“I can’t say I have.”
Brady swooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
“Brady Marshall, you put me down.” She pounded on his perfect ass, only making him chuckle. Then, because she couldn’t resist, she grabbed on to both cheeks.
“I like it when you play rough,” he teased. He stopped moving and slid her down his body, his eyes and mouth hungry. “I love you, Grace. I never stopped. Even when I thought I should.”
“I love you too, Brady. Always.”
“Always.”
And then he gently laid her in a patch of grass and showed her just how much he loved her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“I MISSED THIS,” BRADY snuggled Grace from behind, his words kissing the back of her neck.
“Mm. Me too. More than you can possibly imagine.”
“I can imagine.”
Grace turned, resting her hands between her cheek and her pillow so she could take in Brady.
“I can still see traces of insecurity in your eyes.” She ran her foot up and down his calf, waiting for him to respond. “I’m happy here. With you.”
It had only been three days since they’d reunited and unless they were working, they were together. After making love in his field, Brady had carried her back to his tractor and driven her back to her car with promises he’d be by her apartment later that night.
Mrs. Marshall had been in the parking lot when Brady had dropped her off and the look of shock on her face could be seen clear across town.
She was not happy to see Grace.
“I trust you.” They kissed until his stomach growled with hunger.
She giggled. “I’ll get us a snack. You,” she got on her knees and leaned over him, “don’t move.”
She made a quick trip to the bathroom and then found an apple and a granola bar in the kitchen. Now that they were back together, she really needed to go grocery shopping again.
When she went back to the bedroom Brady was placing his cell phone on the nightstand.
“Everything okay?”
“It was my mom.”
She crawled into bed and offered him the granola bar. “She’s upset we’re back together.”
“I told you not to worry about it.” Brady pulled her until her back and bum spooned his core.
“I don’t like that I’m causing friction between you and your mom.”
“You’re not.” His words whispered across her neck. “She knows how much you mean to me.”
“She’s also mortified her son’s girlfriend has nude pictures circling gossip magazines and the Internet.”
“I’m sure Carter’s dated some sketchy girls in the past as well,” he teased.
Grace bumped her butt against him. “Not funny.” She was glad he could tease about it. “I don’t want to be your dirty secret.”
“Honey.” Brady turned her so their bodies faced each other and draped his leg over hers, scooting her closer. “I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that. Okay? I love you. Whatever happened before us doesn’t matter. I don’t know how to make you believe me.”
“I do believe you. It’s your mother who needs convincing.”
Brady traced her jaw with his thumb. “Funny you say that.”
“Uh oh. I don’t like the sound of your voice.”
“My mom asked if you would come to dinner tomorrow night.”
“Is she going to send you on an errand and threaten me if I don’t leave you?”
“What? No. She would never...” Brady shot up pulling the sheet with him. “Did my mom threaten you?”
“Not exactly.”
“The day of her last chemo. The magazine.” Brady slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand and clutched onto his hair. “That’s what had her freaked.” He dropped his hands and scrubbed them across his face. “She invited you over and sent me to the Fabric Barn so she could, what? Blackmail you with the pictures?”
“No.” She saw how Brady’s shoulders slumped, how his lower lip pursed low as if someone sucked the air out of his body. “She didn’t threaten me, Brady. Your mom loves you and was worried about your reputation. I chose to leave. It was my idea to move to Boston long before the pictures went viral.”
She hated talking about this so soon after they were finally back together.
“My mother knew all along and didn’t tell me. When we broke up she didn’t ask why. Didn’t comfort or even bad mouth me. It was as if...”
As if Grace never existed. Best to wipe her out of his life completely.
“I’m shocked. It’s not like my mom.”
“Brady.” Grace stroked his bare shoulder and inched her fingers up his neck, turning his chin to face him. “Your mother loves you and never intended to hurt you. She wanted to protect you from embarrassment. Don’t be mad at her.”
“Even now.” He shook his head in dismay. “Even now, after being scorned, you’re protecting her. This is why I love you. This and nine thousand other reasons.”
“Only nine thousand? Pssh. Guess who loves who more?”
“I’m going to work my ass off every day to show you how much I love you.”
“You do have a fine ass. I look forward to watching it work.” Grace squeed when Brady flipped her to her back.
“I know what you’re trying to do, distracting me with sex.”
“Farmboy, you’re the one who pounced on me.”
“And you’re the one who stole my heart.”
“IT’S NICE TO SEE YOU again, Mrs. Marshall.” Grace handed her a tray of brownies—already taste tested—and searched the room for backup.
Nope. They were totally alone.
She did her best to sound casual and mask the nerves buzzing around in her body.
“Hey, you.” Brady came in behind her and dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll be back in a minute.” He looked from Grace to his mother and gave her a look as if to say be nice.
“Would you like some lemonade?” Mrs. Marshall asked. “And you can drop the Mrs. Marshall bit.”
Not even five seconds alone and already the claws were coming out.
Mrs. Marshall handed her a glass and padded through the living room. “Call me Dorothy,” she said, completely throwing Grace off guard. “Let’s sit on the front porch.”
She tugged at the ancient door and sat in the closest rocker. Grace settled into the one next to her and sipped her lemonade.
Wasn’t this nice? Not. Brady had better hurry the hell up.
“I was only twenty-five when I met Doug.”
Okay. A trip down Mrs. Marshall, er Dorothy’s, memory lane was not where Grace expected this conversation to go.
“My parents didn’t approve. I had my masters in accounting and was working with a big bank in Portland.”
“Wow. I didn’t know.” And why would she? It wasn’t like the woman ever initiated a conversation with her before.
“My girlfriend and I drove up the coast one summer on a girls’ weekend trip. We stayed in Rockland, where my girlfriend met a guy and, well, she hung a sock on our motel door and I had nowhere to go.”
Grace sipped her lemonade and pushed her foot off the floor sending her chair into a gentle rocking motion. This story could get good if Dorothy didn’t hold back any details.
“So I went for a drive and ended up in Crystal Cove. I must have run over something and had to pull over. When I got out of my Dodge Charger I saw I had a flat. Believe it or not, I was a lot like you.”
An unladylike snort escaped Grace, and she spilled her lemonade on her white shorts.
“I loved shoes and short skirts. When Douglas Marshall stopped to change my flat, he swept me off my feet with one swift glance, and I was a goner.”
“That’s a romantic story.”
“I thought so at the time. My parents were not impressed.”
“Are your parents still around? Brady’s never mentioned them.”
&n
bsp; “Because he’s never met them. My parents said they’d disown me if I married a poor farmer like Douglas Marshall.”
“Seriously?” Grace leaned forward, her eyes focused in on Dorothy as she casually rocked in her chair and sipped her lemonade.
“Daddy thought I was wasting my college degree by living on a farm. Mamma agreed. Back then a woman always agreed with and supported her husband.”
“And you married Mr. Marshall and never spoke to your parents again?”
Dorothy placed her glass on the nearby table and folded her hands in her lap. “It’s a bit more complicated than that. There was a lot of fighting. When Doug found out how my parents felt, he packed my bags and kicked me out of this house. He didn’t want any trouble between me and my folks.”
“How did Mr. Marshall’s parents feel about your relationship?”
For the first time in months, Dorothy smiled. “They were like second parents to me. Eventually becoming all I had in my life. I understood where my folks were coming from. They wanted what was best. Were afraid I was settling and would grow tiresome of the farm life. A girl with an accounting degree digging in the dirt all day? Not for their daughter.”
“I didn’t know you before, but I can’t picture you behind a desk. You look good in the outdoors.”
She studied Grace, her fingers still tightly intertwined in her lap. “Do you know why I didn’t want you with my son?”
Way to be direct. “Because of my reputation. Brady’s a good guy. You were afraid I’d ... taint him.”
“Not exactly.” Dorothy brushed her hands down her thighs. “You reminded me too much of myself when I was younger.”
“Me?” She would have laughed if Dorothy hadn’t looked so serious.
“I loved Doug from the first moment I met him, but it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. It was hard. Farm life is hard. There were days I second guessed my decision to give up my guaranteed salary for this life. My parents expected me to come running back to them when things got rough.”
“Did you?
“No. And they never came to visit. Never contacted me. I wrote them when I was pregnant with Brady, but they never responded.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been hard. It must still hurt.”
She rocked her chair and stared out into the fields. “The first few months were bliss.” A shy smile crept over her lips. “And then I had second thoughts. My pregnancy was hard, as were the winters, and I wondered if I made the right decision to leave the comfort and safety of home. What if Doug couldn’t provide for me and our baby? There were times I thought about leaving.”
Grace blinked back her surprise. Dorothy made the perfect farmwife. While they’d never been especially close, she’d known her forever. She’d worked her land with a smile on her face and pride in her heart.
“Did you ... did you ever leave him?”
She smiled and shook her head. “There’s no way I would have made it a day without Doug by my side. He was my everything. We worked through it all together. My love for him and our children smothered the fears and insecurities I had. But you see,” she turned to face Grace, “I was made for this type of work. I was an athlete, rugged, tough. You’re not like that. The farm life was never meant for you. Your parents noticed that before you hit high school, and they never tried to push it on you.”
No, her parents hadn’t. They’d always supported her and loved her no matter her decisions. Funny how Dorothy knew that as well.
“You’re a free spirit. I don’t want you regretting giving up your dreams to settle here. I don’t regret it. Ever. If it’s meant to be, it will all work out.”
“That’s what you don’t understand, Dorothy. I haven’t given up anything. My dream was never to live in Boston or New York. My dream was to find myself. To figure out what I wanted in life. I thought it was to make it big and rich in the fashion industry but want to know where I found true happiness?”
“I have an idea.”
And for the first time, Grace thought she did. Dorothy may not have come out and said it, but she had a feeling she and Brady’s mom had come to an understanding.
“It’s not just Brady. He’s a huge part of my happiness, but I also learned to accept my failures and take pride in my accomplishments. I’ve made true friends for the first time in my life. My sister and I are finally close. And your son. He’s given me the biggest gift of all. It’s like the perfect storm of happily ever after. I can’t find that in Boston or New York or anywhere else. It’s all right here. I’m here to stay, Dorothy. And I hope to have Brady by my side.”
“No place I’d rather be,” Brady said, stepping out onto the porch, the screen door slapping shut behind him. “Everything okay out here?”
“Grace and I were having a little chat.”
‘That so?” He perched himself on the arm of Grace’s chair and stroked her hair. “Everything okay?”
“You’re going to continue working in your store?” she asked of Grace.
They’d made progress this afternoon, and now she feared it would all come crashing down again.
“I am. I wouldn’t want Brady to give up what he loves, and I appreciate that he supports me in my career. Like you said, as long as we’re together it will all work out.”
“Your girlfriend has a good head on her shoulders. She’s spunky. Treat her well.” Dorothy stood up and patted Brady on the arm before going inside.
“Did she just say what I think she said?”
“She thinks your spunky.”
“And she called me your girlfriend. Like she accepted we’re together.”
“I had a long talk with her yesterday.” Brady wedged himself between Grace and the arm of the chair, picking her up and placing her on his lap. “She apologized for being territorial. I don’t think her issue had ever been with you personally.”
“You sure about that.”
“Actually, I am. While the pictures are a bit shocking, she wasn’t the least surprised you’d moved away.”
“Way to hold me in such high regards.”
“I overheard what she said to you. I didn’t know that about my mom. Her giving up a career to work on a farm. I get it now. She was afraid you were doing the same and would regret it.”
“Brady, I’d never regret being with you.”
“Easy to say now when we’re happy and in love. What happens in ten years when I have a huge pot belly and am bald and missing my front teeth?”
“First, you better be seeing a dentist every six months. Second, you work too hard to ever be too fat. And third, I’ll still love you if, and when, you go bald.”
“Good to know and right back at ya.”
“Funny.”
“We should talk about our future together.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know. But you’re not programmed to do what my mom did for my dad. I don’t expect you to give up your career for me.”
“Who says I have to give up my career to be a farmer’s wife? Just because you drive a tractor to work doesn’t mean I have to.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“You thought the only way for us to be together was for me to garden and stuff?”
“You don’t want to garden?”
“I’d love to have a normal garden, sure. But I can still work at The Closet and be a farmer’s wife.”
“Wife, huh?” Brady looped her hair around his hand and draped it over one shoulder. “You keep saying that. You planning on becoming a farmer’s wife one day.”
“Maybe. If the right farmer came along.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s very so.”
EPILOGUE
“ANOTHER ONE BITES THE dust. Can’t believe you got suckered into a commitment. I was holding out that you’d be my forever sidekick.” Mia sighed and dropped to the couch opposite Grace. “Looks like it’s just me and Jenna left. Cheers, girlfriend.” She lifted her plastic cup in a mock salute and took a si
p of her long island iced tea.
Once again their Thursday night book club had turned into friendly gossip and talk of love lives. Grace knew Mia was only teasing. Actually, her joke warmed her. Another example of how her girlfriends—yes, her girlfriends as well as Alexis’—were amazing people.
“No worries there, Mia. I’m actually more single than you. You’re the one with the wild social life,” Jenna said.
“Grace was my only partner in crime.”
“Um, no offense?” Jenna joked, scooping up guacamole on her chip.
“What she’s trying to say,” Hope took a seat next to Jenna, “is that you’re relationship material where Mia doesn’t think she is.”
Funny. Grace didn’t think herself to be relationship material either. Not until she got one look at Brady’s kind eyes and had been on the receiving end of his sweet kisses. Her body warmed when she thought of him.
Granted, it could be the August humidity, but she’d bet her shop it was Brady’s love. Lost in memories of last night’s lovemaking, she jolted when she got an elbow to the ribs.
“Hey.” She balanced her drink so it wouldn’t spill on her lavender shorts and gave her sister the side eye. “Easy there.”
“You’re going to make me not like you again if you keep going off into la-la land. It’s bad enough with those two.” She angled her head toward Hope and Lily.
“Oh, you’re no better.” Hope laughed. “It’s been three years and you and Ben still act like you’re on your honeymoon.”
“Do not.” Alexis tipped her cup to her mouth, but Grace could still see the blush on her cheeks trail down her neck.
“Ugh. You’re all blinded by lust. Jenna, what are you doing tomorrow night? Want to hit up some bars? I’ll even drive. Or book us a hotel.”
“I can’t. Jerry.” She sat back and hugged a pillow to her chest.
She’d been caring for the old man for five years. It was what brought her to Crystal Cove. Rarely did she come out with them unless it was planned way in advance. Caring for a geriatric man twenty-four seven put a huge damper on her social life.
Here With You Page 26