To Be Loved By You - A Bradley Bradshaw Story

Walk Away

Author's Note: Hey guys. I just want to thank you all so much for being patient while I took the time to grieve these past few months. I ended up losing not just my Papa but my Grandma as well and needed the time for myself and my family. 

It was actually a really hard decision for me to start writing again. This being my first holiday season without them is hard, but I also believe they would want me to do something that brings me joy; sharing this story with you guys does just that! So I am back with new chapters for To Be Loved By You.

This is a short one, but ya'll and Brad have waited long enough to find out what Thea's decision is!

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His eyes closed and when she let go of them his warm hands resumed their path along her thighs. She felt him take a deep breath beneath her and hated the pain etched on his face. Thea hated that she had caused it. "Bradley," she whispered.

He hummed in response but didn't open his eyes. He continued breathing deeply. She sighed and realized for the first time how hard this month must have been on him. He'd always seemed so confident about their deal. He'd seemed so sure of what her decision would be. He'd reassured her so many times she never thought he might need the same thing.

She laid down so her chest rested against his and cupped his cheeks between her hands. "Bradley," she called to him again. This time he opened his eyes and the heartbreak she saw there was palpable. He still seemed sure of her decision, but he obviously no longer thought that decision would be in his favor. "Oh, Rooster. I'm so sorry I ever made you think I could walk away from you."

His brow furrowed as she ran her thumbs along his cheeks. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but quickly closed it.

"I don't need more time because I know that I want you." She smiled down at him, trying to look as reassuring as she could.

He was quiet and she gave him time to process her words and what they meant. She watched as the tension between his eyebrows eased and a small smile spread across his face. His hands ceased their travel up and down her thighs, coming to rest against the small of her back instead. "You do," he questioned. Despite his smile, she heard the uncertainty in his voice.

She felt as if her heart might burst when she saw the hope in his hazel eyes. "I do."

It took him a moment to react. A breathtaking smile took over his face and he launched himself forward into a seated position, taking her with him. She wrapped her legs around his hips, settling in his lap, as he buried his face in her neck. His arms wound around her back and she smiled as she pressed a kiss to his temple.

She didn't know how long they sat together, wrapped in each other's arms, but she didn't care. Wrapped in his arms was the only place she wanted to be. Running her fingers through his hair, she thought back to her week without him.

It had been so hard to say goodbye, to only see his face through the camera of her phone, to worry about him, to have to wait for his return. She had realized halfway through the week that the pain and worry of missing him would only be worse if she asked him to leave her when their month was over. There would be no phone calls and there would not be a promise of his return.

If she asked him to leave, her life would be devoid of any trace of him.

He would be good and truly gone.

That realization made her heart drop and terrified her more than she had thought it would.

"Thea," he murmured against her skin. He paused a moment and his chest moved against hers as he breathed deeply. "You're sure?"

She smiled again. He was putting her feelings before his own, even at the risk of hurting himself. "I'm sure, Bradley."

His hands rested on her shoulder blades as he pulled his head back to meet her gaze. Her hands came to rest on the sides of his neck as he spoke. "You're not scared?"

Her mind wandered back to the night they had made this proposition. "What if I'm still afraid? What if I can't?" She couldn't honestly say that she had conquered her fear.

"I'm not scared." With a sigh, Thea let her forehead come to rest against his. "I am absolutely terrified." She looked into the hazel eyes that had captivated her the night they met. "But what I can't do, Bradley is ask you to leave."

He looked up at her with eyes so full of love she felt light and safe. "Then I won't." One of his hands left her back to cup her cheek and his thumb moved gently against her bottom lip. "As long as you want me, sweetheart, I won't go anywhere."

—

The rain was still falling when his eyes fluttered open. The sky outside Thea's window was gray and heavy but that didn't stop the smile that spread across his lips as he looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms. Her curls laid haphazardly against his shoulder and her eyelashes danced against her freckled cheeks as she slept.

He couldn't help but revel in the thought that this was his life now. Quiet moments like this were no longer threatened by a calendar. He and Thea would have all the time they wanted to be together. Brad felt like he could finally focus on cherishing his time with Thea instead of trying to get as much of it as possible.

A gentle vibration from her bedside table made Thea's breathing speed up and her eyes squeeze shut tightly before opening. She looked up at him, smiling a sleepy smile, and croaked out a raspy, "Hi."

"Hey, sweetheart." He turned his head just enough to press his lips to her forehead. How many more mornings would he get to see this side of her? The relaxed, weightless woman she was before the responsibilities of life seeped into her morning. His heart soared as he realized he no longer had to count; he'd be there for all of them.

She placed a soft kiss on his chest before rolling away to see what had made her phone buzz beside them. He saw from his place next to her that it was a message from Jim reminding her that he was working the weekend for her and warning her against stepping foot in the gym below them. Chuckling, she sent a message of thanks before depositing the phone back in its resting place and turning to him again.

Her eyes met his and where he once saw uncertainty he now saw a loving resolve. In her eyes, he saw reassurance that she hadn't changed her mind since the night before. She smiled again, settling against him. Her finger traced an invisible line between the freckles on his chest. "Can we always wake up like this?"

Her voice was gentle and shot straight to his heart like an arrow. "We sure can, sweetheart." He knew that may not really be realistic, but he would spend the rest of his life trying to do just that for her.

"Good," she sighed. The finger moving against his chest slowed as he ran his fingers through her hair. Eventually, her hand fell against his chest and her breathing evened out. When he was sure Thea was asleep, he allowed his own eyes to fall shut, knowing that a future with the woman he loved awaited him when he woke.

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Author's Note: I hope you guys liked it! I'll be back here in a few days with another chapter!