CHAPTER 13
“He brought you breakfast in bed?” Brynn could feel herself welling up at Jess’s story as she sipped her third drink. “Again?”
“Yep.” Jess practically had cartoon hearts flying around her head as she stared across the bar at her fiancé. “For the third time this week.”
Brynn had known Ethan Steele since they were in middle school, and she would never have used the word “romantic” to describe him. But between the movie-inspired proposal, to the breakfasts (plural) in bed, it would be included in her top three descriptors of the man now.
People were still talking about his proposal, and probably would be for years to come. Someone had uploaded it on YouTube and it had over a hundred thousand views. But the breakfast in bed was more Brynn’s speed. It felt so intimate and was something that no one had ever done for her. It hit an emotional nerve that she was sure had something to do with feeling like she was being taken care of, which hadn’t happened a lot in her life.
Her mother was not nurturing in the typical “mom” way. Shea Daniels believed that children needed to find their own path and be self-sufficient. Brynn was doing her own laundry by the time she was four. In kindergarten, she knew how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and so she packed her own lunches for school. By second grade, she was in charge of dinner. It usually consisted of peanut butter toast and yogurt, because at seven that had been her culinary limit.
Growing up, Brynn had never questioned her mom’s self-sufficient-based parenting style. But when she became a mother herself, it became clear to her that Shea’s hands-off philosophy was not the way she wanted to parent. She’d been lonely a lot of her childhood and had felt like she only had herself to depend on. She never wanted Ryder to feel like that.
Not that it was all bad. It had taught her to be independent. And that was a skill that had come in handy, since she started her adult life before most of her friends even had their driver’s license.
And as an adult, she had a great, full life. She just wanted a great, full life that included the man of her dreams bringing her breakfast in bed. Maybe it was because she’d always woken up so early, but mornings had always been lonely for her. That’s one of the reasons she loved her walking group so much.
Jess sighed, and it was clear that physically Jess was at Lanterns but mentally she was back in that bed. “He makes me toast that he butters on both sides, just like I like it. He cuts them into hearts, but then saves the excess bread pieces because he knows that I’d want to eat them.”
Picturing Ethan Steele, badass U.S. Marshal, cutting toast into hearts made Brynn smile even as a tear slid down her face.
“Why are you crying?” Ali asked.
“I’m not.” Brynn sniffed and wiped away her errant tear, then chuckled. “I mean, I am, but just because that’s so sweet.”
Liam happened to be passing by and must’ve noticed her tears because he handed her a cocktail napkin.
“Thanks,” Brynn smiled and sniffed as she took it from him.
His fingers grazed the back of her hand, just like Axel’s had, and she waited. She wasn’t expecting the fireworks that her tenant had inspired, but a little spark would’ve been nice.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t even a tiny twinge of awareness from her body that the hot bartender was touching her. It might as well have been Jess handing her the napkin.
“Everything okay, love?” he asked with just a hint of his Irish lilt coming through.
She waited again, and again was met with only disappointment. Her lady parts had no response to the sexy accent coming from the sexy guy talking to her. People always wondered how she’d managed to stay single for so long and she was beginning to think her lack of chemistry had made it a lot easier.
“Yeah. I’m fine, Thanks.” She turned back to her friends as the band announced they’d be taking a short break as Ali’s phone beeped and when her friend glanced down at it her face lit up.
“Oh, it’s ten!” Ali twisted and grabbed her purse from behind her.
Brynn thought it was adorable that Ali set an alarm to take advantage of having the house to themselves.
“I’m out, too.” Jess stood and pulled first Brynn and then Ali into a quick hug.
“Do you need a ride?” Ali offered.
“Nah, I think I’m going to walk. It’s a beautiful night.”
“Are you sure?” Jess questioned. “We can take you, it’s on our way.”
“I’m good.” Brynn assured them.
The girls said their goodbyes and Brynn looked down at her empty drink. She didn’t want to glance in the direction that her friends were walking because she was trying to avoid seeing the man that she couldn’t stop thinking about.
Axel had been at the table with the guys for close to two hours.
Part of her was glad that he seemed to be getting to know people in town, but another part of her was disappointed. It took her a minute to figure out why, but then she realized it was because he’d kept to himself so much that she’d felt special being the one person that had had a real conversation with him. That was no longer the case.