Faking It(46)

Braden, though...even if he was being real and was doing it subconsciously, he was absolutely leading me and my body somewhere.

It was almost a relief when his phone interrupted us.

Almost.

I followed him into the living room and we sat in front of his laptop. He connected to Skype, there were a couple of beeps and boops, and then his mom and his sister appeared on the screen.

They were absolutely adorable and I was touched to see the love in their eyes as they looked at Braden, big brother, and son. He looked just like a masculine version of his mother. The same high cheekbones. The same piercing eyes. As they greeted each other, it was obvious that he had picked up many of his mannerisms from her.

“Hey mom, Janie, this is Alyssa. She’s a reporter who’s doing a story on you two. I told her that you were the most glamorous creatures on earth and she couldn’t get her microphone out fast enough. Oh wait, it’s not really a microphone, is it?’

“No, it is. It’s just digital.”

“Well, I will do my best to be glamorous,” said his mom. “Call me Amy, please.”

“I will, thank you. And what about you, Janie? Do you go by Janie, or do I need to call you Miss Glamorous like your brother is insisting?”

Janie was in a wheelchair. Her neck was twisted at an angle that looked painful. I wasn’t an expert, but I would have guessed that she had cerebral palsy. “Janie is just fine,” she said. “Hey big brother,” she said, her voice high and clear. Her eyes lit up with joy at seeing Braden, and I was thrilled to see that he had the same expression on his face. Nothing was as attractive to me as seeing a man truly exuberant about a passion, and Braden’s family was obviously one of his passions. But I couldn’t help but think about what he said about his insecurities. I wondered if it was all in his head. Surely this wasn’t the mother who pressured him into thinking he wasn’t as good as his brothers.

“Are you his girlfriend?” said Janie. “Have you read the Narnia books? If you didn’t like those, you should take a look at The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I’m really interested in genetics.”

“Uh,” I said. “I’m just a—”

“Would you like that Janie?” said Braden. “I think that’s exactly what should happen. Help me wear her down.”

Amy laughed. “What do you think, Janie?” she said. “Isn’t it about time your wild big brother settled in? Maybe it would knock some sense into his head, instead of letting these other maniacs knock it out.”

“Leave it to me,” said Janie. “By the time I’m done with her, she’ll be on your arm, Braden. But when’s your next fight? Is that chicken still hiding from you?”

“We’re still waiting to hear,” he said. “Vlad is deciding whether he thinks there’s enough money in it. I’m ready. He’s not. But it’s up to him. He says he’s got an injury, but maybe you’re right. Maybe he’s just a chicken.”

Janie fanned her elbows out and flapped her arms like chicken wings. Braden did the same.

This was news to me. I hadn’t known that the title fight was actually under discussion. This would be a huge jump for Braden. He was as tough as they came, but Vlad was viciousness from another dimension. And country. And continent. Part of me wanted him to heal up so Braden could thrash him. Another part—the part that, I guess, wanted to be his girlfriend—wanted Vlad to convalesce until the end of the time and stay far away from any octagon where Braden was fighting.

The conversation went on for another half hour. For most of it, I was happy to sit back, listen, and watch. Janie and Amy asked me a few questions, mostly about more books, but it was obvious that they were desperate to connect (or reconnect?) with him. Braden seemed so at ease, which was so odd to see. For all his swaggering, cockiness, confidence, whatever you wanted to call it, Braden didn’t seem like he had a lot of peace in his life. But this was him at his most peaceful.

They were all just so normal. I’m not sure what I expected. Maybe a bunch of people dropping towels and strutting around, daring cub reporters to step into the shower. But this was very much like a conversation any loving family would have had.

When he finally said goodbye, Braden closed the laptop and leaned back into the couch. He closed his eyes and smiled. “Janie really wants me to come home,” he said.

“I can tell. Do you visit often? With the way you all interact, it sounds like you really miss them.”

He opened his eyes. “Not as often as I used to. Not as often as I should. And yeah, I do miss them. Constantly. For a while, I avoided visiting because I told myself it would take away from training. That part’s actually true. Then I told myself that if I went home I’d feel judged, even if no one was actually judging me. That part’s just in my head.”

“What part? Are you talking about your brothers again? You know, you really shouldn’t—”

His brow furrowed but his eyes smiled. “Hey, you know what would help?”

“What? Should I turn the microphone back on?”

He leaned forward and kissed me, just like that. I felt like I had just stepped off of a merry go round that had been going a little too fast. Heat shot through my body from my toes to the top of my head. Braden pushed more insistently and I relented, kissing him back, slightly opening my mouth. He pressed me back into the couch, putting his thighs on either side of mine. I put my hands on his lips and gasped. His muscles were so hard it barely even felt like a body.