The Wrong Right Man - Aurora Rose Reynolds Page 0,50
where I dropped it and dig out my phone. When I see Braxton is calling, I don’t hesitate to put it to my ear.
“If you think calling my brother won you any brownie points, you are seriously confused. I thought I was mad at you before. But now, I’m—” I try to come up with something worse than mad, but I’m so mad nothing comes to mind. “—I’m whatever comes after being mad. Maybe furious.” I end the call before he can even respond and shut off my phone then look at my brother, who is watching me with an understanding look in his eyes. “What?”
“You know, when you were with Troy, no matter what he did, no matter how mad you were at him, you never once told him how you felt.”
“I told him,” I defend myself.
He shakes his head. “You didn’t, Dakota, and I know there were times when you wanted to.”
It’s then I realize he’s right. I never told Troy if he made me mad, if he made me feel uncomfortable or like I couldn’t be myself when I was around him or his family. When I was with him, I felt like I was the lucky one, like I was lucky he wanted me. I never once thought he was lucky to have me.
“I’m not saying what Braxton has done is right or that it’s even okay, but I like that you don’t have an issue telling him how upset you are, even with how much money he has, how much power he has. I think that says a lot. I think it shows just how much you trust him.”
“Trust him?” I frown, thinking trust is a funny word to use when it comes to Braxton.
“I don’t think that unless you trust someone you can ever truly express how upset you are with them and their actions. Showing any kind of emotion lets people know how much power they have over you, and being angry is one of the biggest emotions we will ever experience besides love. You can’t show anger without trust, just like you can’t feel love without trust.”
“Are you saying I’m in love with Braxton?” The thought alone makes me want to run for the hills, but if I’m honest with myself, every time I’m around him, I feel more and more for him and am falling deeper and deeper into the connection we have with each other.
“All I’m saying is it’s nice to see that you can be yourself with a man you obviously care about.”
“When did you Mr. Anti-Relationship, Mr. Anti-Love become the spokesperson for what it takes to build a successful relationship?”
“I know jack shit about relationships. All I know is that you have to trust the person you are with; otherwise, you are both just wasting your time.”
“You know, whenever you do decide to settle down, that girl is going to be lucky.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” he says, and I look into his eyes, seeing his own self-doubt, and set down my cup. I move toward him and rest my head on his chest then wrap my arm around his waist. “I’m lucky to have you, your support, and love, and I know that whoever you end up with will feel the same. You are an amazing man, Jamie. I’m lucky to have you in my life.”
He wraps his arm around my shoulders then kisses the top of my head. “It’s going to be okay. No matter what happens, we’ve got each other.”
We’ve got each other. I know that, but I want more. I want a husband and a family, and part of me hopes Braxton is going to be a part of my story. I just really need him to prove he’s capable of not acting on instinct and being the man I need him to be. We have enough drama between us without him adding more. I can admit I care about him, but I don’t like that he’s constantly doing things that make me feel like he has the upper hand.
“I think you should cut him some slack,” he says, and I look up at him as he dips his head down toward me. “I’m not saying you should let him off the hook for the shit he’s done, but part of me knows he’s trying to find a way to make things work between you two. He cares about you.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little insane how he’s acted?”