Page 41 of And Then There Was Us
“I’m sorry. I—”
“Shh. I didn’t mean to make you sad. I was hoping this would be a good thing. I’m so sorry.”
She reached up and touched his cheek. “This is a great thing. They’re happy tears, not sad. You’re the most thoughtful man I’ve ever met, and I’m sorry I’m bawling like a baby.”
He wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb. “You carry so much responsibility on your shoulders, Bree. I’m in awe of the courage and strength you have, and the thought of you being sad about the morning after such a wonderful day with your father kills me.”
“I’m not courageous.” She lowered her eyes.
He lifted her chin. “You’re the bravest woman I know. You’ve given your life to make Layla’s as good as it can be. That’s brave, Bree. Brave is shouldering the responsibility and putting yourself last. Brave is carrying on every day against the odds. Brave is pushing past the morning your father left and making sure your daughter never has to experience that pain.”
His words brought more tears. No one had ever called her brave before. How could he see those things in her in only a few short days? How could anyone?
She pressed her cheek to his chest and closed her eyes, listening to the rhythm of his heart and feeling the walls around hers crumble, piece after fragile piece.
Chapter Eighteen
THEY CLIMBED ONTO the carousel, and Brianna chose a pink horse, just as she’d told Hugh she had that afternoon so many moons ago. When she’d first teared up, he feared he’d ruined their night, but when she drew back from his chest and he saw the tenderness in her eyes, he knew he’d done the right thing. Now he sat behind her on the pink horse, her back pressed against his chest, her hair whipping with the wind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his cheek to hers.
They rode the carousel three times before climbing off.
“That was so fun. Layla would love this.” Brianna’s tears were gone, replaced by glistening sparkles from the lights of the carousel.
“I thought about bringing her, but this was for you. Maybe one day I can take you both on a date. She can get dressed up and feel like a big girl and we’ll get a little extra time together. There’s a light show at the Ginter Gardens that I think she’d enjoy, or we could go to Maymont. There’s a petting zoo there and nice trails and things. Or we could see a play since she loves them.”
“Hugh.”
He felt his shoulders sink a little lower. “It’s okay.”
“No, that wasn’t ano. That was a ‘Hugh!’” She put her arms around his neck and said, “I’ve never taken her to the light show, and I think she’d really enjoy that.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his chin. “She’ll love it, and I can’t keep you hidden forever.”
Forever.Hugh hadn’t been thinking in those terms, but now the word lingered in his mind in a way that would have made him bolt the other way a few months ago.
“Great, well, when you decide it’s appropriate, we’ll do it. And we don’t have to do any of those things. If she’d rather go to McDonald’s and throw a Frisbee or go to a movie, I’m all for it. I’d just like to take you both out so she doesn’t feel left out.”
Hugh couldn’t pin down why he was feeling the need to push forward and meet Layla, but after talking with Treat and spending years not allowing his heart to be heard, it felt like the right thing to do. He couldn’t help but think that maybe fate had stepped in after all. He’d been happier over the last two days than he’d been in years.
They came upon the cotton candy vendor that Hugh had hired, and he handed them an enormous paper cone of pink sugary deliciousness.
Hugh grabbed a hunk with his fingers and raised his eyebrows. “Open up.”
She opened her mouth, and he placed the fluff of whipped sugar on her tongue. Brianna closed her lips around his fingers, sending a flare of heat to his loins and a groan he had to work hard to stifle to his lungs. The seductive look in her eyes drew his mouth to hers. Sugar covered their tongues and melted in their mouths. The combination of his growing feelings toward Brianna and the hope for a future together made the kiss even sweeter than their first. They kissed long after the cotton candy had melted. The music faded. The lights on the carousel went out, and the cotton candy vendor discreetly pushed his cart away. Brianna smelled so fresh, and she tasted of sugary wine. Beyond that, she tasted of Brianna. The captivating taste he’d experienced earlier that morning, when she’d fallen into his arms and he thought he’d dreamed up his perfect match.
“I have to take you home,” Hugh said between kisses.
“Home? No.”
Hugh pried his lips from hers. “No?”
She shook her head vehemently. “No. I want to be with you, Hugh. More than anything, I want to be with you tonight.”
“Yes…my home.” He put his hands on her gorgeous cheeks and took her in another hungry kiss.
They hurried to the car, kissing along the way, and jogging hand in hand. Once in the car, Brianna lifted serious eyes to Hugh. “Don’t we have to clean up dinner or let someone know we’re leaving?”
“Boy, do I like you.” Hugh kissed her again. “They know.” He drove toward his house with a million thoughts of Brianna—and what he wanted to do with her—storming through his head.
At the house, Brianna was quiet. Hugh knew she was nervous by the way she bit her lower lip and the way her eyes darted from him to the floor and back again. Seeing her so nervous made him even more so. He didn’t turn on the overhead lights; instead he went to the living room and used the remote to turn on the fireplace and the stereo, which played soft rock through the wall-mounted speakers.
