Free My Mistake (Stories of Serendipity #7) by Anne Conley

had faith that they were together now, and he wouldn’t screw around on her. Not like Kevin.
    Although she’d been married to Kevin, and there had been two hundred witnesses to his vow of chastity and loyalty.
    She continued her nosy rummaging in his medicine cabinet, finding a flat box with the words, ‘buprenorphine – take one half strip sublingually once daily’. Raising her eyebrows in question, she grabbed a toothbrush and took the box to the next room where Brent was.
    “Hey, stud…what’s this?” She held the box up and watched his face shadow over with guilt before it cleared into a smile.
    “It’s a supplement mix, to help anxiety and sleep issues I have occasionally. No big deal. Did you find the toothbrush?”
    She held up her other hand, waving the toothbrush before going back into the bathroom to load it up and brush her teeth. She put the box back in the medicine cabinet, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that Brent had just been less than honest with her. Served her right for snooping.
    After she was clean and wearing a pair of Brent’s gym shorts which hung to her calves and a T-shirt she tied in a knot at her mid-drift, she walked into the kitchen to find Brent’s beautiful jean-clad tush sticking out of the fridge door. She slipped up behind him and swatted it. He rose, hitting his head on the top of the inside of the refrigerator and swore before turning around and taking her in his arms.
    “You trying to hurt me?”
    She shook her head, eyes widened painfully in innocence, aware of the undercurrents in his voice. He was speaking of something else, and she wasn’t sure what. Memories of their past surfaced, and she squashed them, not wanting the unpleasantness to invade the peace of their new-found beginning.
    He kissed her, a slow tender kiss. “I don’t have any food. Do you want to go into town to eat? I’m starved.” She nodded, her stomach had been growling as well.
    Brent took her hand, kissed it and then led her out to his truck. Mooch waited on the porch, and Brent tossed a handful of food in the eager dog’s bowl, before giving him a quick scratch behind his ears. He ushered Casey inside the passenger seat and walked around to the driver’s side. She took that moment to quell the excitement inside. She and Brent Baum were a couple! They had made love last night, all night, and this morning, she was deliciously sore, and he’d called her his. She was his. And she had the marks to prove it.
    Giddy with excitement, she grinned a goofy smile at him when he cranked the truck. Brent put it in gear and then clasped her hand while he circled the truck around the yard and then down the drive to the highway.
    “I know this is too soon, but I’ve always loved you, you know,” he said quietly.
    The declaration sent a dangerous tingle to her toes. She couldn’t answer straight-away, the quiet rumble of his voice took her breath away.
    “I was such an ass to you. Thank you for giving me another chance.” He was stopped at the highway intersection to leave his property, and his eyes on hers were sad.
    Casey turned and stroked his cheek. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, Brent. We’ve talked about this. It’s in the past. Please don’t beat yourself up over it.”
    “I have more in my past that I’m ashamed of, Case. Stuff that will make you hate me, I’m sure. But I don’t want to tell you and ruin this.” There was pain in his eyes, and she wanted it to go away. Casey could see the beginnings of a true heart-to-heart, and she really didn’t want to ruin the beautiful day they were having.
    “Brent, we’re starting something here. Something beautiful. Let’s not go there just yet. We’ll have time later. Let’s just enjoy this day. Okay?” She patted his hand that held hers, changing the subject.
    “Do you remember the first time we met?”
    “Yeah, I came into the house after baseball practice, all sweaty and mad at something the coach had said.