Page 30 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

The scent of pizza had her groaning. “Please tell me there’s a big slice with my name on it.”

“I got a large,” he chuckled. “There’s about five pieces with your name on them.”

Cora shook her head. “If I ate five pieces, I’d have to waddle to the car. Two is probably my limit.”

“I’m going to hand you a treat for Heidi. Hold out your left hand.”

Shifting, Cora held out her hand. “What did you get Heidi? You didn’t have to do anything special for her. She’s used to being around me at meals. She’s not like typical dogs who beg.”

Braxton dropped several hard treats into her hand. “I know she’s used to it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get her something. I feed you, I feed her. You guys are a package deal, right?”

Wow. The man totally got her in ways others didn’t. When she’d first brought Heidi home, her parents hadn’t exactly been welcoming of a dog in their home. Cora had moved back in because the fear of living alone while unable to see had terrified her. She’d been vulnerable and hated that she’d been robbed of her independence.

In the days when her sight was starting to go, she’d researched how to live with blindness. Counting steps to maneuver around her home, using her other senses to heighten awareness of her surroundings and slowing down. Nothing was rushed anymore, another reason to get out of the city. The country life called to her long ago, so it was only fitting she stay here.

She had grown so much in the last three years, had pushed her fears aside because she wanted to thrive, she wanted to live. Heidi had helped in the recovery both emotionally and physically.

Much like her parents, Eric hadn’t been very welcoming of Heidi. But the instant Cora had been matched with Heidi, she’d felt such a connection and that solitary feeling she’d had was gone. Heidi may be just a dog to some, but to Cora she was her friend, her connection to the world.

She had that same feeling when she was with Braxton. She didn’t have to explain herself, he just knew how to make her feel part of everything going on around her and he completely embraced the fact she and Heidi were a package deal.

Cora knew she was sliding deeper into a territory she wasn’t ready for and she had a feeling she better hang on tight because this journey wasn’t waiting for her mind to catch up.

“Yeah,” she replied, gripping the treats. “We’re a team.”

Cora adjusted so she faced Heidi and hopefully would not make a fool of herself if the emotions became too much to handle. Braxton said all the right things, did all the right things, yet she couldn’t trust her feelings where he was concerned. She wanted to enjoy their time together, keep it simple and not analyze every aspect of their new relationship to death. She’d told him she wanted a friend and that’s exactly what he was doing.

They ate in silence and Cora wasn’t even the slightest bit embarrassed that she had three pieces. Her maxidress was stretchy and, well . . . she just wanted to.

Once they were done, Cora crossed her ankles, leaned back on her elbows, and listened as Braxton picked up their mess.

“Tell me what the evening looks like right now,” she requested. “I know that’s such a silly request, but sometimes, like now, I wish I could see what’s around me.”

The rustling of the trash stopped. “Trust me. The most beautiful sight right now has nothing to do with the atmosphere around us.”

Cora’s breath caught as Braxton shifted, the blanket gave a slight pull, and he stomped away. His car door opened, then slammed. She heard him mutter a curse and he clearly was battling some war with himself. Just another thing they had in common.

Fighting whatever was happening wasn’t working because she couldn’t say no to the man and he couldn’t seem to keep his distance. She had a feeling, sooner rather than later, all of this friction and tension would consume both of them.

When he settled in beside her, the warmth from his body washed over hers. He sat close; she knew if she reached her hand out he’d be right there. So she remained still and told herself that was the smartest way to go about this.

“So tell me about Chelsea.” She wanted to stay here, in this moment, but at the same time she balanced a fine line between what was right and what she truly wanted. “From what little I’ve heard about her, she was an amazing woman.”

“She was,” Braxton agreed softly. “I’ve never met someone with such a free spirit and a love for life. She would sacrifice her own happiness to see someone else smile. She and I had that in common. We were always worrying about everyone else. I always worried for her b

ecause she’d constantly move from one adventure to the next. Sometimes I wondered if she was trying to fill a void left by her biological parents, but she never would open up about them.”

Cora heard the love in his tone. Selfishly, she found herself wanting someone to speak of her in such an adoring manner. What Braxton and his siblings shared was a beautiful bond. While the guys may have obstacles, they were winning every single day. She wanted to be winning in her life. She wanted to overcome her hurdles and figure out exactly where she was meant to be.

“Was Chelsea the youngest?” Cora asked.

“Yes, but she came to live with the Monroes first.”

Confused, Cora turned her head to face where Braxton sat. “She’s adopted?”

“We all are,” he replied easily.

Stunned, Cora tried to process the fact that this set of siblings had a stronger bond than nearly any family she knew. Which just went to prove how dynamic, how strong and determined they were. She was going to love working for them.

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