| Chapter Twenty Seven |
| It was almost eleven, she had said good night to her parents and was making her way to the front porch, where JC and Justin were. "JC, you can't do it." Justin quieted as soon as Brianne stepped onto the porch. "I wish you could stay, baby." She took a seat in his lap, then looked up at him expectantly. "I'm sorry, babe." He stood, after helping her up, then started for his car. "Bye to you too." She fell back into the place he had been in, then watched as his car pulled out of the driveway. "Brianne, if I tell you something you promise to let me finish before doing anything?" Justin spoke nearly ten minutes later, finally deciding to come clean. "You going to tell me about the other night?" She slid until she was laying down, her feet in his lap on the proch swing. "Yeah, mostly." He put his hands on her socked feet, rubbing gently. "Go ahead." She prompted letting her eyes slide closed, ready to take in all the information. "So the other night I was sitting at my house, just watching TV, when I got a call from Laura, JC's ex girlfriend. Apparently last Thursday, when we didn't know where he went, he was with her." Tears took his eyes, when he saw the one's brimming her eyes, as they stayed closed. "Anyway, he wanted to see her for closure, before he could throw himself into your relationship. Which I guess I understand, I'm not sure. Anyway I think he is going to see her again, this weekend." Justin cleared his throat, trying to hold back the tears trying to escape, he knew he was hurting her. "I just, I was thinking about the whole big brother thing, and I knew I had to tell you." "What makes you think he's going to see her this weekend?" She crawled to him, throwing her head to into his chest. "I don't know, I could be far from right." "Oh, who gives a shit. She can have him." She called from his chest, where despite her words, the tears were starting to come. He shushed her, rocking her slightly. "I'm going to bed." She informed nearly half an hour later, then stood ready to show him the guest room he would be staying in. "You going to be okay?" He stood before the door to the room she had shown him, not ready to let her go. "I'll be fine." She assured, giving her best smile, it fading when Justin turned to go into the room, and she left for her own. "Fine? Sometimes I amaze myself." She threw herself onto her bed, still exactly the same as the day she left for college. She laid there, staring at nothing in particular for a while, until her cell phone starting it's melody to tell her someone requested to speak to her. "Hello?" "Hey, I just wanted to check on you." Justin's chuckles were stifled in his attempt to make her smile. "You are crazy." She smiled, his main goal, he could hear it in her voice. "I just wanted to call and make sure you were awake before I walked all the way over there." He teased, happy he had done something to lighten the mood he had soured. "You're sweet, I'll see you in the morning." "Sweet dreams." "You too." With that she hung up, needing a full night's rest to even think about getting up the next morning. "Thanks, I needed another heart attack." She tried to push Justin's figure off of her, where it had landed when he had decided to jump on her to wake her. "I thought you were long overdue." He teased, his hands attacking her sides. "Are you guys having fun?" Her father stood in the doorway a few minutes later, watching as his daughter laugh while Justin tickled her. "I'm sorry." Justin immediately removed himself, not sure that it was acceptable for him to be laying on the man's night clothed daughter while he was also in his pajamas. "That's what I thought." He threw Justin a grin, then made his way to his daughter. "I want my turn too." He attacked her, her giggles filling the house as Justin sighed with relief. "Daddy, stop!" She squeeled trying to wiggle her way away from him. "Tell me how much you love me." "I love you so much nothing would ever come between us." She called through tearful laughter while Justin looked on, loving the fact he could see her with her family. "That's what I thought, Scooter." Her father stopped to kiss her forehead. "Now get dressed, your mother wants to go to the mall." "Justin, can you go to the mall?" She sat up suddenly, looking over at Justin's chuckling form. "Of course, a hat and sunglasses is all I need." "Ok, then get out so I can shower." She pushed him out of the door playfully, then turned to her father. "I love you Daddy." "I love you too, Scooter." "Good, then you won't mind if I kick you out." She pushed him until he was standing next to Justin, then shut the door. "You guys are a good influence on her." Her father looked at the closed door, proud that his daughter was learning to speak her mind. "Glad you think so." "Every father wants his daughter to be able to stand up for herself. And someone willing to make sure she will." "Me?" Justin watched his smile grow and his head nod. "Of course you, you're playing brother right?" "Yes I am." Justin's eyes went over his own body as her father's did the same. "I'm sure you'll do a good job, now if you'll excuse me, I have to get my wife out of the bathroom so I can take a shower. You can use that one." He pointed down the hall and Justin headed toward the room to gather his shower things. |
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