Page 71 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
“Doesn’t she always?” Mick teased. “You’re not exactly marriage material, and Sophie’s like Amanda. She’s been dreaming of Mr. Right forever.”
“I know. I mean, you’ve told me that, but the last time I approached her at the wedding, she shut me up before I could say a word. She said, ‘There are a million girls in the world. Why do you want me?’”
“Sounds like Sophie. She likes to know why things happen and where she’s headed,” Mick said. “It’s one of the things that makes her so good at her job.”
“I’m sure. Mick, I gave her some half-cocked answer because I didn’t understand all the reasons myself. But that question stuck with me, and then she was all I could think about. And now I’m drowning in love for her, man. I’m not a wordsmith, but I’m beyond happy when we’re together. I told her things I haven’t told you or anyone else about Lorelei and Dad. And about myself.”
Mick was silent for so long, Brett feared he didn’t believe him. He couldn’t blame him. He’d never committed to a woman in his life.
“It’s true, Mick.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Mick’s voice was thick with emotion. “I’m just so damn happy for you it’s got me choked up. I worry about you, Brett. I’ve seen how you and Sophie look at each other. I knew what she felt for you, but I had no clue if you were even capable of…” He exhaled loudly. “I thought we’d lost that part of you.”
“You and me both,” Brett admitted. “Talking with her has helped me to realize a lot about myself. I have some shit to take care of before I can be the man she deserves, including an apology to you and everyone else in our family.”
“What the heck are you talking about? You’re one of the best men I know. You are every bit the man she deserves.”
“Not really. All that trouble I got into after we lost Lorelei? I think I wanted to punish Dad. I had a stupid kid’s perspective, but I blamed him for not protecting her.”
“Jesus, Brett. We all did. We were kids. We didn’t know any better.”
“Maybe so, but I was the one getting into trouble, and that had to piss him off even more. I think I pushed him over the edge.”
“My ass you did,” Mick said sternly. “Dad was on his way out the day we lost her. Nothing any one of us could have done would have kept him in the house. He was an adult, Brett, and he had a choice—fight for his family and hold them together, or check out. He checked out and spent all that time at the office. Don’t you remember? He was never home, and when he was, he was a mess.”
“I remember, but I added to it.”
“We all added to it. How could we not? A piece of each of us died right along with Lorelei, but don’t you dare take responsibility for him. Look, you see yourself in him because you have all that anger inside you, but you’re nothing like him. You’ve found ways to channel that anger away from the people you love. You’re twice the man he could ever be. And I hope that if Amanda and I have boys one day they’ll be as strong as you are.”
Brett swallowed hard against the emotions that stirred. “That’s really hard to hear. I don’t know if I should warn you not to want that or thank you for making me feel better.”
“Thank me, man. You deserve Sophie, and you’ve got to let that misplaced anger go. That’s water under the bridge.”
“Yeah, I’m working on it. Being here with Sophie and her family has reminded me what family should be like. She’s so relaxed and happy here, so loved…I need to be here with her, Mick. It’s healing in a way I can’t seem to heal back home. It feels good to see a family that’s still intact and not weighed down by the ghosts of their past, you know?” He thought of what Sophie had said about her Nana and Poppi losing a child and realized how true his statement was.
“I do. It’s giving you faith in family again, buddy. That’s huge.”
“It is. I’m wondering if you can spare Sophie for a few days? We can fly back Wednesday. She’ll be at work Thursday. She’s not asking for the time off. I am. I’ll pay for a temp to replace her. I’ll pay her salary. Whatever you want. I need this time with her so I can get my head on straight and be the man I want to be for her.”
