Happily Ever Afters Guaranteed (9 page)

“I can pretend it never happened, if you
want. Or, you can prove that this was a one-time deal.”

He raised one eyebrow skeptically. “How?”

“Why don’t you come to lunch with me on
Sunday—Valentine’s Day? My mom is making a pot roast and my brother
will be there as well. You can roll your wheelchair all through my
mom’s house and if you don’t fall out, well…”

She was teasing him. The question was…was
Kate asking him for a date? Brody was stunned. But he couldn’t say
no.

“All right.”

GO TO
PART NINE

PART NINE

Kate flipped over a pillow on her mom’s couch
and patted it into place—two inches over from where it had
previously been.

“This is going to be a disaster,” she
muttered to herself. “A bad, bad idea.”

What had she been thinking to invite Brody
over to her mom’s house? She still shared the small house with her
mom and younger brother to save money while she was working through
school. Would he think less of her because she didn’t have her own
place?

And she still hadn’t told him about her past
and being a high school dropout.

At least lunch promised to be good. Her mom
was an excellent cook, and the savory smells of roasted meat and
vegetables permeated the entire house. Not that there was much
house to it.

Kate examined the living room with a critical
eye. She’d had Thomas move the coffee table into one of the back
bedrooms and one of the two sofas had been shoved back in hopes
that Brody would be able to maneuver a bit easier.

But was it enough?

Her mom’s knickknacks and all the childhood
photos were a bit embarrassing compared to Brody’s modern
décor.

“Quit worrying, dear.”

Kate looked up from her internal musings to
see her mom leaning back from the stove in the next room, wooden
spoon held carefully above her palm.

“You’ve moved that same pillow three times
now. I don’t think your friend is going to mind where it is.”

“No, I know.” Kate was just nervous. And her
secret wish was that Brody wanted to be more than friends.
Impossible.

“Besides, I think he’s here.”

Sure enough, Kate heard the sound of a car
engine fade away. She rushed outside in time to see Brody
descending from a minivan via a ramp extended out the rear sliding
door.

He was really here.

“Hey.” She forced the greeting out of a
suddenly-dry mouth. “You need any help?”

“Nah, I’m okay.” Pink tinged his cheekbones
as he moved away from the vehicle and punched a button on the
remote that made the ramp fold back into the car door. “Like my
wheels?”

It took her a second to realize he meant the
car and not the wheelchair. She didn’t know whether he was joking
or being serious.

“Oh, yes. Very sporty. I like the red.”

He winked at her and relief that she’d read
him correctly made her giddy.

“Actually, I’m very impressed that you get
around on your own. That’s good for booksignings and things,
right?”

“Mmm, and getting to the grocery store,” he
agreed absently. She followed his gaze past where she stood to the
four concrete steps leading up to the house. His smile had
disappeared.

“You’d better hold these,” Brody said,
indicating the red and pink gift bag and a bouquet of roses in his
lap. Kate hadn’t noticed them until now.

“Oh, you don’t have to…” Kate motioned to the
steps and then pointed to a paved path that led around the side of
the house. “If we go around, the kitchen just has one small
step.”

The frown creasing his brow eased and his
easy smile returned. “Sure. Lead on.”

“What about my present?” she asked as she
turned and led the way around her mom’s cottage.

“Sorry, you’ll have to wait.”

“Hmph,” she groused, but his chuckle told her
he knew she was teasing.

“This is a cute house.”

“Thanks,” Kate murmured, not looking back at
him.

“You live here, too?”

She sighed. “Yeah, and my brother. It’s
cheaper than having my own place, since I’m still at
university…”

They approached the door to the kitchen that
stood wide open and Kate’s mom’s voice floated outside. “Don’t let
her fool you. She’s been taking care of me and Thomas since she was
a teenager.”

Now it was Kate’s turn to blush. She stood
back and ushered Brody toward the open door, wanting to be prepared
in case he needed assistance getting up the low step.

“That doesn’t surprise me. It smells
delicious,” he commented as he easily popped up the front wheels of
his chair and then manhandled the larger back wheels to climb the
step. All within seconds. Kate’s assistance hadn’t been needed
after all.

She followed him inside and as her eyes
adjusted from the outdoor light, saw him offering her mom the
bouquet of roses. “These are for you. Thank you for inviting
me.”

Kate jumped in to make introductions. “My
mom, Angela. This is Brody.”

Her mom lowered the roses from where she’d
had her nose buried in them and beamed at their guest.

“I’m glad you could come, young man. Make
yourself at home.”

Brody turned back to Kate, this time his hand
outstretched with the gift bag in it. “I suppose you want this
now.”

She snatched the gift from him, eyebrows
raising as she registered its heaviness. Warmth flowed through her.
She hadn’t thought he would bring a gift, even though it was
Valentine’s Day. Their “relationship,” if it could even be termed
that, was too new.

But she really liked that he had.

“I’ll bring it with me,” she said, motioning
toward the doorway toward the living room. “Let’s get out of mom’s
way and let her finish up with the meal.”

“It won’t be long.” Angela ushered them along
with a cheerful wave.

Brody followed Kate into the living area, and
Kate was immensely relieved to find he had plenty of room for his
chair to get around.

She was not so excited to find Thomas
lounging in the recliner, watching TV. She’d hoped for a little
privacy to open her gift, but it was apparently not to be.

“What’s up?” her brother asked in greeting,
nodding to Brody. “You must be Kate’s new flame.”

Kate’s face started to burn. “He’s not my
anything. Brody, this is my annoying younger brother Thomas.”

Brody shook the younger man’s hand and then
wheeled backward in a half circle so Kate had a view of his face
when he said, “We’re not officially together. Yet. I’m hoping to
sew that up today.”

And her face was never going to cool off at
this rate. Kate didn’t respond to Brody’s leading comment, but sat
on the sofa and began pulling tissue paper from the top of the gift
bag, eager to see what was inside.

“That for me?” Thomas asked.

“Nope.”

“Didn’t figure it was. What is it?”

“It’s… a ream of paper.” She extracted the
plain white paper, bound with rubberbands, and placed it on her
lap.

“It’s a manuscript,” Brody said quietly.
“Still not quite what my agent wants to see—a travel guide for
people with disabilities,” he said aside to Thomas, “but I wanted
to share it with you and let you know how much you’ve inspired me.
I think it’s great that you’re plugging your way through night
school, and I just kept thinking… if you can do something that
hard, I should be able to get past my writing demons.”

Kate blinked back the sudden sting of tears
at Brody’s compliment. She touched the front page of the
manuscript—filled with only a title and his name below that—and
raised her gaze to meet his dark eyes.

“And I wanted you to know that I trust you
with something that no one else has seen yet. I want to pursue this
thing between us.” His voice vibrated with intensity.

It made her insides a little shaky, too.

“Guys, is it getting a little hot in here?”
Thomas’s voice crashed into the intimate moment. “I’m going to
check and see if mom needs help setting the table or
something.”

Kate hid half her face with one hand as her
brother skedaddled and Brody chuckled. “I think that’s the first
time in about three years that he’s voluntarily offered to help
with a chore-related activity.”

“I like your brother.”

“I do too. Most days.” She focused on the
manuscript again, unable to hold Brody’s concentrated gaze for too
long. “Thank you for this. I don’t think I’ve ever received
something so… ‘special’ isn’t quite enough to describe it.”

“Good. That’s what I was going for.”

She had to laugh at Brody’s faux-smug
comment—realizing that it was an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Kids, the food is ready!” came Angela’s call
from the other room.

###

“I had a really great time today.”

Kate knew the line was cheesy even as the
words fell from her lips, but there it was. The afternoon had been
filled with laughter and learning about the man she’d come to care
about… what more could she ask for?

“Me too.” Luckily, Brody didn’t seem to
mind.

She perched on the front steps, not ready for
him to get in his car and drive home, even though she’d ushered him
out of the house under that excuse.

Sometimes a girl just needed a little
privacy.

Kate’s seat put them on the same level, and
Brody seemed to realize she wasn’t ready for their time together to
end—or he wasn’t either—and wheeled close enough that they were
knee-to-knee. He took her hand, sending warmth up the appendage and
straight to her heart.

“Thanks for inviting me. With both my parents
gone, sometimes I forget how it feels to be part of a family…”

She squeezed his hand, wanting to offer
comfort.

“I’m glad you didn’t lose your mom. She’s an
incredible lady.”

Angela’s cancer and remission had come up
during the meal, but Brody still didn’t know that Kate hadn’t
finished high school.

She knew it wasn’t fair to keep something
like this from him, but a small part of her still worried that he
wouldn’t like her—wouldn’t want to date her—if he knew.

She closed her eyes.

She had to be fair to him. Fair to both of
them.

“Brody, there’s something you should know
before we go any further with… this. Our relationship.”

Just calling what they shared a relationship
made her want to clam up and not say anything. How could she ruin
this opportunity to be with a man she admired more than any other
guy she’d met?

“Tell me.”

“I never finished high school. I have my GED,
but I never actually graduated.”

She couldn’t look at him, couldn’t bear to
see the censure in his eyes.

His reply came slow and measured. “Because of
your mom, right?”

She nodded, a lump in her throat blocking
more words.

“I’m glad you told me, but… it doesn’t make
me think any less of you as a person.”

He tipped her chin up and one of her
threatening tears slipped free. He brushed his thumb across her
cheek and caught it.

“I can tell this is important to you. Do you
want to tell me why?”

“You’re intelligent… and well-rounded and…
and… famous! And I’m a high school dropout. I’m afraid that the
only reason you want to be with me is because I’m… available. You
see me every week for your pool cleaning, and—”

Brody’s thumb brushed forward over her cheek
and pressed against her lips, stopping the flow of her words.

“Three years ago, I might’ve agreed with
you.” His eyes showed how serious he was taking this. “But I’m not
the same person I used to be. Now I know you’re selling yourself
short, Kate.”

She sniffled.

“You haven’t mentioned your compassionate
heart. A lot of kids wouldn’t have done what you did to support
your mom and keep your family together. That’s a lot more important
than a high school diploma in my book.”

She shook her head, dislodging his thumb from
her lips. “But—”

This time he leaned forward and captured her
lips with his, his hand sliding behind her jaw so that his fingers
tangled in her hair.

Involuntarily, Kate’s eyes closed against the
tender onslaught of his kiss. She was lost in the sensations he
evoked, rooted only by the anchor of his palm against her jaw.

When he eased back and her eyes fluttered
open, it took Kate a moment to focus on his face, his tender smile.
Her stomach swooped at the light she saw in his eyes.

“Kate, I think I’m falling in love with
you.”

Her heart stuttered. She’d been falling for
Brody for a long time, but never hoped that her feelings would be
reciprocated. Was God answering her unasked prayer?

“I care about your past because it’s made you
who you are, but I don’t think you’re ruled by it, Kate. You’re
changing your future by going to night school, and you’ve changed
your mom’s future—your whole family’s future—by your selfless
actions.”

Brody clasped both her hands between his.
“What I want to know is if you can see a place for me—for us
together—in that future. Because I can.”

He paused. “Unless… unless my disability is
too much…”

Kate wiggled her fingers in Brody’s hands,
not surprised that she was shaking. He started to release her, but
she laced their fingers together instead. A line that had formed
between his eyebrows eased.

“You said my past doesn’t define me. Your
legs, or lack thereof, don’t define you either. I’ve been fighting
my feelings for you for months, thinking there was no way you’d
want someone like me…”

This time Kate leaned forward and kissed
Brody, just a delicate brush of her lips against his.

“I definitely want to go out with you again.
When?”

“Is tomorrow too early?”

THE END

PART TEN