Page 68 of Brewer Family Collection, Part 1

Jason

D awn begins to creep into the desert.

I glance at the clock and then over to Chloe, curled beside me. The whispers of her sleep drift through the bedroom.

Her hair is splayed across the pillows, and her cheek nestles against my side. Having her this close has caused something to bloom inside my chest.

The contentment that fills me this morning is a feeling I’ve never believed was real.

Life’s too busy, too complicated to have a moment without something niggling in the back of my brain.

There hasn’t been a day in my life—not even as a child—that I remember not being preoccupied with something—a test, contract, or duty.

Until now.

There’s only one thing on my mind that I care to be concerned about while in this bed. Chloe .

Her ringed finger sits on my stomach, and I can’t help but recall her reaction to me placing it on her finger. Shock. Disbelief. Happiness.

I’m just happy that it made it on time. It was possible only because my mom’s best friend is a jeweler with a boutique in Las Vegas. And Siggy just happened to be in town for the grand opening, understood what I was after, and had it couriered to the penthouse just before we arrived.

My phone chirps on the nightstand and I grab it without disrupting Chloe. Just as expected, the family text chat is alive and well.

Grinning, I open the thread and catch up.

Bianca: Did anyone bother to get an actual picture last night?

Tate: Yeah, but not sure it’s what you’re wanting to see. wincing emoji

Bianca: Ripley, I’m counting on you.

Ripley: Look, I walked the bride down the aisle and held a phone so Mom could watch a ceremony. I’m skilled, but even those skills are limited.

Bianca: eyerolling emoji How did you two screw this up?

Renn: Excuse me as I squeeze into this conversation, since I’m the Vegas wedding professional here. But if you call the chapel today, they probably snapped some shots they’ll be willing to sell you for an exorbitant price.

Bianca: What’s the name of the place?

Renn: The King and Bling Chapel

Bianca: So classy.

Ripley: YOU HAD CHICKENS AT YOUR WEDDING

Tate: YOU HAD CHICKENS AT YOUR WEDDING

Renn: THERE WERE CHICKENS AT YOUR WEDDING

Gannon: I heard there were chickens at your wedding.

My chest vibrates as I try not to laugh and wake Chloe.

Me: There were chickens at your wedding?

Bianca: I hate all of you.

Bianca: At least I remember my wedding, Renn.

Ripley: Yeah, she got you there.

Gannon: So you’re really married this morning, Jason?

Chloe moves against my side.

Me: I am.

Gannon: I didn’t see this coming, but congrats, my man.

Me: Thank you.

Bianca: I’m throwing you a party.

A party? What would Chloe think about a party? Would she enjoy it, or would she feel pressured?

My fingers move swiftly over the keys.

Me: Let’s give it a while before we start partying, okay?

Bianca: If we didn’t have Gannon, you’d be the least amount of fun in this family.

Ripley: Tate and I are heading back to Nashville this afternoon. What are your plans, Jason?

Me: We’re flying out tomorrow morning.

Bianca: Take her on a proper honeymoon.

Tate: Where did Foxx take you on a honeymoon again?

Bianca: devil emoji Do you REALLY want details on my honeymoon?

Tate: No.

Gannon: No.

Ripley: Absofuckinglutely not.

Chloe stirs and flutters her eyes open.

Me: I gotta go.

Tate: Later

Renn: Enjoy.

Gannon: Call me later.

Ripley: See ya.

Bianca: Love you.

My phone chirps in quick succession as they continue. I turn off my ringer and set my phone next to me.

“What time is it?” Chloe asks, yawning.

“It’s still early. You can go back to sleep.”

She peers up at me with heavy eyelids. “Then why are you up?”

“Because I haven’t gone to sleep yet.”

“Why?”

I press a kiss against her forehead and nestle her against me again. Because I was afraid I’d wake up if I went to sleep, and this wouldn’t be real.

That’s not entirely true, but it’s the essence of it if it were all boiled down.

“Are you having second thoughts?” she asks, holding her breath.

I stroke her back with my fingers, appreciating her delicate dips and curves. “I’m having second thoughts that I let you fall asleep without being inside you.”

She laughs against my side, placing a kiss on my ribs.

“What about you? How do you feel?” I ask.

“Sore.”

“I like you sore.”

“I like being sore.” She traces the tattoos on my arm. “Tell me about these.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Do they mean anything?”

I bend my arm, and Chloe points at an owl tattoo near my elbow.

“That was given to me by a good friend in London. Owls mean wisdom, and he always jokes about me being wise. But that’s only because I’ve saved him from marrying the wrong woman and potentially a serial killer—in separate incidents,” I say.

She lifts her head. “I need details.”

“Let’s get into those stories later,” I say, chuckling.

She makes a face but settles back beside me once again.

“This one is for a friend I lost in my first military battle,” I say, pointing down to the next tattoo. “We called him Root, so I got a tree.”

“I’m sorry you lost a friend.”

“I’ve lost many friends.” I pull her tighter. “But we honor the fallen by living.”

Chloe seems to want to say something but decides to move on instead. I’m thankful. While memories of my friends are good things to have, discussing them carries a sense of sadness. And I don’t want anything spoiling this moment with her.

“What about this one?” she asks, tracing a birdcage on my forearm.

“That’s a reminder that there’s always a way out. If you can’t open the door, break through the bars. But there’s always a way out.”

She touches a simple script. “And this one?”

“All of my brothers have that one. A B for Brewer. It was Tate’s twenty-first birthday, and the five of us were out together, which is a rarity.

Tate had a little too much tequila and was emotional.

The next thing I know, we’re at a tattoo shop.

” I laugh. “Tate wanted us to get a knot that looked like a testicle.”

Chloe laughs, too.

“But we teamed up against him and settled on a letter instead.”

“I think that’s cool. If I had siblings, I hope we’d be as close as you are with yours. It’s like you always have a friend.”

“It wasn’t always this way. I couldn’t stand Tate most of his life.

” I shrug, thinking back to his teenage years when I thought he was the goofiest kid on the planet.

And not in a good way . “And Gannon still annoys the hell out of me most of the time. But I think it comes with age, you know? You care less about those irritations and more about the big picture.”

“Maybe when I’m old like you, I’ll be more introspective like that.”

I grab her, making her squirm. Her giggles almost get her fucked, but I hold back since she’s sore. Four rounds in one night are probably enough … for her. I’ll never get my fill of this woman.

“So is there anything you want to do in Vegas?” I ask.

She shakes her head. The blanket covering her slides down until it nests in the small of her back.

“It’s not like I had much time to think about it, but no,” she says. “It’s nice just being away, honestly. What about you?”

“I’m supposed to have a meeting later this morning.”

“That’s right. You were coming here anyway.”

I nod. “If I had an EA that wasn’t naked beside me, I’d have her cancel it.”

A worried look passes through her eyes.

“I’m kidding.” I kiss the top of her head. “I’ll cancel it myself as soon as it’s a respectable time.”

“I can do it.”

“Not if you like your job.”

She grins. “What’s that supposed to mean? ”

“It means I’ll fire you if you try to work on your honeymoon, Mrs. Brewer.”

Her fingers dance over my skin, spraying goose bumps on my arms. “I think you should go.”

“What?”

“Go,” she insists. “Our lives still have to continue, and I know that meeting was important. I’ll be fine by myself for a few hours.

I’ll check in on Mimi and take a bath. Really .

Being alone for a little while sounds glorious.

Do you know the last time I was by myself?

With a bathtub that doesn’t leak onto the floor? ”

I blow out a breath, considering her questions because my instinct is to be here with her.

But the more I think about it, the more I realize she’s probably right.

She’s with me at the office all day, and then Mimi in their cramped apartment at night.

She probably does want some time alone. I’d lose my mind if I didn’t have time by myself to decompress.

“If you’re sure,” I say. “But I want to be clear. I’m doing this because you want me to, not because I want to.”

She kisses the center of my chest. “I’m sure. I’ll feel less guilty about you getting behind on work.”

“May I remind you that you aren’t my assistant right now?”

“You brought work up. Not me.”

“That’s true.”

“And it’s really hard for me to just not think about it. Your work isn’t only important to Brewer Air. It’s important to you .”

I smile, watching the sun begin to rise. “It’s a good thing you married me.”

“Why?”

“Because you would’ve quit in the end, or you would’ve been single forever.”

She laughs. “What do you mean?”

“You weren’t going on that date with Thomas.”

Her laugh grows evil.

“You weren’t,” I say, the thought making my stomach tighten. “I was going to find a reason to make you work over.”

“You wouldn’t have.”

“Oh, yes I fucking would’ve.”

“Fine. I wasn’t going anyway. I canceled it the night you called me. He came by to check on Mimi and it was just … sparkless.”

“Sparkless, huh?”

“ Sparkless .” She moves her leg over the top of mine. “This feels pretty sparky, though.”

We lie tangled up in the sheets, our bodies connected in every way but one. Chloe is so still, so peaceful, that I think she’s fallen asleep. But when I look down, I notice her eyes are open.

I’d be happy staying in this apartment with her forever, and God knows I could come up with things to entertain us. But something about that doesn’t quite sit right with me. She deserves more than to be kept inside this gilded cage. I want her to enjoy herself in ways besides sex.

I want to show her off and make her feel special.

“I want to take you to dinner tonight,” I say softly.

She takes a deep breath. “I don’t know what you have in mind, but I didn’t bring anything too fancy to wear. Not that I have anything fancy, but the point remains the same.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“I’m not worried about it,” she says. “I just want to limit your expectations.”

She has no idea that she exceeds them at every turn.

“I’d be proud to take you to any restaurant in this town wearing sweatpants,” I say. “You do know that, right?”

Her breath is hot against my neck. “That’s very sweet of you to say. But even if that were true, that doesn’t mean I’d be willing to do it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’d be embarrassed.”

I peel her away so I can look her in the eye. “What do you have to be embarrassed about? If anyone judges you over sweatpants, they can fuck off anyway.”

She resumes her position with her arm draped over my stomach. “It’s childhood trauma. I’ve been working for years to erase it.”

“May I ask what happened?”

“It’s nothing too complicated. It’s just that when my parents were married, things were great.

But then Dad left us, and Mom and I went from having a very comfortable life to having virtually nothing.

I was the daughter of a banker and then the daughter of a woman who cleaned houses for a living. It was a total one-eighty.”

My heart sinks. “Didn’t she get a settlement?”

“His assets were all tied up in trusts. Dad was clever, I’ll give him that.

I think Mom did get child support, but the system screwed her.

” She sighs. “It just brought Mom and me closer, as we did everything together. She cheered so loudly for me that I didn’t even notice Dad wasn’t there until I was older. ”

My jaw flexes as I imagine Chloe’s father walking out on her and her mother. How could he do something like that? It’s beyond comprehension. Then again, my father has done things beyond comprehension, too. It’s even more of a reason to prove to Chloe that good men still exist.

And she has one, if she’ll accept me.

“Things got harder as I got older, and life became more expensive,” she says.

“Our situation caused cracks in my friendships because teenagers are mean. I’d be teased over my clothes and that I didn’t get a car for my sixteenth birthday.

I couldn’t go to camps with my friends. Honestly, I didn’t even ask because I knew we couldn’t afford it.

I still hear those voices laughing at me when I’m underdressed or self-conscious about my makeup. ”

“You feel that way now?”

“Sure. I never feel like I’m quite doing things right.” She tenses. “I felt that way coming here. I thought, Women always have lingerie for their honeymoon, and here I am once again without the bare essentials .” She laughs nervously. “It is what it is, I guess.”

What the fuck?

“Hey,” I say, trying to lift her chin to look at me. She resists. “If that thought even crossed your mind, I’m doing something wrong, sweetheart.”

She clings to me. It’s a knife in my heart.

“Do I ever make you feel inferior?” I ask, worried.

“Never. It’s one of the things I love most about you. You never make me, or anyone around you, feel less … even though you’re the most.”

My chest constricts as I think of this complicated yet simple woman, and I realize how much I have left to learn—and not a lot of time to do it.

I roll her onto her back and hover over her.

For the first time, her guard is down. She’s completely vulnerable with me. There’s no shield, no joke on the tip of her tongue to distract me from a topic she doesn’t want to discuss. She’s open to me.

I almost can’t take it.

“It’s funny you say that,” I say, my voice thick. “Because when I’m with you, I’m aware that I’m batting way out of my league.”

Her smile is soft and sincere.

I brush a lock of hair off her forehead. “If you ever feel those types of things sneak up on you, just remember how beautiful I think you are.” I slide a knee between her legs and spread her thighs apart. “And if you keep feeling that way, let me know so I can spank that delicious ass of yours.”

Her eyes twinkle as her hands slide up my chest. “I’m feeling that way right now, as a matter of fact.”

“Do you want spanked?” I ask, a smile teasing the corner of my lips.

“I want whatever you’ll give me.”

My whole heart ? Done.