Page 40 of Smitty

And then, I was right back to Brayden.

He will hate me. He will think I betrayed him.

I needed to weed the flower bed, and I had a stack of bills that I needed to pay.

He’d never looked at me the way he did last night, so lost and confused.

I needed to look over my notes and clean Anslee’s room.

How would I ever be able to explain what happened?

How could I ever make sense of any of it when I didn’t understand it myself?

We needed groceries. Coffee. Milk. Something for dinner. Snacks for Anslee.

Damn. There was no denying it. Nothing in this world was going to keep me from thinking about Brayden. I could still feel his blue eyes piercing through me. The thought had my chest feeling heavy as I turned down my road. That heavy feeling quickly turned to panic when I spotted a motorcycle parked at the end of my driveway.

I wanted to think it was one of the neighbors.

But I knew better.

It was Brayden.

He was leaning against the bike with his arms crossed and a fierce expression on his face. When I got closer, he lifted his head, and even from a half a block away, his eyes locked on mine. Every ounce of air rushed from my lungs, and for a split second, I actually considered driving right past him. I would just keep driving and hope that he would disappear.

But that would only make matters worse.

I knew this was coming. I’d been dreading it since seeing him at the fair. I’d tried to prepare myself, tried to think of what I would say, but nothing could prepare me for the way my hands trembled as I pulled into the driveway.

He didn’t move. He just watched me as I put the SUV into park and gathered my things. I took a deep breath, hoping it would settle my nerves, but it didn’t. I wasn’t ready. I needed another minute, another hour, but I didn’t have that luxury. Ryan was inside with Anslee. I needed to deal with this, and I needed to deal with it now.

I opened my door, and the second my foot touched the ground, Brayden started toward me, slow and careful. My heart didn’t seem to know if it wanted to race toward him or bolt for the front door, so I did the only thing that made sense. I didn’t move.

He stopped a few feet in front of me, and he looked at me in a way that made my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. “We need to talk.”

“I know, but this isn’t the right time.”

“Why? You think it would be better to wait another two years?”

“No, that’s not it at all. I just wasn’t expecting you.” My mind was reeling, and I had no idea where to start. “How did you find me?”

“I have my ways.” He studied me for a moment, then added, “I went back and forth on it, but I figured after all this time, I deserved an explanation.”

“I think we both do.”

Silence settled between us.

Not the comfortable kind we'd once shared while lying in the bed of his pickup watching stars. This silence had teeth, and it was gnawing into me like a wild animal. He motioned his head toward the house. “You seem to be doing all right.”

“I’m doing okay.” I swallowed. “You look like you’re doing good, too.”

“I am.”

“A motorcycle.” I looked over at the black Harley parked at the curb as I said. “That’s new.”

“I still got the truck, but yeah. It’s new.” His face was void of expression when he added, “I got it when I decided to prospect for Fury.”

“Fury?” I’d heard the stories, and I couldn’t imagine him being a member of such a fierce group of men. “You mean, Satan’s Fury… that motorcycle gang? Aren’t they dangerous?”