Chapter Twenty-Four

They'd officially run out of time.

Brick finished locking up for the night as his mind spun endless possibilities. August was almost gone, and Labor Day was the official close of summer. Aspen had said she needed to deliver the book soon, but she'd been struggling. Too many unspoken things hung heavily between them, which blocked them from moving forward.

Tonight, he had to face them.

"Another busy day, huh?" Marco said as he strolled out. "You've been killing it."

Brick nodded. "With a lot of help. I've finally dialed into my niche, and the place is attracting new customers. I've got an ambitious marketing plan, including some billboards for next year."

"That'd be dope. Maybe I'll look into it, too. We'll rule OBX together."

Brick grinned. His affection for Marco had grown, thanks to Aspen. He was happy to call him a friend and didn't mind looking after him and the guys. "Sounds like a plan."

"Does Aspen still plan on leaving? Or is she gonna stay?"

Brick winced at Marco's bold question. "Not sure yet. We need to talk about it tonight."

"Well, after what she did at the support group, I'd say she wants to stay." Marco chuckled. "About time someone took down those ladies."

Brick cocked his head. "What are you talking about?"

"You're kidding. You didn't hear about what she did?"

His jaw clenched. Had Aspen been gathering information about him? Did she plan to use these women's stories to rationalize why she wasn't going to stay? Sickness clawed at his gut, but he had to know. "What did she do?"

"Stormed the place to burn it down, man. I was out with the guys the other night, and this cool chick Kate, who works at Sunfish, was our waitress. I must've mentioned you because she asked if I knew you. I said yeah, we were friends, and then she told me Aspen came to the support group and bitched them all out and said to leave you the hell alone or she'd kick ass. Kate said she'd never seen anyone stand up for you before. Guess they took a vote to change their name to Bitches or something like that." Marco shrugged. "Aspen's fire, man."

Brick's entire being shook, and raw emotion surged over him in a tidal wave.

She didn't go there to gather evidence to leave.

She went there to blow up the group. To defend his honor.

Joy exploded through him. She was coming over tonight, and he'd be ready. He'd tell her the truth: that he was madly in love with her and wanted her to stay. With him. They'd work it all out: the book, the contract. Nothing mattered but them. She'd proven she wanted the same exact thing he did: for them to be together.

"Thanks, Marco. I gotta go."

"Anytime. Tell Aspen I said hello."

Brick rushed to his car. He had some errands to take care of before she arrived.

He was ready when she walked in.

Aspen's gasp of delight made him want to strut like old-school John Travolta. He'd raced to the floral shop and bought up a ton of Tisha's stock. Vases of wildflowers were spread around, and rose petals were scattered on the bed. He'd attempted to sprinkle them on the stairs, but Dug had tried to make dinner out of them, so Brick ditched that plan. He'd lit a bunch of candles and placed them strategically around the house, then dimmed the lights. Music drifted from the old boombox, giving off that tinny sound reminiscent of their beach dancing. The table was formally set with china and linen, with steaks, potatoes, and green beans. Champagne was chilling, and he'd put a strawberry in each crystal flute.

Brick wanted a certain mood to say all the things he'd been holding back.

She blinked, and he caught the sheen of tears in her cocoa-brown eyes. "Brick, this is so beautiful," she breathed, glancing around. "No one has ever done something like this for me before."

"Because they were assholes," he said lightly, giving her a kiss. Dug did his usual freak-out, and she dropped to the floor, petting and crooning to him in the way he loved. When she straightened, Brick's hands itched to grab her and touch her in all the ways she loved, teasing out those throaty moans that drove him crazy. But he was going slow tonight, though it would be hard. Her short dress bared her gorgeous legs, and he kept thinking about what was underneath.

Or wasn't.

Tamping down on his testosterone, he poured champagne and pulled out her chair. "I know you said you'd be hungry, so I figured we'd eat first, then take our time with after-dinner drinks on the deck."

"Thanks. I'm bleary-eyed from sitting and cranking out words. I try to get out for walks now, but I wanted to push today."

Brick read between the lines. Her deadline was approaching, and things weren't going well. His gut clenched as he wondered what would happen if she couldn't write the book she wanted. Hopefully, they could figure it out together tonight. "I used to think I'd thrive in a corporate atmosphere. It was all I dreamed about. Now, I realize my soul would have slowly withered. Maybe I'm more like my grandfather than I originally thought."

Her warm smile stole his heart. "Isn't it funny how certain paths lead us to surprises? How something terrible can become a precious gift? It's one of the things about life that fascinates me."

He cut into his steak, which was perfectly rare and tender. "You have the soul of a writer. I just wonder about something."

She sipped her champagne and sighed with pleasure. "What?"

Brick chose his words carefully. "You've expressed that the last two books haven't been fun to write."

Her face pulled into a frown. "True. There were rare moments, but mostly, it was painful."

"But writing the Zany Zoo stuff makes you happy."

She looked up in surprise. "Yes, but that's just a hobby. I use it to destress from the real book I'm writing."

"Aspen, I think those stories are amazing. They make me laugh, and I can't imagine there's not a market for those types of books. It hits perfectly—right between adult and teen. I would've been hooked. You have a wicked sense of humor, and those characters come alive."

He registered the puzzlement in her eyes. Had she really never thought of publishing Zany Zoo ? She had notebooks full of treasure that she kept aside. Watching her struggle to piece together a sequel this summer that didn't make her happy frustrated him. He knew she loved writing. Brick just believed she was writing the wrong thing.

"I made a name for myself in the adult genre. I have a responsibility to give readers what they're asking for. My agent, publisher, fans…they all expect this book. Zany Zoo is a bunch of cartoons and fun stories. There's no money in it."

"I think you may be missing something more important.

"What?"

He smiled. "Joy. When you work on those stories, you glow. And giggle. When you write your so-called real books, you're unhappy."

She nibbled at a green bean and snuck Dug a piece of meat. "Writing is hard."

"I can imagine. Did you have this experience with the last two books you wrote?"

"Kind of? I think it's because I was in my head too much. When Fifty Ways made Book of the Month, everything changed."

"So, you wrote things for commercial success after you went viral?"

"Well, I wrote a story I was interested in and tweaked it for success. Wrote it to market. Nothing wrong with that."

"I'm not saying there is. When you wrote Fifty Ways , was that hard?"

"No. It was like the words poured out of me. Like therapy. I think back to that experience and believe it was a way to transcend my pain. Ryan had robbed me of my confidence and voice. I took it all back with that book."

Made sense. If he'd had writing talent, Brick wondered if journaling or creating a book about his experience with Anastasia would have freed him sooner. Which brought them full circle.

Because the reason she'd hired him was to give her the same type of painful experience she'd had for her first book. In Aspen's head, she believed there was only one way to write a bestseller. It was up to him to convince her otherwise. "I only wanted to point out that there may be other ways to explore your writing career. Writing stories that make you happy."

He registered her nod but knew it would take her some time to think about it and decide. Brick only wanted to see that type of fire in her day- to-day work. Aspen deserved to flourish, not cripple herself struggling with books she didn't really want to create.

Brick changed the subject, and they finished dinner. Dug got a few more pieces of steak, which made him snort, cracking Aspen up. Brick refilled their glasses with bubbly, and they moved out onto the deck to listen to the night music. They sat close, holding hands, and he played with her elegant fingers, their heads bent close. Peace settled over him. He had it all.

Grandpa Ziggy's home.

The tour company.

OBX.

His friends.

Dug.

And Aspen. The woman he'd fallen completely in love with. He'd gotten everything he never dreamed about, and it was everything he had ever wanted or needed.

"I heard what you did at the support group," he said quietly.

Her head lifted. She stared back at him with a touch of wariness. "How'd you find out?"

"Marco heard about it from Kate, a waitress at Sunfish."

She winced. "Yeah, she was there. Are you getting any backlash?" He frowned, and she rushed on. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I just got really mad about you getting trashed all over town, and not one of those women had a real story to share. Plus, they admitted they didn't know anyone you slept with and supposedly destroyed. It was bullshit, and I wasn't going to allow it anymore."

His throat thickened, blocking his words. Brick stared at her, fiery and pissed off on his behalf. She'd charged into that group of women and defended his honor. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen, and his insides clenched with the need to tell her everything she deserved.

"Aspen, what you did was a gift," he finally said. "No one has ever stood up for me before, let alone taken the time to hear my side. You've been tearing down every damn part of my world since I met you."

She blinked. "Is that a bad thing?"

He cupped her chin and pressed his forehead against hers. His heart sang, and he wanted to take her to bed and demonstrate all the ways he adored her. "No. It's the best thing. You changed me, Aspen Lourde. I'm not the same man I was before you came, and I never want to let you go."

Her eyes widened, and he smiled.

"I love you, baby. Completely. I'm asking you not to go back to New York. Stay with me."

Her breath caught. A wild flare of emotion lit her eyes, and as he waited for her to return the words, a tiny bubble of doubt seized his insides, clenching his gut. Brick ignored it. This was their happy ending, and he refused to allow his insecurities to ruin it.

He waited. A sob escaped her lips, and slowly, she pressed her mouth to his, trembling in his arms. He went to take the kiss deeper, but she pulled back. "I love you, too. I fought my feelings for a while, but I can't lie or deny the truth. I'm in love with you, Brick. But I can't stay."

Stunned, his hands dropped to his sides. Tears shone in her eyes.

"I have to leave, and I have to write this book, just like we both promised."

Shock barreled through him. He'd been so sure of her response; it took him a few moments to realize she'd rejected him. Even though she admitted to loving him.

Brick remained calm. She was scared, just like he'd been. With a little patience and understanding, Aspen would take the leap.

"I know how important this book is to you," he said carefully. "What if we can have both? You can still write the story as you need, but we'll stay together."

Misery etched the features of her face. "I signed a contract. I promised the world this sequel, but it's not working. Something's broken inside me, Brick, because I can't finish the story unless this relationship ends in heartbreak. Just like it happened that first time. I can't seem to connect with the words any other way."

Her explanation was the thing she'd promised from the beginning. But that was before they fell in love with each other. Wasn't their relationship stronger than a book? "What if you tried to write it anyway?" he suggested. "Maybe you haven't been able to finish because this thing between us is unsettled. A little more time or some tweaks? We can work this out."

"I wish we could." Her voice sounded choked. "I've been trying, but the book is failing. I can't do this, Brick. I'm so sorry."

As he stared at the woman he loved, Brick realized she had already made up her mind. Somehow, she'd convinced herself this was the only way to complete her book. She'd tied her pain to the story, and he was the casualty. Instead of fighting for their relationship, Aspen was retreating to her safe space, believing she had no choice.

His happy ending shattered, and Brick wondered if he'd recover this time.

He loved her.

This man, this extraordinary, gorgeous, kindhearted man, had fallen in love with her. It was a complete plot twist she hadn't planned on. Watching the shock on his face broke something inside her. His expression changed from open joy to distance. That wall slammed down between them. Aspen wanted to cry with grief, beg him not to pull away. She wanted to say that she'd stay, forget the book, and claim him.

But she couldn't.

Because he was right. She was unhappy writing this book. It was their story, twisted with fiction, but she couldn't get it right. Just like Fifty Ways , she had to experience the pain to connect with the story and write what she needed. The pages she'd sent her agent still lacked what a success required, and they both knew it. Aspen had ended the conversation with Nic and realized there was one thing left to do.

Leave Brick. Go home. And write her bestseller.

Fighting nausea, she watched as their love story crumbled into pieces to lay at her feet. He stood, backing away, and her heart broke at the coolness in his ocean-blue eyes. The same eyes that had brimmed with love and trust and happiness. She'd stripped it away and replaced it with pain.

How could she live with this? How could she push away the man she loved?

For a bigger purpose , her inner voice whispered slyly. For the book you promised to write. He agreed. He was the one who changed the rules.

"Did you know this when you came over tonight?"

Aspen pressed a hand to her stomach and nodded miserably. "I realized there was no other way. I can't write it like this, Brick. It's not working."

"So, you want me to give you the same experience as Fifty Ways ?"

Her voice was a raw whisper. "It's what we both agreed on."

Brick flinched, and a hard laugh escaped his lips. "Yeah, well, at least you were honest. I was generously paid and agreed to a contract. I was stupid to think this was different."

"No! It was. I fell in love with you, too. I just don't know how to do this!"

His brow lifted in mockery. "Do what? Stay? Not write the book? Be in a committed relationship? What don't you know how to do, Aspen? "

"All of it. I have a life in New York. I have a book under contract. I was clear on what was needed, and yes, everything changed, but how can I walk away from all my responsibilities? From my life?"

His face was cut from stone. Ice shimmered in his eyes. "Obviously, you can't. Hey, at least you had a hot-girl summer. I'm sure you'll thrill your fans with the sequel, make a ton of money, and write more books from this experience."

Aspen jumped to her feet and took a few steps forward. "Don't. Please."

"Just remember this, baby. I didn't break your heart." He paused in the terrible, pulsing silence. "You broke mine."

"Brick—"

"I'd like you to leave now."

"But—"

The words snapped like a whip. "Please."

Aspen jerked back. The pain throbbed like a bruise in her body, but there was nothing left to say. She'd ripped off the Band-Aid, and the wound she'd created was an open, throbbing mess.

She left the deck and headed toward the door. Dug trotted after her, his tongue hanging from his crooked jaw, staring at her with adoration and hero-worship. Tears streamed down her face as she knelt and snuggled him one last time. "Take care of Daddy," she whispered.

He licked her cheek and regarded her with a touch of seriousness, then raced back to the deck.

Aspen gently closed the door behind her.

It was done.