Her Lucky Love (9 page)

“What?”

“Don’t treat me like this. Bray. I know I kissed you back today, but I shouldn’t have. We can’t be together. Don’t you get that? I need to make sure my children are safe. I don’t have time to worry about myself. I can’t be selfish. And yes, I know in my heart that you’re not Greg. I trust you Brayden, even with the magic thing that I just don’t know about. But it’s change. You know? I can’t deal with all of this and take care of my children.”

He squeezed her hand but didn’t say anything for a while as they drove toward the station.

God, she’d ruined it. She’d only meant to protect herself and her children, and she’d hurt Brayden…and herself, in the process. She didn’t deserve him.

“Don’t count me out yet, Ally. I won’t stand in your way of being the best mom you can be, but at some point, you need to realize it’s all right to be a woman too.”

“I can’t, Bray.”

“No, you can, but you aren’t. You won’t. That’s the difference. You’re scared, and I know you have a right to be. But I want you to take a chance. I’ve been standing on the sidelines for ten years because I thought that was what I had to do and I was wrong. I’m not going to let you through my fingers again. I’m not losing you. I came to close to it before and I’m not letting that happen.”

“Bray…”

“No, don’t say anything. Let’s talk to Tyler and get it over with. Then we can talk about us.”

“There is no us.”

“There will be.”

“Brayden…”

“I’m lucky, remember? It’s time I use my lucky talisman for something other than myself.”

They got out of the car and headed into the station. The cop on duty in the front of house let them go straight back to Tyler’s office, though Allison could feel the stares of the people in the room as Brayden put his hand on the small of her back.

She could only imagine the rumor mill at this point, considering she and her children were living with the man.

Tyler opened his arms, and she went in for a quick hug when she walked into his office. She’d always hugged the Coopers like they were her family and hadn’t thought anything of it until she heard that growl come from Brayden again. It’d never been a problem. But of course, that was before she’d found out that his feelings went beyond a cup of coffee and she’d felt his lips against hers.

Something he wanted to do again.

Something she desperately wanted to do again but knew she shouldn’t.

Tyler raised a brow but didn’t say anything, sitting down in his chair behind his big desk.

“Let’s make this quick because I can’t really say everything, right?” Tyler asked, and Allison nodded.

Brayden took her hand in his, and she held on for dear life. She didn’t care if it made her look weak; she needed his strength.

She was tired of being strong for herself when she had no one to lean on. Maybe she could just relax for a little while. But that didn’t seem fair to Brayden or her.

She told Tyler what had happened that night and earlier that day in the diner. Though she knew he already knew most of it through Rina and talking to her in the hospital. But apparently droning on about every detail was a part of police work. She knew they wouldn’t put the magic elements in the report, but the fact that Greg’s family wanted her kids was something that couldn’t be ignored. Yes, she was afraid of their magic, but that didn’t mean they could tell the world.

Greg’s family didn’t have a leg to stand on concerning custody, but that didn’t matter to gnomes apparently. Well, it didn’t matter to regular people either. The fact that they seemed like they were going to go after them no matter what, meant legal procedures meant nothing.

“We’ll do all we can. I know you need to get back to work and your kids need to get to school, so we’ll be sure we have someone watching you guys as much as possible,” Tyler said as they finished up.

“But what about everything else in town? You can’t drop everything just for us.”

“We can, and we will. But honestly, all of us Coopers can help too. It’s not just a law enforcement problem, Ally.”

Yes, the gnomes were something involving magic. Something that she didn’t understand.

Allison looked over at Brayden and thought about the magic around his neck and shuddered. Everything seemed out of her control, and she hated it. It made no sense not to like his magic because of Greg. Maybe it was because everything was moving so fast.

They said their goodbyes, and Brayden drove them to her apartment. Seeing the shabby place after spending the night at Brayden’s made her feel insignificant, as though she couldn’t care for her children.

With a brave smile pasted on her face, she walked up the steps to her place, Brayden on her heels. She could only imagine what he thought of her apartment. Still, it was hers, something she could afford, and it had kept her babies safe.

At least it had until now.

There was a new door in place, and she froze. She didn’t have the keys to this door. How was she going to get in?

“Crap, I forgot, sorry.” Brayden dug into his pocket, and Allison tried not to stare at how well he filled out his jeans. “Jordan gave me a key. Matt fixed your door this morning. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine. That was nice of Matt. How much do I owe him?”

“Nothing.”

“Bray.” She would not be in debt to another Cooper.

“No really. He charged the apartment complex. If they charge you extra on your rent, let us know because it’s the facility’s problem, not yours.”

She nodded, feeling silly that she’d been so defensive over money.

Brayden followed behind her and closed the door.

“Damn, the power’s out,” Brayden said.

“I have some candles that we can light.”

Oh, great, Brayden Cooper by candlelight. That can’t end well. Or it will end
too
well
.

“I’ll just start packing. You can hang out I guess.” She turned and saw Brayden staring at the floor. She looked down and froze.

The bloodstain had been smaller when she remembered it. God, that was a little too close to everything going from bad to worse for her.

Brayden pulled her into a tight hug, his nose against her neck, and she felt him inhale. She wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her hands roam up his back.

She’d been so scared, but as soon as Brayden had walked through the door, she’d felt better.

“I almost lost you,” he said, his rumbling voice low, deep, sliding over her body like silk.

“But I’m fine,” she said soothingly and let her hands slide under his shirt, gasping at the heat radiating from him like a furnace.

He pulled back and ran his hands up her sides slowly. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you. I just found you.”

“Bray…”

“I know I don’t have you. Not yet. But I’m not giving up without a fight. I’ve loved you for ten years, Allison. I’m not going away anytime soon.”

She pulled back slightly, stunned. “Ten…ten years?”

He nodded, his jaw firm. “I’ve sat back and watched you in a relationship you hated. Then I stood back and tried to be the friend you could count on, all the while holding back my feelings. I don’t want to do that anymore, Ally. I want to be with you.”

“How could you love me? We’re not even together.” Though when she said the words, she knew exactly how, considering she loved him too.

“Just because I couldn’t be with you doesn’t mean I don’t know you, Allison.”

“I care about you,” she started, knowing she hadn’t said the words she felt, the words he needed to hear. She saw the flash of hurt in his eyes but didn’t stop. “I can’t make any promises. I stayed with a man I didn’t love because of magic. I don’t know if I can trust anything having to do with it, Bray.”

“I would never use magic on you.”

“I know, and I trust you. That scares me because I don’t know why I do. I want you, Bray. I know I shouldn’t. I know I should walk away right now and take my kids and find a way to live without you. But I don’t want to. Not now.”

“Then let’s live right here. Right now.”

“I don’t get to decide my own fate. I have to put my kids first.”

“I’m not saying we should ignore them. I love those kids, Ally.”

“I know you do. That’s why I’m in this room with you in the first place. If you didn’t care for my kids, I wouldn’t be here. I just don’t know, Bray. Everything is just moving too fast right now, and I have to think.”

“Don’t think. I’m going to kiss you, Ally. And then maybe do something more. And when it’s over, and you’re gasping for air, then we can talk about the future and everything that it brings. But for just once in your life, live for the moment. Live for yourself.”

Her body warmed at his words, and she let him tip her face up so he could capture her lips in a bruising, yet, sweet kiss.

Allison parted her lips, letting his tongue dance with hers. She ran her hands up higher on his back, scoring her nails down when she exhaled.

“Fuck,” he breathed. “You taste like sin and happiness, Ally.”

She let out a laugh. “I like that.”

He grinned, his eyes full of intent. “Good, then you’ll really like this.”

He ran his hands down her sides, brushing against her skin as he trailed his fingers up her shirt along her spine. Tendrils of pleasure wound their way through her, leaving heat along the wake.

Brayden kissed her again, this time harder, with a purpose.

She couldn’t believe she was doing this. There was a madman out there waiting to take her babies, and she was kissing…and probably doing more…with a man she knew more than anyone yet hadn’t even held a real conversation with about who they were.

God, she couldn’t do this.

Brayden pulled back and framed her face. “Stop thinking so much, Ally.”

She looked into his deep blue eyes and shook her head. “We can’t do this, Bray. I’m no good for you. All I bring is trouble, and I don’t even know if we’d have a future. You deserve something better. You deserve a real family to fill up that home of yours where you can create your own memories, not just take all the trouble that comes with mine.”

Brayden tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re wrong. You’re beyond wrong. I don’t know what our future is, Ally, but I know I don’t want mine to be with anyone else. I’ve had years,
years
, to find someone, and I couldn’t. You know why? Because I’d already found her but I couldn’t have her. I’m not going to let someone hurt you or your babies, and I’m not going to stand by and watch you walk away.”

“Brayden, we’re not a couple. Not really. I can’t just jump into a relationship. Not after…”

She couldn’t say that last part. Even though it had been magic keeping her there—something else standing in the way of her and Bray—she couldn’t forget what Greg had done.

She could never forget.

“Ally, what happened with Greg? I think I know, but I’m hoping my imagination is far worse than anything that could have happened.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist, anchoring her to him for more than just that moment.

Allison let out a shaky breath, her knees growing weak, though Brayden held her up. He was always holding her up lately. God, she hated it. She wanted, no
needed
, to hold herself up.

She couldn’t rely on any man.

She pulled back slightly, putting distance between them. She caught the flash of hurt on his face before he covered it up.

Damn it, she wasn’t good at this.

She didn’t deserve him or his love.

“Ally.”

“Greg was what you think and worse,” she let out. “He forced me to stay with him even when I tried to go. I know men do that without magic and I thought that was all it was. Even that makes me sick, but now I find out it’s magic? For so long I thought I’d just been weak. One of those woman who made excuses for him even though I hadn’t known it.”

Brayden shook his head and pulled her close. She didn’t fight him, needing his warmth even if she hated herself for it.

“He used magic, Ally. It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know that now, but I didn’t for so long. He had to have everything his way, and it had to be perfect. And if it wasn’t…”

Brayden touched her cheek, but she didn’t flinch. God, she trusted this man, despite the magic that ran through his veins.

“And if it wasn’t?” Brayden prompted.

“He made sure his displeasure was known.” She lifted her chin, daring Brayden to say anything about that.

His jaw clenched, and he growled that growl she was just getting used to hearing. “I’d go back and kill him myself if I could.”

“Well, the car accident that killed him made it too easy,” she said. “He died on impact. But I’d help you kill him if I could, not only for hurting me physically, emotionally, and everywhere in between, but for what he did to my kids.”

Brayden’s grip tightened for a moment before he visibly forced himself to relax. “Did he touch them, Ally?”

She shook her head. “No, he never hit them. Though I don’t know what would have happened if he’d lived.” She swallowed the bile that had risen at that thought. But Greg was gone now and couldn’t hurt her children. Though his brother endangered them, she wouldn’t let that stop her kids from living a normal life.

Well, as normal as they could, being half gnome living in a paranormal town.

“What did he do?”

“He hit me, yelled at me, criticized me. The normal stuff.” She tried to sound flippant, but she knew Brayden could see right through her.

“Nothing is normal about this, Ally. What he did to you isn’t
normal
. I want you to see that being with a man doesn’t mean pain, but respect and love. That’s my goal in all this.”

“Bray…”

“What else did he do? Because I know there’s something more. Something that haunts Aiden.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she swallowed. She could never hide anything from Brayden, even when she so desperately wanted to forget.

“Greg got mad one night, madder than usual. Aiden had left something on the table; I don’t even remember what. He went after him, but I stood in the way. There was no way he was going to hurt my son. That only enraged Greg more, and he knocked me to the ground, kicking me in the stomach as hard as he could.”