Braydon(110)

“Hey,” he whispered, getting her attention.

Jessie turned and looked at him, her smile lighting up her entire face.

“Did you get enough to eat?” he asked, nodding toward her half-empty plate.

“More than enough. It was great.” She leaned in closer to him. “I was thinking about saving room for dessert.”

Holy f*ck. Braydon’s head started spinning. Just a few days ago, Jessie had busted out a jar of fudge sauce and proceeded to show him exactly how she preferred to eat it. Needless to say, by the time they were done, they had both needed a shower. The only thing he had to say . . . at least she hadn’t had a preference for hot fudge.

“I could go for some dessert,” he told her, keeping his voice low as he squeezed her hand. “I’ll be right back.”

He met Jessie’s confused look with a smile and a quick kiss on her mouth before he stood up and headed for the kitchen. He thought he might manage to get by undetected by everyone except Joe, who was expecting what was about to come. After all, Braydon had sought Joe’s permission to ask his daughter to marry him. That had been an awkward conversation, but without revealing to her father all the ins and outs of their rocky but now stable relationship, Braydon had filled him in. To his absolute surprise, Joe had given his blessing. That followed a threat of bodily harm if Braydon were to ever hurt her, but thankfully Joe had delivered the threat with a smile. Braydon had offered his own assurances and all had ended well.

But Joe wasn’t the only one keeping an eye on him tonight. He heard footsteps behind him as he snuck into the kitchen. Without looking over his shoulder, he knew exactly who it was. Nothing got past his mother. Ever. Lorrie had obviously noticed his attempt to sneak off and came up on him as he was opening one of the cabinets above the sink.

“Looking for something?” she asked sweetly.

Braydon spun around to meet her gaze, instantly recognizing the mischief in his mother’s bright blue eyes.

“Actually, yes,” he said slowly.

“Good. While you get that, I’ll see if anyone wants coffee.”

And with that, his mother was gone.

Braydon watched the spot she’d vacated for several seconds before remembering what he’d actually come into the kitchen for. Laughing, he reached into the cabinet, retrieved the item, and then headed back to the dining room. Without stopping to talk to anyone, Braydon made his way around the table, this time coming in on the opposite side of Jessie so that he could insert himself between her and her sister.

When he was standing directly in front of her, his hands began to shake. And so did his legs. Before he lost his nerve, or gave his brothers a minute to give him shit, Braydon slowly lowered himself to one knee in front of Jessie. Their eyes met and he saw the moment she realized what was going on. Her hand came up to cover her mouth, and he noticed the shimmer of tears in her eyes.

“Jessica Prescott,” he said, taking a deep breath before continuing, “will you marry me?”

A tear spilled over Jessie’s dark lashes, but she was nodding her head, so he took it as a good sign.

He didn’t budge, didn’t make a move to put the ring on her finger. He wanted to hear her answer. They’d learned so many months ago that the biggest hurdle they’d ever encountered was their issue with communication. They didn’t have that problem anymore.

Braydon cocked an eyebrow as she continued to nod her head in agreement. He smiled.

“Yes,” Jessie choked out. “Oh my God, yes. I’ll marry you.”

Fearful that his own tears were going to break free and his brothers would have the right to ridicule him for the rest of his natural life, Braydon slipped the ring on her finger and pulled her against him, burying his face in her neck.

And maybe, one or two tears might’ve fallen.

Not that he was ever going to admit to it though.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


As always, I want to say thank you to my family for being so supportive of my endeavors. You put up with my crazy hours and my refusal to leave the house when I’m working on a scene, and often you have to deal with my being a few minutes late to dinner. And the truth is, I couldn’t do it without you. I love you!

Nicole Nation 2.0: Ladies, I want to thank you for your continued support. You encourage me through your posts and your comments, the hot pics you share, the countdowns, and, most importantly, the love you have for one another. We’ve created our own little family, and I am honored to be a part of it.

Lauren/Elana: I didn’t know what to expect going into this, and I can honestly say it’s been an interesting journey. Lauren, thank you so much for your guidance and your input—I truly believe that Braydon is a better book because of it. And Elana, lady, I’m not sure what I would do without you. Thank you for answering all of my questions, no matter how crazy they might’ve seemed. Without you, I think I would be lost.

The blogs: I would never be able to list all of the incredible bloggers who have been there for me since nearly the beginning, but I want to say thank you. I honestly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for all of the dedication that you give to authors and readers alike. Sharing your love of books has brought us all together. Thank you.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, their three kids, and four rambunctious dogs. When she’s not writing about sexy alpha males, Nicole can often be found with her Kindle in hand or making an attempt to keep the dogs happy. You can find her hanging out on Facebook and interacting with her readers—even when she’s supposed to be writing.