Brett’s temper rose, but he kept it under control. “Not as different as you think, but I don’t expect you to see that yet. If you can’t be happy for me, be happy for her. She has been a good friend to you. Be one to her.”
Spencer didn’t answer at first, then he said, “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
Good enough. “Understood, but that won’t be necessary. I’m a better man because she came into my life, hopefully a better brother as well. When we get back, I’ll prove it to you.”
“Where are you?”
“With Alisha.” Brett walked to the glass door of his suite and looked out over the water. “You’re my brother, and I’ve always been here for you. I may not have done it the way you would have liked, but I’ve always cared about you and always will.”
“Did you tell Mom about Alisha yet?” Spencer asked.
“No, but that’s my next phone call.”
“Rachelle probably already told her the truth about us, but it’s not like she has a right to judge anyone. Honestly, I can’t stand to talk to any of them right now.”
Brett sighed. He could tell Spencer what might have contributed to their mother’s infidelity, but it was a topic for another time. “I understand your anger, but Mom loves you. You should call her.”
“I have nothing left to say to her.”
“She’s hurting, too.”
“If that’s all, I have to go. I have a big meeting in the morning.”
“With?”
“Good night, Brett. Tell Alisha I’m fine with this.”
“I will.”
Spencer hung up then, and Brett called his mother. After greeting each other and spending a moment pretending everything hadn’t changed since the last time they’d spoken, Brett asked, “How are you, Mom?”
She sighed sadly. “I’ve been better. Spencer hates me.”
“He doesn’t. He’s angry, and he has a right to be.”
Her tone became thick with emotion. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I never meant to hurt him. I thought it would be easier for him if Dereck was his father.”
For him? She’s either lying to me or herself. “Did Mark know?”
“No. He may have suspected. I almost told him in the end, but . . .” His mother made a sound like she was crying. “Have you ever done so much wrong that doing the right thing seems like it would make things worse?”
Yes, but I didn’t let it stop me. “Spencer deserved to know his real father.”
“He did. Mark loved him.”
Brett could have argued how it wasn’t the same, or enough, but he didn’t. His mother needed to have that conversation with Spencer, not him. He could have asked about Nicolette and the truth about her paternity, but he had something else to discuss with her. “You were right. Spencer’s engagement to Alisha wasn’t real.”
“Rachelle told me.”
“Did she also mention that I’m with Alisha now and it’s serious?”
Stephanie made a pained sound. “Something about the two of you being on a cruise together? I don’t know what to say or what to think. I just hope you both know what you’re doing. She’s not like the women you normally date, Brett.”
Interesting. “How would you know?”
“A mother pays attention. You like flashy women, people who fit into your world. Are you sure this is about Alisha and not some kind of competition with your brother?”
If she thinks that, she doesn’t know me as well as she thinks she does. “I don’t know how to play the piano. Rachelle, Spencer, and Nicolette do. I don’t. Eric doesn’t.” Putting how he felt into words was difficult. In the past he wouldn’t have attempted it, but it felt like a step he needed to take if he wanted to be with Alisha.
“I don’t understand. Why are we talking about playing the piano?”
“Why was it important for the others to learn it?”
“My father loved to play. I loved to. I wanted my children—” Brett tensed as his mother seemed to come to a surprised stop at her own words. Her breathing became ragged. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I was wrong about more than I can ever apologize for. I guess that makes me a horrible mother, but I tried. I did what I thought was best for all of you. You weren’t neglected, Brett. Your father gave you everything.”
There was nowhere good that conversation could go. According to Rachelle, their mother was already full of regret and hiding in her room. Focus on what you can do something about. “Alisha loves you. Whatever you think of us being together, don’t let it change how good you are to her. She needs you. And from what I can see, we all need her just as much.”
“You really do have feelings for her.”
“I love her, Mom.” I love her. The declaration was easier each time he made it. He’d gladly spend the rest of his life telling everyone he came across that Alisha Coventry was the woman for him. “And if she says yes, I’m going to marry her. If she says no, I’ll ask again and again because I can’t imagine my life without her in it.”
“Be good to her, Brett. Treasure her every day.”
“I will.” His mother wept, and his heart ached for her. Most people didn’t fall into categories of good or bad. Instead, they were a complex mix of both. He couldn’t understand the choices she’d made, but he also hated to see her hurting. “It’ll be okay, Mom. This will all work out, you’ll see.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
There was a bittersweet feeling through the next couple of days. Alisha and Rachelle were speaking again—mostly about how things were back home, but also about Brett. It took Rachelle a little bit to warm to the idea, but once she did, she kept gushing about how good Alisha was for Brett.
To Alisha’s utter shock, Stephanie called her and said she couldn’t imagine a better daughter-in-law. Even Spencer chimed in with a text: Spoke to Brett. Know you’re with him now. Want to hate you, but you’re too damn nice of a person. He is lucky. Be happy, Alisha. You deserve it.
At first Alisha was surprised that Brett had called his family about them, especially because he didn’t want their relationship to continue past the cruise. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced he’d done it to smooth things over for her back home. She resented him a little for that.
He had no right to ask her question after question about her past as if he couldn’t learn enough about her. He shouldn’t make the sex between them so good that she could cry, then tuck her against his side as if she belonged there. The kiss he woke her with each morning made her sad.
When it’s not meant to last, it shouldn’t be this good.
She studied the way he ate, hoping to catch him doing something disgusting, but his manners were impeccable. Once or twice she tested his patience and argued with him just to see what he would do. He never lost his temper. He listened, debated, left her feeling like he valued her opinion even if he didn’t agree with it.
I know I said I’d be okay with us ending, but I lied.
I’m not okay at all.
On Friday, she went back to her room to prepare for Nadine’s Bahamian beach wedding. After planning the event with Alisha, Brett had used his connections on the ship to make sure the wedding would not only happen but also be perfect. To Nadine it would look as if everything were coming together last-minute, but in the background a machine was set in motion to ensure that it all went smoothly without the couple ever knowing anyone had helped them out.
Brett had done all that—the selfish bastard.
How did it take me so long to realize that I love him?
How can he not see I’m in love with him?
I tell myself I don’t need anyone. I’m a survivor.
But if he doesn’t start acting like an asshole soon, I may not survive this one. This one may very well break me. He might break me.
She slipped on the dress Brett had bought for her and smiled sadly at her reflection. If you can’t stay, Brett, I’m going to at least make it damn hard to forget me.
A
little while later, dressed in a tux, Brett sat beside Alisha in a white fold-up chair on a sunny beach. She was easily the best-looking woman on the beach. The last two days had been perfection, but he hadn’t found the right time to tell her how he felt. The joy on her face as she watched the ceremony unfold before them made him want to profess his love right there and then.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Alisha asked.
Brett spared a brief look at Nadine, who smiled ear to ear as she stood beneath an arch of white orchids with her young son at her side and her husband across from her. “It is.”
Alisha’s hand was holding his, but her focus was on the ceremony happening before them. Then she glanced at him and his breath caught in his throat when she mouthed, “Thank you.”
He brought her hand up to his lips. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “No, thank you. I’m glad we did this. You’ve changed me, do you know that?”
“You’re wrong. I didn’t.” Her eyes misted with tears. In a soft voice only he could hear, she said, “You were already an amazing man. All that good was already in you.”
He didn’t believe that for a second, but he loved that she did. She saw the good in everyone, and he was grateful she’d seen it in him, too. The idea of spending a lifetime at her side, keeping her safe, making her smile . . . simply loving her . . . suddenly felt not only doable but fated. He wasn’t a man who believed in destiny, but she was meant to be his. Some part of him had known that since the very first day when she’d poked a finger into his chest and told him to treat Spencer better. “I love you.”
Her gaze flew to his, and her jaw dropped open. “Did you . . . did you just say what I think you said?”
He kissed her sweet lips. “I did.”
In the background, the minister said, “This couple represents marriage at its best. To hear their story is to be reminded of both the fragility of life and the strength of love. May we all come together many more times to celebrate another year of their commitment to each other and the beauty that love brings to our lives. Do you, Josh, vow again to spend the rest of your life loving this woman, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Will you stand by her side, remove any spider that enters your home, cheer her when she’s sad, and help her find her keys when she loses them?”
The crowd watching the ceremony laughed. “I do,” Josh said.
Me, too, Brett thought. I want all that. To Alisha, he said softly, “I can’t promise that things will be easy when we get home. My family is still a mess.”
A funny expression entered her eyes. He cursed himself for bringing up the issues that waited for them back home. “I used to think of them as mine, but lately I’ve felt like an outsider.”
He saw her pain and understood it too well. He knew exactly how it felt to love them, but not feel like one of them. He hugged her to his side and sought the words to comfort her. He thought about his grandfather, who had been a good husband, despite giving in to his weakness in the end. His mother had created a loving home and a refuge for Alisha, but had chosen a path that left half her children either behind or in the dark as to who they really were. He struggled with the complexity of family and what it meant to all of them. “They love you. Don’t give up on them. Things will work out.”
“I need to believe that.” She laid her head on his shoulder. After a moment, she looked up at him in wonder. “You really love me?”
“I do.” He smiled and added with gentle humor, “And you feel the same about me. The idea of a day without me nearly destroys you.”
Her laughter rang out. The couple in front of them turned around and gave them a disapproving look. Alisha looked as unbothered by it as he was. Her smile was as bright as the sequins on the bride’s gown. “You’re right.”
“Say it,” he commanded softly.
“That you’re right?” she asked innocently.
“You know what I want.”
Her eyes danced with mischief and desire. “More of last night?”
That, too. It was the first time he’d ever had a boner at a wedding, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last, not with her in his life. “Say you love me,” he growled into her ear.
The minister continued, “Do you, Nadine, vow again to spend the rest of your life loving this man, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health? Will you stand by his side, keep trying to master his mother’s lasagna recipe, support his Monday night football addiction and forgive him, and keep letting him pretend he’s in charge even though everyone knows he isn’t?”
Alisha’s eyes never left Brett’s. “Trust is hard for me, but I trust you.” She raised a hand to caress his cheek. “You’re strong and gentle at the same time. You make me feel loved in a way I thought wasn’t possible. I didn’t think I needed anyone to protect me, but if you’re applying for the job, I should tell you that I love you, too.”
Thank God.
In the background, the minister said, “Then by the power vested in me by the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, I declare you happily married. You may kiss your wife.”
Brett kissed Alisha, then murmured, “Marry me, Alisha.”
He’d imagined her throwing her arms around his neck, but she hesitated. “Just like that?”
“Yes.”
“I know they say they’re okay with us being together, but what if . . .”
Although her concern for others was part of what he loved about her, she deserved happiness, too. They both did. He refused to be pushed into choosing her or his family. “You want a family? Be mine. Then, together, we’ll make it right with them.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Together.” She wiped at her tears, smiled, and whispered, “Yes.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.
The crowd stood to watch Nadine, Josh, and Ethan walk down the aisle together. Brett broke off the kiss in time to see them stopping to speak to each row of guests. When the couple came to where Brett and Alisha were, Nadine winked at them. “You don’t have to stay for the reception, but I’m glad you came.”
Brett shook Josh’s hand. “We were glad to hear it worked out for you.”
Nadine looked at Alisha. “This place came out of nowhere, and the money came through from the other venue just in time. Like a sign.”
“A really good one,” Alisha said and hugged Brett.
Ethan said something, but Brett didn’t hear him, so he bent closer to the boy. Ethan snatched Brett’s sunglasses off his face and put them on. Nadine said, “Give those back, Ethan.”
Ethan shook his head.
Brett held out his hand.
Ethan’s face scrunched up. Brett kept his hand out while the boy refused.
Josh leaned down and talked to his son. “Give them back.” Ethan refused. Josh looked at Brett apologetically. “Watch your hand, he bites sometimes.”
But Brett leaned in closer to Ethan and in a firm voice said, “Men don’t bite men, do they?”
With big round eyes, the little boy shook his head.
“I’ll take the glasses now, Ethan. Thank you for holding them for me.”
Ethan handed them back.
“I like your suit. You look like a big boy,” Brett said in the tone of voice his father had often used with him.
Ethan smiled. “Big boy. Big boy.” He jumped happily and ran off toward something else that had caught his attention.
The guests slowly followed Nadine and Josh toward the reception area. Brett hung back with Alisha.
She was watching him with a keen expression. “You’re going to be a good father.”
He pulled her into his arms. “God, I hope so. My father did his best, and look at us.”
She framed his face with her hands. “Yes, look at you. Strong. Kind. Loyal. He didn’t fail.”
They kissed deeply.
When Brett raised his head, he said, “I found your father in Connecticut. You won’t hear from him again.”
Alisha’s smile fell away, and she tensed in his
arms. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t have to do anything. He overdosed six months ago. I didn’t know how to tell you, but I wasn’t going to keep it from you. My father lost my mother because he closed her out. I won’t ever do that to you.” Brett waited, barely breathing. Would she hate him for being the bearer of bad news? Had he tarnished their moment? He didn’t believe that secrets made things better. They certainly hadn’t for his family. He had to believe that telling her was the right thing.
A series of emotions showed on her face. Fear. Sadness. “Thank you.” Then relief.
“Part of me was always afraid he’d come back. Does that make me a bad person?”
“You? Bad? Never.” He hugged her closer and kissed her forehead. “You’re safe now. No one will ever hurt you again, not while I have a breath left in me.”
Her smile returned. “I feel sorry for anyone who comes for you, because they’ll have to deal with me.”
The look in her eyes was one he’d seen the first time he met her when she’d been protecting Spencer. The memory didn’t make him jealous; instead, it filled him with intense gratitude. Forever would never be enough time with a woman like her.
The sound of a man clearing his throat behind them was enough for them both to look up. The minister stood a few feet away from them with a smile on his face. Like two children caught doing something wrong, he and Alisha laughed and scooted away.
They were walking back to the ship when Alisha stopped. She frowned and swatted his chest with the back of her hand. “I was dying imagining us ending.”
He could have apologized or said something sweet, but he knew another way to make her smile. “I completely understand. I’m quite a catch.” He laughed and backed away as she swatted at him again.
They were both laughing when he picked her up and swung her around. “What am I going to do with you?” she asked.
He lowered her to her feet and wiggled his eyebrows. “Still not sure? I guess I’ll have to show you again.”
She blushed, but desire lit up her eyes. “I guess you will.”
“Race you to the room.” They ran toward the ship, laughing the whole way. People stopped and stared, but he didn’t care. She’d said yes.