back into his house.
Instead, the guy jutted out his chin, looking…pissed? “What the hell are you talking about, O’Donnel?”
“I’m talking about all the years and all the chances you’ve had. I’m talking about how you fucking wasted them. And when she’s finally moving on, now you want a real shot with her. I fucking told her this would happen.”
Ted took a step back, shaking his head like he didn’t understand.
“Now?”
The guy couldn’t be that stupid. “She was in love with you. For years. For her whole damn life, man. She would have given you anything, everything. But all you wanted were those firsts you like to brag about so much, when any one of them could have been first, last, and always.”
If Brody had been the one she’d given her firsts to, that’s how it would have been.
“Through all those opportunities, Ted, you never wanted her. And now that she’s found someone else, now that she’s not hanging on your every word or watching your every move or waiting to see if this would be the night you’d want something more from her—now suddenly, you do. Now you’re standing here, waiting for me by my car like some kind of stalker, laying it on the line so I know what’s coming. Fuck that, and fuck you too. I’ve been telling Gwen she deserved a better man and a better fucking friend since the first day. And guess what? Now she’s got one.”
He waited for the bullshit to come back, the excuses, whatever pussy retort Ted had to offer, but instead, the guy just stood there staring at him, a smacked look on his face.
“She was… Gwen…” He shook his head, turning toward the Daneses’ house as if he were about to run up and pound on the door. When he turned back, his eyes were wide with something that looked a whole hell of a lot like hope and—
Jesus, he couldn’t even think it. Wanted to reject it. Deny it.
“She told you that?” he whispered, reaching for Brody’s arm before he seemed to realize what he was doing and stepped back.
There was no right answer. No choice but to tell the truth, so Brody did. Barely. Practically choking out the concession. “Not lately.”
“Not since she decided to give things a try with you?”
Give things a try.
That’s not what this was with them.
Another look back at the house, and so help him, if Ted took one step toward her door, Brody was going to tackle him on the front lawn.
“Since she stopped waiting for you to become the guy you’re never going to be.”
“Yeah.” Ted turned to him, his pained smile so completely out of place after what Brody had said, it set his teeth on edge. What the hell was wrong with this guy?
Ted bent at the waist, bracing his hands on his knees. “It’s hard to wait so long.”
And that’s when the ground rocked beneath Brody’s feet and all the know better, be better, do better superior bullshit he’d been standing on gave way.
Ted Normandy really was that dumb.
The fucker was in love with her, and he’d had no idea that Gwen had been waiting for him.
Brody’s heart started to slam, his blood running cold with panic.
“What I told you… It doesn’t change anything.”
Ted was shaking his head, a stupid smile spreading across his face. “That’s where you’re wrong, man. It changes everything.”
No. “She’s happy. I’m sorry.” And this time when he said it, he truly meant it. Because suddenly, Ted wasn’t the selfish prick Brody had thought he was. Suddenly, everything Gwen had said about him all those months ago was right. “We’re together, and what we’ve got is good.”
Straightening again, Ted let out a curt laugh. “What you’ve got isn’t even a blip on the radar, O’Donnel.”
Brody was going to be sick. He knew he shouldn’t ask, but he had to know.
“Have you told her?”
Ted rubbed at the back of his neck, looking out at the street when he answered. “Not yet. But what do you think she’s going to do when she finds out I’ve been in love with her since I was six, that I’ve been waiting for her since I was sixteen, and now that I know she’s been waiting for me, I’d wait for her until I was sixty, if that’s what it took?”
What did he think she would do? Christ.
Brody felt like he was dying inside.
Ted had started walking back to his house. When he got to the door, he stopped and looked back, his brows pulled together.
“Look, I know you care about her, man. Gwennie’s got a tender heart, and it’s going to be hard enough on her when she has to choose. She isn’t going to want to hurt you, so just…hell, don’t make it worse than it needs to be, okay?”
Standing there on the drive, Brody watched as Ted went inside, closed the door behind him, and turned out the light. Gwen’s words from earlier that afternoon echoed through his mind.
Not really a place for you, huh?
* * *
The next morning, Gwen rubbed the sleep from her eyes and threw back the covers. No lazing around or hoping for five more minutes. Brody was going back to Chicago, and after the way her dad had worked him over, she wanted some time with him. And she wanted it alone.
It was still early, but she could smell the coffee, and when she got downstairs, her mother was sitting at the kitchen table reading her paper.
“How’s Dad?” Gwen asked, pouring a mug for herself.
“Good. He was up earlier, some trouble sleeping, so we watched a movie together. But he fell asleep about half an hour ago. I’m guessing he’ll be out for a few hours at least. You could take the car if there’s anything you’d like to do.”
Gwen nodded and crossed to her mom to give her a squeeze. “Thanks, Mom. If you don’t mind, I’ll run over to the hotel. Maybe hang out there a while, but I’m sure Brody will stop back with me to say goodbye before he goes.”
Her mother nodded, a knowing look in her eyes. “A woman needs a little alone time with her boyfriend once in a while. Or at least some time without Ted doing everything but throwing his body between you guys.”
After Ted’s behavior the weekend before, her mom had known something was going on, and Gwen had needed someone to talk to. As it turned out, her mother had understood better than Gwen had expected. “I still can’t believe that in all this time, I didn’t know.”
“You’ve been friends for so long, honey. There are so many layers to your relationship that sometimes I didn’t even know, and I’ve been watching you two together since before you could crawl.”
“For years, I thought he was all I wanted. But when I met Brody, everything changed. It’s like suddenly, I could see things more clearly and”—she let out a heavy breath and met her mother’s compassionate gaze—“what I want now is something else entirely.”
“Love is like that, honey.”
Ducking her head, Gwen smiled into her coffee and headed back upstairs for a quick shower before she went to the hotel.
After the shortest shower in history and a blow-dry that was more for show than anything else, she threw a scarf around her neck and pulled a thick knit hat down over her ears to compensate for tempting fate with wet hair in January. Dobson wasn’t that big of a town, so getting to the hotel only took about five minutes, another three up to his room, and then she was knocking at Brody’s door, butterflies in her belly and that wonderful too-full feeling deep in her chest.
When he opened the door, the sight of him was almost more than she could handle. His hair was falling in damp waves around his bare shoulders, and all he was wearing was a pair of well-worn jeans with the top button undone. Her mouth went dry, her throat tight as she took in the sight of the sexiest man she’d ever seen. And he called her gorgeous.
“Gwe
n, I wasn’t expecting you. Everything okay?” he asked, taking a step back into the room so she could come in.
His duffel bag was open on the end of his bed, his clothes and toiletries neatly stacked within. She glanced into the bathroom where he’d been getting ready, and her heart sank at the site of the empty countertop.
“You’re so efficient, getting all your stuff packed up like this,” she commented, trying not to advertise the fact that he’d be gone in a matter of hours, and it was hitting her hard. “I’d be pushing checkout time before I even thought about packing my stuff.”
God, she was going to miss him.
All she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and have him hold her. But when she turned, he was already pulling a shirt over his head and then zipping up his bag. “Yeah, I’ve got to get back earlier than I thought today.”
“Wait, what? You’re leaving now?” She thought they had at least until after lunch together. He couldn’t be going yet.
“It’s Belfast. Couple issues came up overnight.”
She waited for him to tell her more, but when the details didn’t come and Brody continued his last check for stray items around the room, she realized mentally he was already on his way out.
“Well, I hope everything’s okay,” she offered quietly, wondering why he wasn’t looking at her. Or touching her.
Then telling herself not to read too much into it.
Belfast was his baby. And if something was going on, it made sense that he’d be distracted and focused on getting back. But they hadn’t even made any plans about when they’d see each other again. She knew he couldn’t keep taking off to drive down to see her, but at least they might talk about it.
“Brody, you think we could sit down for a few minutes before you have to go?” she asked, stepping into his space so she could press her forehead into that spot between his shoulders. After a beat, his arms came up and closed around her, holding her tight and close. But all too soon, he’d taken her shoulders in his hands and set her back a step.
“Yeah, we can do that. Why don’t we head downstairs to the restaurant? I was going to grab something to eat before I took off anyway. We can do it together.”
“Oh, sure. The restaurant sounds good.”
They were seated by the windows at a table for two. Brody was distracted, checking his phone and taking care of a few messages while they waited for the waitress to bring their orders.
Gwen understood she couldn’t be his priority every minute. She didn’t need to be. But there was something else. Something was off between them this morning, and it was making her stomach knot to think it might have something to do with the crappy way her father had treated him.
When he set his phone down, she reached for his hand. “I’m really sorry about this weekend, Brody. I thought we’d be able to have more time together. I thought things would be different with my dad.”
Brody was staring at where their hands met. He was always the one trying to maximize the contact between them, looking for a way to hold her closer, tighter. But now, it was like he was only letting her touch him to be polite.
She cleared her throat. “I think my parents are going to need me to stay down here for another few weeks.” Please, God, she hoped it wouldn’t be longer than that. “I know you’ve already taken too much time off, but maybe I could come up for an overnight next weekend.”
Brody wouldn’t meet her eyes as he refilled his coffee from the carafe.
“Probably too early to make plans,” he said, shifting back in his seat. “I’m already behind with Belfast. And you don’t want to leave your mom overnight when your dad still needs help. How about we see how it goes?”
Gwen stared at him a moment longer, the tension that had been building since she’d arrived to find him mostly packed now almost more than she could bear. Because this wasn’t right. This wasn’t Brody. And even if they hadn’t been together all that long, this wasn’t how things were between them.
She blew out a breath and shook her head. No. She was being dramatic, making a big deal about nothing. He didn’t know what his schedule was going to look like yet. That’s all it was.
She hoped. But when he still wouldn’t look at her, she let out a nervous laugh.
“You aren’t about to give me the asparagus talk, are you?” She was mostly teasing, but when he didn’t answer, the laughter dried up in her throat, and she could barely manage to ask, “Are you?”
Brody’s jaw tensed, the muscle flexing twice before he met her eyes. There was nothing in them. No light, no joking, no invisible pull holding her so she felt like she’d never be able to let go.
“Gwen, we’ve both got a lot on our plates right now, and neither of us really needs any unnecessary obligations.”
Unnecessary obligations?
What was he talking about?
“Brody—”
“We’ve had such a good time, Gwen.”
This wasn’t happening.
“But we don’t even know how long you’re going to be down here.”
“A few weeks,” she said weakly, realizing he hadn’t even been listening to her when she’d told him the first time. “Maybe a month.”
“Yeah, see?”
No, she didn’t. Not even a little bit. Where was the man who’d kissed her as if she were his next breath when he’d arrived on Friday? Where was the man who’d held her in his arms the night before like he never wanted to let her go?
“Is this because of my father?” she whispered, emotion already clogging her throat.
She couldn’t believe it was. Brody wasn’t the type to hold someone else’s bad behavior against her or to let a parent’s disapproval run him off.
“Did something else happen last night?” It had to have, because when he’d left, she’d felt like they were on the brink of something. She’d thought they were in—
“Nothing happened, Gwen. This is just a little more than either of us thought we were signing on for. That’s all.”
No. It wasn’t. Not for her.
At last, his eyes met hers. “You deserve to have all the things you want, gorgeous. You deserve the guy who’s willing to wait more than a few weeks or a month. You deserve the guy who’ll love you his whole life.”
A chill ran the length of her spine.
“What are you talking about, Brody?”
“I’m talking about you finding someone who isn’t waiting for the first natural breaking point he can use to get out, Gwen. I’m talking about someone who stays when things get tough.” Brody rose from his chair, reaching into his pocket for his wallet so he could pull a few bills out for the table. Their food hadn’t even come yet, but he was ready to leave.
She was too stunned to move, to do anything but blink past the tears that had already started to fall.
Brody looked down at her, apology etched into every line of his face. “You want to know what happened last night? I realized I wasn’t that guy, so I’m trying to do the right thing here. I’m letting you go.”
* * *
The wheel gripped tightly with both hands, Brody stared out at the seemingly endless stretch of frozen farmland before him.
He hadn’t expected it to be easy, but goddamn it. Sitting across from Gwen, forcing himself to act like it wasn’t gutting him to let her go, had been the hardest thing he’d ever done.
She didn’t understand. How could she?
Just like he hadn’t understood about fucking Ted all those months ago when he’d started his campaign to get her over the guy he’d deemed unworthy. She’d been right all along. Ted was the good guy. The good friend. The one who’d been in love with her for as long as she’d been in love with him. The one who hadn’t given up.
Now she’d have her chance. Once Ted told her how he felt, there wouldn’t be any more secrets left between them, and the jack
ass who’d only been able to see what he wanted to would be out of the way.
And no matter how badly he wanted to crank on that wheel, turn the car around, and floor it back to her so he could beg her to pick him instead, Brody wasn’t going to.
Another mile marker, and the wheel creaked beneath his grip.
It wasn’t like he’d expected her to look relieved, shove out of her chair, and thank him before sprinting across town to get to Ted. But those tears. Fuck. They were chewing him up, making sure he felt the loss down to his soul. Reminding him that she cared, and that the affection and chemistry between them was deep and real. Even if the only reason it had been able to take root was because he’d cheated to get it.
Yeah, there’d been something between them all right, and it had been more than he’d ever shared with another woman. It had been special. And if fucking Ted hadn’t been part of the picture, if Brody had met Gwen and there hadn’t been anyone else, then sure as shit, things would be different now.
He wouldn’t be driving away with no plan to see her again, with his gut twisted into a sick knot, her tear-streaked face etched into his mind. He’d still be there, making one excuse after another to put off leaving. Booking his room for another night whether he planned to stay that long or not, just in case he found a moment to get Gwen alone again. He’d be running his fingers through her hair, holding her in his arms, and plotting how the hell to win her dad over.
But that wasn’t the way it had gone. He’d taken Gwen’s chance at the happily ever after she’d been dreaming of since she was a girl, and fuck, he loved her too much not to make sure she got it back.
Chapter 23
Two weeks later, Gwen’s mother sat across from her at the kitchen table, her hands clutched nervously in front of her. “Honey, I don’t need to go. We get together all the time, and if anyone should be getting out of this house, it’s you.”
Her mother wasn’t talking about what had happened with Brody and how Gwen was taking it. It had been a long week for everyone. Her dad had developed an infection, and while they’d identified the problem and quickly gotten it under control, that fear had taken a lot out of everyone.
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