Page 120 of When the Storm Breaks
He lifted his beer bottle and raised his brows, waiting to hear what we were toasting to. “To honesty. Let’s always be open and honest with each other. No secrets, no lies.” I turned in my seat for a better view of his face. He was staring straight ahead, not at me, his face in shadows from the glow of the candlelight. “Brody?”
“Yeah?” He turned his head and his eyes flitted over my face, searching for something although I didn’t know what. He opened his mouth to speak then shut it again.
“Can we drink to that?”
He hesitated a beat then his eyes locked onto mine and he nodded. “Sure.”
Maybe I should have noticed the hesitation, the troubled look on his face. But I didn’t. He clinked his bottle against my glass and we both drank to honesty. No secrets, no lies, no withheld information. While I was in Texas over the Christmas holidays, we’d confided so many things to each other. I’d told him about Rhett Holloway and the money I’d given him to open a bar and how I hadn’t heard from him since. Brody had said that Rhett didn’t deserve to call himself a father and he wouldn’t have given him a dime. That was when I figured out that Brody held grudges and didn’t forgive easily.
When he’d probed me for more information about Dean, and asked if I’d been abused, I answered him honestly. I hadn’t given him every little detail of my relationship with Dean, but enough that he got the picture. Our relationship had been toxic, fueled by alcohol and drugs, and by the time I left Dean I’d been in a bad place. But when I met Brody, he’d revived my faith in men. Had made me see there were good men out there who were honest and true and strong without making you feel like they needed to control you.
I didn’t want to waste any more time dwelling on Landry or Dean or Rhett. Maybe, by the end of this tour, I’d find a way to talk to Landry and we’d clear the air. But tonight, I wanted to devote all my attention to Brody.
“Let’s dance.”
“You wanna dance?”
“Scared? Is the two-step the extent of your dancing repertoire?” I teased.
He gave me that charming Brody McCallister grin, his teeth so white and the little lines around his eyes crinkling. “I’m not a one-trick pony, baby.”
“Prove it.”
And he did. He led, and I followed, our bodies moving in perfect sync to the rhythm of the sexy, sensuous beat. One hand on the small of my back, the other one clasping mine, our eyes locked, we danced in a small club in Miami. And everything about it was so perfect.
Being with Brody was almost too good to be true.
“Do you think it’s possible for us to have it all?” I asked him.
Without hesitation he said, “We already do.”
I’d found my one true love and I was going to prove everyone wrong. Brody and I would have it all.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Brody
On Friday morningI had a few hours to myself. Earlier, Shiloh had been chauffeured to a morning radio show appearance and afterward she had an interview. I sure as hell didn’t want to spend my morning in this hotel room. Everything, and I meaneverything, was white. The upholstered wall behind the white bed, the glossy white floor, the fucking marble in the bathroom, and all the furniture. It reminded me of a padded cell. A very expensive padded cell, no doubt.
After I worked out in the hotel gym, I took a shower in the room then strode out of the hotel, past the infinity pool with white cabanas and a few women who looked like fashion models. I didn’t even look twice. I walked to the closest coffee shop, a hipster haven like most of South Beach and ordered a large coffee and a breakfast burrito then carried them to a sidewalk table.
After I ate the burrito, I sat back with my coffee and called Glenn to ask how everything was going at the ranch. What Shiloh had failed to realize was that by giving me a not-for-profit horse rescue, my already limited free time was now virtually non-existent. It took a hell of a lot of work and resources to operate a horse ranch that size and even three days away from it was difficult to swing.
“Jude and his buddy Tommy are coming by later,” Glenn told me.
My eyes narrowed. “What for?”
“Said they’ve recruited some volunteers.”
“And why in the hell would Jude bring them over on a day I’m not there?”
“Can’t answer for Jude. Best ask him yourself.”
I sighed. “Everything else okay?”
“Yup. If I need you, I’ll be sure to call you. No need to keep checking in.” A man of few words, Glenn cut the call and I called my cousin.
“Why the hell can’t you wait until I get home?” I asked, skipping the greeting.
