Surprise Outing

Leah

I woke up to Brennan talking softly to someone at the bedroom door. I groggily sat up, rubbing my eyes as I tried to determine who he was talking to. He opened the door more to take something from the person on the other side of the door before thanking them and shutting the door. When he turned around and saw me sitting up, he smiled at me.

“Good morning, baby. How are you feeling?” He asked as he came back to the bed to hand me a to-go box. “Joey ordered out for Maddie and got you some scrambled eggs, bacon, and 3 pancakes.”

“Thank you. And him.”

“I told him. So, how are you feeling?”

I took a big bite of a pancake to buy myself some time. I tossed and turned all night. Even lying in his arms hadn’t helped soothe my anxiety. I couldn’t help but feel like I was always going to belong to Will. I couldn’t get a divorce if he didn’t show up. I knew that Joey said that if he didn’t show up a certain amount of time, the judge would sign off on it, but still. It was a terrifying thought that I would be that one person who never got set free. I didn’t want to tell Brennan that. I didn’t want to upset him. I didn’t want to bring him into this depressing world I was facing at that moment. He was trying so hard for us. I didn’t want to be the reason he was pushed backward.

“I’m okay. I’m just tired. I want to sleep the entire day away,” I admitted.

He nodded. “I understand that,” he told me as he put his hand on my knee. “But Joey and I have something planned for you and your friends. Nathan is even bringing Miriela.”

My eyes widened. “He’s bringing her here?”

“Yep. They should be here very soon.”

“How is she doing?” I asked softly.

“She’s doing well. The normalcy of wedding planning has helped a lot. Nathan says she’s more open with him,” he told me, but the way his eyes hardened made me instantly start to worry.

“What’s wrong?”

“I should have never left Eden. He’s taking things too far too quickly. I’m worried that she’s going to have a setback, and it’s going to be because of my choice.” He sighed before squeezing my thigh. “And then I remember why I left Eden. I can’t save everyone. I can try, but it’s not really up to me. You taught me that we all have to go on our own journeys, with or without support. I just feel strongly about her. She’s important to you, and she really needs a lot of help. I don’t want him to be the reason that she doesn’t succeed.”

I stared at him wide-eyed. “What is he doing?”

“He’s been sleeping with her. It’s one of those things that could make or break someone in her position, and I don’t want it to break her.”

“He’s sleeping with her?” I repeated angrily. “What the hell is he thinking? She’s not ready for intimate physical affection. I’m going to throat punch him when he gets here!”

He chuckled as he took my hand. “Not sex sleeping with her. Just snoring his ass off in bed next to her at night. If he was having sex with her, we would already be back at Eden.” He kissed the back of my hand. “But I love how quick you are to want to protect her.”

“She’s my sister, Brennan. Of course I will want to protect her.”

He let my hand go. “Finish eating so we can shower before they get here.”

“I know she’s not ready, but I am. Sex in the shower?” I asked hopefully.

Sex with him always distracted me from life for a little bit. He shook his head.

“Not this morning, but I promise after our plans today, I will bring you home and make love to you as long as you want me to,” he said softly.

I sighed as I stuffed a bite of eggs into my mouth. “Is forever too long?”

He pecked my cheek as he got up. “I was already going to do that.”

I smiled happily as he went into the bathroom. I really loved the way he was now. There wasn’t anything that he wouldn’t talk to me about. When we got back to the house after eating the day before, he took me in his arms and told me about his desire to kill Will. He hated how Will made me feel. He told me about how worried he was that I might be afraid of him after he confessed his need for violence, but I wasn’t. It made me feel protected and safe, knowing that he would do whatever he had to do to protect me. I finished eating, leaving one of the pancakes in the container. I got up to wander into the bathroom, sitting on the sink to watch him finish showering. When he finally stepped out of the shower, I was even more in awe that he was mine. I never thought that I would fall in love with a man 20 years older than me, but here I was. Happily in love with someone who was just that. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked.

“I was just thinking about your age and mine.”

The towel’s path down his leg stopped as he searched my face. “Is it too much for you?”

I tilted my head as I studied his face. “Was the amount of nights you slept on my porch too much?”

“No,” he told me slowly, making the two-letter word stretch across 3 seconds.

“Your age doesn’t matter to me, Brennan. I was just thinking about how I never expected to fall in love with a man in his 50s. I never expected to fall in love at all. I was thinking about how sexy you were and how much I loved watching you in the shower.”

He relaxed as the towel started its journey again. “I’m glad I can tickle your fancy, baby. You certainly tickle mine.”

I smiled at him as I hopped off the counter to strip my clothes off. “Then I guess you’ll be watching me shower.”

He groaned. “I just dried off.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” I giggled as I stepped under the warm water.

“If I stay to watch you shower, I’m going to need to dry off again.”

I turned toward him as I began to wash my hair, purposely pushing my breasts out to entice him. “I don’t see a problem with that.”

He groaned. “I can’t, my love. Today is too important. All of you girls need this. Caleb, Joey, and I do too. Dale is even coming.”

“Fine. Spoilsport.”

“I love you, Leah.”

“I love you too, Brennan.”

He took one last look at me before leaving the bathroom. I quickly finished showering, more than a little annoyed that he walked out of the room. I hoped that whatever he had planned was as much of a distraction as a day spent in bed with him would have been. As I walked out into the main room, he smiled at me guiltily as he popped the last bite of the pancake I didn’t finish into his mouth. I gasped.

“You ate my pancake!”

He chuckled as he nodded. “Sure did, and it was delicious.”

“You owe me a pancake.”

His eyes moved over my body. “And a night of pleasure. I’ll add it to the list. Wear something loose.”

“Are you going to tell me what we are doing today?” I asked as I went to the closet to search for something loose to wear.

“No. We’re not telling any of you girls anything, but what Nathan was given permission to tell Miriela. We are going to a large warehouse with no identifiable markers.”

I spun around to stare at him. “Are you shitting me?”

“You cursed! We are so moving across the country.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “Maddie won’t let you. She’ll punch you in the throat. Anyway, you told Miriela that we were going to an ominous warehouse after everything that has happened to her? Are you insane? Is he?”

“We just wanted to prepare her for what was coming a little. Once we get inside, you ladies hold all of the power. There is no reason that any of you should be afraid.”

I eyed him as I absorbed what he said. “And if she gets afraid?”

“Then we leave, but I’m hoping that between you and Nathan being there, she will be ok.”

“Alright.”

I finished pulling my leggings on before putting a long shirt over them. When the doorbell rang through the house, I scooped up my shoes as I ran out of the room. I made it to the hallway just in time to see Maddie fling the door open. She reached out to pull someone forward, and I was shocked to see that it was Miriela.

“Hi, Dream! It is so great to finally meet you. I’m Maddie.”

Miriela uttered a small cry of fear, which made Maddie pull back to smile brightly at her.

“I hear you like brownies. I made some for you. According to Phoenix, they aren’t as good as Rose’s, but for you, I got her recipe from her.” She winked. “Can’t let Rose steal all my girls, you know?”

“Pfft. I will be the judge if you followed my recipe correctly,” Rose said as she stepped into the house to hug Maddie.

“Rose? You’re here too?”

She grinned at me. “Yep. Couldn’t let Dream do this alone.”

I rushed over to hug them all, already feeling a lot better. As I looked around the hallway, slowly taking in everyone that was already present. They had come out to support me because I was a mess. I knew that was why Brennan arranged this whole day. These were my people. They were my family. And I loved them more than anything.