Breaking Braydon (17 page)

“When I first met you, if someone would have told me you had a horse by the name of Pumpkin, I would have never believed it.” She pursed her lips together and tried to stop laughing.

“Look here,” I told her, pointing to the pumpkin-shaped splotch on her coat. “Now does it make sense?”

“That is so cool. She has a pumpkin right on her belly.” She smiled up at me. “I’ll quit laughing now.”

I didn’t want her to quit. I loved it when she laughed. Everything about her lit up from the inside out.

“Come here.” I pulled her to me. Those lips, I couldn’t stop myself.

“Oh, no you don’t! I won’t be distracted that easily. We’re going on that ride. But maybe just one more.” She got up on her tiptoes so she could reach my lips.

We broke apart a few minutes later. Breathless.

She pulled away and walked over to Pumpkin, muttering, “I’m going to ride you, Pumpkin, even though he’s trying to tempt me.”

I was a little concerned about her not having any experience with horses, but I felt confident she’d be able to hold her own with a few basic instructions.

“I’m done trying to seduce you. Now let’s get you on Pumpkin.” I threaded my fingers together and leaned down so she’d have a leg up.

“What are you doing?” she asked. She really didn’t know.

“You put your foot in my hands, and I’ll hoist you up.”

She glanced at me, then back to her horse. I definitely sensed hesitation this time. Right about when I thought she was going to back out, she placed her foot in my hand, grabbed the saddle horn, and threw herself up on Pumpkin.

Once she was seated, she exclaimed, “This is even better than I thought. Can we go now? Where are we going?”

I shook my head and smiled. I could already tell Jain was hooked. She’d want to go riding every day.

I grabbed Pumpkin’s reins and tied them to the fence. I didn’t want her taking off before I was able to get on my horse.

We started out along the path by the river. It was flat, and we’d be able see the surrounding valley, even though it was snowing lightly.  We took it slowly, not only because of the snow on the ground, but I wanted Jain to get comfortable in the saddle. We rode in silence for a few minutes before Jain spoke.

“I’ve never seen anything so…beautiful or stunning, or, I don’t know—picturesque? I can’t describe it. I have no words. Thank you so much for sharing this with me.”

She took in a large breath then exhaled slowly. She tilted her head up to the sky, letting a few of the wispy snowflakes land on her cheeks and tongue.

I’d never felt more alive in my life.

THIRTY-TWO

Jain

“I could do this every day,” I told Braydon as I took in my surroundings.

White blanketed the entire valley, although I could see little bits of green beneath the sagging limbs of the trees. There were acres and acres of untouched land, not another house in sight. The only signs of life were a few birds that flew about foraging for food. The only sounds came from our horses, with their occasional huffs, and hooves crunching through the snow. It was peaceful, quiet.

He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“What?” I asked.

“I had a feeling you’d say that. I feel the same way. I’m glad I could share this with you. I’ve always come out here alone.”

“Oh.” I was surprised by that. “You don’t have your dad join you?”

“No. He doesn’t have an interest. Apparently, the horse gene comes from my mom. I guess she was quite the equestrian when she was young.”

“You guess?” I asked.

“I heard it from my uncle before he died. My dad doesn’t talk about Mom much.” He gazed off into the distance then turned back to me. “When I think about it, I know very little about my mom. Whenever I bring her up, Dad gets uncomfortable and changes the subject. I think he still grieves for her. I haven’t wanted to push him.”

“That’s too bad. So, no stories or ancedotes?”

“He always made sure I knew she loved us. That’s about where my information begins and ends. How about your mom? Can you tell me a little about her?”

Where to start? “Well, she was nothing like me. She was open and warm and funny and—”

“What are you talking about? You’re all those things.” His brow creased together.

“It’s just that, she never protected herself like I have. She put it all out there, every day, even when she was sick. I’ve never met a braver person. Even at her worst physically, she could still make me laugh. Have you ever met an ALS patient before?”

He shook his head, sadness evident on his face. I didn’t want him to feel sad. I wanted him to know how special Mom was.

“It’s pretty bad. Her muscle movements gave out the first year after she was diagnosed. She was bedridden until she died a year later. It took her pretty quickly.” I gathered myself. “Through it all, she made time to enjoy her life, as depleted as it was. She always entertained everyone at the hospital, doctors and nurses alike. They flocked to her. They loved her like I did, like I still do.” It felt good to talk about mom. “She died a month before my twentieth birthday. She knew she wouldn’t make it, so you know what she did?” He would never guess.

He paused, waiting for me to continue.

“She arranged to have a singing tomato come to my dorm.” I felt moisture fill my eyes, but this time, it was a happy memory. “Mr. Bob from
Veggie Tales
was my favorite as a child. She knew that would be the one thing that would make me laugh. He sang ‘Happy Birthday,’ but she had him add in another.” The next part was harder to talk about without crying. “He pulled out a ukulele and sang the version of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow/It’s a Wonderful World’ by Israel…something or other. It’s a Hawaiian name. I can never remember it. Do you know it?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He smiled and asked, “I assume you like the song?” 

“It’s my favorite. Every time I hear it, I feel her presence.” I felt her right now just talking about it.

“She sounds incredible.”

“She was.” I took another deep, cleansing breath. “What do you think about when you come out here alone?” I knew it was a personal question, but I really wanted to know.

He smiled. “It’s more about not thinking. I come out here to clear my head.”

“That makes sense.” I thought about it and asked, “Am I interfering with the clearing of your head?”

“Only in the best possible way.” His smile went straight to his eyes, crinkling them at the corners.

My heart thudded in my chest as I realized each day with Braydon just got better and better. I was a little scared, but I decided to try to live my life more like my mom. I would lower my guard and let him in.

THIRTY-THREE

Braydon

“It’s Sunday.” Jain sighed.

“Don’t remind me.” I didn’t want the week to come to an end.

“It’ll be fine. We’ll be okay, right?” she asked.

Sensually disheveled from sleep, her crystal blue eyes, soft and warm, gazed back at me. It was like nothing else existed. I’d never seen a more beautiful sight. It was hard to accept I wouldn’t be waking up with her in my arms every day. I knew it was too early to ask her to move in with me, but I felt my gut twist knowing we’d be apart. Even if it was only for a few days.

“Yes. We’ll be more than okay.” I leaned over to kiss her. She had the softest, fullest lips I’d ever seen or felt. I couldn’t stop kissing her. I knew I’d never tire of this.

“I was thinking about something. Would you be willing to come here on weekends? It’d be just like this week. Henry could drive us after work on Friday and pick us up Sunday night. Would you consider it?” My palms started to sweat as I waited for her answer.

“Okay.” She cringed. “I don’t know why I keep saying that.”

“I like it. It’s the best word in your vocabulary.”

“Apparently, when I’m with you, it is the only word in my vocabulary.” She smiled and blushed.

“That’s a good thing,” I assured her.

Both our cell phones rang at the same time.

“I don’t want to talk to anyone yet. Let’s ignore them and enjoy our last hour before I have to go,” Jain suggested.

“Good idea. I’ll go start breakfast while you get ready. Does an omelet sound good?”

“You don’t know how impressed I am right now. A man that cooks!” Jain squealed with delight.

“You’re so easy to please.” A warmth filled my chest.

“Oh, I’m pleased all right.” She winked at me.

I shook my head as I walked to the kitchen. The shy, demure Jain was gone. In her place was a lovely, confident woman. We brought the best out in each other in every way. I felt alive again. Everything around me took on new meaning.
Life
had new meaning.

I’d just finished sautéing the vegetables for the omelet when the doorbell rang. Damn paparazzi, I thought. They kept getting bolder. I turned off the heat and stomped to the door, prepared to do battle.

I flung it open, and there stood… Angela.
What the hell?

“Angela?” I asked dumbly.

She was dressed head to foot in white. White boots, stretch pants, parka, and hat. The color was in complete contrast to how I remembered her. She should be wearing black.

“Hi, Braydon. I came to give Jain the good news.” She wore an artificial smile.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“She won! She entered the Breaking Braydon contest a few months ago. It’s been documented that she’s been here for a week, so she gets the one hundred thousand dollars! I heard her company was desperate for funds, but I would have never guessed anyone would go to such lengths…”

“You’re lying. Get out.” I was furious. Angela had been a bitch when I was in high school, and she was still one now.

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t bring proof did you?” She held up what appeared to be a document.

“It’s been notarized. Look right here. This is Jain’s signature. Now, look at the date. It was a few weeks before you met with her company, while they begged for funding. Apparently, they were hedging their bets in case you decided not to help them. How did she do it anyway? She’s so…plain.”

I grabbed the paper from her hands.
No. No
. It was in black and white. The date the signature, everything.

“Where did you get this?” I yelled.

She backed up a little and replied, “From Jimmy Delano, the bookie. He just released the funds today. She’ll get her check as soon as she leaves.”

I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. It made me double over in pain. I leaned over with my hands on my legs, trying to catch my breath. It couldn’t be. But I’d been fooled before – from the very woman standing in front of me. I hated her. I never trusted beautiful women because of her. I trusted Jain though. I believed her. But, as I thought back on everything, it began to make sense. The disguise. The mom who died. Was Jain’s mom really dead, or was that a lie? Was everything a lie? I was spiraling back to high school. The day in the cafeteria when I was fifteen came charging back in living color.

I remembered it all. The hurt, the feelings of betrayal. I’d lost the ability to trust that day. Women, especially beautiful women, couldn’t be trusted. Why had I let my guard down?

***

I wanted to kill someone.

The foot on my chest kept me down, plastered to the floor, unable to move. My arms flailed around, trying to break free. The panic started again; the living nightmare had been my reality for months. My eyes shifted around the large cafeteria. First to the ceiling, then to the door. The same door I’d planned to make my escape moments earlier.

 Derek King’s size-twelve shoe dug a little deeper. My eyes reluctantly turned toward his face. At age seventeen, he was often told he should be a movie star. His rugged jaw and slightly long hair made him appear a little dangerous, which, of course, made him a favorite with the girls. The fact that he was also the star quarterback didn’t hurt him one bit. A huge grin spread across his face as his evil eyes glared back at me. He was enjoying this.

I squirmed, futilely trying anything humanly possible to break free. I knew nothing I did would work, but I continued mainly out of reflex. My five-foot-six, one hundred fifty pounds against Derek’s six-foot, two hundred pounds wasn’t exactly an even match. Not even close.

I watched in awe as Derek’s girlfriend approached. Maybe she’d put a stop to this once and for all. She’d moved to Seattle a few months earlier, landing a cheerleading position along with Roosevelt High School’s most eligible jock, Derek King. Her name was Angela, and she was easily the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. I hated Derek, but not Angela. I thought she was different, special. Even though she dated the world’s biggest creep, I never held it against her. Everyone knew he was a jerk. She was bound to figure it out herself. 

I’d been fascinated by Angela ever since she stepped into my biology class two months earlier. I tried to approach her a few times, but she always seemed distracted, turning her back and busily getting herself organized. My desk was situated one row behind her. It was sweet torture. I was close, but never close enough. I could gaze at her golden hair, but not touch. I could smell her scent, an expensive perfume, I was certain, but it was never strong enough. I needed more. So close and yet so far. The sensations had created a twisting in my chest I’d never experienced before. Could this be love? I wasn’t sure. But I was sure I wanted her – so much, it was painful to be around her.

Angela peered down at me and sighed. She grabbed Derek’s arm and complained. “Aren’t you done with your plaything yet?” 

He shook his head. “He’s still refusing to do my calculus, even though it would take him five minutes. I’ll be kicked off the team if I don’t pass that class. This little bastard is going to do it. He just needs a little more incentive.”  

I squeezed my eyes as his size-twelves crashed into my ribs. Pain radiated throughout my body. Even my toes hurt as the raw nerve endings exploded from the impact. I instinctively curled up in a ball. I willed myself not to cry, but the pain and humiliation were no match for my strong physical response. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes.