If Only In My Dreams (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Book 5) Read online

  Lord, please protect AJ from his father’s selfishness. Please grant me the wisdom to best protect him from those who seek to use him. Please, Lord, give me the strength to fight this battle. I’m feeling lost right now.

  She had no idea how long she sat on the floor. The sound of a car door slamming and the ding of the doorbell brought her back to reality. Brandon had brought AJ back home after the hockey game! She scrambled to her knees and stood up, casting a quick glance in the hall mirror to check her appearance. Perhaps Brandon wouldn’t notice her disheveled hair or her red-rimmed eyes. She ran a hand through her mussed up hair and willed herself not to break down in front of her son. Even if it took plastering a fake smile on her face she would do whatever it took to shield AJ from the harsh realities of their lives.

  She wrapped her arms around her middle as tears pooled in her eyes. Darn it! She was getting all emotional now that Davis had turned up like a bad penny threatening to torpedo their lives. It was a life she’d painstakingly built for the two of them out of nothing more than hope and prayer and grit. Who did he think he was to try and take it all away from her?

  She pressed her eyes closed, vowing that no one or nothing would ever take her son away from her protective arms. If she had to, she would pack up their belongings tonight and disappear into the velvety night. She knew how to get lost in the wilds of Vermont or the remote regions of Maine where people lived off the grid. If push came to shove, at least she had options. There was no way in this world she was going to turn her son over to a stranger.

  **

  By the time Brandon brought AJ back to 44 Sandalwood Road, the sun had faded over the horizon. When he pulled up to Rose’s house there was only a small light emanating from the house. Yet Rose’s car was parked in the driveway. Perhaps Rose was taking a nap or reading in a quiet corner of the house.

  “The house looks dark,” AJ said from the back seat.

  “Yeah, buddy. It does. Maybe your Mom decided to take a nap or something.”

  “She never naps,” AJ said, immediately disputing his theory. After Brandon turned off the ignition and opened the door for AJ, they made their way across the lawn and to the front door. AJ darted ahead of him and began pressing on the doorbell over and over again in rapid succession.

  “Easy there, AJ. Once or twice is fine.” Brandon was working hard to keep a straight face. AJ has so much enthusiasm and zest for life.

  After a few minutes they heard the clicking sound of the door being unlocked. When the door slowly opened, Brandon had to stop himself from doing a double take. Rose’s eyes were red rimmed and the expression on her face appeared shattered. AJ threw himself into her arms with cries of, “We had a blast, Mom.”

  Rose smiled at AJ, but there was no joy in her eyes. She ushered them into the house where AJ began to talk a mile a minute about their adventure. All Brandon could do was focus on Rose. Something wasn’t right. After working closely with her for five years, he knew this woman. As soon as AJ disappeared upstairs, Brandon seized the moment. She was standing in the living room with her arms folded across her chest, her gaze trailing after AJ. Rose was biting her lip and her expression hinted that she was seconds away from bursting into tears.

  He moved towards her, quickly swallowing up the space that existed between them. “Hey, what’s wrong, Rose? I can tell something’s going on with you. Can you tell me?”

  “It’s nothing. I’m just not feeling well.” He reached out and swept his palm across her

  cheek, needing to make contact with her and try to ease her distress. He softened his voice, needing to be gentle in this moment.

  “Please…tell me what’s going on. I can tell something’s eating you up inside.” His gut tightened as her face crumpled and she began to sob. Her shoulders heaved with the effort. Her beautiful chocolate eyes were flooded with tears.

  “A-AJ,” she spit out before choking on her sobs. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her in a tight, warm embrace. Every single one of his nerve endings was pulsing. He wanted to take away every ounce of her sorrow and show her that she would always find comfort in his arms. And God forbid anyone who may have hurt this beautiful, amazing woman.

  “I’ve got you, Rose. Easy, easy,” he crooned as he rubbed her back in a circular motion. “I’ve got you, baby.”

  After a few minutes Brandon could feel her body relaxing and the rough inhalations slowed down to steady breathing. He ran his hand over the back of her head, his fingers trailing through her hair.

  Rose pulled away from him and took a fortifying breath. She looked up him, her lips trembling. “Thank you, Brandon. I’m sorry for falling apart.”

  “Sorry? You don’t have to apologize for being human. I just wish you’d confide in me. Maybe I can help.”

  Rose shook her head fiercely. “I’m not sure anyone can help. It’s about AJ. While you were out, his father showed up here.” She ran a trembling hand across her face. “I haven’t seen that man in six years. Not once. Not even a phone call or an email.”

  “What did he want?” His insides were all jumbled up now with anxiety for Rose. Did her ex want her back? Was he trying to swoop in and repair all the damage he’d done when he walked out of their lives? His blood began to boil. He wasn’t about to just lay down and let this Davis character steal the woman he loved.

  The woman he loved? Where had that sentiment come from? Whoa! He loved her. Truly he did. But right now in this moment he had to push those feelings aside and focus on whatever was causing Rose to be in such crisis mode.

  “He wants my son.” Her voice was flat and devoid of emotion. She seemed dazed. “He wants to take my son because his wife can’t have kids. He needs a child to make it look like he represents the All American political candidate. And I’m sure he figured out that it would look bad for him if the truth came out that he’s never even seen his son, so he’s taking a pre-emptive strike.”

  “That’s ridiculous. He can’t just step in and snatch away your child. He can’t do that,” Brandon sputtered. He couldn’t wrap his head around what Rose was saying. AJ’s father had never been in his life. He couldn’t just strut back into the picture and claim rights he’d tossed aside long ago.

  “Davis comes from a very politically connected family in Virginia. His grandfather was the governor. His father is a state Senator. All his life Davis has been groomed to take over the Montague political throne. When I got pregnant he didn’t tell his family and he treated me like his dirty little secret.” Rose broke eye contact with him and bowed her head. “He bailed out of his son’s life because he figured it might ruin his political chances.”

  Suddenly, the pieces were beginning to come together. “So now it’s his turn to run for office and he wants a nice, cozy little family to make him look good.”

  A strangled cry came from her throat. “He wants my son. My family! The one I built and nurtured. The boy I’ve raised all alone. My son.” Her voice cracked as she covered her face with her hands. “Well, I won’t let him get away with it. I’ll pack up all our stuff and leave Breeze Point rather than let him get his hands on AJ. I’ll disappear. I’ll find a farm in Vermont somewhere and go off the grid with AJ.”

  Gripping Rose lightly by her shoulders, Brandon forced her to meet his gaze. “You aren’t going anywhere. AJ loves Breeze Point. He feels safe here. He’s part of the fabric of this community. You can’t do that to him, not when he’s planted roots here. Not when everything is going so well for him.”

  “But I can’t just sit around and wait for Davis to swoop in and take my son. He sounds desperate. And he has a lot of power behind him if he chooses to use it. The Montagues are a political dynasty.”

  Brandon felt his lips turning upwards into a sneer. “I have a lot of power too. And I plan to use every ounce of it if I need to do so.”

  “W-What do you mean, Brandon? This isn’t your fight,” she said weakly.

  “No? It isn’t?” He ran his thumb across her cheek. “Rose, anyt
hing that concerns you and AJ is my fight. I’d never let you go this alone. Not in a million years.”

  Rose’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Brandon. I-I can’t even wrap my head around it. I’ve never had anyone in my corner. My whole life I’ve always gone through everything on my own.”

  “Those days are gone,” he said in a firm voice. “Now isn’t the time to tell you what’s laying on my heart, but rest assured, my lovely, smart, loyal Rose…you are not alone. And if I have any say in the matter, you never will be again.”

  “Brandon,” she whispered, her eyes filled with a tenderness that threatened to crack his heart wide open. “I’m so grateful for you.” She flung herself at his chest and he cradled her for a few moments until her ragged breathing subsided.

  Although there was nothing he wanted to do more in this world than comfort her until all her fears were assuaged, he needed information. It was imperative that he do something to stop this bully in his tracks.

  He gently broke away from Rose, staring into her eyes as he said, “I need to know everything you can tell me about Davis. You said his last name was Montague. That sounds vaguely familiar to me. Where does he reside in Virginia? Do you know his wife’s name? Parents?” He began rattling off a host of questions for Rose. More than anything, he needed to contact his roster of private Investigators and order a full background check on Davis Montague. If he’d so much as ran a stop sign or stolen a piece of candy as a kid, Brandon wanted to know about it by the time the sun rose in the morning.

  “Slow down,” Rose pleaded. Confusion swirled in the depths of her eyes. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”

  “Why? Because there is no way in creation I’m going to allow anyone to put you in a corner and threaten you. And as long as I’m standing, AJ will never be taken away from you.” He met her gaze head-on, hoping the intensity of what he felt for her vibrated in his eyes.

  “I don’t want you to get tied up in this mess,” Rose said in a quiet voice. “It’s best that you stay out of it.”

  He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her temple, then lowered his lips to the

  side of her face, then her chin, then her nose. He was trying to kiss away all her tears.

  “Oh, Rose,” he murmured. What kind of man would I be if I walked away from this?”

  Rose’s expression was skeptical, which he didn’t take personally. She’d never known a

  family’s love. AJ’s father had turned his back on her and their son. In all her life she’d never

  been shown loyalty or fidelity or devotion. He understood her reservations. It was a leap of

  faith, he imagined, to suddenly put all your trust in another human being. It was now his job to

  show her that he was the man who could give it all to her, if only she’d let him.

  “A real man takes care of the woman he loves. It’s your job to stand between her and anything that threatens her well-being.” Alec Donahue

  Chapter Ten

  Rose wasn’t sure what to make of Brandon storming out of her home like a man on a mission. She watched as he revved the engine of his sleek Jaguar and sped off down the road. He’d looked angry…and determined. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but he’d sounded so certain and sure of himself. If anyone could stop Davis in his tracks it would be Brandon. Strong, capable, intelligent Brandon. Not once in her life had anyone ever told her to lean on them and then followed through. She’d been disappointed by people more times than she could count. Even though she believed in Brandon, it was such a leap of faith for her to absorb the idea that someone might love her enough to put her needs first.

  Love. Why had her mind wandered to the subject of love? Suddenly, her hands were moist and her chest felt tight. She took a deep breath. She loved Brandon Donahue. As hard as she’d been trying to suppress those feelings, they were now as solid as an Oak tree. And there was no way she could run away from this soaring, thrilling feeling. Brandon Donahue was her everything. Her cornerstone. The man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, God willing.

  Dear Lord, please hear this prayer. I used to pray to you in the darkness for a family to come my way. That never happened. And then later I prayed for love. It never showed up. Now, I’m praying to you for something as real as the love I have for my son. I’m praying for Brandon. I love him, Lord. It’s a love second only to the love I hold for my son. I want him to be a permanent part of my life. I want to be his other half, his soul mate. And I promise you, I’ll be good to him. I’ll cherish him always.

  She heard the creak on the staircase right before her son’s voice intruded on her prayers.

  “Mom. Did Brandon leave already?”

  She turned around to see AJ peering over the railing, his expression one of expectation. He was wearing his pajamas with all the planets on it. “Sorry, honey. Brandon had to scoot.”

  AJ’s shoulders sagged. His lip stuck out in protest. “Aww, man. I wanted him to read me a bed-time story.”

  Already her son was starting to count on Brandon being around. It made her nervous. What if things didn’t work out between them? What if he didn’t feel the same way about her as she did for him? She couldn’t bear it if her son’s trusting little heart was smashed into a million little pieces. With her heart in her throat, Rose walked over to the stairs and sat down next to where AJ stood. She patted the space beside her. “Sit down, baby.”

  AJ sat down beside her, a defeated expression etched on his face. She leaned in to him and rubbed her arm against him. “Honey, I know you really care about Brandon, but we can’t count on him to be here all the time. He has his own life, a big family and a very busy career as a businessman.”

  “Don’t you like him anymore?” AJ asked in a stunned tone.

  “Of course I do,” she reassured him. “He’s a wonderful person. Before he was just my boss, but now I consider him a true friend.”

  “I don’t want him to be your friend!” AJ cried out.

  What in the world was going on with her son? He was all over the place. “I don’t like your tone of voice, young man,” she scolded.

  “I’m sorry, Mommy. It’s just that—” he began before stopping.

  “Just what? You can tell me,” she urged, placing her arm around his slight shoulder.

  With lips quivering he spit it out. “I prayed and prayed for a long time for a Daddy but I still don’t have one. And now I’ve been praying for Brandon to be my Daddy, because I can’t imagine a better one than him.”

  She let out sigh that made her insides quake. “Oh baby. I know how hard it’s been for you not having a Dad in your life. And I know how fond you are of Brandon. But wanting him to be your Daddy…that’s not in your control. Oftentimes we wish for things that never come to pass.”

  “Why does God hate us? You had to grow up without a family and now I don’t have a Dad like everyone else.” He folded his arms across his chest and began to cry. The sounds of his little sobs felt like a knife in her gut. “It’s not fair!

  “Shh. Shh,” she crooned, rubbing his back in the same way Brandon had just soothed her. “God loves us. Even when we think he doesn’t give us the things we need or want, he’s still loving us. And guiding us.” She caressed the side of his silky soft cheeks. “Life isn’t always fair, and it’s far from perfect. And I know I can’t fill the shoes of a Dad, but I love you more than anything in this world.”

  AJ leaned in and squeezed her tight. “You’re the best Mom in the whole wide world.”

  Tears sprang from her eyes and she began to sniffle. This day had been one roller coaster ride of emotion.

  “I didn’t mean to make you cry, Mommy. I’m sorry.” AJ began wiping away her tears with his fingertips.

  She grinned at him through her tears. “Happy tears, my love. In all this wide world, God could have chosen any woman to be your mother. Yet He chose me. That makes me one lucky Mom.”

  As she cuddled with her son on the steps, her thoughts stray
ed to Brandon. God had already given her one miracle by making her AJ’s mother. Was it possible that He would give her the love of a lifetime as well?

  **

  By eight a.m. on Sunday morning, Brandon had a stack of information piled up on his desk at home. Every single piece of paper contained information about Davis Montague. He’d sent the last two hours sifting through it. So far he had enough on Montague to ensure that he wouldn’t even be elected as dog catcher. And according to the Private Investigator on his payroll, Davis had already hightailed it back to Richmond, Virginia.

  He felt his blood boil as he remembered the shattered look on Rose’s face and the fear emanating from her eyes. What kind of man, he wondered, tried to instill fear in a woman regarding a child he’d abandoned? He took deep breaths, knowing he couldn’t let his emotions override his good sense. Davis Montague was going to rue the day he’d ever come to Breeze Point in search of Rose. A man like that—gutless, soulless, opportunistic—needed to be taught a lesson.

  Brandon picked up his cell phone and hit one of his most frequently dialed numbers. On the third ring he heard the deep, gruff voice of his brother.

  “Hey, Brandon. What’s up?” Mac answered, clearly identifying him by caller ID.

  There was no point in beating around the bush. This situation needed to be nipped in the bud. Quickly. “I need a favor, Mac.”

  “Name it,” Mac said without skipping a beat.

  “I need you to come out of town with me. I’m heading to Virginia in an hour or so on the company plane.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “It’s important. I need you to be there. I can have the car service swing by in about twenty minutes or so.”

  “Done,” Mac said. “I’ll throw a few things in a bag. See you soon.”

  The dial tone sounded, letting Brandon know Mac had ended the call. He felt a rush of emotion swell over him like a tidal wave. All six of his brothers were as dependable as the tides. As were his wonderful parents. Just knowing that Rose had been denied such love and support in her life made him feel more fortunate for all the blessings he’d been given. And somehow, once Davis Montague was taken care of, he would shower Rose Maddock with all the love she’d been denied all these years.