She offers a stern look, but I suspect I’mright.
Dessert comes and goes with stale conversation, no thanks to my mother and her unfriendly, better-than-thou outburst. No sooner are the dishes cleared than Colby and Teagan hit the dance floor. Chip helps Meredith get baby Maxie home. They’re living apart, and Maxie will know nothing but a life with two homes. At least they’re civil about it. Brody’s parents stand to leave, and I offer them both a quick embrace, assuring them their son is nothing but the best—kisser.But I leave that last bitout.
Mom barrels over and offers the Wolfs a cordial handshake before yanking me by the arm until we’re near theexit.
“Whatever you’re doing with that boy, I want you to knock it off.” Her bright eyes are laser-focused on getting her way tonight. My mother isn’t so much an older version of me in a motherly way as she is in a big sister sort of way. Years of Botox and all of the greatest fillers and lifts that modern science has to offer have rolled back the clock so far that in just a few years we’ll look the sameage.
“I’m not doing anything with him.” I pull my arm away but don’t dare meet up with hergaze.
She curls a finger under my chin and lifts my face until she’s examining me with those lie detectors she callseyes.
“Oh, Raven.” She all but tosses her hands in the air. “I want you cleared out of his place by morning, and I expect you to find another place to live. I know you have resources and friends and what you and Brody are doing is anything but friendly. You can stay with me.” She’s pleading with me on a level like never before, and it frightens me. For one, my mother does not believe in extending any sort of benevolence to her children. We were kicked out of the nest hard once we turned eighteen, and she expected us each to sprout wings and fly. For the most part, we did. Hell, wesoared.
“No,” I snip back. “I promise you I have my life under control.” I walk her out of the restaurant and wave goodbye as the door offers a much-needed solace betweenus.
Once the Wolfs leave, I say a quick goodnight to Levi and Low and walk themout.
Levi nods me to the side as he gives the key to the valet. “What’s up with you and Wolf?” His words come out hard, sharp as a sword, powerful enough to kill their decades-longfriendship.
“What?” I try my best to laugh off the implication, but his eyes continue to steady over mine. “You know I don’t date down. So, what if Mom was right? Besides, Brody is family.” I hate that it used to be true. Every word. A part of me still wonders if that’s why I like keeping Brody locked away in my heart like the best kept secret. Am I really ashamed to date someone without a seven-figure earning? It’s ridiculous. I shudder at the thought and silently judge myself for owning it just alittle.
Levi glowers at me a moment before nodding as if accepting my truth before takingoff.
Low comes over, and we shiver as we stand outside in the bitter cold. “That whole thing with your mother was pretty wild. Is that what had you up in arms when you gothere?”
“That’s exactly it.” I glance down at my shoes. I can’t stand that I’m lying to my best friend. I blink back tears because most likely within an hour I will be all packed up from Brody’s and homeless once again. I can feel the let’s-be-friends-talk coming on like a cold—theflu—the one that sends your dinner coming out of bothends.
“Oh, hon, she’s just being her old battle-axe self. She loves you. She just doesn’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.” Low blinks away her own tears as if she’s wishing for the very same thing. “That and she wants to see you have a nice Manhattan wedding to a stockbroker namedBiff.”
We share a quick laugh, and she mimes for me to text her as they takeoff.
“Everything okay?” Brody comes over, and as soon as his familiar cologne hits me, I can’t help but collapse my arms around him. “Whoa. I’ll take that as ano.”
Levi and Low give a gentle honk and wave as they drive by, and I spot Levi’s smile dissipate quickly to disdain as they hit the road. So, what if he saw me giving Brody a hug? I hugged Brody’s father, too, and I’m pretty sure that doesn’t qualify me as a common streetwhore.
Brody and I drive home in silence. All the way there I dread the conversation he threatened me with earlier. My head is on the chopping block, and I can’t bear another single second ofit.
By the timewe hit the house, my adrenaline is shooting through the ceiling, my heart is palpitating so fast, I’m positive it’s just hit deadlylevels.
“Okay!” I shout loud and caustic as I attempt to take off my scarf in haste and nearly lynch myself in the process. “Let’s have it.” My voice cracks, and Brody looks up from the door,stunned.
“What are you talking about?” He takes off his jacket and looks damn sexy doing so. It’s so not fair that Brody Wolf is essentially a god among mere humans, and now I’m left to go ten rounds with him on why I think we shouldn’t befriends.
“You said you wanted to talk.” I fold my arms across my chest and tap the toe of my stiletto nervously. “I suppose you want to address those kisses you keep initiating night after night.” That’s right. Tonight, we share the blame. Okay, so I may have pushed off all the blame on him, but he forced my hand. Brody isn’t exactly fighting me off when the momentarises.
His mouth opens and closes. He straightens a moment, searching my face as if looking for clues. Those serious eyes of his curve as if smiling—with a twinkle of laughter caught in each one. “Yes, I do want to talk about those kisses. Do you want to sit down?” His voice softens as he motions for the sofa, but I’m not biting. If I’m going down, he’s going to have to take me down standing. “Okay.” He steps in close, those glowing jewel lenses he sees the world through narrow in on me. “I don’t want to hurt you,Raven.”
“Did I look like I was hurting?” My voice staggers out in bumpy jags as tears spurt from my eyes, and I hate myself for it. I can’t help it, though. I’ve always felt a little too much, a little too strongly when it comes toBrody.
“You do now.” His features grow serious as he steps in, closing the gap between us. “This right here is what I never wanted tohappen.”
“What, the tears? Who says I’m crying for you?” It comes out childlike, a weak attempt to shelter mypride.
“Look”—he pinches his eyes shut a moment—“you are my family. We never should have gone there. This is all my fault, Raven.” His voice breaks as he grits his teeth, struggling to hold back his own deluge of emotions. His fingers glide over my cheek, so soft and lovingly it only makes the tears fall ten times harder. “I care about you, Raven. I want you to know that you mean more to me than you’ll ever know. We can’t fool around like we have been. It was a complete boneheaded move on my part. You didn’t deservethis.”
“But I wanted it.” There. I just set the truth between us, heavy as a bowling ball. “I want you. I’ve always wanted you, Brody. Those kisses aren’t even close to what I wish I could do with you.” My body aches as my throat rubs raw. I couldn’t be more naked in front of him if I took off all my clothes. I take a deep, ragged breath because there is one last thing I need for him to know. “I love you, Brody.” I bear hard into those unblinking eyes of his. “I have loved you from the moment we met. I knew you were the one for me.” I give a slight nod as a single tear rolls down his cheek. Brody looks sorry for me, embarrassed perhaps. But right now, the only thing I feel is a complex mixture of love andhate.
“Raven.” He pulls me in by the fingers, and I yank myself out of hisgrasp.
