“It happened a couple of years ago. Corey was married, and he and Melissa were here for a family dinner. After the meal, I decided to take a dip in the pool and so did Melissa. I don’t know why she was hitting on me. I thought she and Corey were happily married. But she kept getting bolder with her flirtations, and soon, she had me pinned to the wall of the pool. Before I could convince her to move, Corey walked in and saw us.”
Breanna held her breath. Why would that woman do such a thing to her husband’s brother? “Wh-what happened then?”
“Melissa blamed it all on me, of course, but she hurried and left the pool. Before Corey left, he threatened me. He said one of these days he’d take away the woman I loved. And since you are the only woman I love...” He shrugged.
“Oh, Brad. You can’t possibly think your brother was trying to take me away from you.”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s what I thought.”
“Your brother probably said those things to you out of anger.” She stroked his soft goatee. “I’ll admit, Corey has your charm, but believe me, there is no way I’m going to give you up so easily.”
Brad grinned. “That’s good, because look at what we went through to get to this point.”
“Exactly. But I think you should talk it out with your brother. All he needs is to understand what really happened in the pool. I think he’ll believe you.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yes. It’ll be better if you work things out with him now. The longer you go without talking, the further apart this will pull you. And believe me. You don’t want that.”
“You are right. I’ll talk to him later. Besides, how can I deny you anything when you look at me with your hypnotic eyes?”
Her heart skipped. She loved this feeling. Going with her instincts, she placed her mouth on his for a slow kiss. Brad’s lips were so gentle, and so very fervent. She could kiss him all day long and not get tired.
When the kiss ended, Brad groaned, and placed his face in the crook of her neck. “You are wonderful, my sweet Tyger.”
“No, you are.” She kissed the side of his head.
He pulled away and took her hand in his. “Dinner isn’t quite ready, so until it is, will you go for a walk with me?”
“Of course. Lead the way.”
He led them out the back door. They passed his mother’s flower garden, and Brad picked her a red rose. She took the flower and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I love watching your eyes when I give you flowers. They practically dance with happiness.”
She chuckled. “That’s because they mean so much whenyougive them to me.”
He took her hand again and walked them toward the maze. She grinned. She didn’t need to make a wish at the well. Her wish had already come true. What more could she want now?
He stopped at the entryway. “Do you trust me to get you through this without getting lost?”
“I don’t believe we were lost last time, were we?”
He laughed. “No, we weren’t, but I don’t know who turned the lights out. That wasn’t planned. Although, I’m glad it happened.”
“Me, too.”
Brad took Breanna inside the maze. Tonight wasn’t dark, yet, and so it was easier to see everything. The hedges were neatly trimmed, and a few spots along the way flowers grew with the bushes, giving the air a fragrant scent. Another thing that was different was that she wasn’t panicked. She didn’t feel closed in at all. Then again, she knew what to expect this time.
When they reached the center, he stopped them beside the wishing well. “Look familiar?”
“Of course.” She sighed. “Too bad it’s not dark.”
He wagged his eyebrows. “Close your eyes, my lady, and your wish will be granted.”
Her heart skipped. Apparently, he wanted to go back to playacting again, just as they’d done that night in front of the pictures.
