His Promise (Married in Montana Book 1) (11 page)

“That doesn’t sound good, either, Brad,” Neil said. “She’s done so much for Trevor. Where would he be without her?” He probably understood more about Trevor’s situation, living closer to Brad now in Hoquiam, than Jed did. Jed loved his brothers, but he also knew that once he said goodbye, he would always go back to his world, his life with Diana and the boys.

Brad’s face darkened, and he shook his head. Jed knew everything Emily had done, including opening Brad’s eyes so he could see that Trevor had autism, helping him understand when he couldn’t see what had been right in front of him.

“So what does this mean for school? Are they not going to take him?” Neil asked.

“Oh, they’ll take him, but it’s a question of what they’ll do for him, what support he’ll have. They won’t allow his current support worker to stay with him in high school. There are so many closed-minded people we’re dealing with right now. Emily handles it better than me. I’m not as nice, but at least when we walk in the school together and I’m with her, they treat my wife with more respect. They’re not as nice if she goes in alone.

“It’s becoming very political. It’s all about the money they get from the state for a child with autism,” he said. “It’s extra funding for the school, but the administrators can do anything with the money. The principal doesn’t have to account to the parents. He can decide what resources he wants to use. It’s frustrating when you don’t have a voice, and it make me so angry to realize that Trevor is literally a dollar sign to them. Unfortunately, we’re finding the older Trevor gets, and the more kids are now being diagnosed, the less willing schools are to work with us or his consultant, who’s the one responsible for how far he’s come. We had it good, or Trevor did, for so long, with a school and principal who understood what we were doing, who were willing to work with us.”

“But you paid for the support, the therapy, the courses, everything, and the school benefited. I don’t understand, Brad. This is a no brainer for them to want to work with you and your consultant.” Neil sounded irritated.

Jed didn’t know what to make of it as he listened. He couldn’t add anything, because if it were him, he’d go in demanding, not knowing what else to do. But it made sense now, Emily’s distraction. He couldn’t imagine Diana dealing with that, and he didn’t know how he’d handle any of it if he were in Brad’s shoes. Probably not well.

“We’d gladly continue to pay for services, support, anything we need to. We may have to consider home schooling, but that goes against everything Trevor needs socially.”

“Well, what about a private school, Brad? That may be a better option,” Neil said, looking around the table at all of them as if he already had some ideas.

“At the high school level, there isn’t much around. I wish there was. There’s more in the city, but I’m not packing my family up and moving there,” Brad said. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Of course you will,” Becky said. “You have a good woman in there who will make sure you’re headed in the right direction. Sounds to me as if maybe it would be good for me to spend some time with my daughter-in-laws.”

Jed wasn’t sure what to make of that—but maybe that would be exactly what Diana needed: another woman, his mother, to talk to.

Chapter 4

“E
m, you’re worrying yourself to death,” Brad said. “Come to bed. There’s nothing more you can do tonight. This is mom and dad’s anniversary, so just try to put it out of your mind for now. You can’t solve it from here.”

Brad was in bed in the guest room where they always stayed when they came to Cancun to visit his parents. It had a small balcony with French doors that overlooked the swimming pool. Everything was yellow and white, with an easy chair in the corner. It was comfortable, or should have been, except for the fact that his wife was pacing the tile floor barefoot in her short blue nightgown. He loved how it draped to her thighs, the thin spaghetti straps and flattering cut teasing him with her cleavage. She ran her fingers through her shoulder-length brown hair. She was slender and curvy, and his body stirred just thinking of settling inside her.

“Brad, I can’t. Do you know what that new principal said to me? He lost his temper on the phone when I called before leaving this morning, and he said he was tired of every parent coming in and telling him how to run his school. He was nasty.”

Brad had a few choice words he planned on saying to that principal, considering he was close to retirement but just wouldn’t budge. Maybe he needed to be the one to give the arrogant jerk the shove he needed. Whatever he decided, there was one thing this principal was going to learn really fast: Upsetting Brad’s wife was a bad move.

He pulled the covers down on Emily’s side and patted the mattress. “Come here, get in bed. Let it go for now. We can’t do anything yet, and maybe there’s some other options we can start looking at.”

“What options?” She stiffened as she stopped pacing, her hands on her hips.

Did she have any idea what it did to him when she stood before him looking this way? Obviously not, by the way she appeared so frazzled.

“Em, I mean it. Get in bed.” He wondered for a minute whether he’d have to get out of bed and get her—which he’d do if she didn’t get her butt in bed in the next few seconds. He was tired, and he knew she hadn’t been sleeping well, either, because every time she stirred in the night and tossed and turned, he woke up. Even her sighs as she struggled to sleep would wake him.

“Brad, you’re not taking this seriously.” She started toward him, obviously not having heard him. She was focused on talking, on venting her outrage about how twisted up this school crap was becoming. He’d had enough with the wasted energy and was thinking more and more about finding other options.

“I’m taking this very seriously, Em, but I’m not about to worry it to death and ruin our time with the family. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

He wondered for a moment whether she was going to argue with him, as she stiffened as if getting ready to fight. Any fight she had, he wanted to feel it under him, with the passion that burned between them. When she didn’t move but appeared to be thinking about how mad she was, he threw back the covers and climbed out of bed naked.

Of course she could see he wanted her, and what did she do in response but cross her arms and actually look at him as if she was going to deny him? The day she said no to Brad, and the day she wasn’t interested in making love with him and connecting the way they did, would be the day he truly realized they were in trouble.

He scooped her up, and she shrieked, looping her arms around his neck. He dumped her on the bed, her legs dangling over the side, and stood over her, looking down at her. She was breathing heavy, her chest rising and her eyes locked on to his. He took her legs and pressed them open, watching her as he ran his hand down her thighs to her knees. Her eyes took on that heated look, and he knew he was breaking through her resolve. She couldn’t fight him, not like this.

He ran his hand up the soft skin of her inner thigh again to her nakedness. She was so warm for him, and her breath hissed when he touched her. He didn’t say a word as he watched his wife watching him. How much would it take to get her to let go? He pressed the palm of his hand to her and could feel how wet she was. Then he slipped his hand under her nightgown, sliding up over her slender stomach and higher still.

He grabbed the hem of her nightgown and lifted it up to pull it over her head as she sat up for him, and he tossed it to the side. He could see how her breasts appeared to be waiting for his taste, his touch, as if begging him to take a nipple in his mouth. She was so on edge, he realized, that if he slid his finger inside her, she’d probably come off the bed. So he ran his hand down her stomach and then over her hip, purposely not touching her where she was begging him to. She moved her hips as he skimmed down the outside of her leg.

“Brad…” Her voice squeaked, and she raised her hips up, circling them and spreading her legs wider. He stepped away, and for a minute he thought she was going to reach for him and try to pull him back.

He couldn’t help the sly smile that pulled at his lips. She was so fired up and distracted, and before she could move any further, he stepped into her, taking her knees and pushing them out as he filled her hard and fast.

“Oh, Brad, oh my God,” she cried out as he moved again, hard and fast, rustling her on the bed as he held her legs wide. His hands wrapped around her knees as he continued to move again inside her. He didn’t take his eyes off the heat, the want and desire burning for him as he moved his hips, slapping against her softness.

“Put your arms above your head, Em,” he growled and watched as she reached up, squirming beneath him.

She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes, and he could tell she was fast losing herself in the feel of him, so he pulled out. “Brad, no, please…” she begged as she went to reach for him.

“No, look at me, arms up. You watch me, and you look at me. Don’t turn away.”

She was at a point where he knew she’d do anything he asked of her. Right now, he was going to take her over the edge so she could forget everything but this moment and them. He grabbed her hips this time and wasn’t gentle when he moved inside her, faster, harder, riding her to the point of being rough. But he knew she loved it, that she could take it. She was a woman who could keep up with him, his woman, whom he could never get enough of.

He could feel her starting to come apart under him, and knowing her so well and how she responded to him, he knew the moment right before she cried out. He probably understood her body and how she responded to his touch better than she did. He moved harder, taking her with him over the edge, connecting their souls closer, he swore, than it was possible for two people to ever connect. Then he collapsed on top of her.

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