Page 45 of Fight for Me

Brody takes a breath and sits back to get a hold of my hand again. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t there. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but I need to say my piece.”

I nod my head for him to go on, and put my free hand on top of our clasped palms.

“I’m not making excuses for myself. But I got hurt pretty badly in the fire, so the first weeks after that, I wasn’t even a part of the manhunt. The burns on my body were pretty severe. I had to undergo a few skin transplants and surgeries. The pain was so severe at times, I actually considered ending it all...” he says reluctantly, and I retrieve my hand to cover my mouth as I gasp. “Anyway, when I was ready to get back on my feet, the whole population of Bell Ridge was already like an enraged swarm of bees. Turned out, your father wouldn’t leave without sowing even more chaos into my world. An anonymous letter was delivered to the station, containing photographs of each of our meetings. Some of them looked... suggestive, when you were joking around, and things like that.” Brody glances away, looking abashed. “On top of everything that happened, I was a suspect now for soliciting a minor.”

“You’re fucking joking,” I say, my eyes wide with disbelief. “They actually thought that because of some stupid pictures?”

He clears his throat and nods. “Of course, the charges were dropped eventually due to lack of evidence. But I was mostly done in Bell Ridge. Done in the law enforcement too.”

“Jesus Christ,” I whisper and rub at my chest.

“I think it could explain Diaz’s reaction to you, and to the kid,” Brody tilts his head toward Henry, who looks ready to drop at any second. “Probably thought he was mine or something.”

I stand up and take the tired, fussing toddler into my arms, surprised when Brody indicates to pass him over. Henry willingly crawls onto his lap and squishes his face against the giant man’s torso before he’s dead asleep within seconds.

Brody looks down at the sleeping baby, with a soft smile, and says in a lower voice, “I wouldn’t complain if he were mine.” My heart skips a beat, and I hold my breath when he peers at me. “But it just shows how narrow-minded people are. I would never do that with you.”

I swear I hear a balloon pop somewhere in my brain.

I look away with a snort and try to cover my hurt at hearing that last sentence with a joking tone, “Jeez, Brody. I know I’m far from Miss Universe, but you didn’t have to say it like that. I know I’m way out of your league.”

“What?” Brody asks incredulously, his head swinging back. He then seems to get what he said and shakes his head, before rearranging sleeping Henry, so he can turn to look directly at me. “That came out wrong. What I meant was that I would never use you like that. I wanted to help you. To think that they assumed I used you at your most fragile and then left you with a baby to fend for yourself is fucking outlandish, Jen. Did I like you? Yes, obviously. Was I into you? Of course, you’re beautiful. It was hard for me to...” He stops when he realizes what he just said and grimaces.

I can feel the deflated balloon of hope rising again in my mind. For the life of me, I can’t stop the smile that comes to my face. I quickly wipe it off and clear my throat. “I think it’s getting pretty late. I need to get the little one to bed, and I have work in the morning.”

Brody glances at his watch and mutters, “Yeah, me too.”

“So, what is it that you do now, if you’re done with the police stuff?” I inquire as we descend the stairs together, Henry sleeping soundly in Brody’s arms.

“Construction. My uncle Frank, Ruth’s husband, taught me a thing or two in my teenage years, so I decided to put that to good use,” he answers with a neutral expression on his face.

“Do you miss working as an agent?” I ask after we say our goodbyes to everyone and exit the building.

Brody hums in his throat before answering, “Not really. I guess it wasn’t for me. Maybe I have too much... conscience? I took every case personally, and it proved to be almost deadly for me. Construction feels almost like therapy in a way. It’s very soothing to build something and to see the effects of your hard work. I don’t know...”

“I’m glad you found something fulfilling after everything,” I say and open my car, so Brody can put Henry into his car seat. When the sleeping toddler is strapped in, and Brody straightens from the car, I move closer to him and grab onto his arm.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all of this. Because of my father... because of me,” I say quietly.

He reaches his hand toward my face with an intense expression, and just like that last time three years ago, puts the one lock of my hair behind my ear.

“I would go through all of it again, if it meant that you’re safe, Jen.”

I blink up at him, feeling a wave of sadness hit me all of a sudden. “This isn’t a goodbye, right?”

Brody shakes his head, and smiles warmly, before he leans toward me, making my heart gallop. He brushes his lips on my forehead, and mutters, “Not a goodbye, sweetheart. A new beginning.” Then he moves back, and says, “Drive safe,” before walking away, leaving me by my car with my mouth agape.

What was that?

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