My Only Exception (9 page)

I had just decided that I’d had enough wine to successfully numb the despair in the pit of my stomach and had gotten up to put my glass in the sink, when I heard a sharp knock at the door. Glancing at the clock I saw that it was almost ten o’clock at night.

I scrunched my face up in confusion.
Who in the world would be stopping by this time of night?
I knew for a fact that Wyatt was working and Bree had just texted me from home a few minutes ago. Other than that, nobody really stopped by unannounced.

I walked softly over to the door and peeked through the peephole. I had watched way too many scary movies in the past to just open the door without looking.

I couldn’t decide if the person I saw on the other side of the door filled me with excitement or dread. I think it would be safe to say both were swirling around in my stomach.

I slid the lock over and opened the door slowly, standing with one arm still holding the door. I raised an eyebrow at Braden.
Nice of him to show up after almost two weeks.
I had to bite my tongue not to say exactly that. The little voice in my head reminded me that I hadn’t been very encouraging the last time I’d seen him.

            Braden stood there in all of his effortless glory. His hands were tucked into the front pockets of his jeans, the black ink of his tattoos peeking out from under the short sleeves of his T-shirt. My eyes traveled up to his chiseled face with the beginnings of the five o’clock shadow I loved so much and finally came to a stop when they met his green eyes, sparkling with that familiar impish look. Like he knew I was going to put up a resistance to his charms that could easily be overcome.

And judging by my reaction to just seeing him standing in my doorway, I was pretty sure he was right.

Oh Lord, why was I being tested?

A smile teased the corners of Braden’s mouth. “You sure know how to welcome a guy.” He eyed my skimpy PJ’s with a look half-way between amusement and undisguised admiration.

Crap!
I had totally forgotten what I was wearing.

I shrugged. It’s not like it was anything he’d never seen before, but I was in the process of trying to get him out of my system and standing half naked in front of him wasn’t going to make it any easier on either of us.

Since I couldn’t very well leave him standing in the hallway, I waved him in, leading the way into the living room and then sitting down on the sofa. I pulled a soft cream-colored blanket onto my lap, hoping to cover up a bit. Braden plopped down next to me, a little closer than I expected.

“So you’ve been pretty busy lately, huh?” I asked. It was my way of giving him a chance to explain his disappearing act lately.

Braden nodded. “Yeah, it’s been crazy. I can hardly believe we’re leaving tomorrow. It kind of seems like a dream.”

I bit my lip. Why did I have to fall for a guy who was getting ready to leave and start a whole new life? One that was almost impossible for me to be a part of.

I nodded. “I know.”

And I don’t know what possessed me to blurt out what I did next, but it was out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop it. “I’m going to miss you. A lot.” I pressed my lips together to stop myself from saying anything else.

Braden’s face softened and his eyes turned serious. He really amazed me with what he said next, his voice laced with regret. “I’m going to miss you more than you probably know. The past two weeks of not seeing you have been hell.”

I gave him a skeptical look. “I’ve been here. I haven’t heard a thing out of you.”

“Presley. You freaked after what happened between us the other night. I tried to talk to you, even get you to hang out with me again, and you blew me off. I was trying to give you time to figure out what you wanted. When you didn’t call, I figured that I had my answer.” He paused for a moment before continuing on. “But then I couldn’t leave without seeing you first.” He smiled at me. “You’re the reason I wrote the song that’s going to be our first single. At the very least I owe you a thank-you for inspiring me.”

I looked at him doubtfully. “Did you really write that about me or was that an elaborate way to get me to sleep with you?”

The look of hurt that passed over his handsome features was definitely genuine. “Presley, you are either very self-deprecating or really stubborn. I don’t know how much more clear I can be about my feelings for you.”

I sighed deeply. “It’s not really about what I want anyway. You’re leaving
,
and with the recording and touring and all that, it’d be impossible for us to have a relationship that’s anything more than friends.”

And, if we did, I’m sure I’d end up the one destroyed in the end.

Braden blew out a frustrated breath. “You can’t tell me you don’t feel it, Presley. I’m telling you, I’ve never felt this way about another girl. Hell, I usually don’t care enough to fight for anyone. You’re the only one.”

He leaned into me, placing his hand under my chin and tilting my head up to look into his eyes. “Give me one more chance to prove it to you.”

He didn’t wait for me to respond, but brought his lips down on mine in the most tender kiss I’d ever experienced. Everything with Braden seemed like a new experience. Every emotion with him was so much more intense and real.

I didn’t pull away, but stilled for a split second, my mind fighting to stick with the decision I’d made about Braden, while my heart and body fought to give in.

And this one last time, before he left, I’d follow my heart. I’d deal with the pain that would come later. Tonight, for a second time, I was going to put that out of my mind and live in the moment.

I pulled Braden toward me, not breaking the kiss that had slowly intensified. Braden braced himself above me and looked down, making sure to catch my eyes with his. “You’re going to give us a chance?”

I didn’t answer, but pulled him down on top of me, reaching behind his head to bring his mouth back to mine. I couldn’t respond because I knew that he wouldn’t be satisfied with my answer. But I also knew that it would be setting us up for failure to ask him to try and maintain something more permanent while he was across the country trying to focus on his career. And more accurately, living the life of a rock star.

I just wanted this last memory, and then I would pick up the pieces when he drove away, and try to dive back into my life again.

Braden returned the kiss and then stood, scooping me up to cradle me in his arms. It was shocking how easily he lifted me, as if I was ten pounds instead of one hundred and twenty.

I put my arms around his neck and he looked down at me before saying, “Presley
,
we have twelve hours before I have to leave. And I plan on using every minute of it to convince you how right this is.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that broke out on my face. “You have my permission to do your best.”

The next morning I woke to the smell of freshly brewing coffee. For a second, I was confused. Unless Bree came over early, it was just me, and hearing someone moving around in my kitchen was startling.

And then it hit me.

Braden.

Everything had been perfect last night. And we had been perfectly exhausted when we’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms in the wee hours of the morning.

But today was the day. The day he left and forgot all about me, despite his best intentions and promises. Call me negative, but growing up with a mother that reinforced distrust in the male species and then experiencing it —well, it was just the way I felt. And Braden didn’t exactly have a great track record when it came to relationships. I knew that I probably should give him a chance to prove himself, but I didn’t think I could take it if we tried and he cheated. So maybe it was best not to even try. To end things on a high note and keep him as a friend.

I pulled on his T-shirt to cover my nakedness and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and was surprised to see my face was fairly glowing. A night with Braden seemed to be good for me, despite what my mind kept telling me. I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to neaten it a bit and then headed into the living room.

When I rounded the corner, I paused a moment to take it all in.

Braden stood by the window in nothing but boxer briefs. His tanned abdomen complete with perfect six-pack abs would be enough to take anyone’s breath away. It certainly was mine.

Sensing my presence, Braden turned to me, his eyes taking in the fact that I was wearing his T-shirt, barely long enough to cover my bottom.

He shook his head in awe. “That T-shirt has never looked
that
good on me.”

I grinned and sauntered over to him. “And my living room has never looked
this
good.”

He slid his hand up my thigh, under the T-shirt, and up to my hip. Need and want pooled in my stomach, but I stepped back.

He looked at me quizzically.

I took a deep breath. This morning was the beginning of the end. If you could even call it that, considering there never was an “us” to begin with.

“Braden. You leave today.”

“Okaaay. And?”

I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath. “You’re leaving and I’m staying here. And I just don’t have the strength to have a long-distance relationship with you.”

Braden raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean,
with you
?”

I bit my lip. This was hard but I had to do it. My sense of self-preservation was pushing me forward. My heart was screaming that I was an idiot.

“Braden. You’re used to being with more than just one girl all the time. And with me being here, I just think it would be more to ask of you than you’re prepared for.”

He stared at me for a minute, the tic of his jaw the only hint that he was angry. His voice was tight with frustration. “Presley, I don’t even know what to say to that. Except that you have some serious trust issues. I haven’t been with another girl since we got together; haven’t even
thought
about another girl. And, you know, I could say the same things about you. We’ve lived across from each other for over a year and you’ve never been with one guy for very long either. It looks to me like I’d have just as much to worry about as you. The difference is, I was ready to trust you.”

He stepped around me and headed toward my bedroom. I remained frozen in place, stunned by the very valid point that he’d made, and by the truth of his words.

Minutes later he walked briskly into my living room, wearing the jeans he’d worn the night before and his jacket and keys gripped in his hand. He stopped just before opening my front door and turned to look at me. Disappointment, pain, and anger marred his face. “You’re the only girl I’ve ever bared my soul to, and you’ll be the last girl I ever bare it to. Now who’s the one who ended up getting hurt?”

He opened the door and I caught sight of Wyatt’s shocked face just outside of it. Wyatt’s eyes went to me, taking in the fact I was standing in nothing but a T-shirt and my now tear-stained face and then returned, furious, to Braden. Braden said nothing, but attempted to step around Wyatt.

The next thing that happened, happened in slow motion. I watched as Wyatt reared his arm back and punched Braden across the jaw with such force it whipped his head back. There were a few seconds of absolute, stunned silence before Braden wiped the blood from his lip and stepped forward to grab Wyatt by his shirt. He pulled him forward so that their faces were just inches apart, before saying in a voice as devoid of emotion as I’d ever heard it, “I suggest you find out who the injured party is before you make such rash assumptions again.”