Every Time (Brush of Love 3)

“It’s time we all got over our shit and came together as a family, especially during a time like this. You can’t go through this alone, and I’m glad you told me. But I’m angry you haven’t told Bryan because that man has done just as much for you as you have for him.”

“Are you saying I owe it to him to tell him I’m dying?” I asked.

“No. I’m saying you owe it to him to love him the way he deserves, and if you can’t, let him go so he can find someone who will love him the way he deserves.” Her words cut like a knife straight into my gut. I felt like I couldn’t breathe while the serrated edges of her tainted words pierced my skin. I felt the very breath knocked from my lungs while silent tears continued to drip down my face, and for the first time, I looked out my apartment window and saw things I’d never seen before. Like the flickering of the lamppost across the street and the stray dog nestled underneath the car across the road. “I don’t care what you tell Mom and Dad,” I said. “Just don’t tell Bryan. He should hear it from me.” “Yes, he should. I’m glad we can both agree on that. And Hailey?” “Yeah?” “If you truly don’t want to cause him pain, then you’ll be honest with him. There’s nothing more painful than a loved one lying to you about something important like this. Trust me. Mom and Dad told us both enough lies about how they gave a shit about our lives to last us a lifetime. Bryan deserves better than that.” I nodded toward her as she opened my front door. “See you later,” I said. “Oh, I’m coming back. I don’t work for the next two days. I’m just running to the grocery store to get a rotisserie chicken, some vegetables, and some fresh seasonings.” “Why?” I asked. “Because I’m making a bone broth and vegetable soup for us to have tomorrow. It’s time we started you on a different, fresher diet.” I smiled at her faintly while my chest heaved with regret. I needed to tell Bryan, and I needed to do it soon. As harsh as Anna’s words had been, she wasn’t wrong. I was doing the exact same thing now that I’d already done to Bryan once, and I knew a man who’d experienced what he had could only take so much.

Deep down, I guessed that’s what scared me the most. It was terrifying that I’d have to admit to him I had cancer, and he might not be able to handle it.

Chapter 5

Bryan

O ut of the blue, my father called me. He asked if I would come to dinner because he and Mom wanted to talk. Finally, after all these years, I was going to hear them apologize for the way they had been acting. I called Hailey and asked if she could make it, and to my surprise, she said she would move some plans around. I honestly didn’t expect her to do something like that. I picked her up in my truck, and I could tell she was nervous. The first time she met my parents, she’d ended up putting them in their place, and she hadn’t seen them again until the show at the art gallery. She held my hand tightly while we rode down the highway, and she didn’t speak until we exited and started down the main road in town. “How are you feeling about all this?” she asked. “Honestly? Not any different than I did yesterday. My hope is they’re finally coming to their senses, but I’ve coped with not having them around if this is just another scare tactic.” “Scare tactic?” she asked. “Yeah. Them trying to do their best to scare me into the type of lifestyle they wished I’d lead.” She nodded and went back to staring out the window, but her hand tightened in mine. From the moment we entered my parent’s home, I could tell something was different. The air seemed a little lighter and the furniture was arranged differently. The house seemed more open and inclusive, and it took me a little while to digest everything. Rooms that hadn’t been opened in years had their doors thrown out wide, and even the air smelled of a lighter scent than the musky perfume my mother doused around the house.

What the hell was going on?

“Bryan!” my father exclaimed. “Welcome.”

I could tell Hailey was taken aback by everything as well as she watched my father embrace me.

“And Hailey. It’s wonderful to see you again. I’m so glad you're back in Bryan’s life.”

“So am I, Mr. McBride.”

“Please, call me Michael. Like old times,” my father said.

Old times? Who the fuck had tainted my parent’s water supply?

My mother was already sitting at the kitchen table, and I could tell she was less than amused. That made a bit more sense. My father was trying to make up for the fact that my mother was in a shitty mood, and suddenly, my hopes of them apologizing were dwindling.

My mother would soon backhand my father before he apologized on her behalf.

“Hey, Mom,” I said.

“Bryan.”

“Aren’t you going to say hello to Hailey?” I asked.

“No.”

Hailey giggled to herself and shook her head, and that caught my mother’s attention.

“Did I do something funny?” she asked.

“Yes. The two of you have found a way to wiggle Bryan over here for a dinner he isn’t interested in under the assumption the two of you are going to apologize,” Hailey said.

I didn’t expect her to be so blunt, but I couldn’t deny what she was saying.

“And what would we apologize for?” my mother asked.

“Ready to go?” Hailey asked me.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” my father said. “Since the two of you came all this way, why don’t you sit down and enjoy a nice meal?” Hailey shot me a look. It almost made me feel as if she was more agitated than I was, like they had somehow ruined her night or inconvenienced her. And while I couldn’t deny that she was about to be thrust into a situation like before, I’d never known Hailey to be impatient or hold that against someone. It was confusing to me. “Hailey, why don’t you come sit by me and tell me how John’s showcase went?” my father asked. Even I could see the look of shock that rolled over Hailey’s face. “Um, all right,” she said. I escorted her to my father, and I pulled out her chair. She sat down and took a deep breath through her nose, obviously trying to relax. One of the waitstaff tried to pour her a glass of wine, but she waved it off before asking for some water. “So,” my father said. “How did everything turn out?” “It, um, actually went very well. We sold most of John’s paintings that evening. I had a few hanging up the next day, and they sold before the week was out.” “How many paintings were there?” my mother asked. We all s

topped and turned toward her before she shrugged and sat back in her chair. “There were sixty-two paintings in all,” Hailey said. “And you sold all of them?” my father asked. “Well, not all of them. There was this pair of paintings, sort of inverses of each other, and I felt like they needed to be sold together. Unfortunately, no one wanted to purchase them together, and that didn’t feel right to me. So, I’m loaning those out to galleries and museums that are interested, and half of the proceeds are being donated to the local homeless shelters in the area.” “Really?” my mother asked. “Could I see them sometime?”

Hailey looked over at me with a quizzical stare before she nodded. “You’re more than welcome to see your son’s paintings anytime you wish, Mrs. McBride.” “Dorothy is fine,” my mother said. I saw a smile cross my father’s face that I hadn’t seen in years, and for the first time since we walked in, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. There was a nagging voice in the back of my mind wondering if they were interested because of the local fame Hailey had garnered for herself, but I tried to silence that pessimistic voice before it became vocalized. “I’ve seen you a great deal in the newspaper,” my father said. “It seems your gallery’s doing well.” “It has been. I’m very excited about it. I became profitable way before I figured I would be,” Hailey said. “You’re no longer in any debt with your business?” my mother asked. “Nope. Haven’t been for the past three weeks,” Hailey said, smiling. “That’s fantastic!” my father exclaimed. “And rare for artistic businesses such as yours. You’ve got that business mind of yours to thank for that.” “I honestly never really thought I had one,” Hailey said. “But thank you.” “Those that never think they’re good at something are usually the ones that excel most in it,” my mother said. “Well put, Dorothy. Well put,” my father said. “I was shocked by the quality of art on the walls at the showcase,” my mother said. “You mean John’s art?” Hailey asked. “He had a great deal of talent, didn’t he?” The entire table fell silent while we all trained our eyes on my mom.

She looked somber, and her stare had glazed over. She was losing herself in her thoughts like she was remembering something. And I could’ve sworn there were tears rising in her eyes. Hailey slowly panned her head over to mine, and all I could do was shrug. I was in foreign territory and had no idea how to guide her through any of this currently going on. “There was one on the wall that caught my eye,” my father said. “It was a painting of a sunset that was reflected in some sort of body of water. Except there was a boat that interrupted the reflection with a man fishing in it. The detail was astounding. Did you sell it?” “I did,” Hailey said. “It was one of the last ones to sell before the showcase wound down. It’s being shipped to London.” “London?” my mother exclaimed. “John’s artwork is going all the way to London?” “It’s actually going all the way to Australia as well. And South Africa. I think there was someone shipping a painting to Beijing. I’d have to take a look at the book I wrote everything down in,” Hailey said. “A book? Oh, no. That should be your next move before you have another showcase like that. Make sure things are electronic. It’s faster and you can have people enter in their own information. It’ll free up your hands to mingle and make connections,” my father said. “That’s the plan,” Hailey said, grinning. “That and putting in a security system. I’ve already learned that the hard way.” “Why’s that?” my mother asked. “I had my gallery vandalized a few weeks back,” she said. “It was nothing terrible, but it could’ve been worse.” “Drew and I stepped in and fixed it up before the day was out. Had to replace a window, patch some holes, repaint the walls. Stuff like that,” I said. “What the hell is wrong with people these days?” my father asked. “Did you find out who it was?”