Dare to Stay (Dare Nation 4)

He let out a groan. His mom had always liked Willow, but she wasn’t used to big family gatherings, and when they were together, she told him she’d gone to Dr. Jonas’s house for holidays.

He couldn’t see her wanting to join him this year. “You know we’re not together anymore.” Which didn’t mean he wouldn’t invite her.

“Damon might have mentioned he caught you watching her a time or two. Or five,” she said on a chuckle.

Braden cursed his brother and his big mouth. The last thing he wanted was to be the subject of family gossip.

“All I’m saying is if you’d like to ask her, she’s more than welcome.”

He rolled his eyes at her deliberate push. His mother wanted to see all her kids paired off, and she had Braden and Bri left to go. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll let you know.”

“Okay. Go get some sleep. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” he said and disconnected the call.

Bracing his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes, knowing he still wanted to jump in the shower before going to sleep.

He just needed a few minutes to unwind. As he closed his eyes, his mind drifted to Willow, and he grabbed his phone, deciding to text her. He wanted to be the last thing she thought of before falling asleep.

Chapter Four

Thinking of you. Hope you dream about me. A full-body tremor rippled through Willow every time she recalled Braden’s bedtime text.

His words stayed with her all through the day as she worked on her patients, their bodies battered and bruised from yesterday’s game. To her utter mortification, it wasn’t until she saw Cole the next day that she realized what she’d done.

Kissing Braden and falling into that zone of pleasure had wiped out all thoughts of anyone else. Including the man she was casually dating. If she could make out with Braden with no consideration for Cole, if Braden could take her outside herself so easily, Cole Walsh wasn’t the man for her. Something she’d been avoiding completely admitting to herself, and now she had to do something about it.

But today kept her too busy to think about her personal life. She iced, taped, used stim, and more throughout the day, and by the time she could leave, she was exhausted and Cole was gone for the night. Instead of heading straight home, she’d promised Bella Jonas she’d stop by after work, and she didn’t want to disappoint her.

She pulled up to the house where she’d spent the end of her teenage years and parked in the driveway. With Peter in jail and unable to post bail because Bella had refused to put up the house as collateral, Bella was here alone.

Willow shut the engine, grabbed her purse, and exited the car. She headed up the path leading to the front door and rang the doorbell, but Bella must have heard or seen her approach, because she opened the door at the same time.

“Hi! I’m so glad you’re here!” Bella, a petite brunette wearing a pair of jeans and a light sweater, greeted Willow with a smile.

“Hi, yourself!”

They hugged before Bella shut the door, and they walked to the kitchen, where they always ended up sitting to chat.

“I put aside dinner for you. Let me heat it in the microwave.” Bella rushed around the kitchen, bringing back warm memories of her making dinner when Willow lived there.

She remembered being in awe of someone who was always happy and wary of her kindness. With time and patience, Bella had won Willow over. It was impossible not to love the woman who had taken in many foster kids over the years because she couldn’t have children of her own.

“How are you, really?” Willow asked. She didn’t need to elaborate. Bella would understand what Willow was referring to.

She sighed heavily. “I’m managing. I’m not taking Peter’s calls and I’m having divorce papers drawn up.”

Willow was surprised. “It hasn’t been that long since the news broke. Are you sure you don’t want to take time to think about it some more?” she asked as the microwave beeped, indicating the food was finished heating. “You were married a long time.”

Bella retrieved the plate and put it down in front of Willow at the kitchen table. Bella had already set the table and given Willow a glass of ice water. The delicious smell of Bella’s signature chicken potpie wafted up, and Willow took a bite, the creamy flavor so good.

Bella settled into a chair across from Willow. “No matter how I look at the situation, he lied about so many things. His gambling addiction, the money he owed, the taxes he didn’t pay.” She shook her head. “If he’d told me he had a problem, I could have gotten him help. He betrayed everything about our marriage and our relationship. And what he did to Damon Prescott? Taking money to inject him with performance-enhancing drugs? I don’t know that man and I don’t want to.”