Page 46 of A Brilliant Spring

My mouth drops open, along with Riley’s. Rhys is shifting his weight and looking between Riley and me with confusion.

“Did I miss something?” His low, rumbly voice breaks the silence.

“Only that my daughter needs to get her shit together and make sure she fixes things with Brandt.”

I’m floored.

“What do you mean, Mother?”

“Well, he only sat beside you for the entire time you were in a coma, except for when Theo showed up,” she huffs. “It seemed as though he thought there was something going on between you and Theo, considering what Theo said.” My heart stutters in my chest, stopping me from breathing for a moment.

“What did he say?” I groan.

“Something about getting together for dinner. We all know in our circle that’s just idle chatter, but Brandt seemed to think it was more,” she says, bored, as she extracts a nail file from her purse and begins sculpting a nail.

I grimace as I force my body to sit up, bracing myself for what’s going to be a long and painful recovery, only to possibly be shattered again at the end.

Chapter

Forty-One

Elissa

The next two weeks drag on as I power through my recovery. I’ve been stuck in physiotherapy for the small amount of muscle mass I lost because of being bedridden for over a week, but also the bruised ribs, which are fucking painful to work through, by the way. Also, I’ve started attending therapy again — especially after my mother’s big speech. I’ve really spent a lot of time these last two weeks working on myself with my therapist and figuring out why I don’t let people in. I mean, I know it’s because of my parents, but it’s freeing knowing that I’m working past these issues. My mother has even sat in on a few of those sessions with me. But I’m doing all this because I’ve got one goal in mind: getting Brandt back.

I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, but I’ll figure it out. I’ve slowly come to a space where there’s no denial. I love him. He’s the air I need to breathe. These last weeks without him have sucked the life out of me, and it’s agonizing, because I still feel the ghost of his touch, his lips, his hands on me. I miss the way his lips brush against my skin, making goosebumps ripple across my body. I miss the way my body fits and molds perfectly withhis, and the way his cock fills me like no one else’s ever has. I miss the way saying his name feels on the tip of my tongue as I’m breathless and riding the waves of pleasure.

I’m finally making some progress in my recovery, and I’m sitting in the waiting room waiting for my last session with my physiotherapist. It’s a big, wide-open space with treadmills and other various exercise equipment, like weights and stretching bands. One wall is a bank of windows that opens the space up into downtown Toronto, though it’s littered with buildings blocking the view. Cars are bumper-to-bumper down in Yonge-Dundas Square, and it’s the only thing you can really see outside of the windows.

“Elissa?” I’m finally called back into the physiotherapist’s office for a review of my progress. I walk through the workout space, passing people who are huffing and grunting as they do their stretches and exercises. I sit down in the plush black leather chair in her office. “Well, Elissa. After the last round of therapy, I’d say you’re almost at one hundred percent. I think I can clear you for work, and you can finally start jogging again — not running, but jogging.” The bruises on my ribs still look horrible, but they’re fading, and they’re mostly superficial now. My sides really only hurt if I turn the wrong way too quickly. “I will see you in two weeks, and in the meantime, keep up with the exercises I prescribed.”

Overjoyed, I glide out of the office, finally able to get back into the pace of things. To say I was surprised when my mother took over operations at work while I was down for the count is an understatement. And to admit she’s done a great job is even harder to believe. Here’s this trophy wife who can actually kick ass at business. Sure, there were some fumbles and calls I wouldn’t have made, but I guess being with and around my father and his work all the time really prepared her. I dig my phone out of my purse and text Riley right away about the progress I’ve made and about my last therapy session, and text the board about my imminent return.

My phone beeps, twice. One is a message from Riley.

Riley: Way to go! Go get him, girl.

The other is an email from work, and my heart glows.

I rush home, my mind swirling in a tizzy as I bolt through the front door and make my way to my room.

“Riley! Come help me choose my outfit for Monday!” I call out into the silent apartment.

I pull everything out of my closet, things fluttering to the floor, landing on my bed, or falling flat at my feet as Riley shuffles into my room. Her belly has gotten bigger and it enters the room before she does now. It’s crazy to think she has just about three months left of her pregnancy.

“What’s going on?” she says in a yawn as she rubs her eyes. Her black hair is fluffy and tangled at the back, while her wrinkled shirt shows her little bump sticking out the bottom.

“I just got an email saying Brandt is going to be attending the board meeting on Monday. Riley, I’m going to go for it. I’ve got to talk to him.”

Riley’s face lights up, her eyes filling with tears. She cries at everything lately, a side effect of pregnancy, I suspect.

“Oh, I am so happy for you, babe!”

I grin back at her, my smile beaming at one thousand watts. I’m smiling so hard it hurts my cheeks. My fingers and toes are tingly, and my heart is pounding in my chest as I’m heaving breaths in and out. I’m going to get him back.

Chapter

Forty-Two

---