I Know You ~ J.Seresin

40

It was another one of North Island's famous rainy days. Javy and Natasha took Bob, and Reuben to the town over, while Mickey and Lucia spent their day together. Bradley decided to also stay in North Island with Brigham, the two at his house drinking beers.

"So, you're telling me you weren't always a manwhore?" Brigham asks Bradley as he looks at the man in the kitchen. Bradley shrugged as he opened two more beers and walked over to the couch.

"Why does that shock you?" He asks as he sits on the opposite side of Brigham on the couch.

The man looks at Bradley with a smirk.

"Have you seen yourself?" Brigham snorts. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Brigham shrugs. "You're a total ladies' man. I'm surprised you never tried to make the moves on Tate,"

Bradley frowns disgusted as he looks over at Brigham. "Tate's my sister, why would I make the moves on her?"

"Not even once?"

"Not once,"

He always saw Tate as his sister. And as her brother, he never had that thought cross his mind. He only saw himself protecting her and being there when she needed him.

Bradley was there for her during the most critical times that had shaped her. But she was there for him.

She was always there.

She was there when his mother died.

When Maverick left.

When his papers got pulled.

She was there for so much more. And she was always going to be there for him. But he didn't know if now she would.

The two of them had been through so much trauma and so much heartache, but they still found a way to be happy around each other and still love each other.

Bradley only faintly remembered what it felt like to be loved by his mother. It felt as if the older he got, the more he forgot about how his mother's touch felt. Her perfume. Her smile. It was all so distant.

He would never forget her, but, it was hard to remember.

But Tate, she made him feel so loved.

The Kazansky's weren't his biological family, but they made all the efforts to help him feel like he was. He'd never dare forget that he is a Bradshaw.

But he was also a Kazansky.

And he had Tate to always be thankful for that. Thankful for giving him a family when he needed it the most.

She always meant well.

Which, now that he thinks about it, maybe she was doing the right thing by not telling him about Maverick being here.

Or, maybe she is telling the truth. Maybe she really didn't that he was going to be here on North Island with them.

"Hey, you good man?" Brigham asks as he pulls Bradley out of his thoughts. He looks over at Brigham and nods.

"Yeah man, I'm fine. Just got lost in thought," Bradley sighs as he pushes up off of his knees and gets off the couch.

He walks into the kitchen and puts his half drank bottle of beer down on the counter. Brigham watches as he sees a change in the man.

Brigham knew about what happened between Bradley and Tate. All the aviators knew about what happened.

Even the Admirals.