then on that first day without intending to, and he’d never pulled out the hook, he had never wanted to.
‘When we agreed to meet last year… that date…’
‘You never let me apologise for—‘
‘It wasn’t your fault,’ she said with a flare of ire flashing in her eyes. ‘I know exactly whose fault it was. You’re not the one who has to apologise.’
‘If you ever want to talk…’
‘I’ll call up Colt’s fiancée,’ she said and whatever else she’d been planning to reveal was gone. ‘I do appreciate this, you’ve helped me out of a bind. You have no reason to still be nice to me after… I know that things have been tense with you and Gary.’
‘I didn’t put him in jail, Bri. It’s important to me that you know that.’
‘That’s not what he says.’
‘And if you believed him you wouldn’t be here. At least you would’ve spent more time shouting the odds at me.’
Rolling her arm on the door frame, she took a breath. ‘I know my brother well enough to know that there are two sides to every story. He hated it when we started dating, do you remember?’
‘Yeah,’ Blaser said, exhaling a laugh at the memory. ‘I thought he was going to murder me.’
‘It didn’t help that he caught us doing it in the back of your car.’
‘Probably not,’ he smiled.
They were kids and so full of potential, none of them could have foreseen the way things would work out in their lives. ‘I thought he’d never forgive us, but he did… I think he actually sort of grew to like the idea of us getting together. But now…’
‘Hey,’ he said, resting a hand on her shoulder. ‘Don’t waste your time trying to figure out the dynamics of my relationship with your brother. I usually can’t figure out my relationship with my own brothers. Gary and I want you to be safe, we have that in common. Focus on that.’
‘Ok,’ she said, accepting that for now, but he knew it wouldn’t stick. ‘Thank you, Love.’
‘You’re welcome, and you don’t need to say that anymore.’ He had meant the thank you, but the pet name stuck in his throat too. It had been a long time since he had been her love.
‘Ok, I’ll try, but I make no promises.’
‘You sleep well, Bri and if you need me…’
‘Just stamp,’ she said with a nod and a smile. ‘Goodnight.’ Then she closed the door.
Running back down the stairs to his apartment, he reprioritised his day for tomorrow. He’d have to fit in Bri’s paperwork somewhere and figure out if she needed help to move. He would also have to figure out what to tell the guys.
It might be later in the night than he’d hoped, but when he eventually got to bed he was loose and content; he’d done something good and productive with his day. And whether it made sense or not, knowing that Brianna was safe and asleep in the bedroom above his made him feel better.
Chapter Four
The night’s sleep from which she’d just awoken was probably the best she’d had since the last time she woke up in this complex. Being back with Blaser, at least in proximity to him, was comforting but she was also aware of how dangerous it was. Seven years ago she thought that she was with the man she was going to spend her life with and then he was arrested.
He pled guilty, so they were spared a trial, but he went straight to prison where she vowed to stand by him, then he’d asked to see her. Brianna didn’t think twice about going to visit him, she liked that he wanted her company, so she went without thinking anything sinister of Blaser’s request.
After he broke up with her letters were exchanged, but he refused to see her again. Then the letters stopped so she tried to call, again nothing. Eventually resolving herself to the fact that Blaser no longer wanted her she decided to get a clean break, away from him and away from Gary, and that was when she moved to New Jersey.
So many nights she had thought about Blaser and it didn’t matter how well things were
‘When we agreed to meet last year… that date…’
‘You never let me apologise for—‘
‘It wasn’t your fault,’ she said with a flare of ire flashing in her eyes. ‘I know exactly whose fault it was. You’re not the one who has to apologise.’
‘If you ever want to talk…’
‘I’ll call up Colt’s fiancée,’ she said and whatever else she’d been planning to reveal was gone. ‘I do appreciate this, you’ve helped me out of a bind. You have no reason to still be nice to me after… I know that things have been tense with you and Gary.’
‘I didn’t put him in jail, Bri. It’s important to me that you know that.’
‘That’s not what he says.’
‘And if you believed him you wouldn’t be here. At least you would’ve spent more time shouting the odds at me.’
Rolling her arm on the door frame, she took a breath. ‘I know my brother well enough to know that there are two sides to every story. He hated it when we started dating, do you remember?’
‘Yeah,’ Blaser said, exhaling a laugh at the memory. ‘I thought he was going to murder me.’
‘It didn’t help that he caught us doing it in the back of your car.’
‘Probably not,’ he smiled.
They were kids and so full of potential, none of them could have foreseen the way things would work out in their lives. ‘I thought he’d never forgive us, but he did… I think he actually sort of grew to like the idea of us getting together. But now…’
‘Hey,’ he said, resting a hand on her shoulder. ‘Don’t waste your time trying to figure out the dynamics of my relationship with your brother. I usually can’t figure out my relationship with my own brothers. Gary and I want you to be safe, we have that in common. Focus on that.’
‘Ok,’ she said, accepting that for now, but he knew it wouldn’t stick. ‘Thank you, Love.’
‘You’re welcome, and you don’t need to say that anymore.’ He had meant the thank you, but the pet name stuck in his throat too. It had been a long time since he had been her love.
‘Ok, I’ll try, but I make no promises.’
‘You sleep well, Bri and if you need me…’
‘Just stamp,’ she said with a nod and a smile. ‘Goodnight.’ Then she closed the door.
Running back down the stairs to his apartment, he reprioritised his day for tomorrow. He’d have to fit in Bri’s paperwork somewhere and figure out if she needed help to move. He would also have to figure out what to tell the guys.
It might be later in the night than he’d hoped, but when he eventually got to bed he was loose and content; he’d done something good and productive with his day. And whether it made sense or not, knowing that Brianna was safe and asleep in the bedroom above his made him feel better.
Chapter Four
The night’s sleep from which she’d just awoken was probably the best she’d had since the last time she woke up in this complex. Being back with Blaser, at least in proximity to him, was comforting but she was also aware of how dangerous it was. Seven years ago she thought that she was with the man she was going to spend her life with and then he was arrested.
He pled guilty, so they were spared a trial, but he went straight to prison where she vowed to stand by him, then he’d asked to see her. Brianna didn’t think twice about going to visit him, she liked that he wanted her company, so she went without thinking anything sinister of Blaser’s request.
After he broke up with her letters were exchanged, but he refused to see her again. Then the letters stopped so she tried to call, again nothing. Eventually resolving herself to the fact that Blaser no longer wanted her she decided to get a clean break, away from him and away from Gary, and that was when she moved to New Jersey.
So many nights she had thought about Blaser and it didn’t matter how well things were
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