43. Brandy

43

Brandy

R eed and I walked into the Bronsons’ house, hand in hand, and braced ourselves for the inevitable shock. No one could’ve seen this coming, so their surprise at the news was to be expected, but I wished we could skip past this part and have everyone already in the know. Though I did enjoy me and Reed being a little unspoken secret for a while, this would be nice. His family would know, and we wouldn’t need to sneak around the ranch like two teenagers.

Reed paused once we passed the threshold, his eyes roaming over me as he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, buttoning them to keep them in place as he shifted the bouquet from hand to hand with the act. My gaze followed the action, my thighs clenching on their own accord.

He leaned in, tucking my hair back before brushing his lips over the shell of my ear. “If you think that skirt is hiding anything from me, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Then maybe don’t look like that , and I won’t have to try to hide how you make me feel,” I murmured a little aggressively.

“One hour, and you can show me just how wet you really are. Until then, be a good girl and be on your best behavior.” He straightened, looking out past the wall to the buzzing kitchen.

I internally smirked, knowing I was about to have the time of my life making him squirm for the next hour. At least, after we got this small announcement over with.

He laced his fingers through mine before giving me a quick glance to make sure I was okay with what was about to happen. It was almost like we were preparing for an uncertain war, not sure if we were going to be berated with questions or clapped on the back in congratulations. The unknown was stressing me the fuck out, to say the least.

I gave him a small nod of encouragement, thinking maybe he needed it as much as I did. Though, Reed didn’t let things bother him if he could help it. I used to not either, but after the last couple months, my heart opened up, shining a new light on a side of myself I hadn’t been familiar with since a young age.

It was cute seeing him so nervous over something like this. Reed was typically hard as a rock, never cracking a smile, rarely offering anything other than a grunt or warning, but this side of him, though new, was still so him.

We rounded the corner of the front entry, into the dining area that connected to the kitchen. With the old farmhouse being an open floor plan, there was no taking this slow. The way every person in the room quieted and turned to look at us was proof of that.

Reed didn’t miss a stride, leading me over to the kitchen, where he poured me a glass of red wine and grabbed himself a beer from the fridge, all while keeping his hand in mine. He'd set his mother's bouquet on the counter, clearly seeing as the two of us would be addressed first. Everyone in the Bronson family was here, significant others in tow. Even Avery was staring at us from where she sat on the living room floor, toy horse poised in one hand mid-gallop.

I took a slow sip of my wine, acting as if I was savoring the flavor but really not tasting it at all. This was…weird.

Reed cleared his throat, leaning back against the counter in the kitchen as he faced everyone. “Got something you all want to say?”

From the dining room where she’d been setting up the table, Oakley shrugged. “I knew it’d happen eventually.” She gave me a look of encouragement, and I mouthed my thanks in response.

Travis was standing in front of the crockpot, not looking up from whatever he was stirring. I was sure he probably thought the world had ended. That, or he didn’t want to get involved in yet another of his children’s relationships. He let his grown kids do what they wanted, doing his best to keep himself out of whatever they were up to. Charlotte, on the other hand, was always in the know, even if they tried to keep something a secret from her. So when she opened her mouth, it didn’t surprise me in the least with what she said.

“I can finally say how happy I am that you two got together,” Charlotte said with a gleaming grin from where she stood near the couch with her glass of wine, my mom by her side with her own glass. She gave me a sweet smile for support, which I returned.

“Thanks, Mom,” Reed grumbled, taking a swig of his beer.

“You two sure you’re not gonna bite each other’s heads off?” Lennon asked, passing us in the kitchen to grab himself a water from the fridge.

I tossed my head side to side. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Reed shot me a frown, to which I squeezed his hand.

“It’s probably their version of foreplay,” Bailey teased from the couch, where Lettie had her legs thrown over his lap.

Callan grimaced from where he sat in the chair with Sage perched on his knee. “There’s children in the room.”

Bailey tossed a look at Avery, who was staring at him in question. “What’s foreplay?”

Bailey coughed as Lettie barked out a laugh.

“It’s when you prep to play,” Oakley answered.

Sage shot her a look, a hand resting on her belly.

“Like when I get all my toys out?” Avery asked.

Sage cleared her throat, sitting forward slightly to lean closer to Avery. “Exactly. When you set up all your ponies to start playing pretend.”

Avery shot her a smile before returning to her galloping horse. Callan released a breath, as if he was relieved that was over.

“Well,” I interrupted before this could go any further south than it already had, “Reed and I are dating now, if you couldn’t tell.”

“The whole state of Idaho felt the world tip off its axis the day you two quit bickering,” Beckham said from his seat at the table.

“We can go back to that if that’s what you all prefer,” Reed said.

A chorus of no’s came from everyone in the room.

“That’s what I thought,” he muttered before sipping his beer.

Finally, Travis looked at the two of us, stopping his stirring and setting the spoon on the holder. Reed waited, unsure what reaction to expect from him. I was in the same boat. Out of everyone, I had no idea what Travis would think of the two of us together. And though everyone’s opinion in this family mattered, Travis accepting us was almost like a right of passage. Reed looked up to his dad on a lot of different things, but getting his approval of the two of us meant a lot to him. And after our past…I wasn’t sure what to prepare for.

“It’s about damn time,” Travis said, his voice low and full of gravel. “I was getting to the point I thought one of you was itching to burn the other’s house down.”

I pretended to contemplate the idea. “Hm. I don’t know. I still might.” I looked up at Reed. “Might add a little pizazz to the honeymoon phase.”

Beckham shook his head disapprovingly. “Great. Violence really is their foreplay.”

Travis’s mustache twitched before he wiped his hands on the dish towel. “As long as it isn’t on my ranch, and I don’t have to hear about it.”

He went to walk past us, but before leaving the kitchen, he paused, setting a hand on Reed’s shoulder. Travis didn’t show much affection, but when he did little acts like this, it meant more than anything else in this world.

He approved of us, no matter how much he tried to act like he didn’t.

By the light in Reed’s eyes, that was exactly what he needed.

For me, I was just damn glad this part was over.

***

After being peppered with at least a hundred questions of how we ended up like this when just during the wedding, we wanted to rip each other’s throats out, we moved from the dinner table to the living room. It was difficult to explain, to say the least, but we got through it. Now, as everyone sat around with their bellies full and smiles on their faces, I leaned into Reed’s arm where I sat beside him on the couch, listening as everyone talked and joked with each other. The Bronsons were always a second family to me, my home away from home, and now being with Reed, I felt even closer to them, if that was even possible.

My mom was sitting next to Charlotte on the couch, the two of them chatting away, likely about what transpired with my father that landed him in jail. His next stop would be prison for the foreseeable future, depending on the sentence the judge decided to give him. I hoped it’d be a long, grueling couple decades, but a girl could only dream.

I watched as my mom laughed at something Charlotte whispered to her, and I couldn’t help the smile that crept up on me at the sight. I loved seeing her like this—so carefree, not looking over her shoulder like she might get scolded at any time. Just a woman having fun with a friend, as it always should be.

In the end, my mom and I were never really alone, even if some days it felt that way. We always had the Bronsons here to lift us up, to offer refuge not many people had in bad situations. I could never repay them for the sanctuary they offered, even if they did so unknowingly.

Half an hour later, my mom stood from her spot, giving me a look before hiking her thumb toward the door. I went to stand, but she waved me back like it wasn’t necessary. I wanted to talk to her anyway, so I excused myself from my warm cocoon under Reed’s arm and followed her out. She grabbed her coat on the way, but I left mine inside, thinking this wouldn’t take long.

“Dinner was nice,” she said as we descended the porch steps.

I wrapped my arms around myself to save some semblance of warmth against the bitter night air. “It was delicious,” I agreed. “Thank you for coming.” I knew it probably felt weird for her to be able to make the decision to come tonight on her own without my father over her shoulder dictating what she could and couldn’t do. Even though he was only back for a short amount of time, I could tell she’d gone back to that dark place mentally.

She stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets as we walked toward the Bronco. I’d told her earlier she could take my car if she wanted to leave early and Reed would drive me home later. Thankfully, she knew how to drive stick.

“Are you doing okay?” she asked, studying my reaction, as if she thought I’d put up my walls like I always did.

Tonight, I’d kept them down. I wanted to be able to be vulnerable with topics like this because otherwise, I’d never work through them and move on, but it was instinct to hide behind a mask. It’d take some getting used to, but there wasn’t a better time to start than the present.

“It took a few days, but yeah, I am. Now that he’s likely not coming back, I feel like I don’t have to worry so much about it anymore,” I admitted.

“It being…”

I inhaled, bracing myself for speaking the words out loud. “His manipulation, the anger. How he’d blow up at the drop of a dime. Waiting to hear if he was in a good or bad mood, or for the sound of his fist.” It all played through my mind like a movie, the way he’d look when he was mad or the sound of doors slamming making me jump.

“I’m sorry I made you go through that for so long, Brandy,” Mom said, stopping so she could face me.

“It’s not your fault.”

She shook her head, taking my hands in hers. “His anger may not have been my fault, but I had the power to leave. I was”—she searched the ground as if it held the word she was looking for—“lost. Stuck. Helpless. I thought there were no other options than staying comfortable with him. That if we left, we’d end up in a motel, or a women’s shelter, or homeless. I didn’t have a glamorous job or a bunch of resources or a family to take us in.” She glanced at the house behind me. “But we had somewhere to go all along, and I just didn’t want to burden them.” She looked at me, making sure I met her gaze. “It’s okay to be a burden sometimes, okay? Don’t be scared to speak up or tell people you’re struggling. Because if you don’t, your mind will never quiet. You’ll destroy yourself from the inside out and convince yourself there’s no option other than to stay put.” She gripped my hands tighter, her throat working on a swallow. “There are always options. They may not be obvious, but they’re there.”

“I don’t blame you, Mom,” I assured her, hoping she didn’t think I hated her for any of this. She didn’t make him a bad man, he was that way on his own. I knew how easy it must be for her to point the blame at herself, but even if she was the woman who was supposed to keep me safe, that didn’t mean she was taught how. She did what she thought was best, and while it may not have been the number one option, she kept me alive. Fed. Loved—even if it was just by her.

“I know you don’t, sweetie. That day in the diner, we were both upset. But those are things we have to talk about, no matter how hard they are to discuss.”

I nodded, my throat stuck as I struggled to find words that could express how strong I thought she was. She fought back against the monster that plagued us for decades. Even if it took her years to finally do it, it didn’t make her any less of a warrior.

So instead of saying the positive words we both knew we wanted to speak, I pulled her toward me, wrapping my arms around her as she did the same.

“I love you, Mom,” I murmured into her shoulder, hugging her tighter.

“I love you, too, Brandy.”

Before tears could make their way down my cheeks, she pulled away, looking at something over my shoulder. I turned to find Reed standing there, my coat in his hand.

“You take care of her. And if you don’t, I know where you live,” my mom warned, though the statement held no threat. She loved him almost as much as I did.

“Hurting her has never been on the agenda,” Reed said, his eyes meeting mine. So much warmth and love was held in that gaze alone, and all I wanted to do was melt into it. Into him.

My mom squeezed my hand before stepping away. “You two have a good night.” She looked at me. “Text me when you get home.”

“I will. You do the same.” I handed her the keys to the Bronco, then she walked off, getting in the car.

Reed approached me, wrapping the jacket around my shoulders and tugging it together in the front. He used the fabric to pull me close to him, and I tipped my head back to look up at him.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

I leaned closer to him, wanting nothing more than for his lips to be on mine. “Everything’s perfect.”

Then I reached up on my tip toes and closed the distance, taking him in as he wrapped me in his arms and forged the word “mine” on my heart.