Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Bree woke up in Trent’s arms, but nothing had happened once they’d gotten to her hotel room. For that matter, nothing had happened on the beach either. Well, that wasn’t quite true. There’d been a lot of kissing, a lot of touching, but they hadn’t gone all the way. That was okay with Bree, though. She loved Trent, but she thought he was right to take things slow. He’d obviously just gotten out of a long term relationship, and she was making the mental adjustment to thinking they’d never be together to realizing he was hers now.

“Hey, beautiful,” Trent said, his eyes meeting hers. “How are you?” He brushed a lock of strawberry-blonde hair away from her face. Bree had taken a shower when they’d come back to her room the night before while Trent went to his room to get a few things and also take a shower. They’d both been covered in sand. It had been well worth it, though.

“I’m great. How are you?” she asked, leaning up to kiss him.

“Better than I’ve been in a long time,” he replied, once he pulled away. “What time does your plane leave?”

“Two o’clock.” How many times in the last week had she thought about making that an earlier flight? And now, she didn’t want to get on the plane at all.

The night before, he’d talked about how he was supposed to be leaving for his honeymoon that morning. He should’ve been getting ready to go to the airport himself right now to catch a flight to the Bahamas. Instead, he was wrapped in Bree’s arms. He’d asked if she wanted to go with him, but when she told him she had a bunch of gigs booked over the next two weeks, he’d completely understood. He’d also went ahead and cancelled all of the accommodations so that Monica couldn’t use them.

“Last night, after you went to sleep, I was thinking, I’ve got two weeks off from work. How would you feel about me coming to Nashville for a while? I don’t have to stay with you if you don't want me to, but that will give me a chance to spend more time with you, and maybe I could even look at the possibility of opening a firm there.”

Bree’s eyebrows arched. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. “You’d do that? You’d consider moving to Nashville. For me?”

He shrugged as if it weren’t that big of a deal. “Sure. I mean, I was already thinking I might have to move to New York or Paris. I’d much rather move to Nashville. It’s not Kentucky, but it’s close. My parents will be thrilled.”

Once again, Bree couldn’t help but lean up and kiss him. “You’re amazing. Yes, of course, I’d love for you to come with me. Some of my gigs are out of town, though.”

“That’s cool. I can either go with you or hang out in Nashville and wait for you. Whichever you want.”

Bree’s smile widened, and she ran her hand through his hair. “God, you’re amazing. I can’t believe you’re actually willing to give up everything you’ve worked so hard for just to be with me.”

“Bree, you’ve worked so hard to make it to where you’re at right now. Of course, I’m willing to do whatever I need to do in order to be with you and help you achieve your dream. Besides, I have a lot of money saved. If I can’t open my own firm, I should be able to find a job somewhere else eventually. If not, I’ve got enough to fall back on for a while.”

“It would be so cool if you moved to Nashville, Trent. I just love it there. Even though I may have to travel some, and eventually, I might even do a tour, I think Nashville will always be my home.”

“Sounds like a great place to start a family to me,” he replied. He realized what he’d said and his eyes enlarged. “I mean… you know, if a person intended to start a family….”

Grinning mischievously at him, Bree asked, “And… do you want to start a family?”

Trent shrugged. “Well, yeah, maybe. Someday. Probably.”

Laughing, she pushed him over and climbed on top of him so that her arms had his pinned. “Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself a little bit there, Mr. Walker?”

“I don’t know. Maybe,” he said, smiling up at her. “I guess, when I know what I want, I take it… ten or fifteen years later.”

Bree couldn’t hold her laughter back. She leaned down and kissed him, letting his arms go, and he wrapped them around her, pulling her close as she swung her leg over his hips so that she was straddling him. The idea of starting a family with Trent was enough to make her feel all warm inside. He would be an excellent father, she just knew it. And making the babies was sure to be more fun than she had ever even let herself imagine.

“Here it is… my humble abode.” Bree opened the door to her small, one bedroom apartment, and stepped aside so that Trent could bring in their baggage. She was slightly embarrassed at how tiny the place was, but Trent smiled and nodded as he walked in.

“It’s really cute, Bree. I like how you’ve decorated it. You always did have a good eye for things like that.”

“You think?” She let out a deep breath. “Thanks.”

“Sure. The way you described it on the plane, I was expecting it to be much smaller.”

“Well, I’m assuming your house is a lot larger than my little apartment.”

He shrugged and set his bag down, letting go of the handles of their bigger suitcases. “My house is pretty good sized, but it’s also a rental. Monica didn’t want to buy anything until after we got married. Now, I’m really glad I didn’t.”

“I’m glad you didn’t actually live together, too. That could’ve made things a lot harder.”

“True. I hope she’s prepared to start paying her own rent.” He rolled his eyes, and Bree shook her head. She really had been mooching off of him for all of these years. “I called my neighbor and had him change the locks on all of the doors, and I had the housekeeper bag up all of the stuff Monica had left behind and take it to her apartment so that she has no reason to come by.”

“Good thinking.” Bree hadn’t even thought about all of that. Trent was on top of it.

“Well, I can see her being… vindictive.”

A cold breeze seemed to blow up Bree’s spine, leaving her shuddering. Would Monica try to do something to either one of them now that she’d become a woman scorned? Hopefully, she was so busy with Hank now that she would just let Trent go. Hank had called Trent earlier that day to see how he was and to let him know that he was with Monica. She was still really upset at being left at the altar, but Hank was doing his best to keep her distracted. He’d also asked about the flight to the Bahamas. Apparently, Monica had been considering using the tickets. Bree almost rolled her eyes just thinking about it.

Bree took her bag and rolled it toward the small laundry area by the kitchen. “I’ll go back out to your car and get your guitar and your other bag,” Trent offered.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him, glad that he was so thoughtful. He’d even paid for her parking when they left the airport, but she was going to be careful about not letting him pay for everything. She knew he was used to it, but she wasn’t Monica.

She put in a load of laundry, not wanting to let it wait, and when he came back in, she asked, “Do you have any dark clothes you want to add to this load?” She had a feeling he didn’t have a lot of casual clothes with him, just swimming trunks and nice clothes.

“I do. Thanks. I’m probably going to have to go shopping soon, though.” Bree nodded, thinking that was probably the case.

In order to give him some privacy, she took her other bag into the bedroom and started putting her makeup and other essentials away. It was strange to have a man in her apartment; she’d never lived with a guy before and hadn't had a roommate in a long time--not since college, and that hadn’t always turned out well. But the idea that she’d get to see Trent every day for at least the next two weeks brought a smile to her lips.

“What are you so happy about?” he asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her.

Looking at their reflection in the mirror above her dresser, Bree noted how amazing they looked together. He was so handsome, and he brought a glow to her she’d never seen before. “I’m happy that you’re here,” she replied, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“I’m happy to be here.” He kissed her cheek, and Bree turned her mouth toward his, aware that the bed behind him was only steps away.

Trent deepened the kiss, his hands caressing her through her dress. She turned, wrapping her arms around his neck, and slowly backing him toward the bed.

He didn’t put up a fight. Instead, he lifted her and took her down to the mattress with him. Bree wasn’t sure if he was ready to consummate their relationship or not, but as he continued to kiss her, and their hands tugged and pulled each other’s clothing, she found her leg hooked over his hip, and she couldn’t help but do her best to erase the distance between him. She’d always wanted Trent; at the moment, it was a desperate hunger, and as his mouth kissed a trail down her neck, she knew nothing would satiate it until he was hers in every way possible at last.