Hearts at Play (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 6) Contemporary Romance (10 page)

“You’re a remarkable mother. All it takes is one look at Layla to know how well adjusted she is, and if you think that has to do with anything but parenting, you’re wrong. She’s doing well because of you.” Her mother tilted her head and narrowed her brown eyes. “Why?”

Brianna shrugged. “I don’t know. I just want to be sure I don’t screw her up somehow.”

Her mother reached across the table and laid her hand on Brianna’s. “You love her too much to do anything that would screw her up. Besides, kids get screwed up all on their own.”

“What does that mean?”
Are you talking about me?

“Just that you can do your very best and kids can still fall off track for a while. Look at your graduating class from high school. The valedictorian became a heroine addict three years later. You just never know what will happen, so you do your best, and when they leave your house, you pray you raised them well enough to know right from wrong.”

“Do you think I screwed up myself somehow, Mom?” She slid her hand out from beneath her mother’s, unsettled by the innuendo.

Her mother sighed and her lips lifted to a soft smile that reached her eyes. She brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, just like Brianna. “I don’t think you’re capable of screwing yourself up. You love Layla too much. Bree, what’s this about? Is something worrying you?”

Brianna weighed her answers. She could beat around the bush and maybe in an hour she’d know what her mother thought, but she was too nervous to wait an hour. “I met someone.” She kept her eyes trained on her tea.

Her mother leaned across the table and whispered, “You did?”

Brianna lifted her eyes and was surprised to see her mother’s face alit with interest.

“Brianna Marie, come over here.” She took Brianna’s hand and dragged her to the far corner of the kitchen.

“Mom!” She stumbled behind her.

“Out of earshot. Met someone? A man? And?” Her mother touched her arm.

“Why are you so excited?” Brianna had to laugh. She’d expect that reaction from Kat, but not from her mother.

“Because I’ve been worried about you. Twenty-eight-year-old women are supposed to date, Bree, and you know how I feel about you making Layla your whole world.”

Brianna rolled her eyes. “Healthy people have diverse lives. I know, Mom, but you said yourself that I’m a good mother and that Layla’s well adjusted.”

“She is, and you are. But a little ego boost for you isn’t a bad thing. Is he a good person?”

That question was the heart of why she adored her mother. She didn’t ask if he had a good job, or if he was attractive. She cared most about the person he was inside, which is where Brianna had learned it from and probably why she was having such a confusing time deciding how to move forward—or if she should move forward—with Hugh. For six years, living a life without complications beyond taking care of her daughter and making ends meet had been easy. No man had been too kind or too interesting to ignore…and then came Hugh.

“He’s a remarkably good person.”

“Oh, Bree!” She wrapped her arms around Brianna. “How did you meet? When have you had time to see him? You worked today.” She tilted her head, looking out of the corner of her eyes at Brianna. “You were working, weren’t you?”

“Yes, of course. I worked and then we went shopping. Oh, and my car broke down last night.” She leaned against the counter.

“Oh no. How much is that going to set you back?”

“It’s not. He…” She paused, wondering what her mother’s reaction would be to what he did for a living. If she was ever going to figure this out, she needed to be honest. “He’s a Capital Series Grand Prix driver and his pit crew fixed it.”

“Capital Series? A race car driver? How on earth did you meet a guy like that here? I mean, you never go to the track, and I know you don’t hang out at the places in town where the Grand Prix fans hang out.” Her mother crossed her arms and tapped her chin with her index finger.

“He was in the tavern one night and we talked.” She watched her mother pace the small kitchen.

“At Old Town? Really? Gosh, I must be way too far removed from that world. I had no idea that those guys hung out there. You’ve never mentioned it.”

“They don’t, Mom. He avoids those places.”

“Brianna, I don’t know. He must travel a lot, and what do you really know about him? I mean, guys like that? They scare me a little.” She stopped pacing and looked at her daughter. “I’m not judging him sight unseen, but you’re my little girl. Do you have your eyes open? Does he have women everywhere? I mean, how long is he even here for?”

“I know, Mom. Believe me. My eyes are wide open. Wide open. He travels, but he said he gets time off soon.”

“They only race about nine or ten months out of the year or something like that.”

“How do you know?”
Nine or ten months?

“Your father loved the races.” Her mother tucked her hair behind her ear again. “Oh, honey. You’re a smart girl. What does your gut tell you?”

Brianna pressed her lips together and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Uh-oh.” Her mother put her arm around Brianna and walked her back to the table. She peered into the playroom. “We’ll whisper,” she said as she sat beside her. “You have that look on your face that you had when you told me you were pregnant with Layla.” She held Brianna’s hand. “Tell me.”

Brianna’s stomach twisted as it had earlier that day. She tried to formulate a response, but as she opened her mouth, the truth fell out without any cushioning at all.

“I like him, Mom. I mean, I really, really like him, even though it’s only been a few days. He treats me well, and he’s so thoughtful.” She felt her cheeks rise with a geeky, gushing smile. She crossed her arms on the table and rested her forehead on them. “What am I gonna do?” She felt her mother stroking her head, and she peered out from beneath the veil of hair that had fallen over her face.

“What do you want to do?” She asked it with such gentleness that Brianna knew her mother wasn’t judging her, as she’d done for a brief time right after she told her she was pregnant.

Brianna lifted her head. “I want to see him. More.” She glanced at the playroom.

“And what about Layla?” Again she asked with tenderness, not accusation or judgment.

“I told him he can’t meet her. I’m afraid to let him. What if Layla adores him and then we break up?”

“I think you mean what if you adore him and then you break up, too.”

Brianna dropped her eyes. “It worries me. He’s a little too good to be true.” She leaned forward, and her mother met her halfway across the table as she whispered, “We could have…you know…and he knew that I was worried about getting too involved because of Layla. So we didn’t.” She leaned back, then admitted, “He wouldn’t.”

Her mother’s jaw dropped. “Brianna!”

“What?”

They both laughed, and Brianna covered her face with her hand.

“Oh, honey. It’s okay. You’re allowed to…do that.”

“I know, Mom, but if I get close to him and it doesn’t work out, then what?” As the words left her mouth, her heart squeezed. She realized for the first time how very badly she wanted to be with Hugh and how she’d been blocking those feelings because it’s what she’d told herself she needed to do for so very long.
Please tell me it’s okay. Please, please. I want to be with him more than I want almost anything else in the world
.

“Well, I don’t know anything about any of the men you’ve dated over the past few years or how it worked out with them.” She narrowed her eyes, and Brianna knew she was expecting an admission.

“None. No one since.” She nodded toward the playroom.

“No. That can’t be.” Her mother shook her head. “I thought you were just being careful about telling me or letting Layla know. No one? Not once?”

Brianna shook her head. “I was planning on waiting until Layla was eighteen so I didn’t complicate her life.”

“Oh, honey. I take back every thought I ever had about me being a good mother. I’m a terrible mother if that’s what you’ve been doing. Brianna, you can’t be the best mother you are capable of if you aren’t fulfilled, too, and fulfillment comes from all angles.”

“So you want me to sleep around?” Brianna teased.

“No!” She leaned forward again. “But you don’t have to be a nun. Enjoy life a little. Date; go dancing; hang out with Kat more than just at work. Layla’s almost six; she’s not a toddler. I can take her sometimes. Good Lord. Eighteen? That’s twelve more years. I promise you: If you do that, you’ll spin around in twelve years and wonder what the hell you accomplished.”

“But our lives are so complicated. I work all the time, and I need time with Layla.”

“You do, yes.” Her mother tapped her finger on the table with an unfamiliar glint in her eye, and the right side of her mouth lifted in a mischievous smile. “But you also need to honor your own feelings and your needs as a woman. If you feel this guy…what’s his name?”

“Hugh Braden.” Saying his name made her heart race.

“Hugh Braden. If you feel he’s not a gigolo of some sort and he treats you well, go on a date or two. See how it goes. I’ll watch Layla, and she won’t have to know until you decide she should.”

“No one says gigolo anymore, Mom.” Brianna laughed, but inside she was both relieved and scared shitless. She’d been counting on her mother to talk some sense into her and talk her out of following her heart. She’d felt her heart opening to Hugh already. What would it do if they became intimate?

HUGH ROUNDED THE bend at the bottom of the hill and ran at a quick pace beneath the colorful poplar and maple trees that lined the road in front of his house. He’d been too edgy after spending the day with Brianna to sit still in his house, and it was too late to go to the track. He finished his four-mile run with a sprint up the driveway. He stretched and headed to the back door to spend an hour in his home gym. Just walking by the garage made him think of Brianna and the way she’d leaned over the console to kiss him and then pressed her bare skin against his. She was so damn sexy that he’d been ready to take her right there, just flip her over and make love to her in the driver’s seat. It was probably a good thing her phone rang. Sex in the car might have been hot, but it was not where he wanted to make love to Brianna for the first time. He’d envisioned her beneath him in his bed since they’d been intimate on the couch, and after spending the day together, his attraction to her had only become stronger, deeper, more layered.

He worked his biceps and triceps in front of the mirror. His T-shirt was drenched with sweat and stuck to his body like a second skin. He ran his hand through his hair and slicked it back away from his face. His massive quads were even more pronounced from the hard run. Hugh loved the adrenaline rush of working out, but as he pumped his arms with each heavy lift, he thought about how he’d rather be spending the hour with Brianna.

He set the weights down to answer his cell phone.

“Hey, Treat.”

“Hugh. How’s it going?”

It was good to hear his brother’s voice. Hugh had been so young when his mother died, and Treat, as the oldest, had been eleven. Treat had taken it upon himself to ensure each of his siblings knew what their mother was like, and to Hugh, those stories became real, as if he’d been there to experience them himself.

“Great. I’m in Richmond, and you know, keeping it real.” Hugh had always tried to play things casual with his brothers, and they called him on it as often as Savannah did. “How’s Max?”

“She’s great. Your last race of the season is next weekend, right? Max and I want to come down for it.”

“Really? Man, that would be awesome. It’s in Daytona. Are you sure you can make it?”

“Hugh, have I ever said I’d make a race and not made it?”

Treat always kept his promises.
Always
. “No. I’m heading down Friday night.”

“I know you can’t stay out late or anything Friday night, but we can get together after the race, can’t we?”

Hugh’s mind was already racing. He wasn’t like Treat. His family was used to him taking off right after awards and races, usually to avoid the media rush, but he was already thinking about flying back to Richmond right after the race. He hated to blow off his brother if he was taking a trip just to see him, but the thought of blowing off Brianna was even more painful. “I’m not sure if I’m sticking around after the race.”

“Do you have another event?”

He heard the disappointment in Treat’s voice, and guilt sucked the enthusiasm from his voice. “No. No event.”

“Then why not hang out?” Treat pushed.

Hugh sighed. “I met someone here in Richmond, and I’m thinking about coming back to see her.” He closed his eyes, ready for the razzing his family had always given him.

“What’s another date with another model compared to spending time with family?” Treat’s voice had become serious.

“She’s not a model, Treat, and she’s not a fan either.” If it had been any of his other brothers, he’d have joked his way out of a serious conversation, but Treat had never steered him wrong and he was less judgmental than the others. He called Hugh on his shit, but he offered advice instead of just judgment. Right then, Hugh could use a little advice. In his brother’s silence he read disbelief.

“It’s the truth, Treat. She’s a single mom, and I like her. A lot.” Hugh sat down on the weight bench and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“A single mom.”

Maybe Hugh had given up his hand too early. He detected something akin to judgment in Treat’s voice.

“Yeah, a single mom.” Hugh sat up straighter.

“Hugh, what are you thinking? Single moms have responsibilities. They can’t be out until two in the morning drinking, and I doubt she’ll want her daughter around a guy who dates a different woman every night.”

Hugh pushed to his feet. “You don’t know me that well, Treat.” Anger crept into his voice. “I haven’t dated like that in months.”

“Months?”

“Yes, months. I know how it seems to all of you. I’m the irresponsible youngest Braden, the one who you all laugh about when I leave family gatherings early because you know it’s just who I am. I get it, man. I created that image, but it’s not me any longer, and it hasn’t been for a long time.”

“Months,” Treat repeated.

“Yes, months.”

“Really? Months? Well, I thought you meant, you know, a few weeks. How could I not have known that?”

“Despite what you think, you don’t know everything about all of us, Treat. Even with your ability to make a phone call and learn all the dirty details of people’s lives.”

“Hugh, I’m looking at an
Enquirer
from two months ago with my brother on the front, on the arm of a leggy model.”

He heard the smirk in Treat’s voice. “You believe those bullshit magazines?”

“Not usually, but this sort of fits your rep, bro.”

“Yeah, it fit the rep I had. Look carefully, Treat. Do you see where it says
2012 Parade
on the sign behind the blue car? The motherfuckers didn’t Photoshop very well, did they?”

He heard paper crumbling.

“Why are you reading that shit anyway?” Hugh asked. “Don’t you have better things to do with your time?”

“I’m at a doctor’s office, and it was here on the table. Now it’s in their trash can.”

“Doctor? Is everything okay?” Hugh sat back down. His father had a heart issue a little over a year ago, and now Hugh’s chest tightened at the thought.

“Yeah. Max wasn’t feeling well. We’re waiting to see the doctor.”

“Oh, thank God.” Hugh let out a loud breath. “I don’t mean that. I thought it was Dad. I hope Max feels better.”

“She will. It’s not Dad; don’t worry. I’d have led with that if it were. So tell me about the woman you met.”

He heard Max in the background. “Hugh met a woman?” He pictured her pulling out her cell phone and blasting a text to his entire family and their significant others:
Alert! Hugh met a woman he actually likes!
There were no secrets in the Braden family. Their grapevine ran strong and often.

“Bree.” Hugh paced again. “She’s…I don’t know, Treat. She’s different from anyone I’ve ever met. She’s more real. She’s responsible, sweet, careful. She’s very careful.” He paused, and when Treat didn’t fill in the gap, he knew he was waiting for more, but he couldn’t define what it was about Brianna that tweaked his heart. He just knew that she had.

“Where’s the hot, sexy, awesome in bed stuff you always spout off?”

“Jesus, Treat. She’s not like that. We haven’t even done that stuff. I mean, she’s beautiful, and she’s beyond sexy in a wholesome, natural way.” He paused again, thinking about Brianna’s smile and the way it lit up her eyes. “She’s nothing like the women I’ve dated. She’s better in every way.”

“Hugh, I’m sorry, man. I didn’t realize you were serious. What about her daughter?”

“I haven’t met her yet. I actually could use some advice on this, Treat, and I really don’t have anyone else to turn to. I really like Bree, and yes, it surprises me, but I can’t turn away from the way I feel. I haven’t known her that long, but when I took her to her apartment, I didn’t like the feeling I got. Some scuzzy guy was eyeing her, and I wanted to protect her. I mean, scuzzy guys look at women all the time, but I’ve never felt like I wanted to threaten one for looking at a woman I was with until I met Bree. And it worries me a little.”

“What part of it?”

“It’s fast. It’s a strong feeling. We both think I shouldn’t meet Layla—her daughter—until we’re sure about us. It all worries me. I’m not exactly the most patient man on earth.”

Treat laughed, a deep, hearty laugh that made Hugh smile. “You could say that again. Well, what’s your plan right now?”

Hugh headed for the stairs. “For the first time in my life, I don’t have a plan. I’m here until next Friday night; then I’m in Daytona. I want to come back Saturday night. Layla’s birthday is Sunday, and even if I haven’t met her by then, I want to be nearby in case Bree needs anything.” He laughed. “That’s weird as shit, right?”

“No, Hugh. That’s growing up.”

“Right. Whatever. Then we have Savannah’s party the next weekend, and I already don’t want to be away from Bree again for that.”

“All I can tell you is that when fate steps in, you have no choice. You do whatever it takes to follow it.”

He heard Treat kiss Max, and it made him long for Brianna. He’d been waiting to call her, not wanting to smother her. And now, hearing her voice was all he wanted to do. His phone beeped with another call coming through.

“Hey, Treat. I have another call. Wanna hold on a sec?”

“I can’t. The nurse just called us in. I gotta run, but we’ll touch base before next weekend. Love you, Hugh. And don’t worry. You’ll figure it out, and I’m here if you need to bounce something off of me.”

“Love you too, Treat. Thanks.”

He clicked over without looking at the screen. “Hello?”

“Hugh?”

Hugh froze; then a smile crept across his lips. “Bree?”

“Yeah, hi.”

“Are you okay? Why are you being so quiet?” He went into the living room and eyed the couch where they’d made out. He had to turn away. Just thinking about it gave him a hard-on.

“I’m at my mom’s, and I’m out on the porch. I just didn’t want Layla to hear me.”

“Is she okay? How did she like the play?”

“She’s great, and she loved it. I’m actually calling because my mom offered to keep Layla again tonight, and I wondered if you were free. I know you’re probably busy, but—”

“Bree, I’m free. I’m definitely free, and I want to see you. But I thought you couldn’t make time.” He headed for the bedroom, already thinking about where to take her.

“Well, let’s just say that my mom convinced me that a twelve-year plan might not be the smartest thing for me to do.”

“I love your mom already.”

She laughed, and Hugh felt like the luckiest man on earth.

“Is there anything specific you want to do? When can I pick you up? Should I pick you up at your mom’s?” Words fell fast from his lips. He pulled his shirt over his head and turned on the shower.

“I need to shower and change. I don’t have anything specific I want to do. I just wanted to spend time with you,” she said.

“Okay.” Hugh’s mind raced. He had a great idea for their first date, but it would require pulling some major strings, and it was a weekend, which meant he needed to also collect on most of the favors owed to him—and then some. “How about I pick you up at seven thirty? What time do you need to be back?”

She didn’t answer.

“Bree?”

He read her answer in her silence. “Oh. Okay, then. I’ll see you at seven thirty. Hey?”

“Yeah?” Her voice was tentative, and Hugh imagined her tucking her hair behind her ear, looking away with her gorgeous eyes.

“No pressure here. Just because we can doesn’t mean we have to.” Hugh never imagined he’d be the kind of guy who would say anything even remotely similar to that. His feelings for Brianna were peeling away layers of his old self, and he liked the man who was emerging.

BRIANNA STARED INTO her closet. “Come on. Come on. Come on,” she said as she sifted through her clothes. She pulled open her dresser drawers and stared at the jeans she’d been wearing for three years. The same sweaters, the same blouses. She finally threw her hands up in the air and called Kat.

“What do girls wear on dates nowadays?” She paced the bedroom floor.

“You’re going out with Patrick—Hugh?”

“Uh-huh.”

Kat squealed so loud that Brianna had to pull the phone away from her ear.