Page 68 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
Bad Boys After Dark:Brett
By: Melissa Foster
Nana set her hand on her hip with an amused expression. “My sources tell me that you two lovebirds were up all night. These walls aren’t soundproof, you know.”
Brett’s eyes widened. Sophie wanted to disappear.
“My apologies,” Brett said as he tightened his grip on Sophie and sat up, bringing her with him.
Could this get any more embarrassing?
Nana waved a hand. “No apologies necessary, but now it’s time to greet the day.”
Poppi appeared in the doorway and put an arm around Lindsay. He kissed the top of her head. His dark eyebrows and white hair made his blue eyes look as if they were painted on, and his easy smile warmed Sophie’s heart despite the craziness of the last few minutes.
“Nana, how about you leave these kids alone? Who’s ready to help make brunch?” her grandfather asked.
“Come on, Mom,” Sophie’s mother said as she dragged Nana toward the door. “How about we make sausage and eggs?” She looked over her shoulder and whispered, “Sorry. You two rest.”
Brett laughed. “We’re up for the day. Don’t worry.”
Lindsay sauntered closer to the bed and said, “I think you should skip your morning sausagefest and come down for breakfast with real sausage.” She hurried toward the door, giggling.
Sophie threw her pillow at Lindsay.
Brett tackled Sophie to the mattress, grinning like a fool while she tried to recover from her embarrassment.
“I love your family,” he said, and her heart soared.
“They’re freaks.” Embarrassed, she couldn’t believe he said he loved them.
“They’re real, baby. Like you.” His eyes were warm and loving, making his words even more meaningful. “I don’t want to leave today. Let’s stay for a few more days.”
“You want more time here?”
“Yes, more time with you, around your family, in your world. I want to see where you went to school, the field where you kissed and curtsied. I want to see your grandfather’s horses and that hayloft Lindsay told me about.”
“She told you?” I’m going to kill her!
“She did, and I want to replace that flashlight in the dark with a memory of us.” His gaze turned serious, and he said, “Tomorrow is Lorelei’s birthday, and usually the days around it are horrible for me. It was one of the reasons I was hesitant about coming here. But being here has made it easier, and our talk last night really helped me get out from under some of the guilt I’ve been carrying around. Being here with you makes me happy, Sophie. It reminds me of what a family should be like, and I want to experience more of it.”
She felt like her heart might explode. “I want to, but I have to work.”
“I’ll call Mick. He’ll understand. I’m sure Carson has told everyone about us by now. I won’t jeopardize your job. If he needs you back, that’s cool, or if you’d rather not stay, that’s okay, too. I just…” He pressed his lips to hers. “I want more with you, Sophie.”
“More time?” she asked softly.
“More everything.”
SOPHIE SPENT THE morning on cloud eleven, because when she got to cloud nine, she kept on soaring. She was filled with nervous energy, good energy, the type she hadn’t ever felt before. After helping her family cook, she and Brett skipped breakfast and went for a run, jogging into town. She showed him her elementary school, the café where she used to ride her bike to meet her friends when she was in middle school, and the eclectic clothing shop Grace’s sister Morgyn owned. They jogged by the library and kissed on the stone steps. Brett wanted to hear stories and memories about each place, and she loved how intently he listened to each and every one.
When they reached the high school, he took her hand and led her out to the middle of the field. It was a brisk morning, and his hand was cool to the touch, despite the sweat on his brow from their run. He tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and lifted her hand to his lips, placing a kiss on her knuckles. “I keep asking myself, if we had met when we were younger, would we have been this connected? Would you have been able to slow me down, to make me think and feel, the way you do now? Or did I need to go through all that I have for us to find each other?”
