Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail

Then a different thought came to me. "Why are you here, Kid? You don't go to this school. You don't even go to school."

A guilty look flashed over his face, but the back door opened at that moment. Clarissa hopped inside. From the determined look in her eye and the apology in Kid's, I knew I'd been set up.

"Oh no. You both did not just manipulate me."

She rolled her eyes. "Get over it. I called him to talk to you. Something was seriously wrong with you and Brady today. Kid's the only one I thought you might talk to about it." She folded her arms over her chest and leaned back. "I was being a good friend."

"A good friend? You know what those are?"

"Yes!" She flicked her braid over her shoulder. "What's going on with you? What's going on with Brady?"

"Leave it alone, Clarissa. Please, leave it alone. It's complicated."

"Does this have to do with your mom being in town?"

The world fell away underneath me. I was starting to hyperventilate…

Clarissa continued from a distance, "I saw her at the Stephens' house when I went over to tell Kid that something was wrong with you. Does this have to do with her? Because if it does, that's horrible. She's a bitch. Does she not want you and Brady to be together? That's the only thing that'd make sense to me."

I reached around the seat and grabbed her braids to yank her close. "Why was my mother there?" I glared at Kid, "Why was my mother with your dad?"

Kid's eyes were wide and he leaned all the way back against his window. "She came back with him from the funeral."

"What funeral?" I ground out.

"The one my dad was at."

"Where?" My heart was racing. I couldn't catch my breath. Everything was rushing at me so fast now.

And then Kid answered quietly, "Florida."

My mom. His dad. Florida. She was back. At that moment, I was barely aware of anything. Then a door slammed and someone pounded on my window. Everything was spinning around me now.

It couldn't be. There was no way. She was back…

I blinked back the darkness. I was about to faint and I didn't want that. I couldn't go away when so much was within my grasp. Then my door opened and I started to fall backwards.

"Rayna!"

I was caught by someone.

"What the hell, Kid? Clary?"

"We didn't do it. She freaked out on her own."

"What'd you say to her?"

Kid's voice was far away. "Nothing. She just found out her mom's at my house."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Brady?" There he was. He was holding me and then he looked down. I felt him brush my hair back from my forehead. "Rayna, it's okay. Whatever's wrong, it's okay."

Was it? I had no idea, but I stayed there for a moment and relished the feel of his arms. It felt so right to be in them again. When I looked up again and saw the concern there, I knew he loved me. I saw it for real for the first time. It was there, underneath the surface he always shows to everyone. I saw how he loved me and I choked up. How could we have wasted so much time? Then again, we still didn't know…I took one more breath, closed my eyes as Brady swept a hand down the side of my face and then pushed away.

I reeled for a second. Everything felt right when I was in his arms.

"My mother is here."

Brady pulled me out of the car. As the others followed he wrapped his arms around my waist.

Clarissa explained, "I thought maybe that was why you and Rayna fought today."

"You saw her mother?"

"Brady." I didn't want him to say anything more. I didn't fully trust Clarissa.

"She hasn't seen her mother in six years, Clarissa! Goddamn it. Think sometimes," Brady snapped while he cradled me against his chest.

"I didn't know. I just wanted to help her."

"Brady, that's not fair. She doesn't know Rayna's history. No one really knows it."

"I do and you should've come to me before you cornered her." Then he turned his back to them and whispered in my ear, "You want to go there?"

My body had grown numb, but I needed to see her. I needed to know.

"Okay. Okay, we'll go there." With his hands on my hips, he steered me to his passenger door. I huddled against the door until he got in on the other side. Then he scooped an arm around my waist and pulled me over the divider, pressed against his side. He kissed my forehead. "I told 'em not to follow us. You need your time alone with her."

I rested my forehead against his shoulder as he pulled onto the highway.

"It'll be okay." Brady found my hand with his.

"I hope so." I hoped so much.

"I know that you haven't really talked much about your mom. You've said before that you didn't want to have a relationship with her, but she's here. That's something. If my mom was in town, even for a day, I'd be happy to get any time I could with her."

Brady had never talked about his parents. He'd always said he was happy with foster parents that didn't kick him out. But now, I heard something else.

"Do you think about your mom?"

"What kid doesn't?" He jerked a shoulder up.

"Do you think of her a lot?"