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

  “Ask away,” Rose said. “I don’t harbor any secrets. I’m pretty much an open book.”

  “The day you told me about AJ’s wishes for Christmas…you said that you didn’t have any family to speak of.” He bit the inside of his lip, pondering how he should phrase his question. “Would you mind telling me what happened to your family members? Are you estranged from them? If the question is too over the line, please feel free to tell me to mind my own business.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” Rose answered. Her expression was calm, although he detected a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I grew up in foster care, Brandon. I was one of those kids who never made it out. I was never adopted out of the system, so I went from family to family, never quite making lasting connections. By the time I was eighteen I was sent on my way. I worked my way through college with the help of a few scholarships and working part-time jobs. Then I went into the workforce.” She shrugged. “That’s pretty much it.”

  Sadness for all she’d been through trickled through him. Although he knew the ins and outs of the foster care system and social services, it was hard to imagine Rose growing up without a family of her own. He’d heard numerous stories like her own. On so many levels it was tragic, despite the matter of fact way she presented it.

  He cleared his throat to get himself under control. “Wow. It must have been tough to spend your whole childhood and adolescence in foster care.”

  “Yeah, it was rough. And lonely. As a kid I couldn’t understand why nobody wanted me,” she said. “There were a few times when I came real close, but in the end, they didn’t pick me.”

  The look on Rose’s face almost shattered him. Because of his own past, he could relate to her in a way he imagined few people could. But, having been adopted by his wonderful parents made his experience totally different from her own. He’d been saved. He’d been rescued while Rose had been left by the wayside. Anger surged up from the depths of him. It wasn’t fair! Everyone deserved a loving family to love and protect them from life’s stormy seas.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I consider being adopted as one of the most impactful moments in my life. It changed my destiny, that’s for sure. And that of my brothers as well.”

  “I remember reading about it in a magazine you were being featured in,” Rose confessed. She smiled at him. “I think you and your brothers had a very special situation. I so admire your parents for having such wide, open hearts.”

  “Don’t get me started,” he said with a grin. “I can’t say enough good things about my parents. And we also had a guardian angel in the form of a social services case worker named Mrs. Worther involved in all our cases. She was the one who matched us all up and helped create our family.”

  Rose sent a smile his way. “Whatever happened to her? She sounds as if she was a Godsend for seven little boys who needed a family.”

  Brandon placed his finger on his jaw. “That’s a good question. I think of her all the time, but I haven’t seen her in years. When we were small we used to visit her office whenever we were in Boston.” He chuckled at the memory of all seven Donahue boys taking over her office. She’d been overjoyed to see them each and every time. “She retired a few years ago…to New Hampshire, I believe.”

  “I sure wish that I’d had someone like Mrs.Worther in my life,” Rose said in a wistful voice. “She sounds magical.”

  Their gazes held. “I wish you’d had one too, more than you’ll ever know.”

  She looked up at him. Her sooty black lashes framed an incredible pair of cocoa brown eyes. If eyes truly were the mirrors of the soul, then Rose was as gorgeous on the inside as she was on the outside. With her cheerful little white hat perched on her head, she presented an adorable picture.

  “Thank you,” she murmured. “I didn’t have the childhood of my dreams, but I work very hard every day to make sure my son does. If his life is a happy one, then it’s all good.”

  Rose’s words crawled inside his chest and left him feeling awed by her sense of purpose and dedication. He also felt confused. Rose Maddock had been under his nose for five long years. How in the world hadn’t he noticed until recently that she was an absolute gem? And how was he going to go back to treating her simply as his best employee rather than as a woman who’d totally knocked him for a loop?

  “Praying for a family never resulted in a family of my own. But I still believe in the power of prayer. I still pray every day…for healing, for peace, for serenity…and most of all, for love.” Rose Maddock

  Chapter Seven

  “If it’s okay with you guys, we were going to stop off at my parents’ house to bring them their tree.” Brandon’s expression was sheepish. “It’s part of the tradition. They prepare this huge meal for us. Mac n’ cheese. Meatballs. Ham. An assortment of desserts. You name it.”

  “It’s fine by me,” AJ said, leading to an eruption of laughter from the front seat. Brandon could have suggested eating nothing but brussel sprouts and carrots and AJ would have given him a thumbs up.

  “Brandon,” she said in a low whisper not meant for AJ’s ears. “You really don’t have to include us in every single event. I don’t want to crash your family tradition. As it is, you’re already extending yourself to us in so many wonderful, generous ways.”

  Brandon frowned at her. “You’re not crashing. The Donahue doors are always open for anyone. That’s my parents’ policy. So, if you’d like to come, I’ll head over there. If you want to call it a night and have a few Donahue-free hours, that’s fine too.”

  Was he kidding? Hanging out with Brandon and his family members were some of the most enjoyable hours she’d spent in her whole life. Being up close and personal with his large, bustling family showed her the true meaning of family at this most precious time of the year. It was filling up a place in her son’s heart that was vacant. It was giving her hope of having a more well-rounded, emotionally satisfying life. And she prayed it would show AJ all that was possible for his future.

  “I’d be honored to go over to your parents’ house. I missed seeing them today.” Alec and Maggie Donahue were the type of people who were warm-hearted and generous. A few moments in their presence had told her all she ever needed to know about them. Knowing they’d adopted seven children from the foster care system made them heroes in her eyes.

  “Dad’s walking isn’t as steady as it needs to be to head out into the woods. They decided to sit this year out and cook instead.” Brandon’s face fell. “I’m hoping next year will work out, but all bets are off since there’s no telling how Mom’s dementia might progress. We’re saying a lot of prayers that she’ll remain the same and not slide into a terrible decline.”

  “I’ll be praying for her, Brandon,” she said. “Matter of fact, AJ and I will pray for your whole family. They’ve showed us such kindness and grace.”

  “They’re good people, if I do say so myself,” Brandon said, pride ringing out in his voice. “Each and every one of them.”

  As they pulled up to the Donahue family home, Rose had an instant feeling of connection with the cheerful, picture perfect home. A wonderful house, she imagined, to raise seven rowdy boys. There were several cars parked in the driveway and in front of the house, which let them know everyone else had already arrived. The house was lit up for Christmas, with sparkly lights, candles in every window and lit up reindeer gracing the front lawn. As soon as Brandon parked, AJ jumped out of the car and ran towards the lawn decorations. Brandon stepped out and opened her door for her with a flourish. “Thanks,” she murmured before turning towards the magnificent decorations.

  “Wow. This puts our little display to shame,” Rose said with a chuckle, thinking of the small tree with lights they’d placed in their front yard.

  “At least you have something up. I’ve been so busy lately, it’s gone by the wayside,” Brandon said with a sigh. “But at least now I have a tree to put up.”

  Rose knew Brandon had been living temporarily in a condominium while his house
was being built. She’d once seen the architect’s plans for the sprawling, three story, beachfront home. It resembled the houses you saw in magazines. Floor to ceiling windows. And indoor and outdoor pool. It would be a grand house when it was finished. No doubt the most spectacular one in all of Breeze Point. Brandon deserved everything he’d achieved. He was the hardest working man she’d ever had the privilege to be around. And knowing that he’d built his company from the ground up, without being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, made all his accolades even more jaw dropping.

  As soon as Rose stepped into the Donahue home, the smell of home baked food wafted to her nostrils. She inhaled deeply as the savory aromas caused her stomach to grumble in appreciation. She couldn’t be certain, but she thought it might be mashed potatoes and macaroni. Mmm. And there was a scent of garlic in the air, which made her hope for garlic knots. People started appearing in doorways. Maggie rushed toward them from down the hall. She was wearing a festive apron with the words “Kiss the cook, It’s Christmas” emblazoned on the front.

  “Welcome. Welcome. Come on in and make yourselves comfortable,” Maggie said as Brandon leaned down for a hug and kiss.

  She turned toward Rose and kissed her on the cheek. “So nice to see you again, Amy.”

  Brandon visibly winced. “Mom, it’s Rose. Not Amy.” His voice was gentle and calm.

  Maggie froze. She wrinkled her brow. “Rose? Rose? Yes, of course it is.” A confused look was stamped on her face.

  “Nice to see you again, Maggie,” Rose said as she patted her shoulder. Never in a million years did she want this wonderful woman to feel badly about calling her by a different name. “This is my son, AJ. You two met yesterday I believe.”

  Maggie’s face brightened. “AJ! How are you, darling? Why don’t you come back to the kitchen and get some appetizers. We’ve got mini pizzas and shrimp. How does that sound?”

  AJ nodded. “I worked up a real appetite in the woods.”

  “I’ll bet! I want to hear all about it.” Maggie reached for his hand and led him towards the kitchen.

  As soon as they were out of earshot, Brandon turned toward Rose. “Hey, I’m sorry about the name mix up. That type of lapse has been happening a lot lately.”

  Rose waved her hand at him. “It’s nothing. Less than nothing as far as I’m concerned. You don’t need to apologize. Your mother has an illness, which may or may not be the reason for the slip up. I can’t remember names to save my life.”

  “You’re right. People without dementia make mistakes all the time.” He ran a hand over his face. Suddenly he looked very weary. “I guess I’m overthinking it. It’s on my mind all the time now and I find myself looking for signs of the dementia progressing.”

  “Do you mind if I suggest something?” After Brandon nodded, she continued. “You work incredibly hard. Your corporation is living proof of all your hard work and accomplishments. Maybe, just maybe, you need to take some time off. It would give you a chance just to hang out with your parents and unwind.”

  He clenched his jaw. “But, what about BD Holdings?”

  “The company would be fine. You have hundreds of employees to take care of it in your absence. And spending time with your parents…that will stay with you forever. Even if it’s just a few days. Let your spirit rest.”

  “I appreciate the sentiment, Rose. I don’t rest. I overwork myself. And then I find myself feeling overwhelmed. This is the perfect season to allow myself some Donahue time.”

  Rose smiled at Brandon. She was happy he’d listened to her. It was funny how suddenly she was feeling confident enough to be making suggestions to her boss about his personal life. Weeks ago she would never have even dared to try. Suddenly, it didn’t feel as if Brandon was her boss anymore. He was beginning to feel more like a cherished friend.

  “Truth is, I’m a little envious of the Donahue clan. You really hit the jackpot with your adoptive family.” She let out a sigh.

  “We sure did,” Blue said as he sidled up to them. With his sandy colored hair and hazel eyes, he had always had a friendly, approachable vibe. The way he constantly gazed at Sarah in an adoring fashion made her long for someone who would adore her in a similar fashion. It was a beautiful representation of love. Matter of fact, all of the Donahue couples were amazing. Remy treated Gabrielle like his lovely Queen while she made it clear that he was her King. Ryder and Tess seemed like best friends who were head over heels in love.

  “So, we put the tree up right before you guys arrived. We were thinking of decorating it before we sit down for dinner.” Blue looked back and forth between them. “Does that sound good?”

  Brandon rubbed his stomach. “Sounds fine, although we need all hands on deck to make it a quick set-up. I’m super hungry.”

  “So what else is new?” Sarah teased as she walked up and looped her arm around Brandon’s waist. “I’m the one who’s eating for two.”

  “Or three,” Blue teased. “We haven’t had the ultrasound yet, so one never knows.”

  “Stop making me nervous, Donahue,” Sarah warned. “Although twins would be a blessing, one baby is a handful for first-time mothers.”

  “Amen,” Rose said. “I can vouch for that. Babies are such a blessing, but they are loads of work.”

  Sarah turned towards her. “I’d love to meet up for lunch one day if you’re available. I have a lot of burning questions. Co-sleeper or bassinet? Nursing or bottle feeding after I return to work? Delilah keeps telling me what a terrific mother you are, so I’m willing to take notes,” Sarah said with a chuckle.

  “Of course, Sarah. Let’s set something up for this week.” It felt nice to receive such high praise from Sarah and Delilah. She was far from a perfect mother, but since God had blessed her by giving her AJ, she’d vowed from day one to make her child and motherhood the most important things in her life.

  As they moved into the living room, everyone began to unpack the ornaments from their boxes. All seven brothers stood around the tree and strung the white lights. It became comical as Mac tangled up the lights and blamed Nick. Then Remy stepped in to play peacemaker and wound up getting himself wrapped up in the lights. Brandon took over and untangled Remy in record time.

  “God bless him,” Maggie said. For the first time Rose could detect a slight lilt in her voice. Irish? Scottish?

  “Has he always been so…capable?” she asked, trying to imagine Brandon as a little kid. He’d probably been a little Einstein, she imagined. It was fairly evident that he was a brilliant man.

  Maggie winced. “Not when he first came to us. Children of trauma carry a lot of wounds with them. It took him a little while to adjust to life as a Donahue and even longer to get past the things that brought him into our lives.”

  Trauma? Never in a million years would she press the topic with Maggie, but her mind was whirling with the news. It was devastating to discover that Brandon had been a child of trauma. Her own background wasn’t pretty, but she’d been placed into the foster care system at three years old, with very little residual memories of her birth family. Drugs and addiction had consumed both her parents. They’d relinquished her and never fought to get her back. Although it had been painful to never have an adoptive family, she didn’t remember a specific traumatic event. Just sadness. Loneliness. A feeling of never being wholly loved. Or wanted.

  “He seems to have put all that in the past,” Rose said, her eyes glued to Brandon as he stepped in and figured out how to fix the lights that had been refusing to light up. “What he’s achieved…it’s wonderful,” she gushed.

  Maggie swung her gaze toward her. “Brandon is an amazing person. On the surface some might say he’s arrogant or too driven, but that’s all a bunch of malarkey. That boy has done things most people don’t even dare to dream about. And when he made his first million he tried to give it to Alec and myself in the form of a hefty check. We refused of course, but it still chokes me up to know that he was willing to give it to us.”

  “Y
ou’re a proud Mom. And rightly so,” Rose said. Maggie’s love for her son was shining forth as brightly as the sun. She could relate. It reminded her of the way she felt about AJ.

  “My son has it all, Rose. He has everything in this world he needs to live a superb life. Everything except love.” She eyed her curiously. “Something tells me you might know something about that, which means you and Brandon have a lot in common. Which means you have something to build on.”

  Rose felt her cheeks warming with embarrassment. She hadn’t missed the subtle undertone of Maggie’s comment. She was playing matchmaker. And while it was endearing to know she thought she was suitable for her magnificent son, Rose didn’t want to lead her astray. She didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings.

  “It’s not like that between us, Maggie. We have a business relationship. He’s been nice enough to include us in your holiday festivities, but it’s largely due to AJ,” she explained.

  “AJ? That’s interesting,” Maggie said with a knowing smile. “Because it wasn’t AJ he couldn’t take his eyes off earlier, in case you hadn’t noticed.” After grabbing a few ornaments, Maggie sailed away in the direction of the tree, leaving Rose feeling slightly stunned.

  Brandon hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her?

  “Hey. Grab some of these ones,” Tess said as she held out a box of ornaments. “I think these are some of Maggie’s childhood ornaments from Ireland.”

  “Aha!” Rose said in a triumphant voice. “I knew I heard an accent.”

  Tess made a face. “Her parents died when she was a little girl in a plane crash over there. County Cork, I think. She moved to the states when she was just out of high school which is how she met Alec.”

  Rose shook her head. “That’s terribly sad about her parents. But how wonderful that she still has these keepsake ornaments.”

  “Yes. Maggie says each one tells a story,” Tess said with a grin as she unearthed a beautiful shimmery reindeer. “Aww. This one is my favorite.”

  Rose reached into the box and gingerly took out a beautiful gold and white Angel ornament. The face of the angel was porcelain and the body was made of lace. Rose let out a sigh. The ornament looked vintage. It was priceless. A keepsake from Maggie’s Irish roots. She turned towards the tree, searching for the perfect place to hang the angel.