“Now now, there’s no need for violence.”

“That’s rich,” I bit out, suddenly angry. “It’s okay for you to punch whoever you want for no Goddamn reason, but when I want to then I’m being violent.”

Brody leaned in close, our noses touching. “He had it coming.”

“So did you! What possessed you act like such an asshole, Brody?”

“Like you’d believe me.” His voice softened, as did his eyes.

“Try me,” I replied, “because from what I saw, you hit him because you felt like it!”

He had the decency to look sheepish when he replied, “I thought he was…hurting you.”

I snatched my hand out of his grasp and took a much-needed step back. My head was swimming from our heated kiss and the anger I started to feel bubbling its way to the surface.

“Hurting me? Are you fucking kidding me right now? He was tickling me!”

Something on Brody’s face changed and his expression became unreadable. It was unnerving. I’d always been able to read him, no matter what expression was on his face. The face looking back at me was blank, and I hated it. More than I’d ever admit, even to myself.

“Forgive me for wanting to protect you,” Brody sneered. My kiss-induced haze had completely evaporated and only white-hot fury remained. Who the hell did he think he was?

“You lost your right to protect me,” I said harshly, glaring at him. “You walked away and it was Jeff who was there when you weren’t!”

Brody’s face fell and for a brief moment I felt the need to take the words back. If only taking words back was enough to erase our past. Nothing with Brody and I had ever been that easy.

“I will never stop protecting you,” Brody ground out. “God Himself couldn’t stop me.”

“God might not, but I sure as hell will!”

With that, I brushed past Brody and walked back into the house without a backwards glance. I was upset, and I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the sudden onslaught of tears threatening to spill. I found everyone in the kitchen and when I walked in their gazes landed on me. It made me uncomfortable, like I was under a microscope, and I immediately worried that they knew what Brody and I had been doing outside.

Grayson had cleaned Jeff’s face, but he was still holding a dishcloth under his nose.

“Are you okay?” I asked Jeff, feeling both concerned and embarrassed.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Did he leave?”

I looked down, and nodded, unable to look him in the eye. I was afraid that my kiss with Brody was written all over my face.

“Did he say anything to you?” Huntley asked. She was leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed over her chest. Brody’s grandparents stood to the side, but they were also watching me with a keen interest. If anyone in the room knew if something happened with Brody it was them. Apart from Grayson and Huntley, Luanne and Clay Scott had also become family, and even after Brody left I remained close with them. Close enough to have them know what happened when Brody left. Close enough to trust them to keep it from him. Jeff and I stopped by the ranch so that he could show me what plans they had for the land, since Grayson and Jeff had each bought a third of the property. Brody’s grandparents would live on the property for the rest of their lives, and the ranch would then stay between Brody, Grayson, and Jeff’s families. They were family anyway, so it made perfect sense. Of course, we hadn’t been expecting Brody and his new girlfriend to show up.

“He…” I hesitated, squirming uncomfortably where I stood, “he said he thought Jeff was hurting me. That’s why he punched him.”

            “What did you tell him?” Jeff asked. His voice carried a hint of agitation and I couldn’t tell if it was with me or Brody he was agitated with.

“What do you think?” I asked, not doing anything to hide my own sudden irritation. “I told him the truth.”

“Is he still here?” Grayson asked. He stood up and looked ready to throw his own punches if Brody was still on the ranch. It was a rare occurrence, if not non-existent, to see him want to punch his best friend.

“No,” I replied, completely exasperated. “And what’s with the inquisition? It’s not my fault he hit Jeff!” I turned around and walked back outside onto the porch. I needed some fresh air and there was nothing better than inhaling country air. The land in front of me went on for what looked like miles and the setting sun provided an exquisite landscape. It really was beautiful. I’d always imagined living here with Brody, surrounded by our children and horses and blue skies. It had always been my dream, my fairytale. But like most little girls who dream of such things, I’d learned the hard way that fairytales are nothing more than child-like ideologies.

The screen door closed behind me and I looked over my shoulder to find Brody’s grandmother, Luanne, watching me. She came to stand beside me and started out at the open space in front of us. I had a tremendous amount of respect for this woman. She was short, with a slender build, but like most women from her generation, she was a force to be reckoned with. When Brody’s parents abandoned him, his grandparents were tasked with raising a very angry six-year-old boy who had a jaded perception of what life was like. He’d been damaged and yet somehow, amongst all the rubble left behind by his parents, Luanne and Clay had managed to give him a stable, loving home. It was because of them that he’d been the man I fell in love with during college.

“You want to talk about it, sweetheart?” she asked me quietly. Something in her voice was knowing.

“I just…” I stopped. I didn’t know how to tell her how I was feeling when I didn’t know myself. When I continued, my voice sounded small and again I hated that it was because of Brody and how he made me feel. “I didn’t mean for any of that to happen,” I gestured to the door, “I didn’t know Brody was going to be here.”

“No one blames you, sweetheart, but that’s not what I was referring to.”

I frowned. “Then what did you mean?”

“I meant the reason you looked so flustered back there.” Her mouth tipped into a small smile and I knew I’d been caught. She saw me kissing Brody.

“I…” I snapped my mouth shut. I couldn’t explain my way out of this one and there was no way I would ever lie to Luanne. She laughed briefly before turning her worldly eyes to me.

“It’s alright, sweetheart, I won’t rat you out. I just want you to be smart, and think about the other people you could hurt while you’re trying to make sense of things between you and my grandson.”

“There’s nothing between me and Brody,” I replied quietly.

Luanne touched my hand in a reassuring gesture and I had the feeling I wasn’t going to like what she was going to say. But I listened anyway because I trusted her.

“I’m old, but I’m not blind,” she chuckled. “You and Brody will find your way to each other again. You might be a little lost right now, but in the end, he’s your destiny, as you are his.”

“What makes you so sure?” I asked curiously.

She looked away momentarily, lost in thought. “Almost forty years ago, I was you and Clay was Brody. We lost our way but I knew in my heart of hearts that he was my past, present and future.”