Read Online Brody by Vanessa Devereaux - Free Book Online Page B

slid in beside her. She’d been wrong about it
being chicken on the menu, because her mother had gone to town with roast beef
and popovers.
    “This
all looks great, Mrs. Thorton,” said Brody. “My mother was a wonderful cook
too.”
    “Brody’s
going to give me his mom’s meatloaf recipe,” said Maddie.
    Mark
tried to put his foot on top of hers like he always had when they went out on
dates, but this time she made sure his foot missed the target.
    “And
what do you do, Brody?” asked her dad.
    “I’m
a cowboy.”
    “Oh
my, a dying breed, I’ve heard,” said her dad.
    “Well,
we’re eating roast beef tonight, so maybe not,” said Brody.
    “Mark
has his own software company,” said her mother.
    “And
how is Tim?” asked Maddie. She knew her mother was about to put Brody down, so
she steered it off course and laid the embarrassment on Mark.
    Mark
looked down and didn’t respond.
    “Total
misunderstanding, that’s all it was,” said her mother. “Isn’t that right?”
    “Misunderstanding.
You mean you weren’t really fucking your best man when I walked in on you?”
asked Maddie.
    “Madeleine,
your language. I’m not happy with those sorts of words being casually dropped
at the dinner table. Anywhere for that matter,” said her mother.
    Maddie
ignored her. “You’ve had almost a week to think this over, and that’s the best
you could come up with—a misunderstanding. You with your pants around your
ankles and your bare ass facing me.”
    She
glanced at Brody who was now looking straight at his plate. She was sorry he had
to sit through this.
    “More
wine anyone?” asked her father.
    “I’d
love some, but my doctor told me I have to cut down on alcohol,” said Brody.
    “Brody’s
in need of a new kidney,” said Maddie.
    “I’m
so sorry to hear that,” said her father. “Do you have a donor lined up?”
    “Hopefully,
I do.”
    He
looked at Maddie and winked.
    “That’s
good to hear,” said her father.
    “Maddie,
could we talk in private outside?” asked Mark.
    Maddie
glared at him. “Anything you have to say you can say in front of my parents and
Brody.”
    Mark
stood. “I’d like to say how sorry I am for what happened last week, and I hope
you can forgive me and that we can reset our wedding date. I love you, Maddie
Thorton.”
    Maddie
stood. “I would not marry you if you were the last man on the earth. I don’t
think you love me. I think you were in love with the idea of being in love with
me.” She pulled out the engagement ring from her pants pocket. “Before I forget,
let me return this, because I thought maybe you’d like to give it to Tim.”
    A
tear ran down her face. She didn’t want him to see he’d gotten to her, so she
got up, ran into the hallway, grabbed her coat, and went outside. She ran into
the backyard. It was cold and dark, but she knew her old swing set was still
there. Her parents had kept it hoping that one day Maddie’s kids would play on
it, just like their mother had.
    She
burst into tears. She’d probably never get married, never have kids. Her life
was one total fucking mess. She heard someone walking toward her and hoped it
wasn’t Mark ready to plead his case again.
    It
was Brody. Thank God it was him, because these days he was the only person who
could lift her spirits.

 
    Chapter Eight
     
    “You
okay?” asked Brody.
    He
could see that she was crying.
    “You
left your hat and mittens on the rack. I thought you might like them,” he said.
    She
took them from him. “Should you be out here in the cold?” she asked him.
    “I’m
fine, don’t you worry about me.” He sat on the swing next to her. “I thought
you handled Mark really well.”
    “Thank
you,” she said.
    He
leaned in, causing the two swings to meet, and he put his arm around her. She
rested her head on his shoulder.
    “I
haven’t been on a swing since…you know, I can’t remember when,” said Brody.
    He
did remember Ted buying him one for Christmas and