Priceless (Finding Love Book 5)

by Paris Hansen

  “Yep...just as much as I missed that foot fungus we all got in middle school ‘cause the locker room was so nasty.”

  “Ugh, please don’t remind me of that traumatizing moment in my life. I’ve done everything I could to lose those memories,” Braeden said with a shudder.

  Declan shook his head. “Yeah, I’m starting to have flashbacks. I’m sorry I even brought it up.”

  “I promise I’ll be good to your sister, Declan. She’s the love of my life and I’m not going to let her get away this time.”

  “Good. If you hurt her, I’ll have to kill you, and I’m pretty sure everyone would be mad at me if I had to do that, so please don’t make me do that.”

  “Scout’s honor, I will not make you kill me.”

  Declan growled again. “Dude, you were never a scout.”

  “Doesn’t mean I don’t have honor…”

  “Oh brother,” Declan said as he shook his head.

  Throwing his head back, Braeden let out a hearty laugh that eventually ended in a snort. He’d missed spending time with Declan, annoying him as only he could. Now that the air had been cleared and everything was starting to work itself out, Braeden was looking forward to repairing his friendship with Declan. This time, even if things didn’t work out with Andi, he wasn’t going to turn his back on his friend. No matter how much it hurt, he was an adult and he wouldn’t let the pain chase him away. He’d stand up and fight for his friendships instead of running away like a coward.

  Braeden was done running away. It was finally time to run toward what he wanted and he wasn’t going to let some speed dating dude get in his way.

  Chapter 4

  Andi

  As she stared across the table at her date, Andi wondered why she didn’t feel anything. Maybe something was wrong with her. Maybe she was broken. Maybe she just wasn’t meant to have what everyone else did. Or maybe she was expecting things to happen sooner than they were supposed to. It had been a long damn time since she’d dated anyone exclusively and she’d been in love with him since she was thirteen years old. Looking at Matthew, she tried to conjure up something, even just an inkling of a potential feeling and she felt nothing.

  In the month since they’d met, they talked on the phone a few times a week, had numerous text message conversations every day, yet this was only their sixth date, and of all of the dates, it was the longest. Andi knew Matthew was extremely busy at work. It was something they discussed before scheduling their first date and then again when he had to reschedule their first date because he’d gotten called into work on a Sunday.

  She couldn’t be mad at him because he was busy. Could she? It made her feel like a total asshole, but she was finding it hard to be understanding when she didn’t even know what he did for a living. Whenever she tried to bring it up, he said he didn’t want to talk about work and quickly changed the subject. Matthew was charming and sweet, but every once in a while she got a weird vibe off of him that she couldn't quite explain.

  But then he’d call or text, and she’d forget all about it. Even now that they were hours into their date, every time something would bother her, she’d forget all about it when he touched her arm or gave her the blinding smile that put his dimples on display. She wanted to like Matthew. Aside from the work issue, he was easy to get along with and treated her well. He was a guy any woman would be able to build a life with. But she couldn’t see it.

  Maybe if she felt more when she was with him, the rest would come. The butterflies she’d had before their first date were gone, replaced by something comfortable. Her heart didn’t flutter when he touched her even though she was physically attracted to him. If she gave herself time maybe the feelings would come. Or maybe they wouldn't. The latter was far more likely, and she knew why, but she wasn’t willing to dwell on it. Even if nothing was going to come of them, she was going to give Matthew her full attention. It was the least she could do.

  “So, I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining me next weekend for my company’s annual Christmas party. It’s semi-formal, everyone in the company will be there. It’s kind of a big deal, and I’d love to show you off to my boss and my co-workers,” Matthew’s quiet voice shook her from her thoughts.

  “Really? Ummm...sure. That sounds like fun. I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get to know what it is you do for a living.”

  “Yeah, I guess I just don’t want to bore you with the details. There will be no shop talk at the party, so you won’t have to worry about knowing anything.”

  Andi stared at her date waiting for him to say more, to say something that would make his last statement less terrible, but he didn’t. Instead, he looked back down at the dessert menu not even noticing that her jaw had dropped open or that she was glaring at him. She was a second away from making him talk when someone approached their table.

  “What the hell is this?”

  She looked up to find Braeden standing next to her, but not looking at her. Anger marred his beautiful features as he glared at Matthew. She knew he’d be mad when he found out she was dating, but the way he was acting toward her date was unacceptable. Matthew hadn’t done anything wrong, at least not as far as Braeden was concerned. Braeden had no right to stare him down like he’d stolen his prize.

  “I’m talking to you, Price. What the hell are you doing here with her?”

  Price? What the hell…

  Andi suddenly had no idea what was happening but could feel that things weren’t going to end well if she didn’t jump in. The entire dining room had stopped what they were doing to watch what was happening at their table. Conversations all around them stopped abruptly so they could hear what was said.

  “Braeden…” she warned.

  “I’m talking to you, asshole.”

  “And I don’t care to talk to you, Clarke. I’m on a date with my girlfriend. You’re not wanted here so please just run along.”

  Girlfriend? That was the first she’d heard of it, but that was something she’d have to deal with later. She could tell by the way Braeden’s shoulders were bunched up next to his ears that he was itching for a fight. He was coiled up tight ready to attack, and she couldn’t let that happen.

  “Braeden, come with me,” she said as she placed a hand on his arm.

  Slowly she stood up so she could grab onto his elbow and pull him back away from the table. At first, he wouldn’t budge. Like a statue bolted to the floor, he stood firm. She squeezed his bicep, softly at first, to get his attention. When he continued to ignore her, she squeezed it harder until she had his arm in a death grip.

  “Fuck, Andi. That hurts,” he said as he looked over his shoulder at her. Breaking the intense staredown was the first step; now she just needed to get him away from the table.

  “Good. Come with me and I’ll stop hurting you.”

  “Fine,” he relented before turning back to look at her date. “This isn’t over, Matty. We’ll talk about this at work on Monday. That is if you’re not getting your ass handed to you for losing your last case. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

  With one last parting jab, Braeden once again turned away from Matthew to face her. “After you, beautiful.”

  She led him through the dining room and over to the partition that separated the restaurant from the banquet room. After chatting with Gabriel when she’d first arrived, she knew the other room wasn’t in use, so she pulled Braeden past the curtain so she could find out what his problem was.

  “What the fuck was that about? How dare you interrupt my night to yell at my date.”

  “Don’t you mean to yell at your boyfriend?” Braeden asked mockingly.

  “That’s none of your business. Why don’t you answer my question instead of being an asshole.”

  “We need to talk, Andi.”

  “I know. I’ve seen the texts and listened to your messages. I can’t do this right now. Your timing, as usual, is pretty shitty. I promise we’ll talk soon okay. Just not right now.”

 
“It’s not okay. I’ve been trying to talk to you for weeks, but you’ve been ignoring me so you could go out with that jackass. He’s bad news, Andi. I don’t know how the hell he’s charmed you into thinking he’s a good guy, but he’s not. He’s only using you.”

  “I have to get back to my date. I don’t know what there is between you two, but it’s got nothing to do with me so leave me out of it.”

  “You’re going to regret being with him. I promise you that. The man will do anything to get ahead. I’ve seen it time and time again. Matthew Price will hurt you if you give him a chance.”

  Andi almost laughed at how wrong Braeden was. If only he knew just how little chance there was that Matthew could hurt her. Not when the man standing in front of her still owned every part of her. Even when she was angry, she couldn’t deny the connection they shared. But she couldn’t think about that. Matthew still deserved for her to give their relationship a chance. It didn’t matter that the word girlfriend had rung hollow in her ears when he’d said it. Or the way boyfriend had felt wrong when it came out of Braeden’s mouth.

  “Leave me alone. Leave Matthew alone. Just go, Braeden. I can’t deal with you and your bullshit right now. I need to get back to my date, if you’ll excuse me,” she said before pushing past him.

  She felt him turn to watch her but wasn’t surprised when he didn’t follow her. If everything hadn’t been confusing enough before, it certainly was now. Andi had no idea what to do about Matthew or Braeden. She didn’t know what to do about the fact that they knew each other and didn’t like each other. She was fairly certain she wasn’t into Matthew the way she should be, but she wasn’t sure. And she was even more confident that she still loved the hell out of Braeden, but she wasn’t sure it was enough.

  As she walked back to her table, Andi realized she felt like she was drowning in uncertainty and she wasn’t sure what to do about it. Then it hit her. She didn’t have to wallow in her confusion alone anymore. She had friends that would listen to her lament about her life. It was obvious that a girl’s night was in order and as soon as her date was over, she was going to have to call in the troops.

  ✽✽✽

  Andi - 21 Years Old

  “I don’t know why you guys think I’ll be able to do what you haven’t. He won’t listen to me. Hell, he’s barely spoken to me in two years.”

  “Andi, can you at least try please? I’m worried about him. He used to listen to you, maybe you’ll be the one to break through to him,” Gabriel said, practically begging her to take his keys.

  “His dad died, Gabriel. Of course, he’s going to grieve.”

  “I’ve only ever seen Braeden this self-destructive once before and that was the summer after high school. He’s drinking a hell of a lot more now than he did then. At least back then, he got his shit together before school started, but now… he’s missing classes and on the verge of flunking out. I’ve been doing my best to cover for him and for the most part our professors have been lenient because of his dad, but Miles died a month ago, Andi. They’re going to stop being so understanding soon.”

  Andi sighed. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard about Braeden’s self-destructive ways. Oliver had been keeping her up-to-date on Braeden’s antics. He’d been keeping her in the know since the day she’d broken both of their hearts because Oliver had witnessed the moment she’d crushed them both. When she realized he’d seen it all, she’d been embarrassed, but instead of judging her, Oliver had been there for her. He understood why she did what she did and didn’t hate her for lying about her relationship with Braeden nor for breaking Braeden’s heart.

  She’d wanted nothing more than to check on Braeden when his dad passed. She called and sent a card, but hadn’t been surprised when he ignored both. She’d tried to talk to him at the funeral, but he was surrounded by others giving their condolences, so she’d left him alone. Now here she was being asked to walk into the lion’s den. Andi wasn’t nearly as certain as the guys were that she could do anything to knock some sense into Braeden. They’d barely talked in years and when they did, he wasn’t very nice to her.

  After the break-up, things got bad. When they would hang out as a group, it was awkward and painful. Braeden wouldn’t look at her and would barely talk to the guys. He became moody and distant and wouldn’t explain his attitude to anyone. She’d already ruined her relationship with him. She didn’t think it was fair for her choices to ruin things for everyone else. Since she knew his attitude was her fault, she started to back off.

  Instead of hanging out with her friends, she started offering to watch Erin, so Declan could go out with the guys and eventually, that became their routine. She was Declan’s built-in babysitter and while he didn’t take advantage of it as much as he could of, he did spend a lot of time on campus with the guys. Andi didn’t mind. There was no better way to ignore her broken heart than spending time cuddling her baby niece.

  “Fine. I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not making any promises.”

  Andi took the offered keys from Gabriel’s hand before heading to her room to grab her purse. She didn’t want to think too hard about what she was about to do. She’d have plenty of time on the long drive from Issaquah to the U District to dwell on the fact that she was about to confront the man who was undoubtedly the love of her life. She’d ruined any chance they had to be together. She knew now that she’d made a mistake, but she couldn’t take it back, no matter how badly she wanted to. She’d only end up holding him back and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

  Before his dad died, Braeden was doing well. He was kicking butt in school, doing far better than any of them had expected. He didn’t party too hard or spend a lot of time out with girls like Gabriel and Oliver. Although she wanted him to be happy, Andi couldn’t deny the fact that the thought of him with another girl made her nauseous. So to hear he was focusing on school instead of extracurricular activities had let her breath a little easier.

  By no means did she expect him to give up women forever. She’d been honest when she told him that someday he’d find someone else, she just didn’t want to know when it happened. It was entirely selfish of her and she knew it, but she knew she’d be crushed the day it happened.

  The drive to the apartment that Gabriel, Oliver, and Braeden shared near the UW campus didn’t take as long as she’d hoped. Before she was ready, she was using the key that Gabriel had given her to let herself into their place. She’d been there a couple of times after the guys had moved in, but it had been so long the place barely looked the same. It looked lived in, which for the three men meant it was not nearly as clean as it could’ve been.

  As she made her way to Braeden’s room the smell of stale beer and sweat filled the air. Braeden’s door was open slightly, so she tried to snag a quick peek to see what awaited her on the other side. As she leaned forward, she brushed against the door causing it to swing open slowly.

  “Go away.”

  So much for being stealthy. Steeling herself with a deep breath, Andi pushed the door open the rest of the way as she entered the room.

  “Sorry, but I’m not going anywhere until you get up and take a shower,” she said as she finally got a good look at the room.

  Beer bottles were littered around the floor leaving very little room to walk around. Dirty clothes were strewn over most of the furniture and on top of some of the empty bottles. The shades were drawn closed, the lights off, leaving a half-naked and very smelly Braeden lying on his bed in the dark. She flipped the light on and almost wished she hadn’t. The light made the entire picture even sadder. Braeden groaned as he threw his arm over his eyes to block out the brightness.

  “Go away, Andi.”

  “No. I told you I’m not leaving until you get your sorry ass out of that bed and into the shower,” Andi growled as she opened the curtains and then pushed open the window to let some fresh air into the room.

  Instead of waiting for him to do as she asked, she started collecting the di
rty clothes, so that she could start a load of laundry. She made as much noise as possible hoping he’d eventually get tired of her and do what she wanted. By the time she’d made three piles of clothes and removed an entire garbage bag filled with bottles from the room, Braeden was back to snoring in his bed.

  Andi hadn’t driven all that way to watch the man she loved sleep his life away. She might not be able to tell him how she felt or make it mean anything, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to let him waste away wallowing in his grief. Her heart broke for him. Even though she never spoke to her father and rarely spoke to her mother, she’d be devastated if either of them passed away. Braeden’s dad was the only family he had. His grandparents were long gone and his mom had run off when he was five, never to be seen or heard from again.

  He was all alone now. Her chest ached at the thought of him being on his own. She wanted nothing more than to be there for him, to be the person he turned to, but she couldn’t. Her reasons for ending things two years earlier were still very much her reality. No matter how much she loved Braeden, she’d never regret letting him go so she could help care for Erin, even if she did realize now that it was a mistake.

  As he snored away on his bed, Andi realized she was going to need to resort to tough love to get him up and moving. Walking to the kitchen, she found a giant plastic soda cup from a nearby convenience store and filled it with water from a pitcher in the fridge. With the cup in hand, she walked back into the room. She said his name a few times, giving him the chance to make the situation easier on himself, but he didn’t budge.

  “Fuuuuuuuuccccckkkk,” he yelled out as he jumped out of bed, water running down his face from where she’d upended the cup over his head. “Damn it, Andi. What the fuck?”

  “I told you to get up, Braeden. You had a chance to listen, you didn’t take it, so I did what I had to do. Now take a fucking shower, while I clean this mess up. Your dad would be pissed right now if he knew how you were dealing with this.”