Page 87 of Seducing Bran
Ireland waited outside, stepping onto the beach to admire the lake while she waited for Bran. Hunt was still on duty at Club Kids. She supposed it was early enough that most parents hadn’t picked up their children from day camp yet.
Before she knew it, Bran was standing beside her. “Hey, I didn’t see you walk up.” Ireland’s smile fell. “Everything okay?”
Bran’s face was flushed, and he was staring out at the lake. “I just received a letter.”
She glanced back at the restaurant. “Here?”
He nodded. “My dad’s old secretary showed up and dropped it off. It was from my father.”
Ireland didn’t know much about Bran’s dad, except that he’d built Club Tahoe and hadn’t spent much time with Bran and his brothers.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “Why would your dad’s secretary drop off a letter from him now? Why not when he first passed away?”
He grabbed her hand and let out a sigh. “Esther worked with my father for decades. She was more than a secretary; she was like a second mother to us. As for why now, read the letter.” He handed her a sheet of paper with creases folded in it. The date was nearly two years ago to the day.
Dear Bran,
I worried about you, son. You never were the same after what happened in high school. Oh, you thought I didn’t know about the girl you got pregnant? I might have been gone from home often, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have eyes on you boys.
Five, there werefiveof you. I had my hands full. Which was why I kept tabs even if I couldn’t be present. Had to make sure you boys stayed alive or your mother would have killed me in the afterlife.
In short, I hope this letter finds you well. I hope you’re no longer beating yourself up for the past. And I hope the woman you’ve fallen in love with understands what a caring, kind man you are beneath the hard exterior.
If you’re wondering why you’re receiving this letter now, well, that’s simple. Esther has been given strict instructions. All you boys are to receive a letter on the day you fall in love—or thereabouts. So don’t tell the next son in line. My guess is Hunt will be the last, but I’ve been wrong before.
Love,
Dad
Tears glistenedin Bran’s eyes, and he blinked. “We had a pretty major rift, but I never knew he watched out for us in his own way. We all believed he didn’t care.”
Ireland wrapped her arms around him.
“Looking back, I can’t even blame him for everything,” Bran said. “You’ve seen how me and my brothers are. We’re pigheaded, and our teenage years were more about rebelling than anything else—no wonder the old man had spies watching us. The only one who went to work for our father was Adam, the ass-kisser.
“I bartended at a local restaurant and took classes at the community college. Got my two-year degree, and off I went to run a restaurant. I worked there for years, thinking that was the most I wanted out of life. And then Dad died and suddenly my brothers and me were in charge of Club Tahoe. I stepped it up with the restaurants, but I never thought I’d enjoy it. I thought it was more punishment for my sins.”
He turned and looked at her. “Working at Club Tahoe was exactly what I needed to push me out of my comfort zone. And it brought you into my life. If I hadn’t been working here and taken over for Hunt on the booze cruise, you wouldn’t have thrown yourself at me on the boat.”
“Thrown myself!”
Bran grinned and kissed her. “My dad gave me the best gift. He gave me you. In a manner of speaking.”
She hugged him tight. “Then I’m thankful for your dad, because you’re the best man I’ve ever met. I’ll forever be grateful I’m blessed to see the real you. The man you hide beneath your Cade stubbornness and pride.”
He frowned. “You make it sound bad.”
“What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment. Didn’t you mention some sort of punishment at the gym?”
“I did, didn’t I?” His eyes twinkled.
Epilogue
Ireland snuggled up to Bran on their couch. “You have excellent taste in furniture.”
He snorted. “You chose the furniture.”
“Did I? I thought you helped.”
