Brennan Read online

  I shifted to the side so she could make eye contact with her father. Her chest was puffed out and I could see the determination in her eyes. My heart quickened pace as I realized just how much she would do to be with me. I felt a warmth spread through me as I looked at the woman I loved, standing her ground.

  Someone who truly doesn’t judge me for my family’s past. Someone who loves me for me. My true soulmate.

  “You’re picking him over your own family? What would your mother think? She’s probably turning in her grave as we speak.”

  “Mom would have been proud. Or have you forgotten she was best friends with Brennan’s mom? You’re so busy being wrapped up in her death you forgot about the life she lived. She would have wanted me to be happy, she would have wanted me to be with the man I loved. I don’t want to pick but you’re making me.”

  “I will never give you my blessing for this relationship!” he shouted.

  “I don’t need your blessing, I’m not a little girl anymore,” she screeched, “Goodbye, father.”

  John tried to move forward to grab her arm but she twisted away from him and taking hold of my hand. We walked towards the door and out into the summer sun. We didn’t stop walking until we got into the truck.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “To mine,” she said, “I need to pick up my stuff.”

  In silence, we drove to hers. I waited outside as she hauled stuff from her room. Quickly, I moved the things into the back of the truck, the process speedy. It must have only been an hour by the time she slammed the front door shut behind her, carrying a cat before putting the keys in the mailbox on the way into the truck. She gave one last look behind her at the house whilst I started the engine.

  “And now?”

  “Back to yours,” she gave me a watery smile.

  The radio played quietly as we wound up the mountain, into the woods, and back to my cabin. I went to unpack the bags but she shook her head, instead, we entered the house empty-handed.

  “I’ll deal with that later, once I’ve got a clear head,” she said.

  “Of course,” I laid my hand upon hers, “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? I didn’t mean for it to get so far with your brother.”

  She looked up at me, “You were just protecting me. In all honesty, I’m shattered, but I’m going to be okay. I know I’ve made the right decision when I look at you.”

  “I will always be here for you, Liz, no matter what.”

  Our lips met in a bittersweet kiss. All the pain from the day still ate at the frayed edges of my mind but now I knew how much my dream woman loved me, nothing could hold me down for long. It had felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders when she had defended my father’s actions against her dad. Despite everything my father had done, she had learned to forgive and forget, now I felt like I could move on too.

  The cat jumped onto the floor and sniffed about. I thought it was going to make a bolt for the door, unfamiliar with its setting but I was surprised to see it curl up in a ball at the foot of the couch. It started purring happily as its owner gave her a stroke under the ears.

  Pushing myself off the couch, I grabbed two beers from the fridge, popping them open with the side of my mouth before offering one to her. She took it, her hands shaking as she took a large gulp. We both sat in silence for a while, staring out the window, contemplating our actions.

  “I hope I’m not intruding but I was wondering if I might be able to stay here for a while?” she asked.

  I grasped her hands tightly between my own, staring into her eyes. It felt like my heart was jumping inside of me as I bent down in front of her, taking the bottles and laying them on the table. I lifted one knee, holding both her hands in mine.

  “Liz, you can stay here as long as you want. In fact, I want you to stay here forever. You were right when you said we had a connection at that party. It’s a connection that never went away. If anything, today has just proved that you’re the only one for me. I hope it’s not too sudden in asking but will you marry me?”

  Her mouth dropped open and the silence was deafening. I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my head as I waited for an answer. It was then her squeal filled the air, her arms wrapping around me as she jumped on me, both of us collapsing on a heap on the floor.

  “Yes, a million times yes,” she screeched, planting kisses all over my face.

  Elation flooded through my system as I held her in my arms. Everything had fallen into place and at that moment I had never been happier in my life.

  I’m going to marry the woman I love.

  Her face turned from grins to concern as she traced a finger across my cheek. When she pulled her finger back, there was blood congealing on the tip.

  “But first we had better get you cleaned up,” a wicked grin spread across her face.

  ***

  Liz

  The water poured down on us as his arm wrapped around me, pulling me in. My erect nipples brushed against his thick chest hair, making me oddly aroused. My eyes shut as he bit gently into my neck before moving down and nipping at my collarbone. His hands traversed my body, cupping my breast and twirling the nipple between his index finger and thumb before tracing a swirling path down. He turned me away from him, pulling me close so I could feel his erection against my ass cheek whilst his finger teased my nub. The building motion sent me leaning forward, pushing myself into him as I lost control.

  “Please…” I heard myself beg.

  He moved his hand away and spread my cheeks apart, moving his cock up and down the length, teasing me. The sensation was driving me wild and I knew I would be soaking even without the shower pouring down on us. My hands pressed into the wall as his tip slowly entered me, caressing my inner walls as moved it around. His hands gripped into my fleshy waist as he entered deeper, shocking me once again with his size. The tempo increased, my fingers starting to hurt with how hard they clawed into the tiles. I pushed back further into him, now matching his rhythm so I could hear the slap of our bodies as he pounded me. The water just helped slicken our skin as he paused, grinding inside of me. I clenched around him and I heard his sharp intake of breath before he retaliated by pushing into deeper. I screamed out as he grabbed the back of my hair and yanked backward, forcing my head upwards as he penetrated me. The mixture of pain and pleasure merged as I felt my body go into a frenzy of sensations. Everything was building and I knew I was going to leap from the precipice as his cock pumped into me. My screech filled the room as he filled me, our orgasms matching once again. He had to grab hold of me before I collapsed on the floor, my body weak from the wave after wave of crashing orgasms.

  Turning the shower off, he grabbed some towels. As soon as I had one wrapped around me, I felt his arms underneath me and before I knew it, he was carrying me. Water from my hair dripped onto the floor as he carried me through to the bedroom. He lay me down gently on the bed before climbing in next to me. I automatically shifted my head so it lay across his chest. I could hear his heartbeat beneath me and I was calmed by the sound.

  “I love you, Brennan.”

  “I love you too, Liz.”

  Epilogue

  Brennan

  “Don’t go running off anywhere!” I called as I watched my daughter sprint towards the playground.

  We found our usual bench and sat down, my arm wrapped around Liz as she rocked the baby in her arms. I waggled a finger at my son, he reached up and gripped it, holding it tightly in his minuscule hand.

  “Don’t forget to take Gail to her ballet practice later, her recital is coming up this weekend,” she said.

  “How could I forget?” I chuckled, “It’s all you two have been going on about for the last couple of weeks. I can’t wait to see her; she’s really improved since the last one.”

  We both looked across at our daughter as she climbed up the slide. She had latched onto another child and they were playing nicely, wrapped up in their world of imagination. I smiled contently, in utter
bliss with my family.

  “Have you got the timber loaded into the truck for next week?” Liz asked, leaning down to kiss the baby’s head.

  “Yes, I’ll head out on the highway early Monday morning to get it dropped off. I think we’ve saved enough to redecorate the nursery. Little Ben here is quickly outgrowing that room and I think it’s time we get it prepped for when he’s older.”

  Liz nodded her agreement and I could see our one-year-old was looking about. He wriggled in her arms, wanting to be released. I was about to take him off her when I spotted a familiar face coming towards us. When I recognized who it was, I froze.

  “Dad?” Liz asked as she handed Ben to me.

  “Liz? I thought that was you. Is this your son?” he looked over at Ben.

  “And that’s my daughter,” Liz pointed to the playground, “Her name is Gail.”

  His words caught in his throat and I could have sworn his eyes moistened as he asked, “After your mom?”

  “None other.”

  They stood there staring at each other in silence. I didn’t know whether to give them privacy or to stay for support. I waited to see what would happen.

  “I guess I was wrong about you, Brennan,” I was shocked to have him address me, “I should have never put my daughter in that position. If I had forced her to stay away from you then you would have never had these kids. My grandkids. Gail would have loved to meet these two. Your brother would love to meet them too.”

  “Liz?” I looked to her, knowing the decision was ultimately hers.

  “Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? You and Buck?” she asked.

  John’s face lit up, “I couldn’t think of anything better.”

  I watched as Liz programmed her new number into her dad’s cellphone. He gave me a pat on the back before hugging her. They talked for a little while as I walked about with Ben, occasionally glancing over to make sure everything was okay. With a final goodbye, I watched as he walked away before going back to join my wife.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “Everything is perfect,” she grinned.

  And deep down I knew she was right.

  Sometimes it’s better to forget the past so we can move forward with the future. Our future.

  Also By Anna Joung

  Mountain Man Series

  Alpha Hooked Series

  Mister Right Series

  About The Author

  Anna Joung is a young hopeless romantic soul, who enjoys writing romance stories with happily ever after. She likes to read to forget and escape her everyday living. Her main goal is for readers to have the same escape and they can delve into the stories as she does.

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