12. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Brandy

L ugging my stuff from Miami to Colorado was difficult, especially because I couldn't leave my great grandma's sewing machine behind. Even though it's not functional right now, it's an heirloom. Back home, my house is spotless, and the fridge is stocked, thanks to my mother and my BFF Sam. But this no longer feels like home to me. Something is missing, and I keep wondering if one can die from a broken heart.

I take a shower to wash off the yuck from all the travel and then throw myself on the bed to wallow in self-pity. Sleep takes me while I think about Erik back in Miami. The sound of the doorbell ringing wakes me. The house is dark, and I flip switches to find my way to the front door. I look through the peephole, and it's none other than my mother with a group of people.

Thankfully, Sam is one of the people, and when I open the door, she drags me to my room and closes the door behind us. We hug for the longest time, and the tears come out.

"Stop that, you can't let the old biddies see you cry."

"They're here?"

"They were at the cafe when your mother went to get me to come here. I'm sorry I couldn't fight that many old people."

That brings out my smile. I know Sam's got my back, but I also know how persistent those ladies are when there's new gossip.

"Get dressed, and then we'll go out as a united front."

"I don't know if that will be enough."

I rummage through my drawers and find a comfortable t-shirt and some leggings.

"Is Erik's mom there too?"

"Yeah. She keeps shaking her head every time she hears Erik's name."

"I think he might have been too harsh with her. I'll talk to her."

When I'm finally decent, we leave the bedroom, and I find that my little house has been invaded by at least ten people. I take a deep breath and steel myself to welcome them to my home.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for this lovely gathering. I have missed you all very much. Please sit down and have some refreshments."

I try to go to the kitchen to help, but both my mom and Erik's mother sit me down on the couch in the middle of the living room.

"Tell us all about your trip, dear." Mrs. Carter says.

"Oh, you know. Miami has really nice weather. I taught some classes, saw the beach for the first time, that kind of thing."

"Ask her what we really want to know, Claire." Says Mrs. Pierce.

"Why are you back so soon? What happened with Erik? We don't see a ring on your finger." Mrs. Carter shoots questions like she is a damn AKA47.

"You don't need to be shy with us. We've known you since you were in diapers." Mrs. Pierce says.

Sam hands me a glass of sangria, and I sip it so that I can use the cup to cover my face.

"Jenny, what do you know?" Mrs. Pierce asks Erik's mother.

"Well, Erik is mad at both of us. He won't take my calls."

That gets my attention.

"I'm so sorry," I say. "I shouldn't have involved you in any of this."

"You're the woman that's meant for my son, sweetheart. I was always going to meddle."

"Tell us everything that happened, Brandy. We'll figure it out together." Mrs. Carter says.

So I give in and tell them what happened in great detail, except for the hot monkey sex, which I keep to myself, but I'm sure Sam will get it out of me later. When I'm done, the whole room is silent, and everyone looks at me with sympathy and sadness.

"I told you not to go chasing around men—that it was unseemly and not done. But you didn't listen." Mrs. Carter says.

Everyone around me laughs, but I don't. No one likes to be told, 'I told you so.' I ask myself if she's right. Should I have settled for one of the men from this small town instead of going to look for the one man who had my heart since I was fifteen? Or perhaps I should have been completely honest from the beginning and just tried to seduce him openly.

Either way, there's no time machine to go back and change it. All I can hope for is that, eventually, Erik lets go of his anger and realizes that we have something special between us. Two hours later, everyone is gone except for Sam. We sit in side-by-side recliners and put our feet up.

"How much have you had to drink, Brandy?"

"Not enough."

"Do you regret it?"

"I regret lying, but overall, no, I don't regret it. I needed to know if we still matched after all these years."

"And?"

"We do. We match beautifully, like two puzzle pieces that go together without force."

"Oh, boy. You're completely gaga over this guy."

"Sadly, yes."

"So what's the new plan?"

"There is no new plan."

"I've known you ten years. There's a new plan." Sam says.

"If the plan is living my life while I wait for him to get over his anger and figure out he loves me, then that's what I'll be doing."

"That's a sucky plan."

"I'm all schemed out, my friend."

"God help us when you wake up from this funk."

Erik

It's the middle of the workday, and I'm swamped – well, I've made myself extremely busy – and Max has the audacity to summon me to his office. I'm not his goddamn minion! I need to calm down before I go to his office because if I don't, he'll know I'm not doing well. How could I? It's been 14 days, 7 hours, and… 47 minutes since I held Brandy in my arms. Not that I've been counting.

I take a few deep breaths and think of my happy place. Except my happy place is when I'm deep inside Brandy, making her moan. I can't keep doing this. I have to stay strong. There can't be a relationship if there is no trust. The thing is, it's a small thing, isn't it? Why am I so angry at her? She did what I should have done years ago. Give our relationship a second chance.

Once I'm ready to tackle whatever Max has in store for me, I go to his office. I knock, and Max calmly calls me in. When I step in, I almost do a one-eighty and leave the room. Standing beside Max are his fiancé, Anne, and our other business partner and friend, Theo. What am I walking into?

"You rang?"

"You're dating yourself with that question," Anne says.

"This looks like an intervention."

"That's because it is," Theo says.

"I'm surprised that you're here, Theo. You're always so focused on the numbers. I don't think I've ever seen you out of your office outside of working hours."

"Hey, there's mushy stuff inside me too." He says in a deep voice.

"Right. Okay, out with it. Say what you want to say."

"Erik, we all love you…" Anne starts.

"And we also know what an idiot you can be sometimes." Max continues.

I look at them, and they are all serious. I think this is a joke.

"Any more aspersions on my person you want to cast?" I look at Theo.

"Dude, you've got to snap out of it and go get your girl."

I sit on one of the chairs in front of Max's desk and ponder what to say to that.

"I want to go get her. It's just…"

"What?"

"If I go to Woodland Falls and bring her back here to be with me, it's like I'm promising her forever. And we were just starting out our relationship. I don't know if I'm ready for everything else."

"I've never seen you be with a woman the way you are with Brandy," Max says. "Couldn't she be…"

"Don't say it!"

"…your soulmate?"

"Erik, I'm surprised at you. I didn't peg you for a coward." Anne says, crossing her arms.

I freeze at her words, and a chill goes through me. I am being a coward. I'm making excuses when all I want is to bring Brandy home.

"You think she'll take me back?"

"With some groveling," Anne says.

The plans for going back home start percolating in my head. Is there any way I can avoid my mother during my visit? Doubtful. And the old biddies that are in everyone's business? Even less. But my heart has been empty since I sent Bran away, and I have to do something before I go into full meltdown.

What finally convinces me that I'm doing the right thing is that I can finally breathe freely with every step I take toward Woodland Falls. The knot in my chest is untangled. That proves how deeply I love Brandy Lennon and how I cannot live without her.