Dare to Stay (Dare Nation 4)

Damon’s expression turned to one of horror. “Are you kidding? She’ll kill me. She wants to wait until after the first trimester.”

Braden chuckled. “Something tells me you won’t make it till then. And you know Mom’s going to lose her mind.”

“Which is why we have to wait.” Damon was adamant.

“She won’t hear it from me,” he promised.

“So what’s the deal with you and Willow? Austin said he walked in on you two at Mom’s over Thanksgiving.” Damon changed the subject on him.

Braden rolled his eyes at his gossiping brothers.

Unable to help himself, he turned and caught a glimpse of her in an aisle seat, laughing at something her friend had said. As if sensing his stare, she looked his way, their eyes meeting. He winked at her, she blushed, and after he grinned, he turned back to Damon.

“Okay, talk,” Damon said.

“I’m working on her, okay? It’s going to take time for her to trust me again.” Braden had no intention of revealing last night to anyone, not even his brother. Not against Willow’s wishes. This wasn’t anything like Damon being unable to contain his excitement about becoming a dad and spilling those beans.

Damon stretched his legs in front of him, as far as they would go given the boundaries of the seat in front of him. “And Aurora? The pregnant girl you two brought to Mom’s? Bri seems to have taken her under her wing by giving her a job.”

“So has Willow. She insisted Aurora move in with her, and given where the girl was living before, I couldn’t exactly argue. Although that wasn’t in my plans when I introduced them.” He rolled his shoulders, feeling cramped in the small area. “I admit I brought them together because I thought it would help Willow and Aurora both. They have trust issues in common.”

“And Dr. Do-Good couldn’t help trying to fix them?” Damon cocked an eyebrow, annoying Braden.

“No. I needed Willow to see me in a new light and help Aurora at the same time.” He let out a groan. “I just want her back without the distrust lingering in the back of her mind. She thinks I’m going to up and leave again.”

“Are you?”

He shook his head. “When I left, I was looking for something, though I didn’t realize it at the time.” He cleared his throat. “I needed to carve out a niche that was mine. Not in the shadows of the successful Prescott athletes.”

Damon turned to him. “I had no idea you felt … what? Less than us? God damn Jesse,” he muttered.

Stiffening at the mention of the man who’d raised him, belittled him, and yes, had put those inadequate feelings in his head, he clenched his teeth hard. But Damon had a point. It always came back to Jesse Prescott.

“It’s fine. I’m over it. Doctors Without Borders helped me with finding myself. Goal accomplished.” He knew who he was, his place in the world, and in the family now.

Damon studied him as he spoke. “And have you explained this to Willow?”

“No.” Braden groaned, rubbing his hands over his eyes. “If I bring up the time that I left, she pulls away. I’m lucky she’s giving me the little that she is.” He paused, needing to explain more but constrained by Willow’s desire to keep their relationship a secret.

Fuck it, he decided, he needed his brother’s advice, and Damon would be discreet with anything Braden told him. And he was certain Steffy knew where Willow had disappeared to last night.

“Okay, here’s the truth but keep it to yourself. Willow doesn’t want the team to know. She came to my room last night. She’s willing to sleep with me, but she intended it to be a friends-with-benefits type of thing. Not a relationship.”

Damon let out a low chuckle. “Been there, done that,” he muttered. “What’d you say?”

“Hell no. If she wanted me, she needed to agree to keep an open mind and give us a chance.” Damon opened his mouth to speak and Braden held up a hand. “Don’t worry. I know she’s full of it. She’s going to keep her walls high.” He blew out a huff of frustration.

“Take it from someone who’s been in your position. It just takes time. The longer she’s with you, the more she gets to know you again, the harder she’s going to fall.” He slapped Braden on the shoulder. “Hang in there.”

“I intend to.”

Chapter Eight

Willow arrived home and found Aurora watching television on the couch that substituted for Willow’s bed. After dragging her carry-on into the apartment, she shut the door and locked it behind her.

“Welcome home!” Aurora rose from the couch and immediately began folding up the blanket she’d been lying under.

Willow smiled. “Relax. I need to unpack and wash up before I can even think about using the sofa bed.” She wanted the young woman to feel comfortable here, not as if she was in the way. “How was your weekend?”