drank from the bottle again. One swallow. Two. Three. He didn't stop until half the bottle was gone. "Is that what you thought when you fucked me? Or when you thought I was your brother?"
Clarissa gasped.
"How's that for irony, Rayna? Do you get off on incest?"
"I'm…going to leave…," Clarissa muttered.
A second later her car was gone.
A shiver crossed my skin. My heart was racing, but that was normal now. "You knew Frank Stephens was your dad?"
"So did you!" Brady accused.
His words hurt me, but I pushed past it. This wasn't about who was right, who hurt worse. "How long have you known?"
"How long have you known?" he countered.
"For two days. They've been the worst two days I've ever experienced."
Brady looked away.
"It wasn't until Viola threw that fit when she found out about us. I realized more was going on. It didn't make sense to me why she was acting how she was unless, god forbid, we couldn't be together. Once I had that thought, things clicked in place. She always hated Frank Stephens. I didn't know who my dad was, we didn't know who your parents were and I guessed that Viola knew more than she admitted so I asked her whose father was Frank Stephens, yours or mine. It was a long shot, but I was right."
"And?"
My arm twitched. As I felt a softening from Brady, my entire body wanted to launch myself in his arms. "She doesn't know who my father is, but she knew he was yours. She's known since you were a baby."
He took another two swigs from the bottle. "She's known all my life? She's been lying to me all my life?"
"Brady," I started, but did he really want to hear this? It was so painful.
"I have to know all of it, Rayna. I'm tired of these secrets."
If the tables were turned, I'd want to know. So I told him everything. I didn't stop until I got to the part where Kid had confided in me.
Brady nodded. "Kid told me he knew at the hospital. I went there to ask Frank about your mom. You said at the jail that he and your mom knew each other. It makes sense. Your mom doesn't have the best reputation and he's a manwhore. I couldn't handle not knowing if you were my sister. I didn't care what hornet's nest I was going to stir up. I didn't care."
He did what I was too scared to.
"I couldn't handle the other option."
Some tears fell down my cheek. "I'm pretty sure he's not my dad. He was talking about someone else. A lot of it was gibberish, but that was the gist of it."
Brady sighed. "He's not your dad. Your dad is his old partner, Domitri Charisteaus. I think he just died or something. Frank was spewing a lot of crazy, but he said something about a funeral.'"
"He hates my mom now."
Brady nodded. "My dad's a psychopath."
Agreed. "Why are you mad at me?"
Brady ran a brisk hand through his wet hair and shook his head. "Because I thought you knew this whole time. I was hurt. I thought you weren't ever going to tell me and you were just going to let me look like a fool, running after you. That's how I felt today at your school. I felt like an idiot, coming after you, and you didn't have the time of day for me."
"I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to deal." I felt less of a person. All I wanted to do was run away and I had hurt Brady because of it. "I'm sorry for not saying anything."
"You needed time to figure things out. I see that now. I should've figured that out when Frank told me you knew. I was so furious. I felt like you didn't care about me."
"God, no. The opposite." I wiped at some more tears.
"I get that now. I do." He looked at his bottle and sighed. "The thought of you playing me like a fool messed me up."
I bit my lip.
He finished the bottle and went to sit on the fence once more. This time I wasn't scared to sit beside him. I was a little fearful to take his hand, though my own was itching for it. Brady added, "I know I just flipped out thinking you were keeping a secret from me, but this is where I grovel for your forgiveness. I've known about my dad for three years."
The tattoo.
I traced it with my fingertips. "Is that when you got this?"
He flexed his bicep and the tattoo moved under my touch. "I was hurt and pissed. I wanted something permanent to show that I didn't care. I'm sorry for never telling you."
"What does it mean?" I always knew it meant something with him. I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt he never confided in me.
"Nothing profound." Brady gave me a rakish grin. "Just means 'my own.' I come from my own, no one else except for you and your family. The Forresters helped, but they really just let me have a room there as long as I didn't mess up too much."
"The tattoo, it's beautiful." I meant it. "How'd you find out about him?"
"From my mom," Brady confessed. "Man, it feels good to say that. Finally someone else knows."
"Your mom?" I flinched when jealousy flared in me. This wasn't about me.
"She found me awhile ago. Told me that she'd had an affair with Frank Stephens. She also told me a lot about him and your mom. Said he was in love with your mom and was devastated when she left. That's why he pursued my mom, I guess."
"Your mom was okay with that?"
"No, not in the beginning. She thought he loved her, but one night he raped her. Then he told her to fix the pregnancy. She didn't. She went back to her family and they disowned her. She brought me back because he said that he'd take care of me. We all know how that ended up. After awhile, she wrote him a letter asking to meet me. When he never replied, she showed up at the house one day. He told her to take off and that I'd died all those years ago."
My eyes widened. "What?"
"She didn't believe him. She asked around if anyone knew a kid by my name. We were both lucky that he kept my name. She wanted that for me. I'm named after her father, my grandfather."
"People knew of you, of course."
"Yeah." He grinned proudly. "She was pretty shocked by that, but she said she liked knowing that her son was well-known. Said that it meant I'd been taken care of by someone and loved, too." He sighed. "I wish I could've told her about your grandmother's involvement, but I didn't know. I just knew I'd been put into foster care."
"Where's your mom now?"
"She went back to where she lives in New York. That's where she was originally from. I'm still in touch with her. We e-mail back and forth."
I grabbed his hand. "Why didn't you go there?"
Brady looked at our joined hands and then met my eyes. "Because you're here, Rayna."
I melted at the tenderness in his eyes. "Really?"
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and cupped the side of my face. "Rayna, I could've gone to college last year. I stuck around because of you. Because…"
"Because…?"
When his phone rang, I closed my eyes. ‘So close.'
Brady reached into his jeans and silenced it before he touched underneath my chin and whispered, "Open your eyes. Look at me."
I did. Through tears, I saw something that Brady had always masked to me. I'd known it was there, but never really knew. Now I saw it, full and brimming to the top.
"I love you, Rayna. It's why I've never left and never wanted to leave."
My eyes closed with a snap. I burrowed into his chest. It's what I'd wanted for so long. I finally heard it and wrapped my arms around him.
He brushed my hair back and kissed my forehead. "I've just been waiting for you and I'm sorry that I haven't been a saint. When Kid came and said stuff about you, I went crazy for a moment. I thought he was going to try something with you and I couldn't lose you. It's why I made love to you after you got me out of jail. I was making you mine. Then I started thinking it wasn't fair to you. I wasn't sure if you were ready to deal with me, with everything I felt for you when you were going to go away to college. That's why I started to back away from you, but you got so mad at me. I thought for sure that meant you felt the same, but then Viola w
as there and everything got messed up. I didn't know what to think and then you were avoiding me."
I stopped him. "I love you, too!"
I met his mouth with mine and poured everything into that kiss. He lifted me in the air and climbed to the other side of the fence. As I entwined my legs around his waist, Brady walked backwards and gently lowered me to the front of his car. After that, I felt him surrender everything into our kiss, into me. I wanted nothing more than to be one with him.
We stayed like that, fused together, arms around each other, until both of our hearts slowed and reality filtered back in. Then he pulled away and groaned. "We can't stay here. I'm not going to do what I want to on the hood of my car. I want a bed and a week."
I rubbed a hand over my sensitized lips. "Might want to wait until after graduation."
"Graduation. Tomorrow." Brady grimaced. "I forgot about that. Clarissa's got a party tonight. Did you want to go?"
My mouth fell open.
He grinned and gently squeezed my hands. "I'm kidding. I want only to be with you tonight." Then he nipped my lips and deepened the kiss. It started out a gentle touch, but flared into more.
After he pulled away, I was reluctant to let him, but I couldn't ignore the real world. "I think we have other stuff to do tonight. You need to do damage control with Clarissa and everyone else who thought you were coming up here to jump off Highpoint Bridge. I need to explain to Viola why we might be getting sued by Frank Stephens."
"I doubt that." Brady laughed and pulled me off the car, back into his arms. "From what he was spewing, your mother has his balls in a nut-hold. There's a reason why he's scared of your grandmother too. Nah. You could've killed him and he wouldn't come back to haunt you."
"Really?"
"If he tries to hurt you, I'm going after him."
"God forbid." I grinned and looked up.
Brady met my gaze and kissed me lightly. "Much as I hate to admit this, I've had time to study Frank Stephens and I'm a lot like him in some ways. I know how he thinks. I won't let him hurt you. Ever."
"Ever forever?"
"Ever forever," Brady promised and kissed me again. He pulled away to rest his forehead against mine. "I want to take you home and then I want to do something for you."
"What?" My hands tugged on his shirt and pulled him down for another kiss. He met my lips, softly and then harder. It wasn't long before we were short of breath. He ripped away again.
"I mean it. Let's get in the car now before I decide I don't care if we're in the back of a car or on top a car." His voice was hoarse, thick with desire, as he pulled me after him. He got in the passenger seat and I drove out of there.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
It wasn't long before we had pulled up to my house. The lights were lit, then the door flew open and my grandparents stumbled out. I heard Viola shriek in laughter. Neil laughed in his baritone after.
"Rayna!" She swung her arms in the air and giggled. "Wait there, we'll come to you."
She fell at one point even with her arm draped over Neil's shoulder as they weeved their way towards us.
"Oh god," Brady groaned.
Viola fell again and her feet lifted in the air. I bit back a laugh.
Neil stood and looked down. He'd dropped her, but then bent with his arms outstretched to scoop her up. She grunted, rolled over and scrambled to her feet. Then she threw back her head, let a laugh bellow out, and ran around him. Her fists pumped in the air and her knees followed suit, higher and higher. Neil followed suit, but his coveralls tripped him. Down he went.
My mouth fell open. When had my grandparents become drunken teenagers?
Viola fell beside me first and patted my knee. "Are you okay, honey? What'd that bastard say to you?"
I looked at Brady with an eyebrow raised. He shrugged as he bit his lip, and then he couldn't hold back. He bent over and his shoulders shook in laughter.
"Why are you guys drunk?"
"Oh," she snorted and waved a hand in the air. It took her back to the ground.
Neil cleared his throat and tried to stand tall. Brady snorted and grabbed his arm to help him upright. "We heard the news, honey."
"We did," Viola said from the ground.
"You punched Frank Stephens."
"Yohoo!"
"And your mother stopped by."
Everything stopped. It ground to a halt and I sucked in my breath. "What? What did you say?"
"Yeppers," Viola punched the air. "She came by and told us everything. You two can be together."
"Who?" Brady questioned.
"You two, you two lovebirds. Rayna, your father isn't Frank Stephens."
Neil grunted, "We're going to church tomorrow to praise the Lord."
She kept on, "And your dad died. He left you a bunch of money." Then she shot to her feet and a sobering look filled her face. "You don't have to do anything with it, Rayna. We sent your mom away. She can come another night, but I wanted to tell you first."
"My mom's still here?"
They both nodded at the same time.
Brady narrowed his eyes. "She was here, at the house here?"
Viola sniffed. "We sent her away."
"But your real father died, Rayna. We're really sorry."
"And he left her an inheritance?" Brady looked at her.
I looked down at my hands. They were clenched together in front of me. I knew all of this, but I hadn't cared when Frank Stephens ranted about my inheritance. I didn't care then and I don’t now. It was enough to know I wasn't related to Brady.
"You okay?"
I looked up and met Brady's eyes. "I'm good. I'm really good."
He walked over and pressed a kiss to my forehead. Then he whispered, "I'll be right back. Don't go to bed. Stay out here."
I nodded and smiled when his hand squeezed mine before he left.
"Where's he going?"
Viola turned all the way around. "I don't know."
I sighed, "He'll be back. He wants to do something for me."
Neil leaned against the car and shook his head. "We're sorry we're a bit inebriated right now, Rayna. It's not been an easy night for us."
Viola swung her arms around, her body followed suit. "Yeah, he's right. I was shaking so much from your momma that I needed a drink to calm down. I had a few too many, then I got my hubby to start with me. It reminded us of our honeymoon days. You remember those days, honey?"
"I sure do." He sounded gruff as he wiped at an eye.
"Look at that, he's still so in love with me that he sheds a tear. Just like you and Brady."
Neil wrapped an arm around his wife. "We both love you very much, Rayna."
I blinked back sudden tears. "I love you, too."
"And tomorrow is your graduation. We've got something special planned." She patted my knee. "Congratulations, honey. You and Brady deserve each other. You're soulmates. I always thought it, but I pissed myself when I didn't know whose daddy was whose." She twisted and looked at her husband. "Did you know that? I peed my