“That truck belonged to our grandpa, I’m not letting it get towed,” Brock sighed, soundingtorn.
“I can drive it back to the house,” I suggested. The situation wasn’t the greatest, and I knew it wouldn’t result in me getting lucky…but even still, the prospect of seeing Becky again had me perkingup.
Brock looked at me for a moment, weighing his options. I knew if he could drive both his truck and Braden’s truck home at the same time, he would. Brock hated getting help, he liked to be the one to handle everything himself. Sighing heavily, he patted down Braden’s pockets to find the keys to his truck. He tossed them at me, and I caught them one-handed.
“Well, that was a fun night,” Gordon said dryly. “I’ve gotta be at a client’s house early tomorrow, so I’m going to have to take off. Are you guys good fromhere?”
“Yeah, we’ll befine.”
Becky
It was nearly midnight,and I had classes in the morning. I should have been sleeping. Instead, I was pacing the length of the living room, glancing out the window every so often. Brock had called ten minutes ago to let me know that he was on his way home withBraden.
Brock was the one who Mick called when Braden caused trouble at the bar, and those calls had been happening more and more lately, especially with Elle in Barrie for school. She hadn’t tried to talk to him after the night of the funeral, when he snapped at her at the reception, and I know it hurt him. I think he thought she’d keep coming around, keep fighting forhim.
When Mom died, I’d been so worried about losing my brothers too. I thought Brock would surely go back to Alberta, if even just to escape for a while. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he did, but he hadn’t. He remained here, unwilling to leave with Braden the way he was, and I couldn’t even be happy about it because our little brother was sinking quickly to rock bottom, if he wasn’t therealready.
I didn’t know what was worse—the many nights I spent like this, waiting to open the door and get my alcoholic brother to his room without waking up Aiden, or the nights when he didn’t come home atall.
The weight of this new reality was crushing me. I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and stressed out. It was hard seeing Braden like this, and it was hard not seeing him but knowing that he was still drowning his sorrows in a bottle everynight.
Mom died three months ago now, but some days it felt as raw and painful as the day we’d lost her. Sometimes, I’d forget. I would come through the front door and go to call out to her, only to remember that she wasgone.
Two sets of headlights shone brightly through the living room window as two trucks pulled up. I rushed to open the door, pulling the sweater I’d been wearing tighter around my body as I stepped out onto theporch.
Brock shut the door of his truck just as the door to Braden’s Ranger opened. Travis stepped out, his eyes locking with mine for a moment as he stood between the open door and the truck, his muscular arm draped across the top of thedoor.
It was the first time I’d seen him since our night together in the hotel room, and the onslaught of memories made it hard tobreathe.
“I’ll take him inside, then give you a lift to your truck,” Brock said over his shoulder, addressing Travis. Braden was standing, but barely, secured by Brock’s irongrip.
I went to close the door, but Travis called out quietly. “Hey!”
Pausing, I looked over my shoulder. My brothers’ were just clearing the basement door, entering the stairwell that lead down to Braden’s room. When I looked back, Travis was walking towardme.
His eyes didn’t leave mine, a thousand unspoken words passing between us as he paused at the bottom of thestairs.
“You look really good, Becs,” he said, a bemused smile on his face. The unspoken innuendo lingered heavily betweenus.
“So do you.” I couldn’t stop looking at him. My body remembered exactly what it was like to be with him, and those memories made me surge with desire for him again. An awareness grew between us, the energychanging.
It didn’t help that he looked irresistible, and it had been a difficult, isolating fewmonths.
I could use an escape, and I knew the one that Travis provided would be more thansufficient.
“I’m in town,” he told me. “For twoweeks.”
“And?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest and watching as his hazel eyes tracked the movement. I tried to feign indifference, but my heart leapt at his suggestion. He wanted me, and it wasexhilarating.
I was dressed in ratty pajama bottoms and a loose fitting sweatshirt, my dark hair piled up on top of my head in a messy bun, but Travis looked at me like I was standing naked before him, his for thetaking.
That particular thought made me involuntarily clench my thighs together. His lips twitched up in a devilish smile, like he could sense my arousal from six feetaway.
“And I hope I’ll see you around,” he clarified, running a hand through his dark blondcurls.
I studied him, my eyes roaming from his Lucchese boots to his tapered waist. I drew in a shaky breath before continuing upward, pausing on his lips. I wanted so badly to feel them pressed against mine, if only for a littlewhile.
“Maybe,” I said, bringing my shoulder up in a delicate shrug. He moved toward me, but paused when he saw Brock approaching from over myshoulder.
