Broken (Brody Brothers Book 4) Read online

  “First week’s in Paris. Second week’s in Monaco. Not exactly my thing, Europe,” he admitted with a shrug. “But Cleo told me you’ve always wanted to go to Paris, and since I’m going to be doing some business in Monaco, I thought we should go ahead and make the most of it. Sound good to you?”

  “Oh, Des.” Envelope still in hand, she flung herself into his arms with a happy whoop and held on tight. “You miracle of a man, of course it sounds good to me. I can’t believe how easily you make even the smallest of my dreams come true.”

  “That’s kinda what I live for.” Rolling onto his back, he tugged the sheet from between them and couldn’t help but smile when her curtain of hair fell over them to shroud them in their own private world. “Just wait until we get back. I’ve got another surprise in mind for you. Unfortunately on this one I’m going to need your input, so I can’t keep it hidden from you.”

  Her brows went up as she settled her legs more comfortably into a straddling position. “What’s the surprise?”

  “If we’ve got kids, we can’t be all the way the hell and gone out here in the middle of nowhere. Shit happens, so if and when it does, it’s nice to have help within shouting distance, yeah?”

  She went still. “But… are you saying you want to move? From this house? You designed this house personally, Des. Every inch of it is you.”

  “Yeah, but now I’m in the process of designing our next house. I didn’t build this place with anyone in mind except myself, baby girl,” he went on when she didn’t look convinced. “That was what my existence was—just me and no one else. This place is a monument to my aloneness, and that’s why I built it way out here. But I’m not living that lone-wolf life anymore, and I sure as hell don’t want to raise my kids way out here where they can’t connect with their own family. I want them to be surrounded by my brothers’ kids and know they’re never alone.”

  “Des.” she cupped his cheek in the warmth of her hand before leaning down to kiss him. It was crazy, how the whole world could be packed into her kisses, but she managed to do it every time. “Thank you for letting me into your world. I promise you’ll never be alone in it again. In fact, between me and the kids we’re going to have one day, you’re probably going to long for the days when you were all by yourself.”

  “Never,” he assured her, and pulled her down for another kiss.

  One year later

  “Okay, almost ready.” Winnie watched as Des set the camera before heading over to where she sat next to Granny on the white rattan sofa in the sunroom overlooking Smiley Lake’s renovated dock, and took his place on the other side of the elderly woman. Held in Granny’s lap with Winnie’s assistance, one-month-old Ronan slept in his christening gown, his amazing shock of ebony hair standing out in all directions.

  A sure sign of curls to come.

  This was probably the calmest Ronan was going to be all day, Winnie thought, looking at her precious boy in Granny’s arms. From this point on, everything was going to be a whirlwind. After the baptism—which most of Bitterthorn was slated to attend—everyone was coming back to their house for a party that was part baptism celebration, part housewarming.

  When Des had shown her the lakefront house he’d designed, at first she hadn’t been sure about building within sight of where she’d grown up. Thankfully that house was long gone, along with every structure that had once been on the Smiley property. Des had gone out of his way to wipe the slate clean so she wouldn’t be haunted by ghosts from the past. He’d even turned the empty space where the Smiley house had once been into a play park for the newest generation of Brody children to enjoy, as well as constructing a rustic boathouse that he and his brothers happily used on those rare occasions when they had free time.

  As for where he’d chosen to build their house, it was easily a quarter mile from where she’d grown up, with a thick stand of crepe myrtles and natural landscaping to completely change the look of the land. A high-tech system of irrigation ditches that the Brody children found endlessly fascinating siphoned off just enough lake water to Magnus’s retirement pasture without having any of the animals near the lake itself to contaminate its “skinny-dipping” purity, as Des liked to call it.

  At first she’d worried she might not be able to get past her loathing of the old Smiley homestead, but as Des worked on reshaping the land and bringing it to life, she could only marvel at her man’s vision. He had completely destroyed any hint of what had once been, and replaced it with his concept of what he wanted their home to be. Now their world had places for family gatherings and picnics, boating and fishing, and children’s laughter rang in the air as they played in their new park.

  Des had built heaven for her in a place that had once been hell. In doing so, he’d destroyed the last lingering hold the past had once had on her. More than that, he’d shown through everything he created that he was no longer the man who’d wanted nothing more than to be left alone out by Lone Sentinel Butte.

  The house he had designed for them also told the story of what he envisioned for their future, including a large detached studio for her with tons of natural lighting, a small suite of rooms for Granny off the kitchen, and five bedrooms plus a master, and six bathrooms. When she commented on the number of bedrooms, he confidently assured her that he had no doubt they could fill them all.

  That was who Des was now.

  A family man in the making.

  “The timer’s set for thirty seconds.” Des put an arm on the back of the rattan sofa behind Granny, while his other hand came to gently cup his son’s dark head. “All we have to do is smile.”

  “I’ve got plenty of reason to do that,” Granny said, smiling down at the baby.

  Winnie gasped. “Wait, not everyone’s in the picture. Panda, baby. Come here, boy.”

  Des groaned. “Winsome, that damn dog—”

  “—is part of the family. And remember, you’re the one who got him for me, so you have no one to blame but yourself.” Winnie beamed when Panda came crashing around the corner and into the sunroom, mismatched eyes bright and grinning the cutest doggy grin in all of dogdom. “There you are. Come here, bud. Sit. Sit, Panda.”

  “You know he’s laughing at you,” Des drawled, shaking his head as Panda danced in place, clearly overjoyed to be called to her side. Without a doubt, Panda was a mama’s boy, often becoming so excited whenever he was around Winnie that he forgot his manners. Like now. “Panda. Sit.”

  Boom.

  Panda’s rump hit the glossy wooden floor like it was magnetized. Because of course. Never mind that Panda was her baby that she spoiled endlessly. It was always Des that he listened to.

  For that matter, so did she.

  “Smile, baby girl,” Des reminded her, and looked to the camera.

  She responded just in time. About a second after she turned back to the camera, she heard the click.

  “That camera looks so complicated.” Granny leaned in to look at the photo once Winnie had collected the camera. “I remember when these things were just a matter of pressing a button and manually winding the film. And you could only take so many pictures before you ran out.”

  “Taking a limited number of pictures would make Winsome’s head explode,” Des snorted, then headed for the door when the peal of the doorbell sounded. “There’s never been a person on this planet who takes more photos than my woman.”

  “The only time I take photos is when I’m happy and I want to commemorate that moment,” she called after him, then rolled her eyes at her grandmother as she began flipping through the images on the camera’s screen. “It isn’t my fault that I love my life so much I want to capture all those perfect moments. If we’re looking to blame someone here, Des is the one who should shoulder that for giving me all those perfect moments.”

  “I’d hardly call it blame.” Granny chuckled, then cooed when Ronan began to fuss. “Uh-oh. Looks like the little man is waking up.”

  “I’ve got him. Knowing Ronan, he’s thinking it�
��s time for second breakfast.” Setting aside the camera, she scooped up her son and gave her grandmother’s cheek a kiss before rising. “I swear, this kid’s a bottomless pit.”

  “Our boy is going to be a giant,” Granny said proudly. “I’m glad you’re getting so many pictures of him, sweet girl, and I hope you do that every day of his life. I don’t have any pictures of you as a baby or child, but then again, there weren’t too many happy moments while you were growing up that needed to be captured. It’s so wonderful you have that now.”

  “I do,” she said softly, holding Ronan close as she remembered that once upon a time, neither she nor Des had possessed any personal photos of family or loved ones. That certainly wasn’t the case now. Even though they were still unpacking, she already had a good portion of their walls covered with framed photos. Their wedding. Their honeymoon. A spectacular portrait of them kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower. Des trying to train Panda. Another portrait of them before Ronan was born, standing on the new dock with Des behind her, kissing her ear while his big hands cupped her baby belly. Ronan’s first few moments of life. Des’s face as he held his son for the first time. Their first family portrait at the hospital taken by a very understanding nurse.

  This little family portrait now would join all the others—her captured moments of happiness.

  If was hard to remember the life she’d been living two years ago, when the only pictures that meant anything to her were photos of her fashions, but that was okay. A life without Des in it was hardly worth remembering. And now that Ronan had joined them, it didn’t matter that she didn’t have any photos of her life while growing up. That was a hell she’d had to endure to get to the heaven she had now. All that mattered was living in the moment, with a constant sense of gratitude filling every corner of her life.

  That was the life Des had built for her and their new family.

  “Let’s get this party started.” With her usual boundless energy, Cleo swept into the sunroom along with her boyfriend and manager of Green Rock Ranch, Caleb Garrett, followed by Cleone. All the women had chosen to rock new dresses Winnie had designed to show their support, love and solidarity in their ever-growing sisterhood. Her online store, Passion for Fashion, had been bought by one of the hottest fashion houses in Paris, another miracle her magician of a husband had managed to surprise her with.

  During their honeymoon, Des had taken her to a fashion show, complete with front-row VIP service. For the most part, she’d been gaga over the new line of clothing parading up and down the catwalk, though there were a few items that would have been so much better with a few tweaks. She said as much to Des, who encouraged her to speak her mind. She did so throughout the show, completely unaware that someone aside from Des was listening. When the show was over, Des turned to the person sitting directly behind them and said, “What’d I tell you? Does she know this shit, or what?”

  Surprised, Winnie had turned… and found herself face-to-face with the legendary owner of the fashion house.

  Luckily for her, the collection that had been showcased that evening hadn’t been of the owner’s personal making, but rather one of his many designers. Over a late dinner and champagne back at their suite overlooking the Champs Elysées, the pieces she’d designed for Passion for Fashion had been examined, before she was quizzed on her knowledge of design versus productivity. Since she’d run into that particular hassle at Cleone’s Closet, she’d been honest in saying that she’d learned to think creatively when it came to making a design as simple as possible, while still being memorable and stylish.

  That was when the designer—an eighty-something fashion legend of a man who’d been born in The Bronx and whose signature cologne she bought for Des—invited her to become a designer for his fashion house. She could do as much or as little as she wanted from her own studio in Texas, with the only catch being that whatever she created, it would be produced by his house exclusively. If her fashions caught on, eventually she could have her own “Win” label.

  Talk about a dream come true.

  But then, Des found a way to make all her dreams a reality.

  While Cleone was bereft to lose her, that would have happened anyway. Soon after they’d gotten back from their honeymoon, Winnie had been hit with what turned out to be a walloping case of morning sickness.

  Come to find out, life really could keep getting better and better, as long as she had Des by her side.

  In the end, Cleo had pointed out that her mother could take the bows for giving Winnie her start. Now Cleone had it on her LinkedIn profile that she was Bitterthorn’s foremost mentor and patron of fashion design. That was Cleone, living within the silver linings so she couldn’t see the clouds.

  Winnie adored her for it.

  “Check me out,” Cleo announced, doing a little twirl in the flouncy-skirted V-neck sleeveless dress in a delicate cherry-blossom pink. “Your latest creation just happens to go perfectly with a shoe and purse set that came into the shop. And the purse is big enough to hold a portable speaker I brought along for Ronan, just in case he needs some special baby jams to listen on the way over to the church. Am I awesome, or what?”

  “I have no clue what baby jams are, but you’re totally awesome.” Nestling Ronan in one arm, Winnie hugged her friend with the other, then made the rounds hugging everyone while the sound in the front room grew. She loved that sound; it was the sound of love and laughter, of kinship and belonging.

  It was the sound of family, and it filled her heart with joy.

  “My goodness, Winnie.” Cleone swooped in to give her an air kiss and coo over little Ronan before scanning the room. “Have you ever seen so many Brodys gathered together in one place?”

  “As a matter of fact, Cleone, I have.” She glanced around the room as well, drinking it all in. Ry and a grumpily pregnant Celia had been the first to arrive with their two girls, Hannah and Fiona. Fin and Lilah arrived just behind Cleo and her mother, with their children Donovan and Rosie in tow. Des was at the door to greet Killian and Dallas, her baby bump smaller than Celia’s and looking more gorgeous than ever in another one of Winnie’s designs. As their twins, Sean and Fallon, half-tackled Des in greeting, Winnie smiled as she watched her husband extend a hand to Killian and share a laugh with him.

  That was the sound of family as well.

  But more than that, it was the sound of wounds that had finally healed.

  “I want to capture this,” she murmured to herself before handing Ronan to Cleo. “Be right back.”

  Zooming back to retrieve her camera, she began capturing moments she never wanted to forget, from Dallas’s three-year-old twins talking earnestly to an attentive Des, to Lilah trying to make an increasingly less-grumpy Celia laugh, to Fin chatting with Killian while absently rocking a sleepy Rosie. When she was satisfied with the candid shots, she smiled and raised a hand.

  “If I could have your attention.” Smiling at the room full of people she loved, she swept a hand toward the sunroom. “I’d like to have everyone crowd into the sunroom for a quick family photo, and then we can get this show on the road.”

  “I’m nine months pregnant with a non-stop baby Godzilla who never sleeps,” Celia groused. “No woman who’s nine months pregnant with a non-stop baby Godzilla who never sleeps should be forced in front of a camera. I’m hideous.”

  “You’re magnificent, wife.” With a tenderness that could be seen, Ry brought her hand to his lips, his gaze never leaving hers. “Just looking at you takes my breath away. Always has. Always will. And every time I see you carrying my baby,” he added, placing a hand over her enormous belly, “I fall for you all over again.”

  At that, the last of Celia’s grumpiness melted away, and she leaned over to kiss him. “Well, husband, if you’re going to be that way, I might as well give in to the inevitable and get this over with. Winnie, where do you want me?”

  “Let’s have you sit next to Granny on the sofa. You can have your girls in front of you, with Ry standing behind
you.” With the efficiency of a drill sergeant, Winnie marched everyone into the sunroom, mounting the camera back on the tripod while getting people exactly where she wanted them. Ronan got handed off to Des, who waited for her off to the side of the sofa. When she had everything exactly as she wanted it, she set the timer and hurried over to Des’s side, curling an arm around his waist even as his arm slid over her shoulders to pull her close. “Thirty seconds, everyone.”

  “Time enough for this.” Smiling, Des lowered his head and captured her mouth for a long, slow kiss. By the time he raised his head Winnie was overheated and breathless, almost forgetting yet again to turn her head at the last second to smile into the camera.

  In her heart, she’d known it was going to be a good shot, but it wasn’t until the christening was over, along with the wrap-up of the party at the new house did Winnie get a chance to really look at the photo. After uploading it into her laptop, she caught her breath at the dazzling joy in not just her smile, but in so many faces shining out of that photo. The sense of unity, of love and family shone through this one captured moment. The Brody family had endured so much to get to this thriving time in history, and now the newest generation was on the cusp of taking their place. This photo wasn’t just of the people she’d come to love. It was a photo of hope, and of the future brimming over with potential and greatness.

  It was a future she couldn’t wait to see.

  “Ronan’s hungry. Again.” Stifling a yawn, Des came in with a bawling baby against his shoulder and a bottle in one hand. “Do you want to feed him, or should I? I’ve already warmed up a bottle, in case you’ve got your hands full with work.”

  “This isn’t work.” Smiling, she held her arms out. “I’ll take that bottomless pit son of yours.”

  “What are you doing?” he asked as she unbuttoned her blouse and guided the baby to her breast.