Page 31 of And Then There Was Us
“I was embarrassed. There we were, making out, and I had to stop to take a phone call.” She shook her head and reached for the door handle.
“Hey, Bree.” He grabbed her hand. “Layla comes first. I get that. It’s the way it should be. I respect you for it. My father did the same thing with us. I’m not upset, and I’m not some kind of animal driven by sex.”
“Hugh,” she whispered, “you’re a little too good to be true. I’m waiting for something bad to bite me in the butt.”
He raised his eyebrows. “If you’re into that sort of thing.”
She pushed him playfully away with a little laugh. “You know what I mean.”
“I do, and I’m sort of waiting for the same thing, but right now, I’m not going to fight it. I like to be with you, and you have a daughter. It’s an easy equation to understand. The more difficult part is, when can I see you again?”
Brianna pressed her lips together. “That’s the hard part. I have Layla every minute I’m not at work. This weekend was a fluke.” Kat had offered to babysit, but with working so many hours, Brianna would feel guilty leaving Layla after not seeing her all day.
He nodded. “Okay, well, I have a few things to do throughout the week, but can I come by your work and see you?”
“Of course, but, Hugh, I know what my life is like, and I know it will seem insurmountable to you. We’ve had more time together since we’ve met than I’ve taken for myself in years. I run from mommying to bartending to working with Claude, and some days I have to check the calendar twice to be sure of the day. Don’t feel pressure to see me just because you were nice to me for a few days.”
“Brianna, do you know what it feels like to hear that time and time again?”
It wasn’t the sharpness of his tone that silenced her. It was the hurt in his eyes.
“I’m sorry.” His voice softened, and he met her gaze. “I’m not angry, but I keep telling you how I feel about you and you keep pushing me away. If you really want me to walk away, I can do that. But don’t kiss me like that and then shut me out. It’s confusing to me, Bree. I’m not good at games. I’m a cut-and-dry guy. You either want to see me or you don’t. I know you don’t know me that well yet, but I wouldn’t spend the day with you if I didn’t want to. I’m notthatnice of a person.”
Brianna looked down. “I’m sorry. I just—”
He let out a sigh. “You need to spend time working and with Layla. I’m not asking you not to do those things. I don’t know how we’ll get time together, but do you want to try? Do you want me to call you?”
“Yes, more than anything.”
“That’s a start. You must get a lunch or dinner break at work, or have time one morning after you take Layla to school? We could meet for coffee.”
Brianna felt the minutes—and her perfect fantasy day with Hugh—slipping away. “Call me and I’ll look at my work schedule. I really do want to see you.”
Hugh climbed from the car and opened her door. He’d been holding her hand all day, and now, as she placed her hand in his, it felt natural. It felt comfortable, and the last thing she wanted to do was walk away.
He took her in his arms again, and she was glad she’d worn her boots, because the extra three inches brought her that much closer to his lips.
“I’ll call you. Have fun with Layla.” He kissed her softly.
“Thank you for everything.”Why does this feel like goodbye forever?
He walked her to her car and put her bags in the trunk. They found the key in the tailpipe, just where Art said he’d leave it. She climbed in and it started right up. Brianna felt like she’d gone full circle. They’d begun getting close the night her car died, and here she was, feeling like she’d never see him again, no matter what he’d said. She knew how crazy her schedule was, and even as they said goodbye and she tried to work through the options in her mind, she couldn’t find an easy way to fit him in.
Hugh leaned through the window and kissed her again. She ran her fingers through his hair, hoping to remember everything about him—just in case.
Her heart ached as she drove down the driveway, and the lump in her throat that she’d fought against earlier returned with a vengeance. By the time she reached her mother’s house, she felt as if she’d lost her best friend.
“Mommy!” Layla jumped into her arms at the front door.
“Hi! Wow. Did you have a great day?” She kissed Layla’s cheek and set her back on the floor. Brianna had grown up in the small rambler, and she loved that her mother had the same plaid furniture and the same funky kitchen table with carved paws at the bottom of each leg. She’d freshened the rooms with paint and new carpeting throughout the years, but the bigger items remained the same. The school photos leading down the hall marked the years of change for Brianna and now for Layla, too.
“The play was so good! And you should have seen the handsome prince.” Layla pulled her by the hand into the kitchen, where her mother was stirring something in a big bowl.
“A handsome prince? Tell me all about him.” She bent down and looked Layla in the eye, thinking of her own handsome prince. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and everything he said and did was sincere. Of that she was certain. Brianna had never believed in fairy tales, and now, just the thought of Hugh made her consider her own happily ever after.
Layla jumped up and down in her sparkly sneakers. “Oh, Mommy! He was tall and so nice to the princess. He brought her flowers, and when he kissed her, the whole stage got bright like the sun!”
“Wow. Now, that’s a kiss,” Brianna said, thinking of Hugh and how her whole body sizzled when they’d kissed.
