Hearts at Play (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 6) Contemporary Romance (15 page)

She narrowed her eyes. “I can’t wait to find out.”

BRIANNA’S HEART FELT as if it might explode. She couldn’t believe she’d told Hugh what she wanted, and when she saw the dark, wild look in his eyes, a shock of apprehension ran through her—and just as quickly excitement chased it away. He held the door to the tavern open as they returned.

“Did you say you get a couple months off? Months?” she asked as he helped her take off her coat.

“I usually take off some of November, December and January. I’m an on-again off-again road warrior for most of the year.” Hugh looked around the busy bar.

“A road warrior?” She grabbed her towel from behind the bar and looped it over her belt, then grabbed an order pad as she noticed two couples settling into the booths.

“The race schedule runs thirty weeks out of the year. When I race the circuit, I’m on the road a lot of that time. Listen, you need to work. I’ll sit down and have a soda and watch you for a minute or two.” He raised his eyebrows with a coy smile. “Then I’ll take off so you’re not distracted. You can call me after Layla’s asleep and we can talk.”

Road warrior? What was I thinking
? The thought of being apart for even half of that time was too much. She felt her heart breaking and knew she couldn’t mask the ache.

“Okay,” she managed. She headed for the new customers before Hugh saw her face.
Thirty weeks. Oh my God. I can’t do this to Layla. Or myself.
Hugh settled into a seat at a nearby table, and her heart twisted; her stomach ached. She took the customers’ orders and went behind the bar to make their drinks.

“So? Did you show or tell?” Kat whispered.

Brianna’s lower lip trembled.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry
.

“Bree? Oh my God. Bree. What happened?” Kat took the glass from Brianna’s trembling hand. “Honey, what happened?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Tears tumbled down her cheeks.

“Mack?” Kat called.

Mack came behind the bar and stopped cold when he saw Brianna’s tear-filled eyes. “What happened?” Mack shot a look at Hugh and took a step in his direction.

Brianna grabbed his shirt. “Mack, no,” she whispered. “He didn’t do anything. It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?” Mack kept his eyes trained on Hugh.

Brianna glanced across the bar at the same time the door to the bar opened and Layla and Mrs. Cranston walked in.

“Oh God.” Brianna wiped her eyes.

Layla ran up to the bar. “Mommy! Mr. Cranston had to go to the hospital and I need to stay here.”

Brianna looked at Mrs. Cranston. She had a frightened look in her red-rimmed eyes. “What happened?”

“We’re not sure. He had chest pain, and you know Mr. Cranston. He could have had it for weeks before saying anything. I’m sorry, Brianna. Your mom is out until midnight with that evening job, and I didn’t have anyone else to take her.”

“Don’t be silly. Go, and thank you for bringing her here. Do you need a ride to the hospital?” Brianna came around the bar and hugged Mrs. Cranston.

“No, thank you, dear. I’ve got my car. I’d better go.” She hurried out the door.

“Of course. I hope he’s okay.” Brianna put her hand on Layla’s shoulder and looked at Mack. “Mack.” She glanced down at Layla, then at the full tables and booths.

Mack blew out a breath. She could see that he needed her to work. Brianna took Layla’s hand and walked her to the end of the bar. “You can sit here and color while I work.”
Shit, shit, shit
.

“Brianna, she really needs someone to watch her. We’re too busy for you to do both, and we can get into trouble with her at the bar.” Mack’s gaze was soft, and Brianna knew he wasn’t trying to be a stickler, but he was right. She was too busy to be a mom and a bartender. Something had to give.

Hugh came to the bar, and Mack moved beside him.

Brianna shot a look at Mack. “Mack, please.” She caught a glimpse of Kat, who was rushing from table to table.

Mack crossed his arms.

“Hi, Mack.” Hugh smiled at Mack, then narrowed his eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You tell me,” Mack said.

Hugh’s eyes darted between the two. “Bree?”

“
Ugh
. Mack, I told you it wasn’t him. Hold on, Hugh.” She waved a hand at Layla. “Honey, I’ll be right back.” She dragged Mack to the other side of the bar with Kat on her heels.

“It’s not him. Okay?” Brianna said to them. “He didn’t do anything. I just didn’t realize how many weeks he traveled each year, and once I did…”

“Brianna, that’s why you were crying? Jesus, you scared the shit out of me. I didn’t want to be known as the guy who beat up Hugh Braden.” He pulled Brianna out of earshot of the customers. “Bree, if you guys really stay together, you won’t be apart during that time. Lots of those guys are married. Their wives and children travel with them and they bring along tutors for their kids, or they travel back and forth. Listen, if you were all broken up over being apart, then you must really like him. Give it a chance.” He took her by the shoulders and turned her around. “Look.”

She watched Hugh drawing with Layla at the bar. His dimples deepened and his eyes smiled…at her daughter. Brianna melted beneath Mack’s grip. “Oh, Mack. I’m in so much trouble.”

“Things could be worse.” Mack nodded at Tracie, who was headed directly for Hugh.

Brianna groaned. “I got this.”

Kat cut her off. “No. This one’s on me.”

Tracie pressed her body against Hugh’s back and whispered in his ear, “Are you back here looking for a date?”

Hugh cringed and shifted his body like a protective shield in front of Layla.

Kat narrowed her eyes and slammed her order pad on the bar. Hugh drew his eyebrows together, and before she could utter a word, Hugh said, “Actually, my date nights are filled up for the foreseeable future. And if you’ll excuse me, Layla and I would like to finish our game of tic-tac-toe.”

Tracie pursed her lips, glanced over at Layla, and then shot a scalding stare at Brianna.

“That’s right, Red. He is taken with a capital T,” Kat said with a shake of her head.

Tracie stomped off through the restaurant doors. Hugh nodded at Kat. “Thank you, Kat.”

“My pleasure.” Kat leaned down and whispered, “I’ve been wanting to do something like that for months.” She tapped the napkin in front of Layla. “Hey, beautiful. You’ve got the most handsome date in the place.”

Brianna put her hand on Layla’s shoulder. She watched her daughter look from Hugh to Kat, then back again. “He’s not my date.” Layla giggled. “He’s my handsome prince.”

Brianna didn’t know it was possible for a heart to break apart and reassemble so quickly.

Hugh caught her eye and winked. “I can entertain Layla while you work.” He looked at Layla and smiled. “We’ll be just fine, won’t we?”

Layla nodded. “Yes, Mommy. Please?”

I think he just might be my handsome prince, too.

“I DIDN’T MEAN to force myself into Layla’s life. She was there, and you seemed upset, and you said not to hold back. I just let my instincts take over.” Hugh stood beside Brianna while she wiped down a booth. Mack had already closed the bar, and Layla was at another booth half awake, drawing pictures.

“That’s okay. I’m glad you did. It kind of makes things easier. I wasn’t sure how or when to introduce you. Now I don’t have to worry about it.” She let out a sigh and looked at Layla. “She just sort of goes with the flow, doesn’t she?”

“She’s pretty remarkable. I was the scribe to her muse. She sure does love princes and princesses.”

Brianna laughed. “She’s in a princess stage right now.”

“You’re going to think this is a frivolous waste, but would it be terrible if she got some dress-up stuff for her birthday? A Disney princess dress or something like that? Little girls love that stuff.”

She closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m not sure what I think about her believing in all this fairy tale stuff. It’s not real life, and it sets her up to be hurt by the harsh realities of life.”

Hugh’s eyes narrowed and his voice grew serious. “Dreaming is all you have as a kid. It’s what pulls you through the difficult times and inspires you to work harder.”

“My childhood wasn’t exactly filled with dreams. It was filled with worries. Hopes maybe, but not really dreams,” she admitted.

“Then don’t you want something more for Layla?” He wrinkled his forehead.

“Is this what I have to look forward to? She’ll wrap you around her little finger and you’ll spoil her rotten and then I’ll have a monster on my hands? She’ll expect life to be one big fairy tale.”

Hugh wrapped his arms around her waist. “Look at that face.” He looked at Layla sitting sleepily in the booth across the bar. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Does she look like she could ever be a monster?” He kissed Brianna and felt her stiffen within his arms. “Bree? I thought you told me not to hold back.”

She pried herself from his arms. “I did, and I meant it. But…” She nodded at Layla. “I need to explain to her that we’re seeing each other or she’s gonna be mighty confused.”

“Of course.”
Shit.
He’d been so wrapped up in Brianna’s desire for him not to hold back his emotions that he wasn’t thinking straight. “Do you want me to be there when you tell her?”

Brianna looked at her daughter and sighed. “I think I’d better talk with her first.” She leaned against the booth, fidgeting with the towel. “Hugh, before I talk to her, I think we need to talk. Can we talk after she goes to bed?”

“Sure. Should I be worried?”

“No. It’s just that telling her is a huge step, and I want to be sure we’ve thought things through before we do that.” She touched Hugh’s arm, but her eyes remained trained on Layla.

“Do you want me to wait and walk you to your car, or would you rather I didn’t?”

“Yes, please. I want you to.”

Hugh breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll go wait with Layla.”

BY THE TIME Brianna finished cleaning up, Layla had fallen asleep across Hugh’s lap. He sat with his head back and one arm protectively around her.

“I’m sorry.” Brianna slid in across the booth from him. “The night ran much later than I expected.”

Hugh spoke softly. “My only plans for the night were to work out and think about you.” He reached across the table and held her hand. “I got to meet Layla and I was near you. Double bonus.”

“It seems like you’re always rescuing me, and before I met you, I never seemed to need rescuing.” Brianna had been protective of Layla for so long, and with Hugh the introduction came so easily. Naturally. She’d anticipated Layla being confused or at the least upset when she met Hugh, but he’d woven his way into their lives seamlessly. And from the look of Layla sleeping peacefully on his lap and Hugh looking perfectly content as her pillow, she realized it was because it was
him
. Everything about Hugh felt right.
Even this
.

“Sometimes it’s the people who don’t know they need rescuing that need it the most. But the truth is, you didn’t need rescuing at all. I have no doubt that you would have figured out your car situation, and you would have figured out tonight, when Layla showed up, too. But it never hurts to have someone to help share the burden of these little snags as they arise. Come on. Let’s get this little princess home.” Hugh gathered Layla’s stories and put them in his pocket; then he picked up Layla and covered her with his coat. She snuggled against his shoulder. With one arm around Brianna’s shoulder and the other safely holding her daughter, they left the bar.

Brianna wished she had a working camera. Layla’s cheek rested beside Hugh’s, and the moonlight cast a romantic glow across them both. She imagined the angles she’d shoot and envisioned the finished photograph hanging on the wall above his fireplace.
I’m getting way too far ahead of myself
.

He settled Layla into her booster seat and hooked the seat belt, then covered her with his jacket. “She’s out like a light.” He closed the car door softly. “Did you decide if I can do something princessy for her?”

He looked so hopeful that she couldn’t say no. “One princessy thing. Deal?”

“Deal. Every little girl should have one princessy dream to hold on to. Why don’t I follow you home and carry her upstairs?”

The image of Hugh carrying Layla to her apartment incited thoughts of a future together, and Brianna’s stomach fluttered again. “I can do it. I’ve been carrying her since before she was born.”

“I know you can. Let me ask you another way. Is it okay if I come with you and carry her upstairs? That’s kind of what boyfriends do.”

“You’re so…chivalrous.”

“You’re so…beautiful.” He stepped closer to her. “Smart.” He kissed her lips. “Sweet.” Hugh kissed her neck. “Loving,” he whispered against her ear.

Brianna’s fingers grazed his stomach. “Hugh,” she whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers again, pressing his body to hers. Her back met the cold metal of the car. His arms enveloped her, stealing the cold and replacing it with excruciating heat that radiated from his body right through hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of his body, the taste of his lips, the passionate swipe of his tongue. His hands roved over her back to her hips, her ass, and back up again. Every caress pulled at her most sensitive areas. He had to feel the way her legs lost their strength as she clung to him for support. When he settled his mouth around her neck again and buried his hands in her hair, tugging her head back, she could barely contain the begging moan that welled within her. His hips gyrated against hers, and another rush of heat settled between her legs. With a final—
Oh God
—hot stroke of his tongue, he pulled back from her.

Come back
. Brianna’s eyes fluttered open, and when he whispered in her ear,
Should I follow you home?
It took all her focus to manage a nod.

DUCK DYNASTY WAS outside when Hugh and Brianna arrived at the apartment complex. Hugh carried Layla, and when his eyes met the bearded man’s, the man went inside.
Damn right.
He reached for Brianna’s hand and mounted the stairs with a little stronger peace of mind.

Layla awoke when Hugh laid her down. She looked from Hugh to Brianna, and a smile crept across her lips.

“Good night, Mommy.” She reached her arms up for a hug.

Brianna kissed her forehead. “Good night, princess.”

Layla reached her arms up toward Hugh. “Good night, Prince Hugh.”

Hugh brought her covers up to her chest and kissed her cheek. “Good night, Princess Layla.”

She curled around her Piglet doll, and within seconds, she was fast asleep again. Brianna took Hugh’s hand and led him out to the living room, closing Layla’s door behind them.

Hugh tried not to notice how sexy Brianna looked with her sleepy eyes and graceful movements, but damn it, how could he not? Brianna nibbled on her lower lip, and he went to her. She wanted to talk and he wanted to kiss. How could he be expected to want to do anything else so soon after she’d given him the green light to act upon his feelings? That’s all it had taken for a flood of emotions and desires to surge forward. Her whole damn body had reacted to the kiss in the parking lot—and left him wanting more. A taste of Brianna just wasn’t enough. With one hand on her waist, he glanced at Layla’s toys on the counter and it returned his mind to what mattered most.

“You wanted to talk?” He buried his face in her neck, taking one small taste to hold him over.

“Yeah,” she whispered.

He reluctantly pulled away. “Let’s sit down.”

The scent of her perfume called to him. She was close enough that all it would take was leaning over a handful of inches and his lips would meet hers, a few more and their bodies would be intertwined.
Jesus. What am I doing?
Just because she said it was what she wanted didn’t mean he needed to go into full-on make-out mode.

He brushed her hair from her shoulder and rubbed the knot at the back of her neck. “What did you want to talk about?”

Brianna sighed. “That feels so good. Thank you.”

“You worked hard tonight.” Brianna had glided through her busy night at the tavern without so much as a complaint. She didn’t fall apart when Layla showed up unexpectedly, and she didn’t get flustered when she had five booths and two tables of rowdy couples to wait on. She was one of the most in-control women Hugh knew.

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. When she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Hugh knew that whatever she wanted to discuss was not only important, but unsettling.

He held her hand between his. “Tell me.”

She let out a loud breath. “I’m probably jumping way too far ahead here, and I feel stupid even bringing it up, but…” She glanced toward Layla’s room.

Hugh drew her face back toward his. “You’re worried about Layla? I shouldn’t have offered to stay with her at the bar. I’m sorry, Bree.”

She shook her head. “No. That’s not it at all. I love that you did that."

Hugh never claimed to be an expert at understanding women, but he was pretty sure he didn’t suck at it. However, at that moment, he had no clue what Brianna was trying to tell him. “You’re totally confusing me.”

“I know. It’s because I’m confused, so how can I be clear if I’m not even sure what I’m thinking?” She withdrew her hand from his and rose to her feet. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pinched tight.

Hugh’s stomach knotted. He forced himself to remain seated, giving her space to pace, as she was doing now, with her arms folded over her stomach. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that whatever it was, they’d work it out, but as she took her lower lip between her teeth again, he held back, allowing her to tell him whatever was eating at her when she felt ready.

A moment later, she stopped pacing. Her eyes filled with sadness and her brows pinched.

He couldn’t take another minute of it. “Bree?” He reached for her, and she sank to the couch. “You’re worrying me.”

She blew out another breath. “I like you a lot.”

But…
He held his breath. He finally met a woman who sparked the emotions he hadn’t been sure he’d ever feel, and now his heart was going to get crushed? This couldn’t be happening. Hugh wasn’t the dumpee. He had always been the one to walk away. This was all wrong, and damn it, he didn’t want to walk away from Brianna—or Layla.

“Bree—”

“Let me get this out, please. Hugh, seeing you with Layla made me realize how much I like you, and I’m afraid it’s a lot more than
like
.”

Hugh closed his eyes for a breath.
Oh thank God.
When he opened them again, she was holding her lip captive again.
Shit
.

“It’s just…Can we talk about our lives for a minute?”

“Of course. Whatever you want to know. My life is an open book.” He’d been asked all sorts of intimate questions by previous lovers, and none of it worried him. He’d always been careful, protected himself from sexually transmitted diseases, and though he’d slept with many women, he’d promised Brianna that he’d always be honest, and he intended to honor that commitment.

“Tell me about your schedule.” She tilted her head, her brows still knitted together.

My schedule?
She didn’t want to know about his past lovers, or if he’d told women this or that. Of course she didn’t. Brianna was practical, responsible. She had a daughter to worry about.

“What do you want to know about it? We race February through October, typically two races each month. I used to do the larger circuits and race weekly, but recently I’ve cut back and joined the Capital Series.”

“Capital Series. What does that mean?”

“It’s just the name of the race series. What it really means is that I have an innate need for speed and I thrive on the thrill of racing at mind-blowing speeds.”

Brianna nodded and pressed her lips together again. Hugh could practically see the gears in her brain processing and conjuring up the best way to ask whatever was on her mind.

“If you love it, why did you cut back?”

Hugh leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. He rubbed one hand with the other. He hadn’t shared the truth of his answer with anyone. When the press questioned him, he gave them an off-the-cuff answer.
I want to try a different circuit. Don’t want to get stale. I’m looking into other endeavors.

Brianna’s trusting eyes pulled the truth right from his heart. “Please don’t repeat what I tell you, because I haven't been forthright with the press, and managing public relations can be a nightmare.”

“I promise. But before you tell me, is it some awful reason that will make me want to turn away? Something scandalous that if I knew about it, I’d want to protect Layla from it?”

There they were again. Her mama instincts taking over.
God, I love that
. He shook his head, wanting to smile and assure her with a happier face, but the truth was not easy to spell out, and he felt as solemn as he knew he looked.

“It’s nothing like that.” He stretched one arm over the back of the couch, more for something to hang on to than for comfort. “You know I grew up without my mom.”

“Yes,” she whispered, and at the same time, she placed her hand on his thigh.

Hugh’s chest tightened. “I’ve always been the live-fast, no-tethers guy in the family. I breezed in and out of family gatherings like the wind, even though my family is the most important thing in the world to me. But I think it’s because I know they’ll always be there. To be honest, I did the same with women.”

Brianna dropped her gaze.

“Please look at me, Bree. I will always be honest with you, and this isn’t easy for me. I need to know that you see me when I say it, and that you don’t see an image of me that my admission conjures up.”

She met his gaze.

“I’ve stopped doing that crap, so before I continue, just know that that’s who I was, not who I am.” He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “I’ve never brought a woman home to meet my family, and when discussions grew deeper—with family or women—I've always made light of them. Then my father had some heart problems, and something in me clicked.” He paused, thinking of how his father’s illness had hit him like a knife to the chest. “Life moves fast, and my life moved even faster than most people’s. Without anything to ground me, I had no limits.”

Brianna pulled her hand from his leg. “Drugs?”

“No. Bree, I’ve never been a guy who wanted to ravage his body with drugs, so you don’t have to worry about that. Nothing illegal. Just…life. Ride hard, play hard. That’s who I was.” He leaned forward again, rubbing his hands together. “My dad still lives every day for my mom. He talks to her, and I swear, sometimes I can feel her around, you know?” He drew his eyes to hers. “She had this horse. Hope. My dad still has Hope, and he treats her like Mom is part of her.” He knew how crazy it all sounded, but even as a lump swelled in his throat, he continued. “So there I am, looking at the man who is everything to me. The man who filled the hole my mother’s absence left, and I’m thinking,
What happens when you’re gone?
” Hugh’s eyes welled with tears, and he pressed his finger and thumb to them. “I haven’t learned enough from him yet. God, I sound like a fool.”

“No, you don’t.” Brianna scooted closer. She tucked her legs beneath her on the couch. Her knees brushed his thigh.

He nodded, unable to look at her until he got it all out. “After that weekend, I took a long look at my life. My crazy, whirlwind, no-ties life, and I realized that besides my family, my life was pretty damn lonely. I realized that I had learned what I needed from my dad after all. I just hadn’t listened to what he’d taught me.” He blew out another breath, relieved to get some of the feelings that he’d kept trapped for so long off his chest. She watched him intently, and her trusting eyes gave him the strength he needed to continue.

“Brianna, I thrive on thrills, but it’s not who I am. I spent a few months trying to figure out who I was. I always thought I was so different from my brothers and my sister. They always seem to do the right thing. Even my love for them never kept me tied to the family gatherings for very long. I always had to be moving forward, looking for the next thrill. I’m not proud of all of that, but I am proud of the changes I’ve made.”

“Cutting back on your racing?” she asked.

“That and other changes. I’m reaching out more to my family, spending more time with them. I spent time with Dane on his boat recently. Just stuff like that, and I’m taking more downtime now. I think one reason I never took time off before was that I had built this rep that everyone expected of me, so I felt like I had to live up to it.” Hugh felt the tension in his neck ease. “I like who I am, Bree. It took a little getting used to, not going out all the time, slowing down, but I’m a good man. I’m a nice guy, and I’m learning about things I’ve never even considered before. And mostly…” He took her hand in his. “I realized that I want what my father had.”

“Hugh, you don’t have to tell me all of this.” In Brianna’s eyes he saw the same unconditional love that his father had for him. He knew she didn’t need to know everything he was telling her, but he wanted to tell her.

“You asked about my schedule, and I know I’m giving you a diatribe about my life, but I think you need to understand why I made the changes. The main reason I cut back on racing was that while it filled my need for thrills, it left other parts of me empty. I can’t build a relationship or have a family if I’m racing every week. I need to nourish all the parts of me, not just the thrill-seeking part. I want to love the way my father loved and the way my brothers and sister love their partners. I want to be a good boyfriend and a great husband, not just a fun guy. I want to have children and raise them to be good men and women.” He searched her eyes for a hint of what she was thinking. She swallowed and licked her lips. What did he expect? He just laid a future out before her when she’d asked for a little background.

Brianna looked down at their hands; then she put her hand on his cheek and said, “You are a good man. I always thought Mack was the best man I knew, but you’re right there with him.”

He tried to swallow past the lump that was now firmly lodged in his throat. In lieu of words, he kissed her hand again. He loved her hands. He loved when she touched his cheek, or held his hand, or touched his body.
I love her. All of her.
He suppressed the urge to tell her. She had a heavy enough load as it was.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Anything,” he answered.

“How does it all work? If you race twice a month, where do you live? How would you maintain a relationship with so much travel?”

Hugh reached around her and pulled her closer. She stretched her legs out behind her on the couch and leaned across his lap. Gazing into Brianna’s eyes, Hugh didn’t need to dig too deep to find the answer. Truth found his lips again.

“Until I met you, I didn’t have to worry about that.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “All I know is that I don’t want to leave your side, and now that I've met Layla, I don’t want to leave hers, either.”