Page 49 of And Then There Was Us
“Bree, that’s a fast crowd. You sure he treated you okay?” His eyes softened.
“Yeah, Mack.” She leaned on the shelf beside him. “Better than okay. He’s probably the nicest guy I’ve ever met.” She smiled up at him. “Besides you, I mean.”
He nodded unconvincingly.
“Mack, he’s careful with me, and protective, but not overly possessive, and he’s always concerned about Layla and not messing things up for us.”
“Just promise me you’ll be careful and be smart. I’d hate to have to kill him if he hurt you.”
Brianna leaned against his side. “Thanks, Mack. Can I ask you something?”
“Anything, you know that.”
“Am I weird?” She watched his eyes shine with laughter, then grow serious.
“What do you mean?”
“Kat thinks I’m weird because I’m used to giving Layla my full attention. I just don’t want to be one of those women who slights her kid, you know? But I also don’t want to be some kind of freak who isn’t relatable. I don’t want to turn around when she’s eighteen and have been so blocked off that even she thinks I’m weird.” She sighed. “I wish parenthood came with a handbook.”
Mack put his arm around her. “Don’t we all? You’re weird, Bree—that’s for sure—but not a bad weird. We’re all a little weird. I’ve watched you raise Layla since she was a baby, and you’re a little overly focused, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.” He started to reorganize the bottles on the shelves. “You spend all of your time with Layla or at work. All your brain thinks about is what you know, right? So since Layla was born, you’ve been thinking about work and Layla. You talk with Kat, or go shopping, or whatever, spend time with your mom, I guess. But that’s a really small piece of your life. Suddenly Braden shows up.” He winked at her.
She couldn’t help but smile.
“He comes into your life, but you’re so focused on this safe world you set up for yourself and Layla that you don’t really know how—or if you want to—venture outside of that world. So now you’ve got life over here.” He waved his left arm. “And over here.” He waved his right arm. “And in the center are you and Layla. You’re playing a game of tug-of-war. But, Bree, that game is all in your head, because every day your daughter goes out into the world with her friends. She laughs; she plays; she does schoolwork. She’s growing up and learning, but you…” He frowned and narrowed his eyes. “You don’t give yourself a chance to expand your own life experiences.”
“So what are you saying? I should join more of life and forget about doing the right thing by my daughter?”
“No. Definitely not.” He took her hand and led her away from the shelf. “Bree, you’re twenty-eight. You’re still a kid yourself. You deserve to fall in love, have fun, learn, take pictures, for Pete’s sake. You used to do that all the time.”
“My camera broke.”
“You know what I mean. Being a good mother and being a woman don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Look at Tami. She’s a mom, but she’s also a woman, with me and in general. She gets her hair done, she goes out with friends, and she still comes home and loves us all up. And I think it makes her a better mother by doing those things.”
Brianna sighed. “So why do I feel so guilty?” She covered her face.
“Because you’ve been perfect—and weird—for a very long time. And because you care. Trust your instincts, Bree. If Braden isn’t the right guy for you, you’ll know it in your heart. If he is…” He shrugged. “You’ll know that, too. But you have to start by allowing yourself to be a woman. It’s okay to think about a guy you like while you’re with Layla. I’d worry you didn’t like him very much if you didn’t think about him. Especially this early on in a relationship.”
She sighed. “Thanks, Mack. Why is it that when you explain it to me, I get it, but when Kat says it, I feel like she’s just pushing me to go out and have fun?”
“Because I’m old and she’s young. And with age comes a false facade of being wise.”
Brianna arched a brow.
“Or some crap like that.” He laughed.
The door opened, and Kat popped her head into the stockroom. “Bree, lover boy is here.”
“He’s here?”Ugh. I look awful.She reached up and patted her hair.
“You look beautiful,” Mack said with a smile. He looked at his watch. “You’re on break anyway. Go.”
HUGH HAD WAITED all day to see Brianna, and as she came through the stockroom doors, he felt a flutter in his chest. It took all his willpower not to sweep her into his arms and kiss her right then and there.
“Hi.” He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips.
“Hi. What are you doing here?” Her eyes darted around the bar, and he realized that Mack and Kat were both watching them.
He released her hand and nodded at Mack, then waved at Kat. “I know you only have twenty minutes, but I thought I might monopolize at least fifteen of them.”
