Brandon (Anderson Billionaires #3) - Melody Anne Page 0,3

years, and there were times he’d still feel such an ache it took all he had not to shed a tear. But then he’d have moments of remembering something amazing about her, and he’d smile so big his cheeks would hurt.

He’d also gained a family on that tragic day. He knew it had been his mother’s way of letting her sons know they’d never be alone. Even in her dying moments she’d been sacrificing, giving to her children. That was who she’d always been. That was who she was now that she was in heaven. She’d gone too soon, but there was no way she’d be forgotten.

He’d been angry for a while, but his sense of humor and love of life had been what his mother had loved most about him—according to her. He wouldn’t dishonor her memory by changing who he was.

During that first year after Brandon had lost his mother, he’d made mistakes—several, in fact. But then he’d met Chloe. He smiled as he thought about the spitfire of a woman who’d made it more than clear she wanted nothing to do with him.

Brandon had always loved women, from the time he’d been in first grade and talked one of his classmates into holding his hand. He’d loved all girls until he’d become a man; then he’d loved women. They were everything he wasn’t, and nothing made him happier than making one smile.

But Chloe was unlike any woman he’d ever met before. She was confident and sexy, funny and stubborn. She’d intrigued him, and the second she’d told him not to get any ideas, it had been like a red flag waved in front of a bull. He’d wanted to win her over. He wasn’t a man to take by force. No, he’d much rather win her with charm. He had no doubt he could do it.

There was a part of him that felt guilty to live his life and find happiness when his mother couldn’t do the same. But when he did feel bad, he knew he was doing what she’d want him to do, and she would smack him over the head if she knew he was living half a life because of grief.

When Joseph Anderson had told him he wanted him as the electrician for the veterans center, he’d been honored. Not only had Brandon served as an air force pilot, but he was getting to know his family, and working closely with them was the best way to do it.

There had been a part of him that had thought about turning it down, because from the time he was young, he’d been determined to make it on his own, without help from his family. As a middle child in a sea of brothers, he’d always tried to find his identity without being just a brother.

It might have appeared to the rest of the world as if he was nothing more than a carefree boy in a man’s body who was more interested in making the room laugh than earning an honest day’s wages, but what people saw on the surface wasn’t always what lay beneath.

He worked hard and had done so his entire life. There were always ideas brewing in his head, and he’d never been willing to settle for second best. Sure, he liked to laugh, and he loved to live life to the fullest, but he wanted to stand out, to make a name for himself.

The veterans project was just too amazing for him to pass up. It was a cause he stood for, knowing he had his freedom because of those who’d sacrificed the most. And then it had the added bonus of working close to home.

When Joseph had said he wanted Chloe to design the kitchen, Brandon had been beyond thrilled. That meant the two of them were going to be working closely together. The kitchen was the heart of any place. And with the sparks that flew between him and Chloe, that was going to be one steamy room.

He smiled as he strolled down the street to Chloe’s restaurant. She’d made magic happen with that place. She’d turned it from ordinary to beautiful. It was the place to go to in town now.

He knew Joseph had presented her with the offer to do the veterans center, and he also knew she was fighting it. That impressed him. It wasn’t easy to say no to Joseph. Brandon didn’t know anyone who ever had. He was sure there had to be