Page 117 of The Rules We Broke
“Are you going to be here when I come home from work?” he asked.
I reached out and touched his cheek. “That’s the plan.”
He caught my hand and kissed my palm. “Then I love it.”
I wanted to believe him.
No—Ididbelieve him—that he loved me, that being together was what mattered most. But I also knew he wasn’t telling the whole truth.
He might be wearing a suit and city shoes, but in his heart, Brady was pure country. Atlanta didn’t feel like home to him. Not the way Kaysville did.
And somewhere inside me, a tiny knot of guilt began to tighten.
We climbed the stairs to the second floor—the main living area of my townhome. Brady paused at the top, taking everything in.
“City homes sure make you climb for comfort,” he said with a half-grin, glancing at the stairwell.
I laughed. “It keeps you in shape.”
He turned slowly, surveying the space. “It’s beautiful,” he said, though his voice was quieter than usual. His eyes lingered on the rich browns and creams, the warm gold accents, the subtle elegance I tried to tuck into every corner.
“But it’s . . . different,” he added, still glancing around.
“Different good? Different bad?”
“Just different,” he said more to himself.
I watched him walk through the great room and into my office, which opened off the main space. He stopped at the gallery wall filled with framed photos—me and Aunt Lu on vacations around the world, years of memories frozen in snapshots.
I stayed by the French doors, watching him study each one.
He was so quiet. I’d never seen him like this.
Eventually, I walked over and slipped my arms around him.
“Brady, what’s wrong?”
He pulled me in closer, holding me tight, but said nothing.
I leaned against him. “We don’t have to live here,” I whispered. “We can buy a house outside the city. There are wonderful family-friendly neighborhoods with schoolyards and front porches and people who wave when they drive by.”
His silence lingered, but the way he held me—like he didn’t want to let go—said everything.
“I’m sorry, Ellie. I love your house. It’s beautiful, and I seeyouin it. But I always pictured us at the lake—kids running through the grass, jumping off the dock. I’m just trying to adjust.”
“I know you love your house—and honestly, I do too. I just don’t know if I can live in Kaysville, especially so close to your parents after everything that’s happened. We could keep the lake house and visit on some weekends. That way our kids still get to enjoy it.”
He rubbed my back gently, his voice low and steady. “Darlin’, I love you. It doesn’t matter where we live—as long as it’s with you.”
Then he grinned down at me. “You got a bedroom?”
I laughed and pointed down the hall. “Yes. And it’s even furnished.”
“Will you let me wake up there beside you every day?”
That was my dream. “I’d love that. But Brady, I want you to be happy.”
He cupped my face in his hands, holding me in that quiet way that made everything slow down.
