Always(Time for Love Book 4)(49)

Darren exhaled loudly. “Can you make it or not, Bren?”

She rolled her eyes. She was sufficiently intrigued to drop everything and go. “It better be important, Darren.”

“It is,” he promised.

*****

Brenna turned into Patty’s street, in time to see a small car pull up on Patty’s driveway. Then she saw Darren walk out of the house, smiling widely at the female driver.

She grinned. That must be Monica, Darren’s new girlfriend. Why didn’t Darren just tell her that he wanted to introduce Monica to her? Didn’t he think she’d come?

She parked in front of the house and walked up to meet the couple.

“Hi, Bren,” Darren said, placing an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders.

“Hi!” she answered, giving the other woman a warm smile.

“This is Monica. I’ve told you about her,” Darren said. “Mon, this is Brenna. I’ve also told you about her.”

“Hi, Monica. I’m very pleased to meet you,” she said. “I hope you know what you’re getting into with this man,” she added with a big wink.

“Now, now, Bren,” Darren said.

“I hope so, too,” Monica said with a shy chuckle. “So far, he’s already managed to shock me several times with the secrets he’s been keeping from me.”

“Hey, they’re not secrets anymore,” Darren said, kissing Monica’s forehead.

Brenna felt a burst of jealousy—not from Darren being with someone else, but from seeing the two clearly at peace with past ‘secrets’. She could only hope that she and Ash could sort out their issues. She missed him so.

“Go on in, Bren. We’re having a party, after all,” Darren said.

“We are? Who else is coming?”

“You’ll see.”

Brenna walked in, her jaw dropping at the sight before her. Ash was there, sharing a laugh with Patty.

“Brenna!” Patty cried. “Hello, dear. I’m having a wonderful time here with your boyfriend.” Then Patty gasped in delight, looking past her. “Hello! You must be Monica!”

Brenna didn’t hear the rest of the chatter that went on around her. All her senses focused only on the man walking towards her.

“Hi,” Ash said, stopping inches from her.

“Hi. What are you doing here?” she asked, her breathing shallow.

“Believe it or not, I thought your fake engagement party was still on.”

“What?” she asked with an incredulous laugh.

“Well, neither you nor Amanda—nor any of the others—found it fit to inform me it was cancelled.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking at him with disbelieving eyes. “But... even if it were still on, I can’t believe you’ve turned up.”

Ash smiled apologetically, running a knuckle on her cheek. “I wanted to show you that I do trust you and that I support what you and Darren are doing for Patty. I’ve been such an idiot, Bren. I’m so, so sorry.”

“It’s over now,” she said softly.

A look of pure shock, then absolute pain appeared on Ash’s face. “No,” he whispered.

“That’s not what I mean!” she cried, reading his misapprehension. “I meant Darren and I don’t have to pretend anymore.”

Ash sighed deeply, closing his eyes.

“Why do you have to assume it’s always bad news, Ash?” she asked with censure in her tone.

Ash looked at her, his eyes brimming with emotion. “I love you so much, Brenna. I’ve loved you for so long. All those years that you didn’t notice my feelings dug me deeper and deeper into a pit of silent despair. When we finally got together, you dragged me out of that pit and took me to the stratosphere. But I’m afraid a fall from that elevation would just about kill me. My instinct is to bring myself down to a much lower expectation—a much lower height—where I could still survive a fall, even if I end up severely bruised and battered.”

“Oh, Ash.” She cupped his face as tears escaped her eyes. “I love you, too. Please don’t be afraid to fly high with me. I promise I’ll hold on to you so tight and never let go that you’ll probably start complaining I’m too clingy.”

Ash chuckled through his tears. “Somehow I can’t imagine myself complaining about that. I don’t think you could ever be too clingy for my liking, Brenna Ward.”

“I hope that’s true, Doctor Payne,” she said curling her arms around his neck and lifting her lips to meet his.

She didn’t know how long they’d been kissing. She simply got lost in the moment. But something hard poking on her belly brought her back to the room. She broke the kiss and looked around.

“They went to the back of the house,” Ash murmured, kissing her neck.

“We still can’t make out here, and you’re getting hard,” she whispered urgently.

Ash pulled her closer to him, groaning softly. “I missed you so much, baby.”

“Me, too,” she breathed.

“Maybe we should encourage them to get this impromptu party going so we could go home soon? I’m dying to make love to you.”

“Great idea. Let’s see if we can get away early,” she said, her body attuned to his. “Then can we go to my place first? I want to pack a few things,” she added with a grin.