by Laura Lee
“That I can do,” Brody offers as he stands.
Junior sizes him up. “Who’s your friend, Rain?”
“He’s Drew’s friend, not mine,” I clarify.
“Ouch, that hurt, princess,” Brody complains.
“Martin,” Junior says by way of introduction.
Brody shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you, man. I’m Brody. Rainey just told me you play for Indy. That’s pretty fucking awesome. Linebackers are totally underappreciated, if you ask me.”
Junior grins. “I like you, Brody. You want to help me haul some more beer outside?”
I roll my eyes at Brody’s obvious ass kissing. “Get me another while you’re at it.”
“Sure thing, darlin’,” Brody winks. “Don’t worry; I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, Devyn returns, beers in hand.
“Thanks,” I say as she hands me a bottle.
“Brody was about to bring this over, but I figured you wouldn’t mind the interception.”
“Good call,” I laugh. “Good luck keeping him away though.”
“I think we have a little while,” she proclaims. “I told him I needed to ask you nurse questions about irregular periods.”
That deserves a fist bump, so I give her one. “This is why you’re my best bitch.”
She really is, too. We’ve known each other less than two years, but it feels like a lifetime. As strange as it sounds, she’s my first real female friend; the other women in my life are more like acquaintances or co-workers. Growing up surrounded by so much testosterone, I didn’t get to do many girly things, which was fine by me. Hell, I dressed in my brother’s hand-me-downs for most of my childhood, much to my mother’s dismay. As a woman, I definitely prefer a more feminine look, but the tomboy in me still likes to come out pretty frequently. Devyn’s the first woman I’ve met that has a similar personality. Once we figured that out, we pretty much insinuated ourselves into every aspect of each other’s lives, and never looked back.
She chuckles. “Seriously though, Brody’s not being too much of a nuisance, is he?”
“Nothing I can’t handle. Besides, bickering with him distracts me from missing Adam.”
“Where’s his conference this weekend anyway?”
“New York.”
“He’s had a lot of those lately, hasn’t he?” she asks.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Where are you going with this, Dee?”
“I’m not going anywhere with it,” she insists. “I was just wondering if it was normal for doctors to attend so many meetings outside of the hospital.”
“They’re grooming him to be the Chief of ER,” I explain. “He’s learning more about the management side of things.”
“Well, hopefully, things will slow down once you guys decide to start making babies.” She bumps her shoulder to mine. “When’s that going to happen anyway? You said thirty was the magic number for motherhood.”
I take a lengthy sip to delay opening this can of worms.
“Rainey?”
I should’ve known she wouldn’t accept my silence.
I sigh. “Adam’s not exactly sold on having another kid.”
“What? Since when?”
“Since always,” I admit. “His son, Parker, is twenty—long past the dependent child phase. Adam doesn’t want to start over in his fifties.”
“Why is this the first time I’ve heard that?”
“I figured he’d change his mind,” I shrug.
“Has he given you any indication that he’s going to?”
I think back to the conversation Adam and I had only a week ago. It was more of an argument than a discussion, to be honest. I asked him if he’d at least consider having another child and he shot me down, point blank. He couldn’t have been any clearer that he would never change his mind.
“Nope.”
Devyn looks at me with pity. “Lorraine, you were meant to be a mom. I don’t know how many times you’ve told me how envious you are of the women you see giving birth daily—how badly you want to experience that moment when they lay the baby on your chest. I’ve never seen someone more at ease with children than you are.”
I pick at the label on my bottle. “Yeah...well, we can’t always get what we want. I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to marry an older man. I love him. He loves me. That’s all that matters.”
“Do you really think so?” she presses. “Can you honestly tell me you’re okay with never having children?”
Not at all.
I stare at the ocean in silence, giving her the answer.
I have to fight back tears when she pulls me into a hug. “I’m sorry, hun.”
I take a deep breath and paste a smile on my face. Fake it ‘til you make it, right?
“It’s all good. If it doesn’t work out, I can just focus on spoiling the shit out of Nathan and the girls. Are you hungry? I’m hungry. I think we need to take advantage of the fact that calories don’t count on birthdays.”
She offers a grin as she concedes to my horribly obvious diversion. “Well, we can’t let that rule go to waste. Let’s go show that barbeque we mean business.”
Chapter Thirteen
BRODY
Today has been one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. Between the massive amount of food and drinks I’ve ingested, the hours of football we played on the beach, and overall tomfoolery with the guys, I should be exhausted. Should being the key word. Instead, I’ve been lying in bed staring at the ceiling for almost two hours—while everyone else is blissfully asleep—because my brain won’t stop flashing images of Rainey on repeat.
Rainey laughing like no one was watching. Blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. Building sandcastles with her nieces. Licking barbeque sauce off her fingers. Tossing a perfect spiral like she’s the motherfucking MVP. Her luscious curves pressed against my back when she tackled me in the sand. The best one of all? The single wink she sent my way right before we retired to our rooms. I’m obsessing about a fucking wink, people. What the hell is wrong with me?
What’s a guy supposed to do when he can’t get a sexy, smart, amazing woman off his mind? Well, in this case, this guy has been reduced to whacking off. Twice. While my dick is somewhat appeased, my head is not. I’ve never been so happy, yet so frustrated in my life.
Fuck.
I throw the covers off and pull on a pair of flannel pajama pants with a hoodie. Staying in bed isn’t getting me anywhere so I might as well raid the fridge for leftovers. As I pad quietly to the kitchen, a blue glow from the living area catches my eye. I walk over to investigate and freeze when I see Rainey on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, watching TV. Damn, what I wouldn’t give to be that blanket.
She startles as she notices me. “Oh. Hey, Brody.”
“Hey. Couldn’t sleep?”
“No,” she shakes her head. “I thought watching a movie would help me zone out.”
I glance at the screen and see some old guy standing next to a DeLorean. “What are you watching?”
Her eyes widen. “Is that a serious question?”
“Um...yeah?”
“You really don’t know?”
I think about it for a minute. “Is this that movie where the guy goes back in time and meets his parents?”
“It’s so much more than that,” she insists.
“Okay, so I’ve heard of it. Does that count?”
Rainey shifts her body and pats one of the cushions. “Get your ass over here right now!”
“What?” I laugh.
“Sit. We’re rectifying this immediately.”
“Are you sure you’re not sleepwalking?” I ask. “You’re not making any sense, princess.”
She stands up with a huff and places her hands on her hips.
Ho-ly. Fuck.
Have I mentioned how fantastic Rainey’s tits are lately? Well, said tits are currently going commando under a tiny white tank top. Fuck fantastic; they’re glorious. They’re s
o full and round and perky. I want to motor boat those babies until I suffocate...suck on them until I leave marks all over her creamy flesh...slide my dick between them until she’s wearing the prettiest pearl necklace you’ve ever seen.
That last one was a little too far, wasn’t it?
But I digress.
Seriously though, I’d compose an entire symphony on their behalf. You know, if I had things like musical talent and stuff.
“Brody! Eyes up here!”
I shake out of my stupor and smirk. “Sorry, not sorry.”
“Can you be an actual grown-up for one minute?” she growls.
“In my defense, they’re staring right at me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Sit down, you ass.”
I plop my butt on the couch and smile. Bossy Rainey is hot.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She grabs the remote and pauses the film. “Hold on a sec. I’m going to grab some snacks and then I’ll rewind it to the beginning.”
I adjust my semi as she flits around the attached kitchen, grabbing random items. “You need any help with that?”
“Nope, I’m good,” she replies, arms full of bagged popcorn, candy, and bottled water.
I ignore that and help transfer everything to the coffee table. “Wow, you came prepared, huh?”
“With the twins home for the summer, the pantry is stocked with theater goodies,” she explains. “80’s movie night was our family thing growing up. If you looked through their collection, you’d see how obsessed my parents are. Especially this one—I honestly couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. As a teenager though, I tended to lean toward anything starring members of the Brat Pack.”
“What’s a Brat Pack?”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” she says with a side of stink-eye.
“Hey, you can’t blame me. We weren’t even alive in the 80’s.”
“You weren’t,” she retorts. “I was.”
I smirk. “Ah, that’s right. Please forgive my forgetfulness, Mrs. Robinson.”
She punches me in the arm. “I’m only six years older than you, dick.”
“True, but you’ve crossed over into an entirely different decade,” I tease. “Six years may as well be twenty-six years at this point.”
She rolls her big brown eyes and laughs. “You’re ridiculous. I have quite a while before I enter cougar territory.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” I lean in to whisper into her ear. “I happen to think older women are incredibly sexy.”
It may be my imagination, but I swear she just shivered.
She pushes me away and presses play on the remote. “Just shut up and watch.”
Chapter Fourteen
BRODY
After our impromptu movie night, Rainey bid me goodnight and went to her room. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t seriously tempted to follow her to see what happened. Rainey’s not a cheater—I know this, and I would never want to help make her one—but that didn’t stop me from imagining all the possibilities. The more I get to know her, the more convinced I am that she doesn’t really want to marry Adam. They’ve been engaged for almost two years now and they still haven’t set a date for the wedding. That’s weird, right? Is she sticking with him out of some sense of obligation? I’m not proud to admit it, but I eavesdropped on her conversation with Devyn earlier. Rainey really wants kids one day and he doesn’t. Not that I’m jumping to knock anyone up, mind you—I’m only twenty-four, for fuck’s sake. It just pisses me off that she thinks she should settle. Someone like her should never have to settle for anything.
“You okay, man?” Drew asks. “You look like you’re ready to off someone.”
“Nah, just thinking about work,” I lie. “I have a busy week ahead.” I pull up to the curb outside his condo and flick my hazard lights on. “Here we are...home sweet home. You need some help getting everything upstairs?”
Drew looks in the backseat and sees his sister pulling her sleeping toddler out of his car seat. “Yeah, that’d be great. I think we could do it in one trip.”
I twist my torso until I’m facing the backseat. “Princess, do you mind taking the driver’s seat until I get back? I’d rather not get towed for parking in a loading zone.”
Rainey unbuckles her seatbelt. “Only if you agree to stop calling me princess.”
“Sure thing...sweetheart.”
She rolls her eyes as she exits the car. “Jackass.”
I laugh as I slide out of the driver’s seat and gesture for her to get in. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You would,” she mutters.
I shut the door after she’s seated and lean into the window frame. “I’ll make it as quick as possible. Try not to miss me too much.”
This earns an even bigger eye roll, but her lips are turned up in the corners.
Devyn heads into the building with Nathan so I meet Drew by the rear doors to gather their stuff. Thankfully, we do manage to get everything to their third-floor apartment in one trip, so I can get back to Rainey that much sooner.
“Well, I guess I’m going to head out. I don’t want to keep the lovely redhead waiting.”
I’m setting my share of bags inside the doorway as Devyn returns from putting her son to bed.
“Be nice to her, Brody,” she chides.
“Who me?” I shrug innocently. “I’m always nice.”
“I’m serious. She may look okay, but she has a lot going on inside her head. Just don’t push her too much.”
I’d bet good money she’s talking about Rainey’s fiancé. What a dickhead.
“I’ll be good.”
She smiles. “Thank you.”
Drew gives me a bro hug. “Thanks for driving, dude. We still on for golf next weekend?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, big guy.”
He blows me a kiss. “See you later, sweet cheeks.”
I mime pocketing his air kiss and head for the elevator. “Later, baby.”
Rainey doesn’t notice me exiting the building, so I take a moment to watch her. She left the windows open, so I can clearly hear the beats of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” blasting from the speakers. Huh...I would’ve definitely pegged her as a pop music junkie. My mouth opens in surprise as I realize that she’s rapping along to the lyrics perfectly. Never one to miss an opportunity to mess with her, I hunch down and round the back of my Suburban like a creeper. Once I reach the driver’s door, I do my best impression of a Jack-in-the-Box, causing her to jump out of her seat.
“Jesus H, Brody!” she shrieks. “You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing?”
“Enjoying the show, Nikki Minaj. Impressive rap skills you have there.”
Her cheeks flush but she’s trying to play it cool. “Ha! I wish! That woman’s ass could rule the world.”
I bark in laughter. “Don’t sell yourself short, darlin’. I’d follow your ass anywhere.”
She scoots over the console and slides into the passenger seat. “You’d follow any ass if it meant you were getting some.”
“Not true,” I argue as I get in. “Not everyone can fill out a pair of jeans like you do.”
She looks down at her denim-clad legs and smirks. “Guys have it so easy. If you only knew how much trouble getting into a pair of jeans can be when you have hips and an ass.”
“Honey, the only thing I care about is getting you out of those jeans. You can get in them any way you want.”
“I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
“You sure did.”
“Are you ever going to give up?”
“Not likely,” I say with a shrug. “But I get the feeling you don’t mind so much.”
“Maybe not,” she smirks. “You’re certainly good for a laugh.”
“I’m good for multiple orgasms too. You should give that a try.”
Her eyes crinkle at the corners before her expression sobers. “Thank you, Brody.”
> I quirk my head to the side. “For what?”
“I can always count on you to make me smile,” she explains. “Don’t get me wrong—you drive me crazy more often than not—but it’s a good crazy, if that makes sense. I could’ve spent this weekend obsessing about some stuff that I have going on, but you didn’t let that happen. I had a really good time and...as much as it pains me to admit this, you’re a big part of that.”
“I’m happy to be of service, princess.”
And that, boys and girls, is what we call progress.
Chapter Fifteen
RAINEY
I haven’t heard from Adam all weekend—which now that I think about it, is really weird— so I call him as soon as I get home.
He answers on the third ring. “Doctor Walker speaking.”
I chuckle. “Why are you being so formal, you goof? Did you not check the caller ID before you answered?”
“Oh...no, I didn’t. I was just in the middle of something.”
I look at the time on my phone. It’s after eight in New York on a Sunday night. I would have expected his conference to be over by now.
“What kind of something?”
Adam clears his throat. “Yeah, I’ve been keeping busy. New York is always go, go, go.”
Um...that didn’t answer my question. Like, at all.
“Adam, did I catch you at a bad time?”
I hear his phone shifting as he speaks to someone in the background. It’s muffled but the other person’s voice is undeniably female.
“Adam?” I repeat. “Is your conference still going? Who’s that in the background?”
There’s more muffled conversation before I hear a door closing.
“Sorry about that, baby,” he says. “I was just walking out for the day when you rang.”
“Wow, things ran late today, huh?”
“Well, you know how we doctors get—can never turn down an excuse to hear ourselves talk.”
“Well, I happen to like it when you talk.”
His voice drops a few octaves. “You do, huh?”
“You know how sexy I think your voice is.”
“Just my voice?”