Part of the Family

Well, holy shit.  We hit 400,000 views!  It completely snuck up on me, too.  I mean, I knew it was coming in the near future, but it came a lot quicker than I was anticipating.  However, it has perfect timing, because I'm on spring break from school and my internship.  Now, usually I've done a post every day for these big milestones, and that's always been really easy when I've had a dozen plus posts in reserve.  I can't promise that this time, but there will be bonuses, starting today!  I'm aiming for at least 4 posts this week.  Thank you guys so much for reading!
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"Fuuuuckk."

I rolled over and squinted at Brody in early morning light.  His groaning was not the most cheerful alarm clock in the world.  "Do you need some water?" I asked sleepily.

"I need a do-over on last night so I can stop 4 drinks sooner," he replied.  "Jesus Christ, I haven't had a hangover this awful since I lived in this godforsaken city.  Do you have aspirin or something?"

"In my purse, do you want me to get it?" I really just wanted him to be quiet and go back to sleep, but I had a feeling that wasn't happening without some intervention, and I understand awful hangovers.

"No, I can get it."  He got up slowly and unsteadily and stumbled out of the bedroom to find my purse.  Frankly, I would have been shocked if he wasn't still drunk.   He came back in after a couple minutes and laid back down, rolling onto his side with his back to me.  I shrugged and rolled back over and tried to go back to sleep.

I must have succeeded because the next time I opened my eyes, the light filtering in around the curtains was less gray dawn and more bright mid-morning.  I rolled over to see how Brody was fairing, and discovered the bed next to me empty.  I found my phone and saw it was a little before 9.  I needed to be to the airport by about 1:30, so I got up and got in the shower.

I stood under the spray of the shower head for a long time.  This hadn't been a fun trip, and I felt exhausted even though I had slept for nearly 9 hours.  It had definitely taken an emotional toll on me, so I couldn't even imagine how Brody felt.

When I finally emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in the soft hotel robe, I heard movement out in the living area of the suite.  I walked out and found Brody sitting on the couch with a spread of coffee, Gatorade, bagels, and something that smelled vaguely of bacon on the coffee table in front of him. 

"Good morning," I said, coming out and sitting next to him.  "Feeling better?"

"A little," he replied, grimacing.  "Getting up and taking aspirin and drinking some water helped.  I felt a little more human when I woke up again.  A shower helped a little more.  I'm hoping coffee, bagels, and a greasy breakfast sandwich finish the job.  There's a sandwich with ham instead of bacon in there for you, if you want it."

"You're already doing better than I would be," I commented as I pulled the breakfast sandwich out of the bag.  "I'd still be laying in bed swearing.  I definitely would not have gone out and gotten my own hangover food.  Thank you, by the way."

He chuckled.  "I figured I owed you one from last night.  I was a real shit show, huh?  I'm really sorry."

"You needed a night like that, I think," I responded.  "Don't worry about it.  It's not like I've never been a drunken mess."

Brody shrugged.  "I did need it," he said softly.  "Look, about our conversation last night...thanks.  I mean, I clearly needed to talk, and I'm glad it was to you.  So thank you for listening."  I nodded, and we ate in silence for a couple minutes.

"What are your plans for today, then?" I asked finally.

"I stopped by my mom and Jen's room and talked to them this morning.  Sounds like they made a ton of progress yesterday at the house and it's almost done.  Jen is flying back in the morning, so she and my mom are taking the day off and doing some fun stuff.  I'm going to spend the morning with you, then after I drop you off I'll head over to the house, and then I'll meet my mom and Jen for dinner tonight.  They asked if we wanted to meet them for lunch before you head back, too."

"Works for me, if you want to," I replied.  He nodded and grabbed his phone, presumably to text Jen.

"Do you want to do anything in particular before lunch?" he asked, after he had sent the text.

I shook my head.  "Not really.  To tell the truth, I'm pretty exhausted for some reason."

"Wrangling a drunk man will do that to a person," he joked.  We laid together on the couch, watching some stupid movie we had found, until it was time to get ready to head out.  I got dressed, pulled my hair back, and quickly packed up my stuff.  Brody carried my carry-on down to car and drove us to the restaurant where we were meeting his mom and sister for lunch. 

"You're looking much perkier, Brody," Jen said with a grin when we walked in.  She turned to me.  "Hi, Liv!"  I greeted her and Thalia and we sat down.  Brody had told me a little about his sister's relationship (or rather lack of relationship) with their dad, but I was still surprised at her cheer this morning.  It was certainly better than any alternative, however.

We had a nice lunch, and it was almost as if we were gathered in Miami for a cheerful event instead of the real reason we were there.  Thalia and Jen chatted cheerfully with me about various things, and Brody joked with us too.  The mood was far different than yesterday's, and it was a relief.

I excused myself to use the restroom, and Jen stood and said she'd join me.  As we got out of earshot of the table, she looked at me and said, "I don't know what you did after you guys left yesterday, but thank you.  He's a different person today, and I'm not going to have to leave here wanting to strangle him."

"Hmm, I'm not sure if it was the beach, the liter of vodka, or the drunken midnight therapy session, but I agree with you...he seems much better today." I said. 

"Thank you so much for coming down here.  He needed this.  I hope it gets him through the rest of this week."

"I was happy to," I replied.  "It was good to see you, too.  Next time can we make it under happier circumstances?"

She pushed open the door to the women's bathroom and surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug.  "Yes.  I'm so glad Brody has you in his life." She pulled back and regarded me carefully, holding me an arm's length away.  "If he fucks this up and doesn't officially make you a part of this family, I will disown him and marry you myself."

I blushed.  I wondered how much Brody talked to her, and if she knew about our recent argument about me moving in with him.  I hoped she didn't, and she gave no indication of it as she let me go and disappeared into one of the stalls.  The idea of being a part of their family made me smile, despite my reluctance to seriously consider moving on that quite yet. 

We finished up in the bathroom and walked back to the table.  Brody and his mom were having a serious-looking discussion that stopped as we drew nearer.  I looked at him curiously but he just smiled and squeezed my hand under the table.

We sat and chatted for a few more minutes, until Brody looked at his watch and said, "We'd better get you to the airport."

Thalia and Jen walked us out, and I hugged them both as Brody went to get his rental car.  When he pulled up in front of the restaurant I said goodbye and got in.  "I wish I could stay longer," I said wistfully, looking out the windows at the palm trees as we drove towards the airport.  I wanted a real vacation.  We should be in San Diego right now, I reflected silently.  But life happens.

When we pulled up in drop off/pick up zone at the airport, I took my time getting out, even as people hustled and bustled quickly around me.  Brody already had my bag out of the back by the time I shut my door and made my way over to him.  

He pulled me into a tight hug, pressing his cheek against the top of my head.  "Thank you for coming down," he said softly.  I nodded against his chest.  I don't know what had come over me, but I felt like I was about to have a meltdown.  I just wanted him to be coming back to Denver with me.  I wanted things to be normal.  I took a deep, shaky breath and squeezed him a little tighter, and I got it together quickly before he could notice.  I didn't need him worrying about me on top of everything else.

When he pulled away, he quickly took my face in his hands and kissed me gently.  "I have meetings with potential buyers for the company on Wednesday and Thursday," he reported.  "I'd like to be out of here Thursday evening, but it depends on how things go.  It might be Friday."

"Okay," I said, forcing a smile.  He pushed a piece of unruly hair behind my ear and kissed me again.

"Alright, let's go, people are waiting!" called an airport employee, staring right at us.  I glared at him, which caused Brody to chuckle.  We said our goodbyes and I wheeled my carry-on into the airport, glaring again the airport employee, even though we had been in the way and he was just doing his job.

Still exhausted, I slept most of the way back.  The drive into town from DIA was painful, and all I wanted by the time I pulled up to my house was my bed.  I half-hoped that Lauren wasn't home, because I didn't feel like talking to anyone.

But Lauren's car was in the driveway and Alex's car was in front of the house when I finally made it home.  Alex stood up to grab my bag as I hauled my shit inside, and I was grateful for that.  "Thanks," I managed, smiling weakly.

Lauren hugged me.  "How's he doing?" she asked worriedly.  Alex looked concerned as well.

"It was a rough weekend," I admitted.  "Yesterday was ugly.  He seemed a little better today though."

Lauren made a sympathetic face.  "Are you hungry?" she asked.  "We picked up some stuff for dinner, but we have way too much."  I shook my head.  "Okay," she said.  "Well, I'm sure there will be some left later if you change your mind."

"Thanks, Laur," I said.  I kicked my shoes off and eyed up my carry-on.  Just the thought of carrying it upstairs was too much.

"Don't forget about Cassie," Alex said suddenly.  I looked up in confusion.

"Right!" Lauren exclaimed.  "Cassie stopped by.  She obviously heard about what happened through the work grapevine.  She said to ask you to stop by when you were back and feeling up to it."  I nodded again.  "Alex and I can go upstairs," Lauren offered.  "You look beat."

"I am," I agreed.  "But that's okay.  I think I'm just going to go lay down for a little while.  I'm so drained."

"Tell Brody we love him," she said in parting.  I decided I could get my carry-on in the morning, and headed upstairs.  When I made it up to my room, I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and changed into comfortable shorts and a t-shirt, then laid down in bed and called Brody.

"Home?" he asked, by way of greeting.

"Yeah," I replied.  "Lauren loves you."

"Huh?"

"Lauren wanted me to tell that we--I mean 'they' love you," I clarified.  "I think she and Alex are worried about you."

"That makes so much more sense.  You sound exhausted."

"I am...I have no idea why though.  I guess just a lot of traveling in a couple days.  But how are you?"

"Better than I was yesterday, that's for sure," he replied.  "I just got back to the room after having dinner with my mom and Jen.  They love you, you know."

"So Jen said," I responded.

"Wait, what did Jen say?"

I chuckled.  "I believe her exact words were, 'If he fucks this up and doesn't officially make you a part of this family, I will disown him and marry you myself.'"

"And did you freak out and drive into a snowbank?" he teased me.

"I tried, but I couldn't find a snowbank anywhere near the restaurant, so I just came back.  Apparently it's too hot in Miami."  He laughed then, and it felt good to joke with him.  I was relieved, because I didn't know what to make of Brody when he wasn't quite himself.  

"But seriously, I love that my family loves you," he said.

"I love that you love that your family loves me," I replied, then paused to make sure I got that right.

"God, you're a pain.  Stop ruining all the potentially sappy moments."  I could see him in my head, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at me. 

I stifled a yawn, then said, "I'm sorry, I love you.  And I love your family."

"Good, because I hope you're going to be officially part of it someday."

I smiled, even though he couldn't see me.  "I hope so too."

Not Your Finest Hour

After my nap, I got up, showered and then got ready to go out.  Brody came into the bedroom as I was fighting with my hair.  He smirked as he watched me try to wrestle it into submission.  "The humidity here has turned my hair into an untamed beast," I complained.

His smirk turned into a grin and he kissed me on the cheek and said, "Good thing you're pretty enough for it not to matter," as he walked into the bathroom to shower.

"That's not really helpful!" I called after him.  I heard him laugh from behind the closed door.

I finally gave up and pulled my hair back in a bun, smoothing the fly-aways down the best I could.  At least it would be away from my face and off my neck.

We beat Jack and his date to the restaurant, so we got a table and drinks while we waited.  By the time Jack and a pretty redhead walked in 15 minutes later, Brody had already ordered a second drink.  I was glad we had taken a cab here and I wouldn't need to try to navigate downtown traffic on the way home.

We stood up to greet Jack, and he introduced his date as Alyssa.  She looked nothing like what I had imagined when Brody told me Jack was seeing someone, but she was very pretty and seemed nice.  She excused herself to use the restroom after they ordered drinks, and Jack looked at Brody.  "I won't tell any college stories about you to Liv if you don't tell any of mine to Alyssa."

Brody raised one eyebrow and grinned.  "Well, where's the fun in that?  And anyway, Liv knows all about my sordid past."

"Come on, man, she's a nice girl.  You'll horrify her if you tell her what I used to be like.  She knows the basics, she doesn't need the nitty gritty details."

"How'd you end up with a nice girl anyway?" Brody asked, chuckling.

"The same way you did," Jack replied pointedly.

Brody laughed fully then and shook his head.  "Jack, I'm not going to tell her all about your past, don't worry.  I'll stick to the 2 or 3 clean-ish stories that exist."  Jack looked relieved, and both guys looked up sheepishly as Alyssa returned to the table.  I rolled my eyes.  They weren't even going to need to tell stories to get Jack in trouble with how guilty they both looked already.

Brody kept his word, even after downing several drinks.  When he got up to go to the bathroom, Jack leaned across the table and asked softly, the worry in his face evident, "Does he always drink like this?"

I shook my head.  "Never.  I've only seen him actually drunk a couple times. He's not doing well with everything."

"Clearly," Jack replied.  He briefly explained to a confused Alyssa that Brody's dad had died, leaving out the ugly details.  "What can I do?"

I shrugged.  "I don't know," I replied.  "I think it will help to just see you again if you guys can work it out sometime this week."  He nodded, but then we had to stop conspiring because Brody was headed back towards the table.

I was relieved when we finished dinner, because Brody was obviously drunk at this point, and I wanted to get him back to the hotel room before he got too wasted.  He ruined my relief by insisting on heading to the bar next door for another drink.

"I don't think that's a great idea," I said.  "I'm pretty tired, and you must be too."

"Yeah," Jack agreed.  "We should probably get going."

"What, can't drink like you used to, old man?" Brody said, a little more loudly than necessary.  Someone at a nearby table turned and glared in our direction.

"Brody, we can have another drink when we get back to the hotel," I suggested desperately.  The waiter returned with our change and Brody waved him away.

"You can have another drink when we get back to the hotel," he declared, standing up.  "I'm going to have another drink at the bar next door, and I'd like to see you try to stop me."  I gaped at him, but he simply walked towards the door.

I looked desperately at Jack as we trailed Brody out the door.  I reached for his hand to try to tug him away from the bar next door but he moved out of my reach and walked inside.  "Shit," I muttered.  "He's so fucking drunk."

Jack glanced at Alyssa, who looked sympathetically after Brody.  "Losing a parent is hard," she said simply.  I was glad she didn't seem to think that this was the norm for Brody.

Jack nodded.  "I need to stay here with them until we can get him out of here," he said apologetically to Alyssa.  "I'll get you a cab if you want to go."

"You don't have to stay," I said quickly.  I was grateful for the offer, but I didn't want Brody's grief to ruin anyone's night.

"I'm staying," he replied firmly.  He turned to Alyssa, waiting for her response.

"I'll stay too," she said.  We walked into the crowded building and quickly located Brody near the bar, an already nearly empty drink in his hand.

He grinned widely at us when he saw us approaching.  "Decided to not be old and lame, huh?  Good choice.  What do you want?"

"I'm fine," I said, at the same time as Jack's reply of, "Water is good."

Brody's grin faded.  "Ah, so old and lame after all, with the added bonus of being here to babysit me.  Got it."

"Brody," Jack said firmly but kindly.  "Not a single one of us can pretend to know what you're going through, but I'm worried you're going to seriously regret not going back to your hotel with Liv when you finish that drink."

In an impressive act of pointed defiance, Brody turned away from Jack and ordered another drink.  When it came, he slammed it and it was gone within 10 seconds.

"Brody, you're kind of freaking me out," I said quietly.  It was loud and crowded, and I didn't think he'd hear me.  I was surprised when he turned to me immediately, concern on his face.

"Okay," he said abruptly.  "We'll go."  I sighed in relief as he walked towards the door.  Jack gave me a questioning look and I shrugged.

I hurried to catch up with him, not wanting to lose him to another distraction.  But when we got outside into the humid night air, Brody went straight for a cab idling at the curb.

"Thanks," I said to Jack, pausing before I went to get in the cab with Brody.  "I'm sorry, this was a mess."

"Don't be.  Wait, let me give you my number.  Call me if you need anything.  And let me know that you got him back in one piece, okay?"  I promised I would, and quickly put his number into my phone and gave him mine.  I thanked him again, weakly told Alyssa that it was nice to meet her, and hurried towards the cab.

As I slid into the backseat, Brody laughed bitterly.  "Giving your number to my former best friend because I'm too much of a disaster for you?"

"Brody, stop," I replied, trying not to let my exasperation show.  "He's worried about you.  He wanted me to have his number in case we needed anything, and he wants to know that I got you safely back to the hotel.  We are going back to the hotel, right?"

He leaned his head back against the headrest and shut his eyes.  "Yes, Liv, we're going back to the hotel," he said, his tone mocking.  I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath, looking out the window to keep from snapping back at him.

We were both silent the rest of the cab ride back, and I was relieved.  I shook him gently when we pulled up in front of the hotel and he roused and climbed out.  I handed the driver some money and followed Brody into the hotel lobby.  We continued our silence through the lobby and during the elevator ride up to the room.  When we got to the room, I went immediately into the bedroom to change for bed.  I then went into the bathroom and washed my face and brushed my teeth.  When I came out, Brody was sitting on the bed, looking in my direction.

"You're mad at me too," he said despondently.  "Everyone is mad at me."

My shoulders slumped and I sat down on the floor across from him.  "I'm not mad at you.  I'm worried about you.  I'm frustrated because I can't fix it.  And yes, I'm a little annoyed by how things went tonight, but I understand why."

"I was an asshole today," he stated.

"It was a rough day," I agreed.

"I need to apologize.  To my mom and Jen.  I was terrible to them today."  He stood up and put his shoes back on.  "I'm going to go up to their room and tell them I'm sorry."

"Wait a sec," I said, jumping up.  "Brody, it's after 11.  They're probably sleeping.  You can apologize tomorrow, it'll be better received then."

To my relief, he sank back down on the bed.  "Okay," he agreed.

"Bed?" I asked.  He nodded, then went into the bathroom.  I found a bottle of water in the fridge and put it on the nightstand at his side of the bed and then climbed under the blankets, settling into the comfortable bed.

When he finally joined me, he immediately rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around me.  I settled back against him.  He was quiet for so long that I thought he was passed out, but when I was almost asleep, he spoke, startling me a little.  "I don't know how to grieve for him, Liv," he whispered, his voice so soft I could barely hear him, his words slightly slurred.

"I know," I replied, hoping his drunkenness would keep him talking.

"I'm so confused," he continued, getting a little louder.  "How do you grieve for someone that you spent more than half your life hating?  But not even hating, because even through the worst, I still had some respect for him--for the way he ran his business and how successful he was.  But now I guess that was misplaced respect.  I mean, I'm still trying to get over the shock of finding out what he was really up to.  And part of me is relieved and I feel like the worst person in the world for that.  But...he was my dad.  And I didn't always hate him.  Before I was old enough to know better...or maybe he just wasn't as awful then.  I feel like a crazy person."  His rambling stopped abruptly, and he took a deep, shuddering breath and pressed his face against the back of my neck.

I waited several seconds to make sure he was done before speaking.  "Brody, even though it feels like it, you're not even close to a crazy person," I started.  He laughed against my neck.  "You're not.  You've had mixed feelings--really strong mixed feelings--about him for so long that I would be far more concerned if you weren't confused and mixed up about how to feel about his death.  And regardless of what kind of person he was, and how you feel about that, he played a really big part in making you into the person you are today, and that's hard to avoid acknowledging.  I can't even wrap my head around all the conflicting thoughts and feelings you might be having, and I wouldn't be shocked if trying to sort those out was the hardest thing about this all.  Especially because we all have an idea what grieving is 'supposed' to be like, or how we're 'supposed' to feel about our parents."

"Yeah," he said.  He was silent for nearly 30 seconds, and I waited, letting him think through whatever he was thinking about.  "That makes sense.  I guess this is one of those times it doesn't suck to have a therapist for a girlfriend."

"So I should not stop being such a fucking therapist?" I teased gently.

"No, I guess not," he admitted.  "Liv, I love you.  I'm happy you came down this weekend.  I didn't realize how much I needed you here until you got here.  Jen probably would have killed me if you weren't here."

"She might have," I agreed with a laugh.

Brody tightened his arm around me, pulling me hard against him.   "I love you," he said again.

"I love you too," I replied, finding his hand and lacing my fingers with his.  "I'm sorry this is so hard, and I wish I could do more to help."

He didn't respond, and I again thought he had passed out finally.  I unlaced my fingers from his so I could shift into a more comfortable position, and I was dozing off when he spoke again.  "Will I ever not feel like it's my fault?"

"I hope so," I replied softly.

"He came to me for help, and I kicked him out.  I chose you over him, and I don't regret that, but maybe none of this would have happened if I had just helped him.  He needed me and..."  Brody stopped, and I felt his body shake slightly against my back as he sucked in a deep breath.  He didn't finish his thought.  I tried to roll over to face him, but his arms tightened around me just enough to keep me from rolling over.  I relaxed back against him and instead moved my hand back up to his and wove my fingers between his once more.  He gripped my hand and pressed his face back against my neck.

I didn't think now would be a good time to point out that he couldn't have prevented anything by giving his dad money when he asked, or not kicking him out of the house, so instead I simply said, "You were put in a tough spot."

I felt him nod.  "Yeah," he agreed.  "Yeah, I was."  He took another deep, shuddering breath, and his grip on my fingers relaxed incrementally.  I waited for him to say something else, and was surprised when he chuckled softly and said, "I'm going to feel like shit in the morning."

"Probably," I concurred. 

"I was an idiot tonight."

"It wasn't your finest hour," I responded mildly.  He laughed then, loudly enough to startle me.  "But," I conceded, "I think you needed it."

"I did," he replied.  "And I'm going to need the feeling like shit in the morning to teach me to not do it again."  I laughed.  "Goodnight, Liv."

I turned far enough to kiss him.  "Goodnight.  I hope you only feel a little shitty in the morning."

I laid awake in the darkness until I was sure that he was really asleep.  Then I shut my eyes and sank into an exhausted slumber.

I Need You Here

I'm posting what would have been tomorrow's post today, because tomorrow I have a bonus post from Brody's perspective.  I wanted a little more of the story posted before I posted that one.  I will warn you that Brody's post will contain some pretty tough stuff on death, as you can probably imagine.  It might be material that is sensitive to some readers.  If you choose to skip it, you won't really miss anything from the overall storyline.   

The next couple regular storyline posts are a little heavy too.  Let me know in the comments if you'd prefer to have them both this week, or break them up with a Lauren or Alex post later this week.
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I tossed and turned most of Tuesday night.  I got a text about an hour after I got in bed that Brody had arrived at his mom's house.  On Wednesday, I dragged myself into work about a half hour later than usual, glad that I had that flexibility, because I just couldn't seem to get moving that morning.  A few minutes after I arrived, Josh stuck his head in my office.  "I'm gonna go grab some coffee," he said.  "Do you want anything?"  His face was kind, with no hint of his usual smirk.  Either I looked as distraught as I felt, or he had heard the news from his brother-in-law.  I thanked him but refused.  I had already had a large dirty chai and anymore espresso would wind me up even more. 

I didn't know what time Brody's flight was leaving, so I had no idea when he might make it to Miami.  A perfunctory text mid-afternoon letting me know they had landed in Miami answered that question, but none of the other questions that were taking over my brain.  As much as I wanted to rush in and fix everything, I knew I couldn't, so I waited for him to tell me what he needed.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait too much longer.  He called late that evening.  "So I know I said I didn't want you here, but how would you feel about coming down for the weekend?" he asked.  "I just...I need you here.  This sucks, and my mom and sister are driving me crazy already."

"If you want me there, I'm there," I said.  I pulled out my laptop and we looked at tickets while we talked.  Brody booked me a ticket for Friday.  I'd get in in the late afternoon and leave Sunday afternoon, so I wouldn't be there for long, but I hoped I could at least get Brody's mind off everything for a little while.

Thursday passed in a slow-moving blur.  Friday morning I packed quickly, easily fitting everything into a carry-on, even with my overpacking ways.  I loved flying without checking luggage.  It made everything so much faster and easier.

When I got off the plane in Miami, I pulled out my phone and tried to call Brody.  He didn't answer, so I wandered towards arrivals, thinking I might find him there.  I was about to walk outside into the humid Miami air when I heard someone yell my name.  I turned and saw Jen waving at me.  I hurried over to her.  "Hi," she greeted me, hugging me tightly.  "Brody is stuck in a meeting with dad's attorney, and he left his phone at the hotel.  He asked me to come get you and bring you back to the hotel."

She opened the trunk of her rental car and I tossed my carry-on inside.  "How are you guys doing?" I asked her, once we were on our way out into traffic.

"It's a big pain," she admitted.  "Mom and I are just trying to power through some of his stuff, and Brody is handling a lot of the meetings with the attorney that's executor of the will.  Dad was prepared at least...but a lot of the stuff in the will is being seized for repayment of his debts.  The house is in foreclosure.  It's really just his company, which he left his shares of to Brody, and it sounds like Brody is probably going to sell.  He doesn't want anything to do with it at this point.  We're trying to get him to take some time to decide though.  The company is actually doing quite well and is still lucrative, and he wouldn't need to be present or involved to maintain possession of it.  I'm worried he'll regret selling it."

"How is he?" I asked quietly.

She frowned, and didn't say anything for several seconds.  "He's not good," she said finally.  "I'm not sure if he's slept at all.  He's not talking about anything of substance.  He's really snippy with us and he's obviously feeling the pressure of everything.  Plus, he was the last of us to really have any sort of relationship with Dad, so he's just having an all around tough time of it."  She paused, then glancing at me briefly, said, "I hope he talks to you, because if he doesn't do something soon, he's going to blow up."

When we got to the hotel, Jen showed me to Brody's room and handed me a keycard.  "He should be back in an hour or so, maybe two," she guessed.  "I need to head back to Dad's house and do a little more work for the day.  Mom and I are one floor above, in 319."  She gave me her cell phone number and Thalia's cell phone number and told me to call if I needed anything.  Before she left, she hugged me again and thanked me for coming.

I let myself into the room.  It was a simple suite, with a bedroom, a separate sitting room, and a small kitchen area.  I pulled open the fridge and saw 3 beers of a six-pack and a few bottles of water.  I decided to pick up some stuff to make dinner, since I knew that Brody sometimes forgot to eat when he got stressed and busy.  I left a note in case Brody came back while I was gone, grabbed my purse, and went down to the front desk for directions to the closest grocery store.

Two ridiculously expensive cab rides later, I let myself back into the room with stuff for dinner, another six pack of beer, and a bottle of wine.  Brody still wasn't back, so I jumped in the shower to get rid of the gross feeling that I always got from traveling.  By the time I was out and dressed, it was close to the hour that Jen had estimated, so I went ahead and started cooking in the tiny kitchen of the suite.

Dinner was mostly done when Brody walked in the door of the suite.  I turned off the stove, opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer.  I held it up and Brody nodded as he walked over.  I dug through a drawer for a bottle opener, opened it, and handed it to him.  He took it, then set it down on on the counter and pulled me into a tight hug.  "I'm so glad to see you," he murmured.

When he finally pulled back, I looked up at him.  He had several day's worth of untrimmed facial hair taking over his jawline, and seriously dark circles under his eyes.  "I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up myself," he apologized.  "Was Jen there when you landed?"

"She was, and it's fine," I assured him.  "Are you hungry?"  He shrugged.  I frowned and grabbed plates and silverware out of the cabinets and drawer.  "Eat anyway," I said, putting food on a plate and handing it to him, along with his abandoned beer.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, giving me a tired half smile.

We sat down at the small table and ate quietly.  When we were done I took the plates over to the sink and washed them while Brody finished his beer, then went to take a shower.  When he got out of the shower I was in the bedroom, hanging up a couple shirts.  He surprised me by wrapping his arms around me from behind and kissing the back of my neck.  "You're overdressed," he whispered against my ear, before sucking gently on my earlobe.

I thought that it would be the rough, intense sex we usually had when Brody was stressed, angry, or upset about something, but it was exactly the opposite.  After, he rolled off of me but left his head against my shoulder and one arm draped across my stomach and hip.  I wiggled one arm under him so I could get my hand up to to his head, and I massaged his scalp, hoping to put him to sleep.

It must have been working, because his arm and head grew heavier. He shifted into a more comfortable position, and said, "I love you Liv.  Thank you for coming down."

"I love you too," I replied.  "Try to sleep."  He nodded against my shoulder.

I stayed awake, massaging his scalp until I was positive he had actually fallen asleep.  Then I shifted myself carefully into a position where my arm wouldn't fall asleep, and I was soon sleeping too.

When I woke, it was still dark, and the bed was empty next to me.  I rolled over and squinted at the clock.  It was a little after 2.  I got up and walked out of the bedroom into the main area of the suite.  Brody was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at some awful late night infomercial on TV.

"You should be sleeping," he said softly when he saw me.

"So should you," I pointed out, sitting down next to him.

"I did sleep," he protested.  He motioned to me.  "Lay down."  I raised an eyebrow at him and he quickly said, "Please."  I sighed softly.  I wasn't looking at him like that because he didn't say please.  But I did as he asked, and laid across the couch, laying my head on his leg.  His fingers immediately went to my hair, slipping through it, gently untangling the sleep-snarled strands.  I had a feeling it was just as relaxing for him as it was for me.

I let him play with my hair until all the strands were untangled and his fingers slid freely through.  My eyelids were so heavy at that point I was reasonably certain we'd both be spending the rest of the night on the couch if we didn't go back to bed soon.  "Come back to bed," I implored sleepily. 

"Okay," he agreed, surprising me.  I stood and offered him a hand, pulling him up from the couch.  When we got back into bed, he pressed his chest against my back and wrapped his arm tightly around me.  I was asleep within minutes.

When I woke up again, it was light in the room and Brody's arm was still draped over me.  I didn't dare move, not wanting to wake him up.  I laid there for about 15 more minutes, and then drifted back to sleep.  I woke up again when Brody's arm moved.

I rolled over and smiled at him.  He smiled back sleepily and said, "I actually slept."

"Good, because you looked like you needed it," I replied.

It was a little after 9.  Brody had a text from Jen that she and their mom had been up early and were already at the house.  "I should go help them," he said.  "What do you want to do?"

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.  "If you want me to go with you, I'd be more than happy to tag along and make myself useful.  Otherwise if you think it would be better if it was just you guys, I'll stay here.  Maybe go to the beach or something."

"You don't mind coming?" he asked.  I shook my head.  "Let's get some breakfast and we can head over there, then.  Don't bother showering, the place is a dump."

We made it downstairs just in time to grab some bagels and coffee as the hotel's continental breakfast was wrapping up. We made it to the house by 10, and I quickly got to work doing some cleaning while Brody, Jen, and Thalia sorted through personal affects.  I kept out of their way, feeling a bit like an intruder.

I heard raised voices from the room they were in a couple times, but around lunchtime, I clearly heard Brody yell, "I don't fucking care what you do with every single little thing, Jen!  Just figure it out, for Gods sake!  This is all so fucking ridiculous!"  Then I heard his loud, angry footsteps, and the slam of the front door.  A minute later, Jen appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, where I was currently working.

"Do something with him, please," she pleaded.  "He needs a break.  Get him out of here.  Mom and I can handle this for the rest of the day, but it's going to get really ugly soon if he's storming around snapping at us every time we look at him."  She looked exhausted and stressed, and I hurt for her.  "I love him and I feel for him Liv, but this will be easier without him here today."

"I understand," I said.  "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," she said gratefully.  I finished up what I was doing in the kitchen, giving Brody a few minutes to calm down.  I walked out the front door and found him sitting on the steps, elbows on his knees, head in his hands.

I sat down next to him and tentatively touched his back.  He didn't move, and I slid my hand up to his neck and massaged the tight muscles there.  "Do you want to get out of here?" I asked gently.

"I should help," he replied, his voice muffled by his hands.

"Brody, you need a break.  You'll be able to be a lot more helpful tomorrow if you just take the rest of today off.  And your family will like you better tomorrow if you take the rest of today off."

"Jen's pissed, huh?" he asked, looking up at me.

"She's not pissed, she's just tired and frustrated.  She knows you're struggling and she knows you need a break.  I don't think she's going to hold anything against you, but we need to go for today."  I didn't leave room for arguing this time, and I stood and held a hand out to him.  He stared at me for a couple seconds, as if contemplating arguing anyway, but then he took a deep breath and grabbed my hand and stood.

"Should we say bye?" he asked uncertainly.

"No, we should not," I replied.  "They know we're going."  He dutifully trailed me to the car.  I paused when we got there.  "Are you good to drive?  I can, but I have no idea where I'm going."

"I'm fine," he replied, taking out the keys and unlocking the doors.

When we were on the way the back to the hotel, I looked over at him.  "What should we do?" I asked. He shrugged.  "We're not going to sit in the room all day.  You need to blow off some steam.  What will help you relax a little?"

"Stop being such a fucking therapist," he snapped.  I took a deep breath and bit back my response, knowing he was just overwhelmed and grieving.  After several seconds of silence, he shook his head slightly.  "I'm sorry Liv.  That was shitty...I want to go to the beach."

"That sounds good to me," I said. 

When we got back to the room I threw together lunch with last night's leftovers.  Brody looked surprised, not even realizing it was after lunch time, but he sat and ate.  After we cleaned that up, we got ready for the beach.  I was glad I tossed my swim suit in my bag, just in case.

It was warm, in the high 80s, and super sunny and humid, so it was a good day for the beach.  After playing in the surprisingly warm water for a little bit, we both stretched out on the beach and enjoyed the sun as much as we could.

"What do you want to do tonight?"  Brody asked after awhile. 

"Hmmm, I hadn't really thought about it.  Did you have something in mind?"

"I don't know.  I don't want to sit in the room.  We could go out and do something," he replied.

"You could call Jack," I suggested.  "Does he know what's going on?"

Brody considered this for a second.  "He does, and that's actually a great idea."  He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times before putting it to his ear.  "Hey," he said when Jack picked up.  "Yeah, thanks...it's going okay.  Jen kicked me out of the house today because I was being an asshole....I know.  Well, Liv's down here and I was thinking we might go out tonight, you have plans? ...That's perfect.  What time? ....Okay, sounds good, we'll meet you there."  He hung up without saying goodbye.  Why do guys do that?

"Dinner at 7:30 and then out for a couple drinks," Brody filled me in.  "He's apparently seeing some girl, he's bringing her too."

"That sounds like a good plan," I said.  We spent another hour or so on the beach and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

While we were in the car, Brody glanced at me and said, "I'm sorry for my comment about being a therapist earlier.  I'm glad you pushed me to get out and do something, I actually feel a little bit better."  I assured him that I understood and that I was glad he felt better.

It was about 4:30 when we got back to the hotel and I decided I was going to take a short nap before we went out.  I tried to talk Brody into joining me, but he said he wanted to try to get some work done.  I didn't push it, and I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.
__________________________

Don't forget to let me know in the comments in you'd like Wednesday's post to be the regular storyline, or a Lauren/Alex post to break up the heavy a little.  Thanks for reading!

Bossy

The next couple days were relatively uneventful.  Brody and I talked every night, though never as long as we had on Monday night.  He sounded more and more tired as the week went on, and I was glad he'd be home soon.

When I walked into happy hour on Thursday, Alex came up to me while I was waiting at the bar for my drink.  "How's Brody doing?" he asked, looking concerned.  "I talked to him yesterday for a few minutes and he said his dad called him.  He sounded awful, but of course he wouldn't tell me anything important."

I grimaced.  "He's not doing very well, obviously.  His dad calling really threw him.  He's not talking to me about it much either, but at least he's flying home tomorrow.  Though I'm sure he's going to have a ton of crap at work to come back to, so I don't even know how great that will be."

"He needs to take a vacation," Alex said, frowning.  "A real one."  I agreed and we walked over to the table.  I spent an hour or so chatting with everyone then took off.  When I got home, I called Brody.  He didn't answer and I left a message for him to call me back later if he wanted to.

I hadn't heard back by 9pm and decided to just go to bed early.  I left my ringer on in case Brody called.  He didn't, but I woke up when I got a text from him around 1am.  "Sorry, just finished up stuff for today.  I'll see you tomorrow."  I fell back asleep after a few minutes.

Friday morning I threw a pork roast in the crock pot for dinner.  I figured Brody might want a homemade meal after eating out for more than two weeks, and the pork was simple enough.  Nothing fancy, but he was pretty easy to please.  After work, I threw a couple potatoes in the oven to bake, then threw together a salad and stuck it in the fridge.  He had already asked to just stay at my house that night.  I showered and pulled on a pair of fleece lined leggings, knee high boots, and a comfy sweater, then left for the airport.

I got there right as he texted me that he had his bag.  I pulled up and spotted him right away.  He opened the back door and lifted his suitcase in, then got in the front seat.  "Hi," he said, leaning over to kiss me before leaning his head back against the headrest and shutting his eyes.

I resisted asking him if he had slept at all the night before.  It certainly didn't look like he had.  I pulled out of the pick up lane and navigated out of the airport traffic.  We were both silent until we were almost back into the city.  I wondered if he was sleeping.  Then he opened his eyes and said, "I'm starving, can we stop and pick something up?" 

"We can stop anywhere you want," I replied, reaching for his hand and sliding my fingers between his.  "Otherwise I have shredded pork and potatoes at home.  Whatever you want to do is fine."

"That sounds perfect, actually," he said, smiling for the first time since he got in the car.  "Then we don't have to go anywhere."

I drove straight home.  I sat him down at the table while I warmed up the potatoes and took out the salad and made him a plate.  "This restaurant has the best service ever," he joked, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards him when I went to get myself a plate.  He kissed me and smiled.  "Thank you." 

After we ate, Brody went upstairs to shower and I sat down on the couch, flipping through TV channels.  I don't know why I paid for cable, I hardly ever watched anything outside of a few select shows, which I could probably watch online.   He was upstairs for nearly a half hour, but when he came back down, I saw he had shaved the 5 days worth of facial hair he had collected over the week.  I couldn't help but stare at him as he walked down the stairs wearing just a pair of low slung sweatpants.

"Come upstairs," he said, turning off the TV and grabbing my hand. 

I looked at him in surprise.  I wasn't expecting him to want to do anything outside of eating and going to bed.  He laughed and pulled me up off the couch.  He kissed me, his hands sliding across my hips.

I pulled back and arched one eyebrow at him.  "Are you avoiding talking again?" I asked gently. 

He leaned down and kissed my neck, then nipped my earlobe.  "Mmmhmm, I am," he murmured against my ear.  "I'll talk tomorrow, I promise."  I let him pull me towards the stairs and followed him up.  He pushed my bedroom door open and motioned for me to go in.  He followed me in, and after he pushed the door shut again he wrapped an arm around my waist from behind and brought his mouth down to the back of my neck.

"Damn, I missed you," he muttered against my shoulder as I shimmied out of my leggings.  He didn't give me a chance to respond, though, and I gasped when he nipped sharply at my skin where my neck meets my shoulder.  "Take this off," he directed, pulling on my sweater.  I squirmed out of his grasp and turned around.

"You're awfully demanding tonight," I said teasingly, slowly inching my sweater up while walking backwards out of his reach, towards the bed. 

He cocked his head slightly.  "Is that going to be a problem?" he asked, taking a step towards me.  "You should tell me now if it is."

"Not even close to a problem," I replied.  He closed the rest of the distance between us and finished pulling my sweater over my head.  His lips crashed against mine and he groped me roughly before flipping me over so I was face down on the bed.  I moaned against the blanket as he slid one hand between my legs and turned my head to the side with the other.  He kissed me briefly before moving his mouth back to my shoulder, then my neck.  I got goosebumps as his lips and tongue moved down my spine, stopping between my shoulder blades.  I squirmed in dismay when his hand moved away from me.

Brody wrapped his hands around my hips and pulled me almost to the edge of the bed.  He propped them up with one arm and shoved roughly into me from behind.  He wasted no time, and finished quickly.  After he pulled away from me, I went into the bathroom.  When I came back out, he was laying on his side of my bed.

"Come here," he said softly.  I climbed into bed next to him.  He slid his hand across my hip and down my leg, before moving it back up my inner thigh.  I pressed my face against his arm as he stroked me gently, his aggression apparently spent.  He continued until I had had not one but two orgasms and pushed his hand away.  I laid back against my pillow and Brody leaned his head against my shoulder.  I pushed my hair into his hair, massaging his scalp.

"Feel any better?" I asked.  He shrugged. "I have to work tomorrow but you can stay here as long as you want.  I'll leave a key on the table for you if you want to go, otherwise I'll be home around 2 and I can take you home."

"I'm going to go into the office for a little bit, I think," he mumbled sleepily.

"No," I said sharply.  He looked up at me in surprise.  "I mean, I can't stop you, but look at you.  You're exhausted.  You probably haven't slept more than a couple hours a night this entire week.  You're a disaster.  You've had a really rough few weeks and I think you should take tomorrow off.  If you want to go in on Sunday I won't say a word about it, but I am strongly against you going in tomorrow.  You need a mental health day."

He stretched and settled himself on his side, pulling me against him tightly.  "I like it when you're bossy," he said into my hair.  "I do need to go in sometime this weekend, but you're right.  I promise I won't go in tomorrow."  He kissed the back of my head and I settled against him more comfortably.

"Good, thank you," I replied.   "That's two promises you've made for tomorrow now: to talk, and not to work."

"Wait a second," he protested.  "I said I wouldn't go into the office, not that I wouldn't work at all!"

"You are seriously impossible," I groaned.

"If I do a little work tomorrow and go in for a few hours on Sunday, it'll make Monday a lot easier," he explained patiently.  "I get why you want me to take a day off, and I love that you're concerned and want me to take care of myself, but I'll be miserable this week if I don't do some stuff this weekend." 

"Fair enough," I relented.

"Thank you," he murmured.  "I love you, and your bossy concern for my well being." 

"I love you too," I replied, "which is why I'm bossy about your well being."

I was still deep in sleep when my alarm went off the next morning, and it took me awhile to realize what was happening.  "Make it stop," Brody groaned. 

"Sorry," I whispered, groping for my phone, and finally silencing it.

I started to get up, but Brody wrapped his arm around me and pulled me back down.  "Call in," he suggested.  "Stay here." 

"I'd like nothing more," I replied, "but I can't.  I'll be back."  I laid a little longer before wriggling out of his grasp and going into the bathroom to shower and get ready.  By the time I came out to get dressed, Brody was asleep again, sprawled across my entire bed.  He didn't even stir as I quietly moved around my room.

I left my extra house key on the table in case he went somewhere (but hopefully not to the office!) and left for work.  My day was slow and boring.  3 of my 5 clients cancelled on me, but I was able to get ahead on some of my paperwork, at least.

When I returned home, Brody was reclined on my couch with his laptop on his lap.  "Hi," he greeted me with a smile.  He looked much better than he had when I picked him up the day before.

"Hi, did you sleep?" I asked in reply.

He laughed.  "I rolled out of bed around noon.  I haven't slept that late since college."  He hit a few keys on his laptop then shut it and set it aside.

I dropped my bag near the door, pulled off my boots, and sat down next to him.  He put his arm around me and pulled me against him.  "So that means you didn't do too much work either, at least not yet anyway, right?" I asked.

"Right," he confirmed.  "I got up, showered, walked over to that deli for lunch, washed your dishes, and did about an hour of work.  By the way, there's a sandwich for you in the fridge."

"I should leave you here while I'm at work more often!" I said with a grin.  "Thank you.  What do you want to do today?  I can bring you home whenever."

"I'd love to go home soon, but what are your plans?  Do you want to stay with me tonight?  What's the plan for meeting with Nadine and Jonathan tomorrow?"

I had almost forgotten about tomorrow.  I had been trying not to think about it because it made me anxious.

"Liv?" Brody said gently.

"Oh, sorry." I had gotten distracted by my anxiety about tomorrow and completely forgotten he was asking me questions.  "We're meeting for coffee at 10:30."

"Okay, so if you don't mind, maybe we can go to my house shortly?  I'd like to stop at the grocery store, but I can do that tomorrow too.  Do you want to stay tonight?  If you do, I'll just leave to go into work when you leave to meet Nadine and Jonathan."

"Perfect," I replied.  "Let me just change and get some stuff together."

20 minutes later I had changed into jeans and a sweatshirt and packed a small overnight bag and we were heading out.  We made a quick stop at the grocery store (and Brody is a super annoying grocery shopper, by the way.  He wanders and grabs random things and that shit doesn't fly in my world.) and then were driving out  towards his house.

"So," I said, glancing at him quickly.  "How are you really?"

He sighed and leaned his head back against the head rest.  "I don't even know," he admitted.  "I have no idea what's going to happen.  I wish I hadn't gone down to Miami to consult for them.  It was really stressful and now I'm all sorts of behind here.  Pete and Neil did a great job while I was gone, but there are still things that I have to do that I couldn't do remotely and have to catch up on now."  He paused and took a deep breath.  "And I wish my dad wouldn't have called me.  That really fucked with my head." 

"I can't even imagine," I said quietly.

"And I keep thinking about how this was going on for years, right under my nose.  I should have realized it.  If I had, maybe I could have stopped it.  But fuck, then I could have gotten in trouble too.  And it's not like I can actually stop my dad from doing anything he has his mind set on."

"That's true," I agreed.  "I'm just glad you're no longer a part of his company so you're in the clear."

"No kidding, this is stressful enough without having to worry about my ass being on the line on top of it all.  Though I guess I won't know for sure that they don't find something to nail me for until it's over."  He looked out the window, then back towards me.  "Okay, I talked, now it's your turn."

I looked over at him, confused.  "My turn to talk about what?" I asked.

"About how you're freaking out about tomorrow," he replied matter-of-factly.

I grimaced.  "I am freaking out about tomorrow," I admitted.  "I just don't want it to be weird.  And they're going to be all 'oh my god, our granddaughter!' and they're just strangers to me, you know?  Strangers that I didn't even know about until a month ago.  And what if I hate them?  Or they hate me?  What if I don't know what to talk about?  What if they're really weird?"

Brody chuckled, but not meanly.  "Well, I can't promise that you won't hate them, or that they won't be weird, but I know that they're definitely going to like you," he assured me. 

I pulled into Brody's driveway while he was saying this, and after parking I made a face at him.  "I'm totally ditching them if they're weird."

He laughed.  "If that's what you need to do, then do it."  Brody grabbed his suitcase out of the back and hauled it and my bag to the door.  "Oh, hey, here's your key," he said when he pulled his out.

"Keep it," I replied with a shrug as we walked inside.

He raised an eyebrow at me.  "Yeah?" he asked.

"Why not?  You spend so much time there anyway.  Then the next time you call me at 10:30 and ask to sleep over, I won't have to drag my ass out of bed to let you in.  Plus, it doesn't do me much good keeping it in my house.  What if I locked myself out?"  I looked at him, because he hadn't responded.  "Unless you think it's weird or something, then you can give it back," I concluded hurriedly.

"I don't think it's weird," he said.  "I just wanted to make sure you were sure.  You just tossed it out there so easily."

"Well it's not like I asked you to move in," I pointed out.

He turned to look at me.  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it weird.  I'll gladly keep the key.  There's no need to get defensive."

"I'm not getting defensive," I snapped.  Brody raised his eyebrows skeptically.  "Okay, maybe a little.  I'm sorry, I think I need a nap or something." 

"Well, I can help with the 'or something'," he said, grinning.  I rolled my eyes, but walked towards the stairs.  "Is that your way of accepting?" he called after me.

"I guess you'll have to follow me and find out!" I replied.

Nothing Gets By Me

I woke up early on Sunday morning, and slid carefully out of Brody's grip to go to the bathroom.  When I came back and got back into bed, he opened his eyes and quickly snaked his arms back around me.  "Don't go back to Denver," he murmured into my hair. 

"I wish I didn't have to," I replied.

He sighed and his arms tightened around me.  "It was so nice to have you here.  It was a good distraction from all the shit that's going on.  It sucks that you have to leave and I have to get back to fixing the mess that my dad made."  I rubbed his arm.  "What do you want to do today?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied.  "I want to be completely lazy and have all our meals via room service and stay in bed until I absolutely have to get up to get ready to go."

"That sounds like a perfect plan," he said, pressing his face against my neck.  We fell back asleep for a little while, and when we woke up we ordered room service and had sleepy, lazy sex while we waited for our breakfast to be delivered.

We passed the rest of the morning laying in bed, and after Brody hung up the phone after ordering lunch at about 12:45, he frowned.  "We should probably get you to the airport a little sooner than you'd usually get to DIA," he said.  "The Miami airport sucks."

I groaned.  Flying back to Denver was the absolute last thing I wanted to do today.  And pretty much the only thing I remembered from my childhood trip down here was how much I hated the Miami airport.  "I guess I can at least shower while we wait for our food," I conceded grumpily.

I showered slowly, as if that might prolong my time left here.  When I got out of the shower, our food hadn't yet arrived, so I got dressed and started to pack my stuff up while Brody showered.
 When I was finished, the food was still wasn't there, so I sat on the couch staring at the TV.

A couple minutes later, Brody came out of the bedroom dressed casually.  "What are you going to do after I leave?" I asked.

"Jack texted me, so I might go see his place and hang out with him for awhile," Brody replied, sitting down next to me and putting his arm around me. 

I was about to answer when there was a knock on our door.  Brody got up and let our food in, bringing it over to the couch.   "This should probably help," he said with a grin.  "I know how cheerful you are when you're hungry."  I mock-glared at him and took the plate.

When we were finished eating, Brody looked at his watch.  "It's 1:55," he reported.  "We should leave in about an hour."  I nodded and settled against him, pulling his arm back around me.   We found something stupid to watch on TV and the hour flew by.  Too soon we were walking out the door of the hotel room.

"Call me when you get home," Brody said, hugging me tightly against him.

"I will," I promised.

"I'll let you know as soon I know when I'll be coming back," he continued.  "I know I'll be here this whole week for sure, but hopefully I'll be back by this time next week."

I pulled back and smiled.  "Thanks for flying me down here.  I'm really glad I got to come see you."

"Not as glad as I am," he replied.  "You'd better get going.  Have a safe trip, I love you."

"I love you too," I said, kissing him one last time before walking into the airport.

As Brody had predicted, it took me forever to get through security, even with having checked in online ahead of time.  I barely had 5 minutes to buy a snack and go to the bathroom before they began boarding my flight.  At least, sitting in first class, I got to get on right away and get settled.

The flight was uneventful and I was thankful that I hadn't checked a bag and could walk straight out of the airport to my car when I got off the plane in Denver.  I drove myself home and dropped my bag and purse right inside the door before flopping on my couch and calling Brody.

"Hey, you make it?" he greeted me when he picked up.

"Yup, flight was good.  Took forever to get through security though."

"Always," Brody sympathized.  I heard a male voice in the background. 

"Still at Jack's?  I can let you go," I said.

"Yeah, but I need to head back soon or I'll be sorry in the morning.  I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" I agreed and said goodnight.

I laid on my couch, pondering what to do.  It was only 8pm here but I was all screwed up after spending just a couple days on Miami time.  I decided to throw a load of laundry in and go to bed after.  I watched a DVRed show while I waited for the wash cycle to be done, and got sucked in.  I didn't make it up to bed until almost 11.  As I was climbing under the blankets, my phone vibrated.  It was Brody, so I answered.

"Hey," he said, sounding surprised.  "I didn't think you'd still be up."

"I was just about to go to bed," I replied.  "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to say goodnight," he said.  He sounded weird though.

"Brody?" I pushed.

"My dad called me," he said, the words rushing out so fast it took me a minute to process them.

"Oh no," I responded.  "Is he...what did he say?"

"Not much," Brody said miserably.  "He just wanted to tell me he was okay and that I should do whatever I need to do to stay out of this mess."

"Oh Brody, I'm sorry," I replied.

"I already called that FBI agent.  They can't do anything with it, but at least my ass is covered.  This just sucks.  My dad spent my whole life making me hate him, and now I don't know how I'm supposed to feel with all this shit going on.  And..." he paused, and I could hear him suck in a deep, shaky breath.  "I don't know, I might not ever see him again.  At least when he was here I had the option to see him if I ever wanted to. And the last time we saw each other was so shitty."

I didn't know what to say, and I cursed my therapy training for still leaving me without a good response for the people I loved.  "Shit," I muttered.  "I wish I was still there with you.  What can I do?"

"Nothing," he replied.  "It's okay.  I'm glad you were still awake.  I just needed to tell someone.  Besides the FBI, I mean."  He paused, then muttered, "Jesus.  The fucking FBI," and laughed bitterly.  "I'm going to wrap this stuff up this week.  I already booked a flight for Friday.  They'll have to work with me to get it done by then because I can't stay here any longer."

"That sounds like a good plan," I said.  "Just tell me when to pick you up."

"I think my flight lands around 7, but I'll double check tomorrow and let you know.  I need to go to bed, thanks for listening."  I said goodnight and hung up.  I wished there was something I could do to help.  The whole situation was mind boggling for me.  I didn't realize that people actually fled the country when they committed crimes.  I felt like I was stuck in some awful movie.

I tossed and turned for close to an hour before I finally fell asleep.  When my alarm went off in the morning I felt groggy and disoriented.  I stabbed at my phone, trying to make it stop.  When I finally focused enough to actually dismiss the alarm, I saw I had a text from Brody.  "Thanks for listening last night, hope you're not too tired today.  Flight gets in at 7:12 on Friday.  I'll talk to you tonight, I love you."  I texted him back and dragged myself into the shower.

I had dinner with Lauren and Kinsley after work.  "How was Miami?" Kinsley asked, after we had ordered.

I made a face.  Lauren cocked an eyebrow.  "It was mostly really good, and a little really bad," I said.  I told them about Alexa first.

"She sounds like a peach," Lauren sneered.  "Terrible judgment, College Brody, what the hell."

"She sounds like Savannah on crack and steroids," Kinsley agreed.  I cringed at that visual.  Lauren laughed.

I continued, telling them about Brody's dad.  "I don't know what to do for him," I confessed.  "I feel like an awful girlfriend because he was so awesome when Lynn got in her accident and when Nadine called, and I just...don't have any idea how to return the favor."

"I don't really think you have to do anything," Kinsley said, frowning thoughtfully.  "I mean, just be there for him.  Don't expect too much out of him."  It didn't feel like enough, but I shrugged and let Lauren change the subject.

My phone vibrated shortly after and I saw a text from Brody.  I was reading it when I heard Lauren say, "Wow, that's a big deal."

I looked up, confused.  "What's going on?" I asked.

Kinsley rolled her eyes.  "Damien and I planning to go on a trip together once tax season is over."

"Wow, that is a big deal," I agree, grinning.  "And awesome."

She smiled, then frowned.  "I just have to make it through tax season first.  Speaking of, I should get back to the office soon, I need to do one more return before I can go home tonight."  We finished our dinners, paid, and were heading out about 15 minutes later.

I drove home and called Brody.  "Hey, sorry, I was at dinner with Lauren and Kinsley," I greeted him when he answered.

"No problem," he replied.  He asked about my day and and then asked a bunch of questions about Lauren and Kinsley.

"Are you avoiding talking about your day?" I finally asked.

"Nothing gets by you," he quipped sarcastically.  I was surprised by his tone but didn't say anything, because I knew he was super stressed.  After a short pause, he said, "I'm sorry, that was shitty of me.  Yes, I'd rather not talk about my day today."

"It's okay," I assured him.  "I get it."  We talked about my day and random things for awhile longer.  Brody yawned several times.  "Do you want me to let you go so you can sleep?" I asked gently.

"No, not really," he replied stubbornly.  "I'm sorry, I didn't sleep well last night.  But I don't want to go yet." 

I struggled to find more things to talk about.  I took a chance and asked about Jack and Brody talked about him for awhile.  I ended up brushing my teeth and getting into bed while he talked. 

Nearly an hour after I had called him, he said, "I'm sorry, I've kept you on the phone forever.  You probably have things you need to do."

"Nope, actually I'm laying in bed being completely lazy and it's perfect.  We can talk as long as you want," I assured him.  I had never met a guy that enjoyed long phone conversations, and Brody usually didn't, but I assumed it was better than sitting in his hotel room stewing on what was going on. 

"Okay," he said hesitantly.  "Oh, hey!  This weekend is when you meet Nadine and Jonathan, right?  Are you nervous?"

"Yeah," I replied.  "And yes, I am.  Super nervous.  I have no idea why, though."  We talked about that for awhile, and finally Brody was yawning more than he wasn't.

"Okay, I guess I really should try to sleep," he admitted.  We said goodnight and I was about to hang up the phone when I heard him say, "Hey, wait."

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Thank you.  For talking for so long, I mean.  It helped."

"Good," I said smiling.  "I'm glad I could do something." 

You Don't Know Jack

On Saturday morning, I woke up confused for a second, then remembered I was still in Miami with Brody.  I shifted a little and grinned when he stirred, his arm tightening around my waist.  I had always needed my space when I slept before I started dating Brody, but I quickly started to enjoy sleeping with our bodies pressed together.  Now I felt weird when I was sleeping by myself.

"Good morning," he murmured sleepily against the back of my head.

I wiggled around until I was facing him and wrapped both of my arms around him.  "Good morning," I said, pressing my face against his chest.  We laid like that for several minutes until Brody's phone rang.

"Damn it," he muttered irritably, and we quickly untangled ourselves so he could get up and grab it from the table where he had left it last night.  He was out in the living area of the suite for several minutes, then he came back into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.  "Do you want to order room service?  I don't feel like getting up yet, but I'm kind of hungry."  I agreed, and after we ordered he laid back down next to me.  He pulled me over against him and I settled my head against his chest.  We laid in bed talking until breakfast came, then we ate in bed and laid there for another hour or so.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked, finally.

I stretched while I considered this.  "Hmmm, something outside.  It's so nice out compared to Denver."

We ended up going to a nearby state park and wandering around on the "hiking" trails and the beach for most of the afternoon.  While we were driving back to the hotel to shower and change for dinner, a sharp, shrill ringing came from the car speakers.  He glanced down at his phone in the cupholder and swore before hitting the bluetooth button on the steering wheel.

I peeked curiously at the phone while it was ringing and saw the unfamiliar name Jack Friedrich on the display.

"Hey Jack," Brody said.

"What the hell, Adler?   You're in Miami and I have to find out from Alexa?" 

Brody rolled his eyes.  "Well it's not like I sought her out.  I'm here on business, I haven't had much free time."

"Speaking of free, Alexa mentioned that you had a girl with you.  A girlfriend.  She didn't seem to think much of her, but she must be one hot piece of ass if you--"

"Watch it, Jack," Brody warned.  He glanced at me and mouthed, "Sorry."  I shrugged.

"Shit, am I on speaker?"

"You are, but even if you weren't..."

Jack interrupted, "Okay, okay.  Point taken.  Anyway, I want to see you, and so does the rest of the old crew.  Come out tonight.  Bring the girlfriend."

"I'd love to," Brody said, "But Liv is only here for the weekend and I'd really like to spend the evening with her."

"One drink," Jack wheedled.  "You guys are probably going out to dinner, right?  Just one drink after dinner.  Then you can go fu--spend time with your girlfriend."

Brody glanced over at me and I nodded.  As much as I wanted to spend the evening with Brody in his hotel room, I knew very little about his years in Miami and was curious to meet the people he had been friends with here.

"Are you sure?" Brody whispered.  "They haven't changed much since college."

I shrugged.  "So what?  Yeah, let's go."

"Hello?" came Jack's impatient voice from the speaker.

"Sorry, I was checking with Olivia," Brody replied.  "One drink."

Jack told him where they would be and when they were going.  When Brody hung up, he sighed.  "Alexa might be there," he warned me.

"Okay," I replied, but I wasn't thrilled at the prospect.  "What are you so worried about?"

"I just haven't seen much of them since college, but I've heard enough to know that they're still 21 in their heads.  I just don't want you to judge me based on them."  By this point we were back to the hotel and he turned off the SUV and turned to look at me.

"I'm not going to judge you based on them," I replied reassuringly.  "Look, I know very little about Miami you, and I gather that there's a reason for that.  But it's not like I don't know you weren't exactly an angel before we met.  I'm excited to meet your friends.  We'll have one drink, then we'll come back and relax.  But if you really don't want to go, that's fine, we definitely don't have to."

"No," he replied quickly.  "I actually would like to see them, I just don't want you to be uncomfortable.  If you're fine though, we'll go."

We got out and Brody handed the keys to the valet.  When we got to the room, I started for the bathroom, but he grabbed my arm.  "What's the rush?" he asked, pulling me towards him and kissing me.

"I'm all sweaty and gross," I protested.

"Sweaty maybe, but definitely not gross," he countered, grabbing my hips and pressing his body against mine.  I started to argue but he pressed his lips against mine, silencing me.  I still would have preferred to shower first, but his fingers sliding beneath my shirt was enough to convince me otherwise. He tugged off my shirt and my bra and was rolling a nipple between his fingers when he asked, "Do you still want to shower first?"

"Shut up," I gasped, reaching for his shorts.  He chuckled and pulled his shirt off before backing me up to the bed.

When we were finished, we got into the huge shower together and then quickly got dressed and ready to go out to dinner.  We decided to take a cab because Brody didn't feel like driving.  When we were seated at the restaurant, I smiled at Brody.  "So, what should I know about your friends?" I asked.

He laughed.  "They're wild and immature.  Be prepared to hear some less than savory stories about everything tonight, including me."

"Especially about you, I hope," I replied with a smirk.  He shook his head, trying not to smile.  He did look a little nervous though.

We enjoyed our dinner, then walked over to the bar that Jack had said they'd be at.  It was not my type of place at all.  It was dark, hot, crowded, and loud, there was a packed dance floor (already?  It was only 8:30) in the middle of everything.  "It's quieter upstairs," Brody said in my ear, motioning with his head to the stairs in the corner.  He laid a hand on shoulder, stroking the nape of my neck with his thumb as we walked over and up the stairs.

"Get a drink first?" he asked, gently turning me towards the bar.  I nodded.  We walked over and his hand dropped from my shoulder and settled on my waist, pulling me close to him.  While we waited for our drinks, Brody turned and scanned the bar.  He must have found them because he waved and turned back to me.

After we got our drinks, we made our way through the people to a table in the corner which was occupied by three guys and a girl.  Two of the guys stood up and gave Brody an awkward man half-hug.  The other smirked at him and said, "I'm not standing for an asshole who can't even tell me when he's in town."  But then he broke into a huge grin and jumped down from his stool and gave Brody a real hug.  "It's been way too long, man, it's good to see you." 

He turned to me and Brody quickly introduced me to Jack, Aaron, Chris, and Erica.  I kept mixing up Aaron and Chris in my head, so I decided I wouldn't actually say either of their names out loud.

"It's nice to meet you," Jack said, throwing a charming smile my way.  I couldn't help but notice how hot he was.  He was a perfect opposite of Brody, features-wise.  Blonde hair, blue eyes, a little taller than Brody, similar build.  No wonder they got into so much trouble together.  "I'm honored to meet the woman that got Brody to settle down."

I laughed.  "I'm not sure how much credit I can take for that, but it's nice to meet you too."  They shifted their seats so we could sit.

Jack eyed up Brody's IWC watch.  "Looks like you're doing well for yourself," he commented.  "I don't even know what kind of watch that is, but it looks expensive."

Chris (or Aaron?) laughed.  "I'd bet that watch cost more than you make in three months, Jack."

Brody shrugged, looking uncomfortable.  The watch, which he had bought in celebration of buying out his company, was an out of character splurge for him but I knew he loved it. 

"Seriously, though," Jack said.  "I heard through the PR grapevine that you bought out Denver and don't work for your dad anymore.  That's awesome, congrats."

"Thanks," Brody said, the smile returning to his face.  "It's been a lot of hard work, but it's pretty great to have my own company now."  They talked about the company for awhile and then the guys caught Brody up on what they were up to.  They were loud and a little rowdy, but overall I thought Brody had exaggerated on their lack of maturity.  Erica didn't say a word, and occasionally glared at me.  Okay then.  I made a relevant comment or asked a question here and there but I was mostly quiet while they caught up.

When they were done, Aaron (I think?  Maybe it was Chris) turned to me and with a smile asked, "So Olivia, what do you do?"  I told them about my job and the guys asked me a few more questions.  Erica was buried in her phone.

When I finished my drink, Brody leaned over and whispered, "Do you want to stay or go?"

"It's up to you.  I'm fine if you want to stay, it seems like you're having fun."

"One more drink," he replied.  I nodded.  We excused ourselves and went up to the bar.  "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Do I look not okay?" I replied, laughing.  "I'm fine.  Your friends are nice.  Well, besides Erica, what's her deal?"

Brody rolled his eyes.  "She's Alexa's friend.  I'm sure Alexa told her to be an ice queen.  She's actually usually pretty cool if you can catch her without Alexa."  I wasn't quite sure I believed that, but at least  I understood why she wasn't my number one fan.

When we returned to the table, someone was sitting in my seat.  It took me a second to process, but I realized it was Alexa.  Great.  Brody groaned.  "I'm rethinking these drinks now," he said.  I agreed, but we continued to the table.  There was only room for 6 stools at the table, so Brody stood so I could have his, since mine was taken.  Aaron-or-Chris immediately offered to give up his seat so Brody could sit too but Brody waved him off.  He stood slightly behind me, almost between me and Alexa.

"Oh, sorry," Alexa cooed insincerely.  "Did I take your spot?"

"No, he was clearly standing the whole time in anticipation of your arrival," Jack said, rolling his eyes.

"He would," Alexa retorted with a smirk.  "I think we all know that."

"Well, this got weird really fast," Chris-or-Aaron muttered. 

"I'm impressed with how much you've matured, Alexa," Brody commented sarcastically, draining his drink.

Alexa laughed.  "And I'm not impressed with how you think you're too good for us now, with your fancy suits and your cute little 'girlfriend' and your very own little company."  She turned to Jack.  "Did you know Brody was down here for two months in August and September?  Did he call you once?  Shoot you a text to see how you were doing?"

Jack looked at Brody.  "Is that true?" he asked, clearly hurt.

Brody sighed.  "It's true, Jack, but I was working from dawn to midnight nearly every day.  My dad barely let me out of his sight.  It's not like I purposely avoided you.  I really would have loved to see you." 

"Yeah, let's talk about your dad," Alexa continued to the topic that had been tactfully avoided up until this point, undeterred by the looks she was getting from everyone at the table except Erica, who sitting in her seat watching the goings-on with a tiny smile on her pretty, smug face.  "Really mature of you to leave him hanging.  And now he's out of the country and can probably never come back.  Do you feel good about that?"

Brody gaped at her. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, shocked.  "And how do you know so much about this?"  Alexa simply smirked in response and Brody's look of shock quickly turned to a look of disgust.  "Never mind, I can use my imagination."

"You fucked his dad?!" Jack yelped, immediately drawing the attention of the people at tables around us.  "Wow, even I didn't think you were that desperate and dirty, and you know I've never liked you."  Alexa just laughed.

"Let's go," Brody growled in my ear.

"Gladly," I replied, quickly finishing my drink.


As we walked out the door, Jack caught up to us.  "Look, Jack--" Brody started.

"No, don't," Jack interrupted.  "I'm not mad.  I'm sorry she ruined what started as a good evening.  Look, how long are you around?  Can we get dinner or a drink or something?"

"I'll be here for about another week.  I'll call you so we can catch up uninterrupted."

Jack grinned.  "That sounds good." He turned to me and extended his hand.  "It was really great to meet you, and I'm impressed that you kept your cool while Alexa was popping off at the mouth in there.  Brody's a lucky guy."

I gave him a tight smile.  "I'm pretty lucky too, no matter what she thinks."  He smiled back and walked back into the bar while Brody looked for a cab.

Brody was silent on the short cab ride back to the hotel.  I gave him his space, while I silently cursed Alexa for putting him in a foul mood on my last night here.   When we got up to the room, Brody stormed around for a few minutes before going through the bedroom into the bathroom and slamming the door.  I heard the shower start.  I changed into a pair of comfy shorts and a t-shirt and sat on the couch flipping through TV channels. 

Brody came out of the bedroom a few minutes later in shorts and a t-shirt.  He sat down on the other end of the couch and motioned me towards him.  I laid down and rested my head on his leg.  "I'm sorry, that was a clusterfuck," he apologized, running his fingers through my hair.

"She was pretty wretched, are you okay?"  I asked, rolling over to look up at him.

"I'm fine," he replied, brushing a piece of hair out of my face.  "Thanks for letting me have some time."  I nodded as I sat up and wrapped my arms around him.  He hugged me back and kissed the top of my head, and we sat there for a long time before untangling ourselves and heading to bed.

Warm Welcome

On Thursday, I went straight from work to the airport.  My flight left at 6, and it was a 4 hour flight.  Since Miami was two hours ahead, I got there a little after midnight, local time.  Brody had some work stuff to do Friday morning, but as of lunch time on Friday, he'd be all mine.

Down in the baggage claim area, I spotted him before he saw me.  I took a moment to enjoy the fluttering in my stomach that still happened every time I saw him, before walking quickly over and throwing my arms around him.

"Hey!" he said happily, hugging me back tightly.  "I'm so glad you're here."  He pulled back and kissed me.  The kiss was soft at first, but quickly progressed to a smoldering PDA that was completely out of character for him.  When we broke apart, I was breathless.

"I guess you are," I said, when I had caught my breath.  "I'm glad I'm here too."  He grabbed my bag and slid his other arm around my shoulders, and we walked out of the airport.

When we stopped at a sleek silver Range Rover, I raised my eyebrows.  "The board spared no expenses," Brody said.  "Wait til you see the hotel room they put me up in."  He navigated the big vehicle confidently out of the parking lot and into traffic. 

"Have you ever been here?"  he asked, stepping quickly on the brake when someone pulled in front of him.

"Once for a couple days when I was in middle school, but I don't really remember anything," I replied.

"I can see how Miami wouldn't make much of an impression on a 12 year old," he said with a smirk.   So far, all I saw were lights and cars.  "Did you get your appointment rescheduled?"  I was supposed to have my second therapy appointment tomorrow but had rescheduled it and gone yesterday.

I rolled my eyes.  "Yes, dad, I went yesterday.  It was good."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.  "I just want you to take care of yourself, and you're not always so good at doing it on your own."  He had a point, but he was the same way.  He drove through the busy downtown streets and pulled up in front of a large hotel.  The valet opened my door as Brody grabbed my bag from the backseat.  I was always a little overwhelmed by valets and doormen, and in my tired state after a full day of work and traveling, it was all I could to smile politely and murmur thanks.

Brody took my hand and we walked in.  We stepped out of the elevator at the top floor of the hotel, and Brody opened the door to a huge suite.  "Wow," I said, looking around.  Brody nodded, setting my bag on the couch that was perfectly positioned facing the large windows that overlooked downtown Miami.  He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

"Does this fancy suite have a shower?" I asked, leaning my head back against his shoulder.

"As a matter of fact, it does have a shower.  I'm pretty sure 6 people will fit in it, too."

"Oh good, we'll have to try that tomorrow," I joked. 

He laughed, kissing me on the cheek.  "Go shower.  Then, I believe I have some promises to keep."  That perked me up quickly, despite the late hour, and I headed for the giant bathroom.

After my shower, Brody proceeded to do everything he had promised in our phone conversation earlier in the week.  I got impatient halfway through and tried to rush things, but he wasn't having it.  Almost two hours later we collapsed next to each other on the bed, exhausted and satisfied.

"If that's how you greet me after 8 days apart, you should go on longer trips more often," I said, when my brain cleared.   He just laughed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to him.  We fell asleep like that.

I woke up early the next morning when Brody's alarm went off.  "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured against my ear, drawing a finger down my arm.

"Morning," I replied, pushing my hips back against his.  His hand moved up to my breast, cupping it and rolling my nipple between his fingers.  I moaned and pushed my hips back harder against him.  He pushed into me from behind, holding me tightly against him as he thrust slowly, grinding his hips against mine at the deepest point of each thrust.  I gasped as his lips found the back of my neck.

"Mmmm, I am so glad you came down," he breathed, before picking up the pace.

He stayed curled around me for a few minutes after.  Then he sighed and sat up, stretching.  He pulled the blanket back up over me.   "What time is it?" I asked.

He checked his watch.  "Almost 6:30 now.  Go back to sleep.  I'll be back in time for lunch, and we'll have the rest of the afternoon together."  He leaned down and kissed me gently before heading into the bathroom.  I fell asleep before he finished showering, and didn't wake up when he left.

I was up, showered, and ready to go by the time Brody came back at 12:30.  I had a restaurant for lunch picked out, a tapas place within walking distance of our hotel.  It was sunny and close to 70 degrees, and it felt amazing as we walked.

After we had ordered several plates and drinks, Brody said, "Robert, the chairman of the board, invited us out to dinner tonight.  It's totally up to you if you want to go."

"Sure, why not," I replied. 

Brody called Robert to let him know we were up for dinner, then put his phone away.  He grinned at me across the table.  "Do you have anything to wear to an obnoxiously overpriced restaurant?" he asked.

I thought for a minute, then shook my head.  "I don't think so, sorry."

"Don't be, you didn't know you'd need it.  I guess we'd better do some shopping today then," he replied.

I raised an eyebrow.  "You?  Shopping?  This ought to be interesting."

He grimaced.  "Anything for you," he said, winking.

After lunch, we wandered through downtown for awhile. Brody stopped outside a pricy-looking women's clothing boutique.  "Well?" he said, motioning towards it.

I shook my head.  "I can't afford anything in there."

"Good thing you're not paying then, huh?" he replied.  I glared at him.  "Seriously, Liv.  I won't even tell you the insane amount of money they're paying me for this consulting work, but if I'm going to drag you to this dinner, let me spend a very small portion of it on your clothing for it."  Without giving me a chance to argue, he tugged me firmly towards the door.  How very Pretty Woman.

We walked out nearly an hour later with a gorgeous deep emerald dress and a pair of ridiculous expensive, but amazingly comfortable, bronze pointed-toe pumps.   "Now what?" Brody asked, when we got back to the hotel.

I frowned and inspected my nails.  "I'm seriously considering going down to the spa and getting a manicure because my nails are awful, and I feel like I can't wear that dress with my nails looking like a hot mess."  I paused, then grinned at Brody.  "You should come too.  You can get a pedicure."

It took a little convincing, but 20 minutes later we were both getting pedicures.  Even though he agreed that the pedicure was awesome and his feet looked and felt great, he drew the line at a manicure and refused to join me for that.  Instead, he sat and talked to me while I got a gel manicure with a bronze polish that would match the shoes we got nearly perfectly. 

By the time we were done, it was time to get ready for dinner.  Brody let me shower first, and I dried my hair while he showered.  When I was done with my hair and makeup, I carefully slipped my new dress and shoes on.  "Well?" I asked, turning in a slow circle.  "What do you think?"

"I think it's too damn bad we need to leave for dinner in 5 minutes, because you look amazing," he said, sliding his arms around my waist and kissing me softly.

"Well, that works," I responded, pushing my fingers into his hair and massaging his scalp.

"No, don't do that, or we'll end up late," he groaned.  I laughed.

Dinner, for being "obnoxiously overpriced" was really quite good.  Robert was an older gentleman, probably in his early 60s, and he was very polite and soft-spoken.  I wondered how he had stood a chance against Brian Adler.  We lingered at the restaurant for awhile after our meal, finishing a bottle of wine.  Eventually, we parted ways.

As Brody and I were walking out, hand in hand, a rich, throaty female voice said, "Well, if it isn't the infamous Brody Adler, back in his old stomping grounds."

We both turned.  The voice belonged to a stunningly gorgeous woman with thick, jet black hair and icy blue eyes.  "Alexa," Brody said in surprise.  I had no idea who she was, but immediately pegged her as ex.  She turned her piercing gaze on me, looked me up and down, and must have determined me not worth her time because she quickly turned her eyes back to Brody.

"Just visiting?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

"Here on business," he replied curtly.  He turned to me.  "Liv, this is a friend from school, Alexa.  Alexa, this is my girlfriend, Olivia."

"Girlfriend?" she scoffed, looking back at me briefly.  "Huh.  Cute."  The way she said it was not complimentary.  Brody bristled, but I squeezed his hand.  He remained tense but kept his mouth shut.

"Well, Alexa, it was nice to see you, but we need to get going," Brody said, after a long pause.  She gave him a half-hearted hug and me a disgusted glance, then turned on her very high, very expensive looking heel and left.

"She seems lovely," I said with a smirk when we got in the car.  "I thought you said you didn't have any exes."

Brody laughed.  "She's not really an ex.  We hooked up for awhile in college.  A long while, I guess.  I developed feelings for her, she didn't reciprocate, I cut things off.  She's..."

"A huge bitch," I supplied helpfully.

"Yes.  A huge bitch," he agreed.  He glanced over at me and I smiled.  "Are you upset?" he asked.  "I guess I should have told you about her, she's the closest thing to an ex I have."

"Not at all," I assured him.  Jealousy has never been my thing.  I don't put up with jealous significant others, and I don't get jealous either (unless the mistress is work...).  The only thing that bugged me about Alexa was her nasty attitude. 

Traffic downtown was heavy and it took a ridiculously long time to get to our hotel, which was barely a mile away.  By the time we got back to the hotel room, I was completely ready to lay in bed, and Brody looked positively exhausted.  He couldn't have gotten more than 3 hours of sleep the night before, so I was surprised when he slid his arms around me from behind and kissed the back of my neck as I took off my shoes and my necklace.

"You must have really missed me," I teased, as he pushed the strap of my dress down with one finger, his lips trailing after.

"I really missed you," he confirmed, before moving his finger and mouth to my other shoulder.  Soon he had my dress off, though I did stop him so I could hang it up instead of leaving it on the floor.  He took the opportunity to get rid of his clothes.

Since we were both a little worn out from last night and this morning, we didn't actually have sex, but we spent over an hour laying together, letting our hands and mouths wander.  It was incredibly intimate and when we finally dragged our lips apart to sleep, I felt more content and connected with him than I ever had.