Naughty Neuro, page 36
I look at Tate who nods reluctantly.
“I just needed a moment to talk to Tate. Do you think you could come here with Tilly for a minute? I need to tell you something, and it’s kind of important.”
“Bella, are you okay? Is tonight too much for you, where are you?”
Tate squeezes my waist for support.
“I’m fine, Gray, stop worrying. I’m in the room at the end of the corridor near the kitchen. Last door on the right. Thanks.” I hang up while he’s still talking to me, then I look at Tate.
“Shit. What do I say?” I start rambling.
His finger goes straight to my mouth.
“You don’t, Bella. Let me do this. I’ve been practicing this speech for years. I’ve got you. Remember, I won’t let you fall.”
Nodding, I don’t even have time to get ready because I hear my brother coming down the hallway like his ass is on fire, looking for me.
We step back from the door as the whirlwind enters.
“Bella, are you okay? Tate, what the fuck is going on in here?” I hadn’t even considered the state of us until I see Tilly’s face and her smirk as she puts her hand over her mouth to stop the laugh escaping.
“Gray, we need to talk to you, and you might want to calm yourself down a little first,” is all Tate gets out before Gray starts raising his voice.
“Calm down? How the fuck am I supposed to be calm?! Unless you have a better explanation to tell me why my sister has lipstick smudged all over her face and the only other place it seems to be is on your lips, Tate. So, unless you are telling me another answer than the one I’m guessing, which is that you have kissed my sister, then by all means, fill me in to calm me down.”
Gray starts to move towards Tate when I step between them automatically. “Gray, stop it. Just take a breath and listen to Tate. Let him explain.” I try to keep my voice calm so as not to escalate the situation any further.
“Oh, I can’t wait to hear what he has to tell me. Because I’ve heard his stories before, Bella, and they are always so enlightening. So many stories over the years, I’ve lost count.”
“Gray.”’ Tilly grabs his arm to try to defuse his rant.
“You have every right to be mad, Gray, but you have to know, we didn’t mean to keep this from you. It just happened in my office that day and took us by surprise. We couldn’t say anything at the risk of our careers.” For someone who had a speech prepared, I can tell it has all gone out the window the moment Gray started yelling.
“You’re such a selfish prick, Tate. You fucking treated her as your dirty secret. Life is always about you.” Gray looks like he’s about to explode.
I hear Tate behind me groan, and I know his patience is gone.
“Me!” he yells. “You have no fucking idea, Gray. Okay, I’m the selfish prick. Ugh, surely you have to have seen what has been right in front of you. I have wanted your sister since she was eighteen years old. But out of respect for you, I never did a thing about it. Not even when she stood in front of me at her twenty-first birthday party and told me how much she loved me. That night I broke her heart and mine, for you, Gray, and for Bella. She needed to grow and live her life. I know you don’t think I’m worthy of her. You didn’t then and you still don’t now. But she chose me, Gray. Me, and just me, not my money, the cars or the prestige of Doctor McIntyre. She fucking chose me.” Hearing the heartache in his voice and seeing the shock on Gray’s face, I know it’s time for me to finish this once and for all.
Turning my back on Gray, I step to Tate and place my hand on his heart.
“I chose you for what’s in here. The heart you kept just for me. While you were so busy trying to stay away, your heart never wavered. It always stayed true to me and waited for its other half. I’m here in front of you now. No matter what, you have my heart now too. Never will we need to hide that love. I’m yours, and so we’re all clear, it’s my choice, and I chose you.” Rising up on my toes, I take his face and kiss him with everything I feel, not caring who is here. Because from now on, I’ll choose him every single time.
“Shit,” Gray growls behind us. Tate breaks the kiss and looks down at me with tears in his eyes.
“You really love her, don’t you? Fuck, why could I never see that? Tate, I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.” I turn in Tate’s arms to look at my totally shattered brother, his girlfriend holding him up. “You didn’t want to see it, Gray, because you were scared if something went wrong, you could lose them both. That’s a pain you could never take,” Tilly says to him as his head drops and his shoulders sag. “You didn’t mean to hurt them. You were just protecting yourself, and that’s okay.”
I walk out of Tate’s arms and into my brother’s. “Gray, it’s okay, we weren’t ready then. It wasn’t meant to be. Tate’s right. I needed to grow up, and he needed to learn to step back, just like you did.” His arms start squeezing me tighter. “Just like you and Tilly, we have happened when the universe—or Mom, whatever you want to believe—thought it was time. I don’t know why that night I took the chance and started to flirt with Tate, or that day he took the chance and kissed the air out of me.”
“Bella, for fuck’s sake, give me a chance, I’m hanging by a thread. Please, no details.” Gray’s strained words have us all laughing a little.
“But what I do know, is that right at that moment when his lips touched mine, I knew there was no going back. No matter what has stood in our way, work, you, or our own stupidity, we are here tonight, and there is nothing that will keep us apart again. So, for the love of god, can you pull it together and just be happy for us? Please, Gray, I love him like you love Tilly. Give us the chance for our happiness.”
“When the hell did you grow up and be smarter than me.” Gray looks down at me.
“And me,” Tate says from behind me. “I think she might have always been ten steps in front of us, buddy.”
Gray slowly kisses me on the forehead and then looks me in the eyes.
“I love you, Arabella Garrett, and I will always be your big brother. No one gets to take that away from me.”
“I wouldn’t let them, even if they tried.” Stepping out of his arms and to the side, I see the emotion of two best friends who have finally laid their emotions bare at each other’s feet.
Gray takes one step towards Tate.
“I’m sorry. You should’ve told me, although I probably would’ve punched you. But thank you for respecting Bella and our friendship, it means a lot, and I won’t forget it. I suppose I need to welcome you to the family, although I feel like you’ve always been my family anyway. I’ll say this once and you better listen,” he says, putting his hand forward and grabbing Tate’s shirt with his fist. “You ever hurt her, and I will have to kill you, and I like you too much to kill you, so can you just not hurt her?”
Tate says, with all the emotion he’s been holding back, “You have my word, Gray. I couldn’t hurt her. I love you both too much for that.”
Without warning, Gray pulls Tate into a hug, and they stand there finally making their peace with each other and their own souls.
My heart is beating so hard for these two men.
I love them both so much.
Tilly clears her throat a little. “I hate to break up this bromance moment, but we have a function to attend.”
“Always the event planner.” Tate laughs at her.
“Shit, yeah, we need to get back out there,” Gray stammers. “Umm, yes, umm.” He looks and sounds hilarious.
“Gray, honey, just breathe, I’ve got this.” Tilly smiles at him.
She then turns to us and starts taking charge. “I think you two love birds better get yourself cleaned up and presentable. Especially you, Tate, unless you want to hear shit from Lex and Mason all night about your pretty lipstick. I’ll take this man next door and kiss some life back into him and then get him back out there circulating until you’re ready. But I swear if you take too long, I will send Fleur looking for you, and if you think I’m bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Gray gives Tate the bro nod, then pecks me on the cheek as he follows Tilly out the door, doing as he’s told.
We both stand there staring at the door where they walked out.
“Well, that went better than I thought,” I giggle.
“Yeah, me too, I don’t have a black eye, which is a bonus.” Spinning me into his arms, Tate traps me in his bear hug.
“If you think you’re leaving this room without one more kiss, you are wrong, Tink. I need to hear my girlfriend tell me how much she loves me before she sends me out there.”
“Hmm, girlfriend, I can really get used to that title.”
“Yeah, but not too used to it. Don’t think I’m waiting for long to take this further, Bella. I want you with me always. As soon as you’re finished your residency, I want to make you my wife. Hearing the name Doctor Garret McIntyre would be the proudest moment of my life. But just so you know, that was not me asking you.” He pauses. “We never seem to get the big things right,” Tate continues. “So that was me telling you I was going to ask you.”
“And if that’s not good enough?”
The way he’s looking at me tells me how serious he is. His lips hovering above mine, in a low whisper that makes me shiver, he says, “I look forward to the challenge, baby.”
“You learned nothing through all this, did you, my naughty neuro.”
“I learned just one thing, Tink,” he answers. “Our love is like fire and it burns hot and crazy, but I wouldn’t want it any other way!”
“Maybe I was wrong about you, you really do get it,” I say, looking at the love of my life with the twinkle in his eye.
“Oh, I’m going to get it and so are you. All night long, baby.”
“Tate!”
25
Tate
STANDING HERE WATCHING MY beautiful Bella across the room, I finally feel like I can breathe for the first time in a very long time. I might not have gone about this perfectly, but she has seen through the mess to know that everything I did was for her and for us.
Seeing Bella happy and working the room, amongst all the people here to support her family and the life of her mother, is like a dream. I didn’t know how she was going to be able to cope with tonight, but in the end, she is finally finding some closure on her mother’s death. I’m so proud of how tough Bella is.
She’s right in pushing Gray and telling me to back off from her life. Giving her space has allowed her to shine brighter than ever before, all on her own.
“Do I need to give you the intimidating father talk about the way you need to treat my daughter?” her dad says as he comes up beside me where I’m leaning on the bar with the perfect view as I watch Bella.
“If it makes you feel better, then by all means, go ahead, but I can tell you it’ll be a waste of time. I never want to hurt her, and I promise to always love and protect her. It’s that simple.” I stand up straight, so he knows how serious I am. “Besides, your son already beat you to it.”
“That son of mine needs to stop thinking he’s her father, he’s making my job redundant.” We both laugh a little.
“Not going to happen, you know what Gray is like. Bella loves you so much and looks up to you. I know now how hard it must have been when you lost Maxine. Just having Bella walk away from me for a few days felt like my heart had been ripped from my body. I don’t know that I would have survived what you did, Milton.”
He looks at me for a moment, and I can tell his thoughts are lost in some memory. Taking a breath, he looks across the room at Bella and Gray.
“Those two kids are what pulled me through the darkest time in my life. I didn’t know how to live, but they didn’t give me a choice. I still needed to feed them and try to help them grieve. I feel guilty at times for the weight the burden Grayson took on. He stepped up as a man at such a young age. But he would never have been able to do it at all, if it weren’t for the support and friendship from you boys. I don’t think I’ve ever really thanked you all for what you did for my family. It’s why I love you guys; I lost a wife, but I gained three sons.” His eyes are watering, and to be honest, so are mine.
“No matter what happens in our lives, you will always have us. Plus, you know way too many of our secrets for us to ever piss you off. I mean, if my parents knew half the shit you know, I’d be written out of their will.”
Putting my arm around his shoulder, we both start laughing, I give him a hug to let him know how much he truly means to me. “Besides, if I’m going to marry that amazing woman over there, then I better be nice to her old man.”
He turns his head to look at me.
“Did I miss something, Tate?” His face is a little serious.
“Not yet, but it’s coming, and I will never let anything get in our way. I love Bella, and I want her with me. I’m not letting anyone else near her.”
“Tate.” He starts laughing at me and breaks away from my arm hold, to stand straight on. “You’ve never let any boy near her since she was five years old. That’s old news. You’ve always had her heart even before she knew what it was like to love a man.”
Now my heart feels like it’s about to crack open.
“Thanks, Milton, but the fact is, she took mine from me a long time ago and kept it safe with her, until I was man enough to live up to loving hers.”
Bella looks up from where she’s talking to a group of potential benefactors and gives me one of her amazing smiles, like she knows we’re talking about her.
“I think we both need a drink to celebrate everything good that’s happening here tonight. I have a feeling tonight has another surprise up its sleeve. Not that you and Bella were ever a surprise — well, except to Gray, who has buried his head in the sand for all these years.”
Signaling to the waiter for two more, Milton leans on the bar as we both clink out beers together.
“Here’s to your beautiful Bella and her butthead brother.” We both smile and take that much-needed sip of our drinks.
“Lord help me having you and Gray under the one roof on family occasions. Then again, nothing will change to how it’s always been, and I have to say that makes me a very happy man.”
We both remain chatting for a while longer until we’ve finished our beers. The whole time, though, I can’t take my eyes off my girl. She’s like a siren and calls to me no matter where she is.
With Milton talking now to some friends, I take my opportunity to seek her out in the room. Walking past the boys all standing together, they look at me, expecting me to stop there with them. But I’m more interested in the stunning woman in the white dress across the room than their ugly faces.
“Sorry, I’ve better offer, boys,” I mutter at them as I continue on.
“Be careful what you say, Tate, not sure I’m ready for any of that yet,” Gray mumbles while Lex and Mason start laughing at him.
“Oh, this is going to be gold to watch you two idiots,” Mason pipes up with his smart comment.
“Shut up, Mas.” Gray slaps him on the arm.
I continue laughing at their antics, knowing how lucky I am to have them.
“So, we hope that by setting up the center, then it won’t matter what the woman’s situation is in life, there will be the vital early intervention she needs to hopefully save her life,” Bella finishes talking as I approach her.
“It sounds like an amazing concept. We’ve already spoken to Grayson earlier and pledged our support. We wish you luck with it, my dear.” The older lady pats Bella on the arm, and she and her husband head off to speak to others.
“This schmoozing for money is hard work. I’m not sure how good I am at it.” She looks up at me with her uncertain eyes.
“Well, I’ll be the judge of that. Give me the hard sell and let’s see what I think.”
She moves in nice and close without touching me. Although we’ve told everyone important to us that we’re together, we need to keep it G-rated tonight until we both go to see Martin on Monday and give him the courtesy of being told before he hears it through the grapevine, and also so there are no repercussions on us at work.
“It’s like this,” Bella starts in that soft sexy voice she knows gets me going. “I picked out this white dress that tightly hugs my body, showing off my bare legs all the way up to the point that will hopefully drive this guy I like crazy. It might even have him wondering what I may or may not have on under this dress. Which then leads him to wonder what later tonight has in store for him.”
My dick has already been hard all night, with her looking so fucking hot. This could be my undoing right here.
“You be careful, Tink, otherwise I’ll be buying what you’re selling, right here in the middle of the room. Then they will all see what a good schmoozer you are.” Her little giggle tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing. “When are we leaving? Because my patience to have you out of that dress, that has been teasing me all night, is getting very strained. You want to hear a sales pitch? Well, here goes.”
Her eyes widen and her cheeks are already shading up a light pink.
“Tonight, when I get you out of this place, you are going to just let me take control of your pleasure. That dress you’re wearing just for me, is going to look so much better on the floor of your bedroom, with you standing naked in those fucking silver shoes. Then I’m going to take my time to kiss and touch every single inch of your body to reacquaint myself with what we agree is mine. And then…”
“Tate, stop. I can’t take much more. Especially when I can’t touch you the way I want to.” Her pupils dilate and her face has a beautiful rosy glow now. “You and your dirty mouth are killing me. I can’t squeeze my legs together any tighter.” Placing my hand on her arm, I slide it slowly up to her elbow, feeling her shivering under my touch.
“So, have I sold you on what I’m offering?” I tease her that little bit more.
“Like you need to ask. I’m almost desperate enough to find a broom closet.”
We laugh a little.
