Braydon(81)

“Your brother knows that things have changed for you. You’ve hit that point in your life that I think he has always feared. You’ve found a woman that you want to be with, and he feels left out.”

“Mom—”

“Shh,” she interrupted. “Listen to me.”

“Okay,” he caved.

“Your father and I have never questioned your . . . How do you put it? Unconventional behavior. We’ve never interfered, although we absolutely don’t understand it. And we’re more astute than you boys give us credit for. We’ve known that there was something between you and Jessie. And we’re happy for you. I think Brendon wants to be happy for you too, he just doesn’t know how to cope with it.”

“There’s nothing to cope with, Mom. We’re dating. I care about her and I want to see where this goes.”

“I understand that. Your father understands that. I even think Brendon understands that. But I think the issue is with the ‘where it goes’ part. Your brother has somehow conjured up the idea that you’re moving out, getting married, and are gonna live happily ever after without him.”

“It’s not about him,” Braydon protested. God, his head was pounding, and he was seriously wondering if he was going to throw up.

“Braydon.” Lorrie said his name the same way she always did when she was frustrated with his response. “As I said, you can’t fix this. At least not by changing something that you’re doing. But you can talk to him. He needs reassurance.”

Okay, so Braydon understood that much. He did want to reassure Brendon that he wasn’t going anywhere. Especially after last night at the hospital. When Brendon had broken down, Braydon had felt his twin’s pain deep in his soul. It was that connection that he was used to. The one he was questioning now.

“I’ll talk to him,” Braydon assured his mother. “I’m not sure it will do much good, but I’ll talk to him.”

“Thank you. That’s all I ask.”

“You’re welcome,” he said in response. Braydon had no idea why his mother was thanking him. He didn’t think that talking was going to do much good, but shit, at this point, anything was worth a try.

But he damn sure didn’t intend to talk to Brendon until his headache was gone. That much he knew for a fact.





chapter TWENTY-ONE

“Have dinner with me?” Braydon belted the question out as soon as Jessie greeted him with a quick hello.

She had been driving home from work when her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was Braydon, she immediately answered. She’d spent the entire day wondering and worrying about him but found herself so busy with the details of the house Kylie was now intent on making into a masterpiece that she hadn’t had time to really talk to him. They’d shared a few texts, but other than that, she’d been focused on other things.

“Sure,” she told him. She didn’t bother to say that she would pretty much say yes to anything he suggested if she could have the opportunity to see him. “Did you have a place in mind?”

“Not really, but we’ll figure it out. Where’re you at?”

“On my way home. I should be there in about ten minutes,” she informed him, coming to a stop at the stop sign in the middle of town.

“I’ve got to shower, but then I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay.”

Jessie disconnected the call and tossed her phone in her purse. It was early for dinner, but she had skipped lunch because Kylie was too excited about the new job for them to even stop and take a break, so she was starving.

After they had arrived at the old Victorian house, Kylie had called Cheyenne and for almost an hour, they’d walked through the entire house, going over details with Cheyenne on the phone. Jessie had finally suggested they use video chat so Cheyenne could see what Kylie was talking about because the constant detailed explanations had gotten old fast. That had probably saved them another hour. After Jessie had jotted down at least three pages of notes, Kylie and Cheyenne had agreed to meet the next time Cheyenne was in town. According to the superstar’s schedule, that wasn’t going to be for at least three weeks.

That hadn’t stopped Kylie from putting a list of action items in order. Her theory was that she’d get the project all mapped out and the details sent to Cheyenne. She was hoping they could get started before Cheyenne could make the time to come back. It was either that or Kylie was going to have to take a job out of town, and she didn’t seem to want to be traveling much right now. Which was perfectly fine with Jessie, because, from a completely selfish perspective, she didn’t want Kylie to be gone right now, either. And when Kylie took jobs out of town, Jessie was almost always left to her own devices because her sister was generally accompanied by one of her husbands. They weren’t fond of her traveling either, but they seemed to understand.

Jessie arrived home in time to freshen up her makeup and change clothes. Forgoing the blue jeans and T-shirt she’d worn to work that morning, she opted for a skirt much like the one she’d had on just yesterday when she and Braydon had gone to the movie.

Wow. Had that been yesterday? It seemed like a lifetime ago.

A knock on her front door spurred a smile, and she made her way through the house, then opened the door to find Braydon standing there. He was rubbing his forehead as though he had a headache.