Irreversible Damage (Irreparable) Page 2

  A pleasant, sexy laugh falls from his mouth. “Does it for you, huh?”

  I bite my lip again and nod.

  I’m suddenly hoisted up on the countertop. Brady shoves his firm body in between my thighs, pressing into my core. His readiness tells me he likes what I said.

  His eyes smolder. “Are you trying to distract me, Sunshine?”

  I am, a repeat of this morning’s wake-up call looming in my mind. “Maybe.”

  He groans next to my ear. His hand moves up my leg under my sundress. He cups my sex. He holds his hand there as heat turns to fire, searing my skin. I shamelessly rub against his hand, craving his touch.

  With his other hand, he pulls on the back of my hair and licks up my neck. “I love my greedy girl,” he growls next to my ear.

  “You two should lock the door if you’re going to get it on in the kitchen.”

  I quickly jump off the counter and smooth my dress down.

  Brady groans. “You could knock, Tug.”

  He’s pissed, probably because he’s in pain. I stifle a laugh.

  “I could,” Tug answers with a shrug. He hands me a tub of Clorox wipes that he picks up off the counter. “You should sanitize that area.”

  I chuck the tub back to him. He catches it. “You’re such a shit!”

  He sets the tub back on the counter. “Yeah, but you love me.”

  I roll my eyes. He’s impossible. It’s like having a kid around. I think by the time Mona is three, she and Tug will be best buddies.

  “What are you doing here?” Brady asks. I don’t miss the obvious annoyance in his tone, but Tug appears to.

  “I came to see if you guys wanted to grab lunch.” He glances between the two of us. Neither of us answers. “I have a gift for the baby.”

  “I can’t. The guys are coming over to practice.” Brady shoots me a “you’re stuck with him” look. “Tori’s free, though.” He smacks my butt as he walks past me. “I’m going to warm up before they get here.”

  Tug turns to face me, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He has way too much energy. “So…lunch?”

  “I have to pee!” I shout without answering him as I sprint from the room. “Sorry, Tug, I can’t hold it.” It really is awful. I can’t even sneeze these days without losing control of my bladder.

  Once I’m finished in the bathroom, I find myself in the living room. I’d come in here looking for something, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it was. Now that I have it, I know “pregnancy brain” is not just a myth. Some days, I swear I’d forget my head if it wasn’t attached to my body.

  I hear Tug’s boisterous laugh as he walks through the door. “What’d you forget this time?”

  “Ha-ha!” I send him an annoyed look. “You’re so funny.”

  “Whoa!” He holds up his hands to ward me off. “Defensive this morning?”

  “Sorry.” I frown when I realize I’m being a bit snippy. “I hate not being able to remember things.”

  Tug laughs. “Once Mona’s born you’ll get your memory back.”

  “Right.” I roll my eyes before glancing around. I still can’t remember what brought me in here. “And I’ll be so sleep-deprived I won’t remember anything anyway.”

  “Well, at least you know what to expect when you get old now.” He looks like he’s waiting for me to guess. I have no idea what he’s getting at. I shake my head. “No memory and Depends. As long as you don’t forget to put the diaper on, you should stay dry.” He laughs, obviously amused with himself.

  “Thanks. You’re so helpful, Tug.”

  “I try.” He laughs for a bit, but then his expression turns serious. “I couldn’t help but notice that you looked less than thrilled about the guys coming over. You okay?”

  I glance down the hall to make sure Brady’s not there. The last thing I need is for him to hear us. He’s already annoyed that I spoke to Tug. “I’m fine.”

  Tug cocks his head to the side. He knows I’m full of shit.

  “Nice try. I know you well enough to know that ‘I’m fine’ is code for ‘I’m not happy about it.’ What’s up?”

  “I asked Brady about Davey’s drug problem,” I finally admit as I sit on the couch.

  Tug sits down next to me. “What did he say?” He props his feet up on the coffee table. I bat them off, but he puts them back immediately, so I give up.

  “He said Davey’s been clean for a while, and that he’s a good guy.” I sigh before I continue. “I know I shouldn’t judge him, but he makes me nervous.”

  Tug removes his feet from the table and shifts to face me. He looks concerned. “Did he do something to you?”

  “No. It’s nothing like that,” I tell him, and pat his knee. He seems to relax. It’s the same question Brady asked, which makes me think my concerns are warranted, though I know neither Brady nor Tug are going to tell me anything. “It just seems like he’s always one small incident away from snapping, like he’s pissed off at the world.”

  “I think he is.” Tug smiles sympathetically. “He’s had a rough life.”

  “I get that,” I say with a nod. “I just don’t get what Brady sees in him.”

  “They were close in high school before Davey started using.” Tug frowns and puts his hand on mine. “I think Brady’s trying to give the guy a chance because he thinks he got one.”

  I know he’s referring to me.

  “Go easy on him, Tor.”

  I smile. There’s definitely more to the story, but it’s not worth pushing. “I guess you’re right.”

  “I’m always right.” He smirks, all concern fading away. “Well, except for that one time in second grade…no, wait. I was right then, too.”

  I can’t help but laugh. “Your confidence knows no bounds, Tug.”

  “Nope.” He’s ridiculous, but I love him. “So, what do you say, you want to grab some lunch?”

  I’ve been waiting for this. “I’d rather eat dust bunnies out of the air vents than go to lunch with you, Tug.”

  He gives me a wry smile. “Suit yourself, but I should warn you, dust bunnies are rather dry and seriously lacking in protein.”

  I roll my eyes. “Wait here. I’ll go grab my purse.”

  Once in my room, I pick up my purse from the dresser. When I glance down inside, I see a tissue. I pull it out. In black Sharpie it says, I love waking you up. xoB

  Blush heats my cheeks. I’ll never grow tired of Brady’s tissue notes. They started out as a joke after I hurled a tissue at him in a fit of anger. Now they represent how far we’ve come.

  Brady

  Tug walks into the studio. I can tell by the look on his face that he knows I’m not happy about him sharing Davey’s drug problem with Tori.

  “How’s the band doing?” he asks before turning to shut the door.

  I spin on my stool to look at him. “It’s coming together.” Tori’s not with him. I plan to use the opportunity to remind Tug that I asked him not to say anything to her. Davey’s past is in the past. It’s his story to share, not ours. Tug takes a seat behind the drum kit. He strums the cymbals lightly. I know he expects it, so I just say it. “Lay off the Davey talk with Tori.”

  His head snaps up from the cymbal to look at me. He thinks about his words before he shrugs it off. “She asked and I told her. That’s it, Brady.”

  I shake my head, annoyed with my little brother. I’m positive that’s not it. He thinks Tori should know. I do, too, and I’ll tell her when Davey’s comfortable with it, not before. “He’s trying to keep his shit together,” I remind him. “We’ve all made mistakes, and he deserves a chance. It would help if you’d try.”

  “You might be right, or you might not.” He cocks his head in a way that shows me he’s about to say something to piss me off. “You should tell her.”

  “No!” My irritation comes out clearly. I hate it when Tug gets on these self-righteous rants. “Davey doesn’t want her to know,” I inform him pointedly. “It’s his story to share. He did his tim
e. I don’t see why we should punish him further by discussing it with other people when he obviously doesn’t want us to.”

  Tug nods before turning to look at the door. Judging by his sigh, he’s about to give me his opinion, whether I want it or not. He can’t help himself. “I know it’s none of my business, but you don’t owe him anything.”

  I rake my hands through my hair, trying to keep my cool. How can he say that when he knows what Davey and I went through? I scowl, looking directly at Tug. “I owe him this.”

  “I disagree.”

  His arguing makes me want to punch him. Why is he pushing this?

  “You shouldn’t lie to Tori just to protect him.”

  “I won’t lie to her.” My eyes narrow at my pestering little brother. “If she asks, I’ll tell her the truth.” It’s a warning. He’d better take it.

  “Okay.” He shrugs. “But that’s a dangerous game to play.” His eyes flick up to meet mine. “You should know that.”

  Fuck! Is he picking a fight, or is he just that dense? “Don’t lecture me about what I should know, Tug.”

  He gets up and comes out from behind the drums. I think he’s going to leave. He doesn’t. He leans against the wall, biting his fingernails. When he looks up, he says, “I’m only trying to look out for the two of you.”

  I guess he is looking for a fight. Good, I’m in the mood for one. “Look out for us, or come between us?”

  His eyes widen in shock as he pushes off the wall. He glares at me. “Is that really what you think?”

  “I don’t know, Tug.” I stand up and close some of the distance between us. “You always have your nose in our business.”

  He steps closer. We’re nearly chest to chest. He holds his own.

  “Tori’s with me,” I remind him, lifting my chin. “I can take care of her.”

  Tug is the one person who can come between us. Tori adores him. I know if I’d never come back to her, she’d be with him. That isn’t Tug’s fault. It’s mine. Leaving her was a one-time mistake. It’s one I don’t plan on repeating, although sometime it feels like Tug is just waiting for his chance with her.

  Tug’s shoulders sag slightly as he backs down. “Tori and I are friends.”

  I push on. My chest swells. “But you still wish it was more than that?”

  He takes a step backward with a disgusted look on his face. Or maybe he’s hurt. “You can be such a dick sometimes, bro.” He walks toward the door. His hand reaches for the knob. But then he stops and turns back to me. “Yes, I care about her. That’s it.” He’s firm in his words. “What’s really bothering you?”

  Fuck! I am a dick. I can’t help it. Tug’s right. My insecurities have nothing to do with Tug. I know he and Tori are only friends. She loves me. I’m not being truthful with her about Davey. I should. Only now that I know he bothers her, I can’t. She’ll never give him a chance if I do. I’d be irate if she held something back from me. That’s what’s got me so annoyed. Admitting that to Tug now would make me look like a complete asshole, which I am.

  “I’m sorry,” I tell him, looking down. “That wasn’t cool.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” He smiles. I’m relieved to see it. “I would never try to come between you and Tori.”

  “I know you wouldn’t.” It’s time to drop it. I love my brother. We’ve been through too much shit together to fight. “Are you two going to lunch?”

  He knows I’m done discussing it. He nods. “You want us to bring you back anything?”

  “No,” I mumble. The tension rolls off him. Damn it. I shouldn’t have said anything. Tug would never try to come between Tori and I again. “Are we good?”

  “We’re good.” He smiles and comes at me. I back away from the sarcastic twerp when he tries to wrap me in a hug, but he keeps coming. “Come on, give Tuggy a hug.”

  He’s certifiable. “No way, man.” I hold out an arm to keep him at bay. “Get off me.”

  “I’m truly offended.” He stops and laughs. “I’m trying to make nice here.”

  “Consider nice made,” I assure him. “Now go feed my girls.”

  Tug turns to leave. He stops at the doorway before turning to face me. “Seriously, though. We’re good, but you’re going to have to tell Tori.”

  He’s right. “I will.”

  Chapter 3

  Tori

  As Tug and I stroll out of the house, Jesse’s beat-up van pulls into the driveway. With a quick wave, Jesse drives off to the side. He parks, leaving enough room for Tug to back out.

  I tense when the side door of the van slides open. Davey steps out. His jeans hang low – too low – belted just above the knees. The majority of his plaid boxers is exposed. He stares right at me. His hand slips up under his dirty T-shirt to scratch his gut. He’s not fat, but he’s not fit, either.

  I snap my eyes away to Jesse, who smiles brightly when he sees me. He waves. Chad gets out of the passenger side, wearing only board shorts, a beer in hand. He smiles, hoisting his beer up in greeting.

  His tanned, shirtless frame glistens in the sun, along with his shoulder-length blond hair. I laugh, wondering if he even owns a shirt. I’ve never seen him wear one. Tug walks over to the van. I follow behind him. My gaze stays on Tug’s back to avoid eye contact with Davey, although I feel his eyes on me. After bumping fists with Tug, Jesse gives me a hug. He squats down to my belly and says hello to Mona. When he stands, he rubs a circle over my bump. This is his routine. Say hi to the baby, rub my bump, and then say hello to me.

  “You’re looking beautiful as ever,” Jesse compliments me. Chad follows next with a big hug and a hello. Davey doesn’t say anything to me. He nods a chin at Tug. His dark hair is greasy. I can’t help but wonder when he last showered. It’s a shame, really. If he cleaned up a bit, he’d be a halfway decent-looking guy. I guess that goes for his insides, too. If he softened up, he’d be more approachable.

  Jesse and Chad grew up with Brady. I’ve known them most of my life. They’ve become a staple in the house since they all decided to form a band. I’m extremely fond of both of them. Davey is the late and unwelcome arrival to the group. He showed up a couple of weeks ago with all of his uncomfortable angst. Glancing over at Davey sends a twinge of guilt through me. Maybe I’m not giving him a fair shot. Am I being too hard on him simply because he’s the “new guy”? So he has a past. Brady has a past, and I found a way to love him. I should try to be nice to Davey.

  I force a smile. It’s awkward and doesn’t fit right on my face. “Hi, Davey. How are you?”

  “Good.”

  His quick reply comes without a smile or a trace of sincerity. He’s going to make trying difficult. His stare unnerves me. I suddenly feel more uneasy. My skin crawls. I shake my shoulders and do my best not to cringe.

  Tug saves me. “Tori and I are off to lunch. Brady’s in the studio. We’ll catch you guys later.”

  The three of them take the path to the side of the house toward the door that leads into the studio from the outside.

  I wait until they’ve turned the corner before I turn to Tug and say, “See! He’s a total creeper.”

  Tug laughs and makes his way to the driver’s side of his car.

  I lower myself into Tug’s Porsche while he puts the top down. Heat radiates from the leather seats, nearly burning my skin. I break out in a sweat. Nearly eight months pregnant in the dead of summer sucks. If I ever decide to have another kid, I’m going to plan it better. Plan it, period.

  Tug loves this car. It’s a far cry from the Honda he used to drive. Then again, Tug is a far cry from the man he used to be. It’s still hard for me to believe that he’s in charge of a billion-dollar company. Sometimes I’m not sure I recognize the man he’s become.

  He pulls a bag from the back seat. It has a baby screaming its head off on it. I’m sure he thinks it’s hilarious. He hands it to me with a boyish smile on his face. Now, that’s a look I recognize. “A little something for Mona to wear.”

  I’m instantly su
spicious.

  I open the bag and pull out a tiny pink onesie. As I hold it up, I see the writing on the front. I laugh when I read it and shake my head. Call this number for my very adorable single uncle. I can’t believe he used his real phone number.

  “You are not using my daughter to get girls,” I tell him as firmly as I can, holding back a laugh.

  “Of course I am.” He chuckles, his head hitting the back of the seat. “Perks of the job.”

  I roll my eyes and stuff the onesie back in the bag, reminding myself to hide it when I get home.

  ***

  Tug and I eat a quick lunch before stopping off at the Center to see if Rodrigo needs anything. I’ll never forget the first time Brady brought me here. I knew after that visit there was no way to deny my love for him. The money and time he’s invested in this place gives these kids a future. They may not get adopted into a conventional home, but because of Brady they have a family here and a safe place to grow up. A place they’re loved. Even Tug enjoys spending time here, although his duties at Gibson give him little opportunity to do so.

  Being here brings tremendous, and much needed, healing to all of us.

  It’s lunchtime when we arrive. As we enter the cafeteria, I spot Liv and Harrison at a table with Paco and Camilia. Liv has a soft spot for those two kids. We all do. I think Liv copes with the pain of losing her parents by making sure Paco and Camilia never feel alone.

  She spots Tug and me, and waves us over. I take the seat next to her. Tug continues to stand, high-fiving Paco.

  Camilia smiles up at me with her pigtails bouncing. “Did you have the baby yet?”

  I smile and pat her on the head. “No, not yet.”

  “You dork.” Paco laughs. “Does it look like she had the baby yet?”

  “Paco,” Liv scolds. I laugh. The two of them remind me so much of Liv and Tug.

  “It feels like forever,” Camilia whines.

  It does feel like forever.

  I tap Camilia on the nose. “I’ll tell you what, when I have the baby, you’ll be the first to know.”