HICKEY Page 22

  “AHEM!”

  The sound of the irritable desk attendant clearing her throat and glaring at us brought me back to reality. But when I tried to disengage from Bran and stand on my own two feet I was a little wobbly.

  “Um,” I said, searching for something meaningful to say as I swayed under the spell of a near orgasm.

  Bran’s strong hand steadied me and he reached for my hand, lacing his fingers through mine as he stood up.

  “Did I mention that I have a room right down the hall all to myself?” he said and his eyes swept over me with unmistakable meaning.

  I licked my lips. They tasted like him. “You did mention that.”

  “So what are we waiting for?”

  I could feel my cheeks reddening. I shouldn’t feel like a nervous schoolgirl around Bran after everything but I couldn’t help it. “Nothing,” I said.

  His answering grin was instant, like a lightning bolt. One that struck my heart directly.

  “Good,” he said and pulled me roughly against him so I could feel the hard truth of what he really wanted.

  I wanted it too. I couldn’t separate our complex relationship from the overpowering physical connection we shared. The two were married to one another.

  But I put my hands on his chest and pushed away. “Just give me a minute.”

  He was confused. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” I kissed him quickly. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Cess,” he called but I was already rushing away in the direction of my room.

  Maya was still snoring and I hoped she’d forgive me for switching on the light for a second to find the object I’d placed beside my bed last night. Spotting it immediately, I snatched it up and ran out the door. Besides a few clothes and toiletries it was the one thing I’d grabbed from my room at Yucca Hall.

  That might have been a silly instinct since nothing in my room was damaged and the rumor was we’d be allowed to go home today, but I couldn’t bear to leave it behind for even a few hours. I needed to return it to the person it had been created for seven years ago.

  Bran was standing right where I’d left him. When I saw the way he kept his weight off his broken foot I felt sorry for the delay but he smiled broadly when he saw me rushing toward him. Then his eyes moved to the object rolled in my hand and his brows knit together in confusion.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “A gift.”

  He held his hand out. “Then give it.”

  I kept it out of his reach. “I will. When we’re alone.”

  The young couple who’d been napping on the couch were both awake now, rubbing their eyes and yawning. Bran picked up the box of donuts and tossed it to the guy.

  “Enjoy,” he said.

  “Shit, thanks,” said the kid happily as he dug in.

  “You need some help?” I asked Bran as he started limping down the hall.

  “Nah.”

  “I bet you wish you’d brought your crutches.”

  He rolled his eyes with a snort. “Is this the topic you’re going to pick to say, ‘I told you so’?”

  “No.” I tucked Bran’s gift under one arm and slid the other around his waist. “You can lean on me if you want to. I’m stronger than I look.”

  He slid his arm across my shoulders and looked down at me seriously. “I know.”

  When Bran opened the door to his room I felt shy again. Despite everything we’d gone through we still had to really get to know one another again. I stood in the middle of the room and hugged the surprise item to my chest.

  “There’s a lot of damage up on the third floor,” I said. “I wonder how long it’ll be before you get to return to your room.”

  Bran shut the door and shuffled over to the lone chair, sinking into it. “Might be a good time to think about other options,” he said.

  I froze. “What do you mean?”

  “I have a realtor searching for something more permanent.” He chuckled. “I think I’ve had my fill of freshman living.”

  Relief washed over me and I realized I’d been terrified Bran might say he was leaving. “Oh. So you’re not going back to Hickeyville?”

  He seemed to find the question amusing. “No.”

  I smiled. “That’s good. I might not mind hosting you for a few days if you need a place to crash.”

  He leaned back in the chair and appraised me seriously. “I have to ask you something, Cecily.”

  I swallowed. “Okay.”

  “Do you want me to stay in Arizona?” He looked troubled. “I know I didn’t go about any of this the right way. Hell, I’m not even sure if there is a right way to ask for a second chance. But I’m hoping you want to give me one anyway.”

  Wordlessly I unrolled the piece of stiff paper I’d been holding. Bran stared at it and recognition lit his face.

  “Damn,” he said quietly, “I assumed you’d destroyed it.”

  “No. It’s traveled everywhere with me.” I glanced down at the pastel contours of the Grand Canyon. “We talked about going to see it together.”

  His deep brown eyes searched my face. “We still can, Cess. We can do everything.”

  I carefully rolled the paper back up and set it gently against the leg of the nightstand. Bran watched me as I approached. I leaned over him, one hand on each arm of his chair.

  “I need to ask you something now.”

  His eyes flashed. “Anything.”

  I leaned closer, until our foreheads were nearly touching. “Did you mean it?” I whispered.

  His hands went to my hips. “What?”

  “When you said you loved me.”

  Bran suddenly pushed his hands into the waistband of my shorts. I inhaled sharply when he pulled them down, taking my panties as well. He held my gaze as he touched me, gently at first and then rougher, plunging his fingers inside. I’d already been so turned on from our steamy make out session in the lobby that it didn’t take much to push me to the precipice. Bran knew exactly how to get me there. He bent his head and put his mouth on me, the torturous heat of his tongue expertly sliding in and out. I came hard, throwing my head back and rocking my hips brazenly to the rhythm. At the moment the unbearable surge shattered me I whimpered and shut my eyes, collapsing into him as the tremors destroyed me.

  “I love you, Cecily,” Branson Hickey said and lifted me in his arms as he stood.

  “You can’t carry me,” I objected with a giggle. “Not with a broken foot.”

  “We aren’t going far.” He set me on the bed and shoved his pants down. “I love you,” he said again and entered me with one possessive thrust. “I’ll always love you.”

  I wrapped my legs around him and met every pounding push of his body with a cry of ecstasy. It was almost brutal the way we crashed together and climaxed with furious abandon. It was an absolute declaration of ownership, of everything we’d been missing all these years. There was a reason neither one of us had ever found anyone else. We were waiting all this time, waiting for this.

  “I love you too,” I whispered in the breathless aftermath.

  We couldn’t dwell on all the time we’d lost. It wasn’t important. Or maybe it was necessary. We were both very young, very immature, when we’d fallen in love for the first time. That didn’t mean everything we had together was a mistake. But it also didn’t mean we were ready for marriage at eighteen. We had to forgive the foolish kids that we’d been. Something this powerful deserved a second chance.

  Bran curled his arms around me and rested his cheek on my breasts. I kissed the top of his head. When we were able to talk normally again I’d be sure to tell him he had been wrong about something important. Out in the lobby he had argued that he was no hero.

  But Branson Hickey was indeed a hero. Even heroes weren’t perfect and neither was he. But he was still mine. He always had been.

  EPILOGUE

  Six months later

  Branson

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her steps crunchin
g on the dirt as she came over to where I was crouched beside the car.

  Cecily’s hand touched my back as she bent over to see what I was holding.

  I straightened up and held the object up against the backdrop of a clear blue sky.

  “Look at those sedimentary layers,” I said, a little awed by the colored striations in the rock. “Do you know how long it takes for these deposits to form?”

  She laughed up at me. “No.”

  I grinned at her and dropped the rock in my pocket. “A hell of a long time.”

  Cecily poked me in the side. “If you’re so impressed by tiny stones you ought to take a moment to appreciate this.” She swept an arm to reveal the incredible panorama spread before us.

  I slowly took it all in and I let out a low whistle. “After all the pictures I’ve seen of this place,” I said, “I still wasn’t prepared for the real thing. It’s just…”

  “GRAND!” Cecily finished and stood on tiptoe to kiss me on the cheek. She took my hand, lacing her slim artist fingers through my big clumsy ones. “Come on. Let’s get closer to the lookout point. I promised Antha some pictures that were worth framing. She’s going to hang them in her bakery.”

  We weren’t the only tourists spending spring break at the Grand Canyon. A lot of families with kids were posing for pictures before an incomparable landscape. There were international visitors as well. I heard the sounds of French, Spanish, Mandarin, and even Russian as Cecily and I approached the south rim of one of the world’s wonders.

  My eyes swept over the sight of the deep canyon, knowing I was only glimpsing a small piece of the miracle. I draped my arm around Cecily’s shoulders. “It’s a rock lover’s paradise, that’s for sure.”

  “It’s also not too shabby a view for an artist,” she said.

  She raised her camera and adjusted the lens. It had been a gift from me. I’d given it to her on Christmas morning at my father’s house in Hickeyville, where we’d spent the holidays. With her keen eye she was a natural at photography. I’d already framed a number of her pictures and hung them around the condo I bought several months ago. In my place there were touches of Cecily everywhere and that was just fine with me. She was moving in at the end of the semester anyway. She just wanted to finish out this freshmen Resident Advisor deal.

  Cecily had also made the decision to drop out of her MBA program and pursue her passion. Someday she would be an art teacher, just like she always wanted. Her new academic adviser hooked her up with a scholarship meant for students who intended to teach in the local public schools. She had also started working part time at the big art museum in the city. Switching disciplines at this point would tack some time onto her education plan but she seemed unfazed by the prospect.

  As for me, I’d lucked into a promotion as a security supervisor. It meant more hours but also more pay and I’d still have plenty of time for classes in the evenings and online. Someday I’d be a renowned geologist and Cecily would be a dedicated art teacher. I was sure that would happen. Together we could make anything happen.

  There was a sharp click and I saw that Cecily had turned the camera around and snapped a photo of me. She lowered the camera and grinned. “You seemed lost in thought,” she said.

  I pulled her closer until she was standing right in front of me. Her back settled against me while I crossed my arms over her chest. Her heartbeat quickened when I nudged her ponytail aside and kissed her neck.

  “Oh,” she said suddenly, tapping my hand. “I forgot to tell you. Yesterday morning before we left I went to the post office and mailed Kayla’s package.”

  “That was nice of you,” I said, still a little surprised that Cecily and Kayla had struck up a friendship once Kayla had reached out and apologized to Antha for her behavior in high school. Then Cecily and Kayla had spent some time together when we were in Hickeyville for Christmas and had shockingly bonded. They spoke at least once a week and since Kayla had given birth last month Cecily was always proudly showing me the latest photos that Kayla had texted her.

  “I had a field day picking out baby outfits,” Cecily said, laughing. “Baby Caden will be one well dressed little dude.”

  When Kayla and her husband informed us at Christmas that they were going to name their son after my brother I was touched by the news. My father was too. He got a little teary eyed and hugged her. He was looking healthier than he had when I went to visit after his surgery. He’d even begun working in Nell’s new store. From what heard, business was booming.

  My father was also delighted to welcome Cecily back to the family. Before we left Ohio he pulled me aside to eagerly ask when we were getting married again. I told him the truth. For now Cecily and I were enjoying what we had. We were in love and that was enough. When the time came to accelerate to the next chapter I was sure we’d know it.

  The Grand Canyon was one of the most astonishing sights on earth. Yet after a few minutes of staring at it I found that my attention was roaming elsewhere.

  Cecily was still in my arms and I was tall enough to be able to look down and see the planes of her face, the soft smile on her lips. I couldn’t remember what life had been like before I loved her.

  We’d never know what would have happened if we hadn’t gotten married so young, if we hadn’t given up on one another, if we hadn’t spent so many painful years apart. Yet I’d endure the worst of that agony a thousand times in exchange for this moment.

  “Bran?” she whispered.

  “Yeah?”

  “I have a secret.” She moved my hands lower, over her belly. I didn’t feel anything unusual but my heart skipped a beat.

  Cecily twisted her head, looked up at me and smiled.

  “Really?” I asked as a big, dopey grin spread across my face.

  Her smile grew. “Really.”

  I turned her around gently and kissed her with tenderness.

  Then, in front of the Grand Canyon and dozens of fellow tourists, I held her hands and dropped down on one knee.

  “Marry me, Cess.”

  THE END

  Thank you so much for reading!

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