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“Will I see you again?”
“Maybe not for a while, but I’ll try. Okay?”
“Okay.”
When he pulled her into his arms, she hugged him as tightly as possible and said, “I love you, Brody. Thank you for being such a wonderful big brother. You’re still my hero.”
He gave her one more hard squeeze, a gruff, “Love you, too,” and then he was gone, striding rapidly out the door. Jazz wanted to run after him. Wanted to demand that he stay and tell her what he was up to and promise her he’d never leave her. But she knew he couldn’t do that. Brody had an agenda, and he wasn’t going to let anything or anyone get in his way.
“Are you okay?” Xavier stood in the doorway, his expression a mixture of concern and anger. “If he upset you, I’m going to kick his ass.”
Unable to speak, she just shook her head. Xavier scooped her into his arms and sat down with her in his lap. A part of her wanted to cry, but another part felt so incredibly blessed.
Today, she had married the man of her dreams. She had seen and talked to her beloved brother. And she had more family than she’d ever dreamed possible.
Cupping her husband’s face, she spoke against his mouth, “Thank you, Xavier. For helping make my dreams come true.”
“Thank you, Jazz, for being my dream come true.”
The kiss they shared was a culmination of both their dreams. Jazz knew that with Xavier by her side, she would always have his love and devotion. Her dreams, both big and small, had come true.
Only by concentrating on his goals was Brody able to walk away. Seeing Jazz again and talking to her had been the most emotional thing to happen to him in years. He did not do emotions, and this… Well, this had been too much. This couldn’t happen again.
She had people who had stepped up for her, loved her. There was no one more deserving than Jazz. The onerous weight he carried on his shoulders for what had happened all those years ago wasn’t something he could contemplate. Even as he told himself he’d had no other choice, the memories would never leave him.
But she was happy now. Married to a man who would literally die for her. She had friends who would stand beside her, support her. All the things he’d always hoped for her were now hers.
His hand on the car door, he took one last look at the cottage he’d just left. She’d be all right. Quinn would see to that. An unusual longing had him taking a step backward as he hesitated. Maybe he?—
The ping of his phone drew him back to reality. Pulling the phone from his pocket, he swiped the screen to read the text, and his mouth twisted in a rare smile.
He quickly responded, accepting the job. And then he sent off another text, this one to Xavier Quinn to let him know he could call off the people he had following Sullivan.
Brody slid into his car and started the engine. Sometimes, karma came at just the right time. Oscar Sullivan was about to have a very, very bad day.
And Brody was one step closer to his goal.