Braydon by Nicole Edwards Page A

the last time in the storeroom. After all, he’d limited their time together during the few weeks that led up to that. But then he’d given in. Why, she didn’t know.
    So they’d all fucked up. And now it was time to move on.
    Jessie didn’t want to admit it to herself or anyone else, but she had developed feelings for Braydon. Not quite love, because she didn’t think she had it in her. And even though she cared about Brendon, what she felt for him wasn’t the same.
    Not that any of it mattered, because Jessie wasn’t about to admit it to them. She didn’t want a relationship. At the moment, her life was just fine. It would be even better with Braydon back home just because she wanted to know he was doing all right. Not because she wanted to be with him.
    No. Definitely not that.
    “Just call me when he gets here,” Jessie stated. “I’m going home, so I won’t be far.”
    Currently, Jessie was living in Travis’s house because Travis had since moved in with Kylie and Gage, the three of them living in wedded bliss together. When Travis had moved out, he had offered Jessie his house so that she would be closer to her sister.
    Jessie hadn’t argued. At the time she’d been without a home, staying in a hotel because she had grown quite fond of Coyote Ridge and hadn’t been ready to leave. And now she was working for her sister, helping Kylie run her thriving home restoration business, and she loved her job. Spending time with Kylie every day was easier than she’d ever thought it would be. They even had an office now, which Jessie spent most of her time in, thanks to that surprise Christmas gift that Travis and Gage had given Kylie.
    Not wanting to hash it out with Brendon, she turned toward the door.
    “Don’t walk away, Jessie,” Brendon rumbled.
    That had her spinning on her boot heel as she turned to face him. “Walk away? Is that what you think I’m doing?”
    “It’s what you did the moment Braydon left.”
    “Bullshit!” she yelled. “Braydon walked away. You walked away, Brendon. Not me.” She circled her hands to reflect the two of them. “I took it to mean it was over. And you know what? I’m good with that. I just want Braydon to be okay. I don’t want to come between the two of you, and if you think Braydon loves me, then I really do need to get going.”
    Because she desperately needed time to think about what that meant.
    “You’re gonna run from him, too?”
    “ Too? ” Jessie’s face heated with her anger. “I’m not running from anyone. I know when I’m not wanted. I get it. You found someone else . . .”
    Jessie bit her tongue and closed her mouth, but not before Brendon’s eyes flared.
    “What are you talking about?”
    Not wanting to fight, Jessie turned to go again, but this time Brendon placed his hand on her arm. It was a gentle touch. Just enough to stop her from walking away, but she flinched nonetheless.
    “Whoa,” Brendon said softly, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m not gonna hurt you, Jess.”
    “I know that,” she snapped back. She didn’t want any apologies, didn’t need his sympathy. She didn’t want anyone’s sympathy.
    She just wanted . . .
    Jessie didn’t even know what she wanted. She certainly knew what she didn’t want.
    Jessie wasn’t ready for the relationship between the three of them to end, because the twins had given her something to look forward to, but she knew it was inevitable. All good things came to an end. But, if nothing else, she wanted to be friends. These men were important to her. She cared about them. And more importantly, they were Travis’s brothers, which meant that because Kylie was married to Travis, they would be a part of Jessie’s life whether she wanted them to be or not.
    Brendon urged her to turn around by lightly pulling her, his hand even gentler than before. When she did, she looked up into a face that was so familiar, even if it didn’t belong to the man she’d spent too many