Page 60 of And Then There Was Us
Brianna shook her head. “No. He’s great. Better than great, and it’s scary as anything. What if I’m in some dream world and I mess up Layla? She talks about him nonstop after spending only one evening with him. What if once he spends more time with me he finds out how complicated my life really is and he decides that it’s not for him? What if he decides—”
Kat pulled her close. “Honey, he’s not your dad, and he’s not Layla’s father, either. Take a deep breath. You’ve got yourself stuck in a tunnel of doubt.”
Brianna nodded as she pulled away. “Geez, Kat. I never cry. I’m like a bundle of nerves and girlie emotions. What has happened to me?”
“You fell in love, Bree. That’s what it does to you. It turns you inside out and messes with your mind…and your body.” She sighed dreamily. “I can’t wait until it happens to me.”
Brianna laughed. “You’re a glutton for punishment.”
Kat smacked Brianna’s butt. “Maybe, but only sometimes.” She winked.
That little tap veered Brianna’s mind to the sex-tip articles she’d been reading, which made her think about making love to Hugh. She wiped the last of her tears from her eyes.It turns you inside out and messes with your mind. I’m totally messed up.
No.
I’m totally in love with Hugh Braden.
Chapter Thirty
LAYLA AND HER grandmother were sitting on the floor playing with Barbies when Brianna walked into her mother’s house.
“Mommy! Is it time for our date?” Layla rose to her feet and jumped up and down.
Brianna kissed her on the cheek and ran her hand over Layla’s silky hair. “Almost, princess. Why don’t you put the toys away and get your shoes on?” She watched Layla gather her dolls and pulled out her phone to read a text.
Hi, beautiful. I’ll be there at seven thirty. Can’t wait to see you both. Xox, H.
She texted back.Us too. Xox.
Her mother rose to her feet. “Can we talk in the kitchen?”
“Sure.” Brianna stuffed her phone into her pocket and breathed deeply to calm her erratic pulse. By the serious tone of her mother’s voice, she assumed Layla had said or done something that concerned her, which did nothing to help her calm down. “What’s up, Mom?”
“I received a phone call today from Maureen Hooper.” Maureen Hooper had worked for the city of Richmond for the past twenty-five years, and she was the biggest gossip on this side of town.
“Yeah. And?” Relieved that Layla hadn’t picked up some bad words at school or said something off base, she was completely thrown by her mother’s serious eyes and pinched lips.
“Bree, why didn’t you tell me about what Hugh did for you?”
Brianna’s breath caught in her throat. What she saw wasn’t seriousness at all; it was hurt.How did I miss that?She was too wrapped up in herself.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I thought it might upset you because of Dad.”
Her mother put her hand over her mouth and shook her head. The sadness in her eyes was now unmistakable. She pulled Brianna into a hug, startling her.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry.” She crossed her arms. “When Maureen told me about the carousel and the park, I put two and two together and realized how much you must have hurt from your father’s leaving. I mean, that’s the last time you were on a carousel, so it wasn’t hard to figure out why he chose that. Let’s face it. That afternoon made a huge impact on you.”
“So did the next morning, Mom, when he left. Remember?”
Her mother dropped her eyes. “Yes. Of course, and I’m sorry for anything I’ve done to make it even harder.”
“Mom, you didn’t make it harder.”At least not on purpose.She clenched her eyes against the tears that threatened. Was her entire night going to be spent in tears?
Her mother nodded. “Yes, I did. I was so angry at him. I know what I did, and I was aware of it at the time, but I couldn’t stop myself from saying all those things about him. I never should have said a negative thing. I should have just said the marriage ended and it was both of our faults.”
“You never said much, Mom. You just said he couldn’t stand the heat or something.” She remembered every word her mother had said and how it had struck her like a brick to the chest, but there was no need to make her mother relive that too. She knew her mother had been overwhelmed, and the pain in her mother’s eyes was apology enough.
