Page 18 of To Have and To Hold
The storm made it impossible for them to get in a run, which meant he should probably grab a few more minutes of sleep.
With that plan, Brantley turned off his alarm and crawled into bed, careful not to jar Reese. At the very least, Reese could sleep for a little while longer while Brantley stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts plagued by that damn conversation with his cousin.
“What’s on your mind?” Reese whispered from beside him, his warmth infusing him as Reese shifted closer.
“The storm woke me up.”
“Nightmare?”
“Yeah.”
“Same one?”
Brantley turned his head to look at Reese in the dim glow from the light in the hallway. “Yeah.”
Although he preferred not to talk about his experiences, Brantley had broken down one night and shared the details of that awful day when the world had quite literally toppled down around him. In return, Reese had given him a small glimpse into the hell he’d lived through, kept in a concrete bunker underground, terrified he would drown when it rained. Neither of them had offered placating words, but they’d listened. For Brantley, it had helped him to understand Reese better. His fear of dark, confined spaces made perfect sense now.
As for talking it out … It had helped. A little. The sharing part. Brantley still didn’t care to talk about it, but he didn’t mind admitting that he still dreamed about it.
Reese shifted closer. “You sure it’s just the storm?”
“What do you mean?”
“Stress usually brings on your nightmares.”
Reese knew him too well.
“Is it the wedding?”
Brantley turned to look at Reese, sliding his hand over his chest. “No.”
“You sure?”
“More than I’ve ever been in my life.”
Brantley slipped his arm under Reese, pulling him closer so he could kiss his forehead and inhale the sexy scent of his man.
“I’d marry you today if I could,” he said honestly.
“Me, too.”
Brantley chuckled. “You mean, we could’ve saved a ton of money and just eloped?”
Reese laughed. “You probably coulda talked me into it.”
Brantley shifted, twisting so he faced Reese, resting his chin on the top of Reese’s head, holding onto him. He loved moments like this when they had nothing to do and no one to answer to. It was a rarity for them, and he took advantage of the moment.
Reese’s hand moved over his back, stirring his body to life.
“I had a nightmare last night, too,” Reese admitted.
Brantley pulled back so he could meet his eyes. “About?”
Reese grinned. “We lost the rings, and JJ threatened to kill us both.”
Brantley barked a laugh, then hugged Reese to him once more. “We’re not gonna lose the rings. I promise.”
“You might’ve just jinxed us.”
