Always (Time for Love Book 4) (9 page)

Brenna wasn’t surprised that Ash hadn’t been open with Amanda about their relationship. Ash had always been a closed book when it came to his love life. Plus, even she and Ash hadn’t exactly discussed their status yet. This last week had all been about the two of them getting to know each other in a romantic sense—simply going with the flow and staying in their little bubble.

“We’ve gone out to dinner most nights in the last two weeks,” she revealed.

“Really?” Sarah asked.

“Well, Ash said he felt guilty that I was working for him during my leave, and that he should have paid me more. But because we wanted to avoid office politics, he took me out to nice dinners instead of raising my pay above receptionist rates.”

“Uh-huh,” Amanda said, obviously not finding that news interesting enough.

“And we also had lunches together.”

Still no major reaction from the girls.

“And we’ve—” She paused when she saw Gemma walk in. “Here’s Gem,” she said.

Gemma sat on her chair, telling them about the burst water main at the end of her street that had caused a bit of chaos.

Amanda looked impatient.

“What’s up, Amanda?” Gemma asked.

“Sorry. It’s not that I’m not interested in what you’re saying, but Bren was telling us about her and Ash.”

“What about Bren and Ash?” Gemma asked eagerly. “What have I missed?”

Brenna chuckled. “So far, I’ve said that Ash and I have had lunches and dinners together in the two weeks that I worked in his clinic.”

“Right,” Gemma said. “Get to the juicy bits, Bren.”

Brenna laughed out loud. “Okay, okay. We kissed.”

“What?” the three asked in unison.

“When? Where? How?” Amanda asked.

“How? Surely you know how people kiss, Amanda.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “What I mean is, was it toe-curling, or was it just a quick peck on the lips?”

Brenna sighed. “Toe-curling.”

Repressed squeals came out of the three.

“Finally!” Sarah exclaimed.

“So when and where?” Gemma prompted.

“Geez, there are multiple answers to that question,” Brenna said.

“Tell us about the first time.”

Brenna smiled. “Our first real kiss was at the botanic gardens, amongst the roses, when we went there for lunch.”

“Aww. How sweet,” said the girls.

“Yeah. We ate sushi and read this magazine with pictures of you and you on the cover,” she said, pointing to Sarah and Gemma. “By the way, Gem, have any reporters or paparazzi harassed you yet?”

“You won’t believe this,” Gemma said, leaning forward on the table. “But some woman in her fifties stopped me on the street yesterday after I finished giving piano lessons to one of my students. She had this intense look on her face and point blank asked me if I was Greg Carmichael’s girlfriend. I said no, and then she said that was good, because her daughter was Greg’s true love and that I shouldn’t stand in their way.”

“Wow. That’s kinda stalkerish,” Amanda said.

“I know. She did spook me a bit, so I walked away as fast as I could. Fortunately, she didn’t follow me.”

“Have you told anyone else about this?” Sarah asked, frowning.

“No. I’m not quite sure if I should make a big deal out of it.”

“It might not be anything to worry about, but Jeff always tells me it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Sarah answered. “They’ve had weird people hound them in the past. If it’s concerning enough, they’d get their security or the police to deal with it.”

“Okay, I might tell Greg,” Gemma said. “Anyway, sorry to derail the conversation. Let’s get back to you and Ash, Bren. Are you guys officially together?”

“I guess you could say that. We haven’t really discussed telling other people yet. But of course, you guys are
not
other people, so I’m telling you.”

“Well, at least you’ve told us,” Amanda said. “My own brother’s staying mum about it.”

“Are you going to tell him I’ve told you?” Brenna asked.

“Are
you
going to tell him you’ve told us?” Amanda returned.

“Yeah. I can’t see why not.”

“Good. ‘Cause I can’t wait to tease him about it.”

“So...” Sarah said. “Has anyone said the L word yet?”

Brenna chuckled. “Goodness, no. Isn’t it too early for that? We’ve only been going out for a week.”

“And they’ve only just kissed,” Amanda quipped. “Give them time, Sarah.”

Brenna couldn’t help the redness that spread to her face and neck. She fiddled with her serviette to hide her reaction. Unfortunately, it only served to draw her best friends’ attention back to her.

“Oh. My. God,” Amanda whispered. “You’ve already slept with Ash.”

Brenna smiled her confirmation.

Amanda placed a hand over her mouth, looking at her with round eyes. “My best friend and my brother are sleeping together.”

“What? You think it’s too soon? You don’t approve?” she asked worriedly.

“Oh, honey. Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I approve,” Amanda said, shaking her head as if to clear it. “Something hit me then. And suddenly I can’t wait until the two of you get to the permanent commitment stage.”

She laughed. “Patience, Amanda. This is still all too new.”

“I know,” Amanda said quietly. “It’s just that if you guys ever break up, I don’t think I can bear it. If one of you gets hurt because of the other, it would be so hard to watch. I’d want to protect you both, and I might not be able to.”

“Hey, why are you thinking like that, Amanda?” Gemma said in a censuring tone. “You should look forward to the development of their relationship rather than worrying about them breaking up.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Amanda said with the sigh. “I can’t help it. I’ve watched Ash suffer in silence in the past. But there’s something different about the pain of pining for someone who doesn’t feel the same, compared to the pain of
finally
having that person, then losing her. That would be a killer. I never want it to happen.”

“Oh, Amanda,” Brenna said, squeezing her friend’s hand. “I understand what you’re saying. I don’t know what the future holds, but if it were up to me, Ash and I would have a happily-ever-after.”

Amanda grinned. “Phew. That makes me feel so much better. It wasn’t that long ago when you didn’t even notice that Ash has feelings for you, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I think I shocked him when he learnt I’m into him now, too. But please don’t tell him about the happily-ever-after bit,” Brenna warned. “Regardless of our feelings for each other, I still think it’s too early to be talking about that.” It took her around seven months of dating before she’d said
I love you
to Darren. And she’d never said it to Lance.

“No, I won’t tell him that bit. Although you guys can take a leaf out of Sarah and Jeff’s book. Talk about fast!”

Sarah chuckled. “As my future grandmother-in-law would say, when it comes to love, time is not a factor.”

Brenna inhaled deeply, her heart dancing with joyful anticipation. After her blissful week with Ash, she couldn’t see anything going wrong.

She felt her phone vibrate in her handbag, which was sitting on the floor against her leg. She pulled it out to check it, thinking it might be Rebecca asking for her update. She frowned as she read the message. It was from Darren.

Hi. I was wondering if we could meet? It’s important. Please.

She replaced the phone in her bag, choosing to ignore the message for now.

One thing for sure, Ash wouldn't be happy if she met up with Darren. The two never did get along. Ash, especially, had always been at pains to avoid Darren. And now she knew why.

Darren's text intrigued her, though. Why did he want to meet up? What was so important?

A
sh looked out the window in time to see Brenna get out of her car she’d parked across the street from his house. His heart skipped and a smile spread to his face. She was here at last. He’d been wondering for the last hour when the girls’ night out would end.

He opened his front door and leaned on the frame as he watched his girlfriend walk towards him, carrying an overnight bag.

“Waiting for me, are you?” she said teasingly.

“I was wondering when the girls would finally let you go,” he responded.

“Well, I’m here now,” she said, reaching up to give him a kiss on the lips.

“About time,” he murmured, giving her a squeeze before leading her inside. “Did you tell them about us?”

“Yeah.”

He grinned. That was good. It made their relationship official. “What did they say?”

“They were happy for us, of course. They were glad we finally got together.”

“Finally? Did they know anything before tonight?”

Brenna cocked her head, gazing at him in amusement. “All four of them think you’ve had a crush on me for ages.”

His brows shot up. “How did they know?”

“They guessed.”

“Hm. I didn’t think anyone noticed.”

Brenna chuckled. “Well, they did.”

“But
you
had no idea?” he asked.

“I thought you were only being brotherly,” Brenna said with a sigh, giving him a contrite look.

He took her hand to lead her upstairs. Her answer stung a little bit, but he quickly slammed down his unwarranted reaction. Brenna was with him now. That was the important thing.

“I really should clear out those boxes in the garage so you could park your car in there,” he mused.

Brenna chuckled. “Yes. Those boxes have been there since you moved here. It’s about time.”

“Okay.”

Brenna stopped in the middle of the stairs to face him. “Really? You’ll finally do something about them?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes. I’ll clear them out.”

“Do you know how shocked Amanda will be when she hears that? She’s been hounding you to get rid of those boxes for—how long have you been in this house? Three years?”

“Almost three and a half.”

“And you’re ready to tackle the job now?”

He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. “Yeah. So your nice little car could be safe and sound next to mine whenever you come here.”

“Oh, you’re so sweet, honey,” Brenna said, locking her arms behind his neck. “You’ll let me help, right? I’m dying to know what’s in those boxes.”

He laughed. “Well, we’ll find out.”

“We can start tomorrow if you want.”

“No, not this weekend. I have other plans for us,” he said, trapping her against the railing and kissing her face.

“Really? What?”

“No work. Just play,” he responded, unzipping her dress.

“We’re gonna play all weekend?” she asked sultrily, helping him with undressing her.

“Uh-huh,” he said breathlessly as Brenna’s dress fell to the floor.

“I want to have a shower first before we go to bed,” she murmured, tugging his shirt off him. “And I want you to join me.”

“Whatever you want, baby,” he said, before his mind went blank as Brenna undid his fly and reached in.

They made it to the shower. Barely. By the time they got out of it, he’d already come once, and Brenna twice. He was raring to go again when they reached his bed.

He simply couldn’t get enough of her. Just couldn’t get enough.

*****

A
sh entered a busy café which was halfway between his clinic and Brenna’s office. Even though Brenna didn’t work at the clinic anymore, they’d agreed to still have lunch together if their schedules permitted it.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t join him today. While he was with a patient, she’d left a text to say that there was something she had to do during lunch. He’d still decided to have a proper break anyway. Brenna had successfully changed his eating habits during work days.

He was lucky enough to get the remaining empty table. He settled himself and read a medical journal while he ate his food. He was almost done when someone stood next to him and called his name.

“Ash?”

He looked up and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Hi!” the man said. “It’s Lance, remember?”

“Of course,” he said, standing up out of politeness and offering a handshake.

“Fancy bumping into you here,” Lance said. “Do you work nearby?”

“Yes,” he responded. “About five minutes’ walk from here.”

“Right. My office is not far from here either.”

Ash nodded. He knew Lance worked in the same building as Brenna.

“I haven’t been here in a while. It’s getting busier and busier every day,” Lance said, looking around the crowded establishment.

“I’m almost done,” he said. “Feel free to share my table.” He wasn’t exactly keen on having lunch with his girlfriend’s ex, but Lance was being friendly. So should he.

Lance readily accepted. “Sure. Thank you.”

They made small, pleasant talk about their work while he finished his food and Lance waited for his order.

Conversing with Lance wasn’t as awkward as he’d feared it would be. The man wasn’t a cold fish after all. Granted, they weren’t talking about Brenna. Maybe the atmosphere would have been different if they were. But right now he was relaxed. Knowing that Brenna was now his, his feelings of antagonism for Lance had gone.

“Do you know if Zach and Rebecca are back from their honeymoon?” Lance asked.

“They’re back this weekend, I believe.”

“Great wedding, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. It was.”

A pause.

“Did you hear that Brenna and I have broken up?” Lance asked, his face clouding.

Ash was surprised at the question. He thought they’d both been avoiding that topic. Since he had just taken a mouthful of food, all he could do was nod in response.

“She’s back with Darren, isn’t she?” Lance asked in a low voice.

Ash almost choked. He swallowed hastily and took sips from his glass of water.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you,” Lance said, chuckling mirthlessly.

“I just wasn’t expecting
that
,” he said, trying to clear his throat.

Lance sighed. “I know you’re like a brother to Brenna, Ash. I was wondering if you could tell her something for me?”

Ash winced at the ‘brother’ comment, but Lance was playing with his cutlery and didn’t notice his reaction.