Hearts at Play (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 6) Contemporary Romance (17 page)

THE BEGINNING OF the week went by in a blur of work, romantic phone calls and texts, and nervous excitement. Brianna was finishing up her shift Wednesday evening at the tavern when Kat sidled up to her.

“So, any more bride talk?” She leaned back against the bar and lifted her eyebrows. Today she wore a coral-colored lipstick, which gave her a fun, youthful appearance.

“I haven’t seen Hugh since Monday.” She had hoped to see him before work that morning, but he’d had to meet with a sponsor. Each time they’d spoken since Monday, they’d talked about Layla and caught up on what each of them had done that day. They swooned about how much they missed each other and both professed how they couldn’t wait to see each other again. Brianna should have been over the moon, but she realized that morning that Hugh hadn’t brought up what he’d said while they were making love—
I’m gonna make a bride out of you one day
— and the worry had expanded like a sponge in water throughout the day, lodging itself in her chest. The clock couldn’t reach five fast enough.

“Does this mean you’re going to move away from me? What will I do all alone here with no one to talk to?” Kat smacked her gum and dropped her gaze.

Brianna tucked her hair behind her ear and let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t think that’s what it means, Kat. I really don’t know what it means.” She threw her towel down on the bar.

“Whoa. What’s up with that?” Kat picked up the towel and folded it, then tucked it back into Brianna’s belt.

“
Ugh
. I don’t know.” She bent down and whispered, “He hasn’t brought it up again. At all. Should I worry? I mean, what does that mean? Does he regret it?”

“Shit, no. The man’s crazy about you. He rented a freaking carousel, Bree.” She poked Brianna in the side of her head. “Think. Use your head for a minute. He told you he’s gonna make a bride of you. The guy who rented out an entire park, who fixed your car, who bought your daughter a hundred-dollar game. Do you really think he says things he doesn’t mean? Or…do you think he can’t bring it up again unless he’s really ready to propose? In case you haven’t noticed, this guy doesn’t do things halfway.”

“Maybe.” Brianna looked up at the ceiling. “But he could regret it,” she said quietly.

“You’re insane. What does your mom think?”

Brianna bit her lower lip.

“Brianna! You didn’t tell your mother?” Kat crossed her arms. “You are worried.”

“I just want to know he’s sure. I don’t want to get all”—she waved her hands up over her head and used a high-pitched voice—“
I’m getting married!
only to find out that he said it in the heat of passion and didn’t really mean it.” The damn lump she’d been fighting all morning lodged itself in her throat and pressed tears to her eyes.

Kat put her arm around her shoulder. “Bree? Has he done something to make you think he doesn’t adore you?”

Brianna shook her head. “No. He’s great. Better than great, and it’s scary as shit. What if I’m in some dream world and I screw up Layla? She talks about him nonstop after spending only one evening with him. What if once he spends more time with me he finds out how complicated my life really is and he decides that it’s not for him? What if he decides—”

Kat pulled her close. “Honey, he’s not your dad, and he’s not Layla’s father, either. Take a deep breath. You’ve got yourself stuck in a tunnel of doubt.”

Brianna nodded as she pulled away. “Jesus, Kat. I never cry. I’m like a bundle of nerves and girlie emotions. What has happened to me?”

“You fell in love, Bree. That’s what it does to you. It turns you inside out and fucks with your mind…and your body.” She sighed dreamily. “I can’t wait until it happens to me.”

Brianna laughed. “You’re a glutton for punishment.”

Kat smacked Brianna’s butt. “Maybe, but only sometimes.” She winked.

That little tap veered Brianna’s mind to the sex-tip articles she’d been reading, which made her think about making love to Hugh. Her nipples perked up as she wiped the last of her tears from her eyes.
It turns you inside out and fucks with your mind. I’m totally fucked. No. I’m totally in love with Hugh Braden
.

LAYLA AND HER grandmother were sitting on the floor playing with Barbies when Brianna walked into her mother’s house.

“Mommy! Is it time for our date?” Layla rose to her feet and jumped up and down.

Brianna kissed her on the cheek and ran her hand over Layla’s silky hair. “Almost, princess. Why don’t you put the toys away and get your shoes on?” She watched Layla gather her dolls and pulled out her phone to read a text.

Hi, beautiful. I’ll be there at seven thirty. Can’t wait to see you both. Xox, H.

She texted back.
Us too. Xox.

Her mother rose to her feet. “Can we talk in the kitchen?”

“Sure.” Brianna stuffed her phone into her pocket and breathed deeply to calm her erratic pulse. By the serious tone of her mother’s voice, she assumed Layla had said or done something that concerned her, which did nothing to help her calm down. “What’s up, Mom?”

“I received a phone call today from Maureen Hooper.” Maureen Hooper had worked for the city of Richmond for the past twenty-five years, and she was the biggest gossip on this side of town.

“Yeah. And?” Relieved that Layla hadn’t picked up some bad words at school or said something off base, she was completely thrown by her mother’s serious eyes and pinched lips.

“Bree, why didn’t you tell me about what Hugh did for you?”

Brianna’s breath caught in her throat. What she saw wasn’t seriousness at all; it was hurt.
How the hell did I miss that?
She was too damn wrapped up in herself.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I thought it might upset you because of Dad.”

Her mother put her hand over her mouth and shook her head. The sadness in her eyes was now unmistakable. She pulled Brianna into a hug, startling her.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, honey. I’m sorry.” She crossed her arms. “When Maureen told me about the carousel and the park, I put two and two together and realized how much you must have hurt from your father’s leaving. I mean, that’s the last time you were on a carousel, so it wasn’t hard to figure out why he chose that. Let’s face it. That night made a huge impact on you.”

“So did the next morning, Mom, when he left. Remember?”

Her mother dropped her eyes. “Yes. Of course, and I’m sorry for anything I’ve done to make it even harder.”

“Mom, you didn’t make it harder.”
At least not on purpose
. She clenched her eyes against the tears that threatened. Was her entire night going to be spent in tears?

Her mother nodded. “Yes, I did. I was so angry at him. I know what I did, and I was aware of it at the time, but I couldn’t stop myself from saying all those things about him. I never should have said a negative thing. I should have just said the marriage ended and it was both of our faults.”

“You never said much, Mom. You just said he couldn’t stand the heat or something.” She remembered every word her mother had said and how it had struck her like a brick to the chest, but there was no need to make her mother relive that too. She knew her mother had been overwhelmed, and the pain in her mother’s eyes was apology enough.

“Yes, but sometimes it’s not what you say. It’s how you say it.” Her mother hugged her again.

It’s not what you say. It’s how you say it
.
Shit
. She’d spent the afternoon in a tizzy of worry over nothing. Every word Hugh said over the phone, every text he sent, was laden with love. She had been too worried to see them for what they were. He didn’t need to hammer home the idea that he wanted to marry her with those very words. He’d already done it in a hundred different ways. Everything was happening crazy fast, and even if he wanted to slow things down, that wouldn’t mean that he felt any differently about her.

“I know, Mom.”

“Okay, well, you didn’t tell me how romantic he was.” Jean brushed Brianna’s hair from her face.

“I know. I still can hardly believe it.”

“Well, I fed Layla, and I hope tonight is wonderful for all of you.”

Brianna wondered where they were going that evening. Hugh had texted earlier and said to dress up and to feed Layla a little something before he picked them up.

“It sounds like this is serious. How do you feel about him?” Her mother searched her eyes, and as her mother’s hand flew to her mouth, Brianna knew she’d seen the answer written all over her face. “Brianna, you love him,” she said from behind her hand.

Heat spread up her neck and cheeks. She held her mother’s gaze and nodded.

“Oh, Bree!” She wrapped her arms around Brianna and whispered, “Do I ever get to meet him?”

“Maybe Thursday. At Layla’s party, if that’s okay?”

Layla walked into the kitchen. “What’s happening at my party?”

Brianna and her mother exchanged a smile. Brianna crouched down to speak to Layla. “Would you mind if Prince Hugh came to your birthday party?”

“I would like that.” She spun in a circle with her arms out to the sides. “Are you gonna kiss him?”

Jean covered her mouth and said quietly, “I forgot to tell you that she’s been very focused on you kissing your
special friend
.”

“I’ll try not to, Layla.”
But I’m not making any promises
.

FRESHLY SHOWERED AND dressed in a tuxedo, Hugh stood in the expansive walkout basement of his house. His legs were planted hip distance apart, his arms crossed, muscles flexed. The room was perfectly appointed with rich furniture and a seventy-two-inch television, complete with surround sound and two smaller televisions on either side of the larger one so he could watch multiple shows at once. It was a media setup that most guys would love. Hugh never watched television. He read sports updates on his phone and couldn’t stand to sit and stare at a television. Before Brianna books had held his attention. Now even his reading time was minimal—and that was just fine with him.

The carpet still looked model-home new, and the walls were a pristine color that hovered between latte and cream. A fully stocked mahogany bar graced the corner of the room, and beyond that, the entrance to the gym stood ajar. The nine-foot ceilings and wall of French doors overlooking the perfectly manicured lawn and gardens gave the room an airy, open feel, and still, it felt flat. Lifeless. Stale.

He imagined a large coffee table, five feet wide and close to the floor. Something Layla could kneel beside and play her games or color, or whatever put a sweet smile on her lips. He had been roaming the house for the last hour mentally redecorating. Fitting Brianna and Layla into his life. He walked upstairs and into the office that he never used. It was far too big for an office and would be better suited as two rooms, a library and a darkroom for Brianna’s photography, which he hoped she’d one day have time to enjoy. She was too damn good at it to let her talents go to waste.

Hugh pulled out his cell phone and called his father as he crossed the living room.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Hugh. How’s my boy?” Hal Braden’s deep voice never failed to bring a smile to Hugh’s lips and fill his mind with warm memories.

“Good, Dad. I miss you. How are you doing?” Hugh had been thinking about his father, remembering the way his father used to chide him for riding the horses hard and fast.
If I were that horse, I’d buck your ass right off.

“I’m good. The ranch is going along well. Construction is done on Treat and Max’s house. It’s gorgeous, of course. Leave it to Treat to create a spectacular living space, and Max has put some real nice finishing touches on it. Rex and Jade’s place is equally as beautiful. You’ll see them when you come out next weekend for Savannah’s engagement party. You are coming, aren’t you?”

His brothers had both bought property in Weston, and now, as Hugh thought about his family, he wondered why he owned seven houses and not a single one in Weston. He thought about logistics, mulling over the distance to the airport, race locations, and, of course, Brianna and Layla. Would they want to move away? Their friends were in Richmond, and Brianna’s mother lived there, too. He pushed the thoughts away for now and returned his attention to his father.

“Yeah. I’m coming. Is it okay if I bring someone? Two people, actually?” He settled into the couch.

“You can bring anyone you want; you know that. It’s always been your choice. Why would this be any different?”

He knew damn well that his father had already put two and two together. But just as his father would never tell him what to do with his life, he would walk with the same cautiousness around matters of Hugh’s heart. “I don’t know. I guess because it’s Savannah’s engagement party. Maybe I should call her and ask if she’d mind.” He ran his hand through his hair.

“Probably a good idea, though I can’t imagine she’d give a hoot.”

He heard a smile in his father’s voice.

“Your last race is this weekend. This is about the time of year when you get itchy for the next adventure. How’re you holding up?”

His father knew him too well. In previous years, it had taken Hugh a solid month to settle back down and not feel the need to drive fast or party all night. Hell, that part of him never really settled down until recently, and it was exactly why he had phoned his father.

“I’m holding up just fine with regard to racing, Dad, but I kinda have something else on my mind.” He checked his watch. He had to walk out the door in five minutes if he was going to pick up Brianna and Layla on time. “I met someone, Dad. Someone I really like.”
Love, damn it. Someone I love
.

“I might have heard something about a woman.”

Hugh closed his eyes.
Of course you have
. The phone call with Treat came back to him.

“And if I heard right, a child, too.” Hal’s voice carried no judgment. He had always been careful not to tell his children what to do, but he never failed to point out his thoughts in subtle ways. Ways that usually ended up revealing more about the person’s hidden feelings without them even knowing it.

Now it was Hugh’s turn.

“Brianna. She has a daughter, Layla.”

His father inhaled deeply and then blew it out slowly. “Well, children are blessings. How do you feel about Brianna?”

He had so many memories of driving his father crazy by wrestling in the living room with his brothers or sledding over the fields his father had told him to stay off of—but where the other kids sledded was too slow for thrill-seeking Hugh. He could hardly believe his father coined children as blessings, even if his father’s love was limitless.
Rascals
, maybe.
Pests that he loved
, definitely. But just blessings with no mischief wrapped around it? Five boys and one feisty girl couldn’t have been easy on him as a single father. Although now that Hugh thought about it, he couldn’t retrieve one memory where his father made him feel as though he were a burden.

“I love her, Dad.” There. He’d said it. He hadn’t even told Brianna yet, at least not in so many words. Hugh had never told a woman he loved her before. He’d always been too independent and self-centered to put a woman’s needs ahead of his own. Until Brianna.

His father made a
hmph
noise. “And Layla?”

“That’s kind of why I wanted to talk to you. I don’t understand what’s going on with me. I’ve only spent a little time with Layla, but I swear, Dad, I have loved her since I fell for Brianna. It’s like because she’s Brianna’s daughter, she’s automatically in that love zone. Is that totally wacked or what?” He paced again, waiting for his father to tell him that he had no business with a woman and a child because he had no idea what love was, or he was too self-centered. And maybe he’d be right. Hugh had no idea if what he was feeling was crazy or not. He didn’t wait for his father’s answer. “Every time I think of not being with them, it’s like someone reaches into my chest and tears out a piece of my heart. It’s pretty messed up, right?”

“Well, son. You’ve always known when things were right in your life. I remember when you were home on a college break and I asked you what business you wanted to go into. You had no idea. You looked at me like I look at Max when she talks about that damn interweb.”

“Internet.”

“Whatever,” his father said. “So I asked you what brought you happiness no matter when you did it.”

“And I told you that I loved racing more than anything even though it was supposed to just be a hobby that I did on weekends and in my spare time. Then you told me to do it. I remember.”

“I raised you and your brothers and sister to love with your whole hearts. God only knows why it took each of you so long to realize that, or to allow yourselves to love. That’s probably my fault, too. But you, Hugh, you love completely. So all you have to do is ask yourself if Brianna is the woman who makes you happy no matter what. And then you need to think hard about that little girl, because there will be times when she’s a teenager and she sneaks out of the house or brings home some crappy guy who only wants to get in her pants, and you gotta know in your heart that even when she lies or when she goes against your words, you’ll love her through it. No matter what.”

Hugh pictured his father looking over the horses in the fields and replaying memories of the trying times from Savannah’s teenage years. And smiling.

His father continued. “You asked me if it was wacked that Layla fell into the love zone before you spent much time with her, and, son, love has no zones. Love is whatever it is, and trying to fit it into a box all neat and tidy will never do anything but drive a man crazy. Love isn’t neat and tidy. Love’s messy and, in some ways, indefinable. I don’t think what you’re feeling is wacked at all. You’re an all-or-nothing guy. Always have been. If you’ve made up your mind with Brianna, and Layla is part of her life and part of her heart, then of course you’ve embraced her. That’s love, Hugh.”

An unexpected feeling of peace washed through Hugh, followed by a rush of adrenaline.

“Thanks, Dad. This is all so new to me that I wondered if I was losing my mind.” Hugh looked at his watch. “Hey, Dad. I gotta run. I’m taking Brianna and Layla on a date and I’m late, but your advice means the world to me. Thank you.”

“I look forward to meeting your ladies, son. And do me a favor, will ya?”

“Anything, Dad.”

“Let Treat in on your feelings. That man worries about you as if he were your father, and Lord knows you’ve still got me for that.”

Hugh laughed. “Sure. I’ll call him tonight. I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too, son, and I’m damn proud of you. You had me worried for a while there. I wondered if I had somehow turned you off toward love. That would have broken my heart.”

“No, Dad. You’re the one who made me realize how important love is and how much I should treasure it.”