My lovely, dear readers, it's been too long. I've missed you guys! I'm really excited for this chapter, because things are actually starting to happen now. Haha.

Also! A big shout out to everyone who's been reviewing on One Night! We broke 100 reviews in the last chapter which is completely AWESOME! We're actually at 101. So, if you read that story and you're also reading this, THANK YOU. *Virtual Hugs!*

Do you think we could break 60 reviews for this one? Do you love me enough? Maybe?

Anyway! Please enjoy this chapter, and like always, if you have requests for one-shots or anything, don't be afraid :) You can even leave an anonymous review, although I won't be able to talk to you about it. But hey, it's up to you.

Love!

To be honest, Brylee couldn't really believe that James was here, in her kitchen, and that he had actually brought her stuff. She didn't know what, but he had a bag and a white box. She remembered what had happened the last time James was around for her birthday, and part of her wanted that. She wanted to cuddle on the couch, and have him give her compliments, and make love in front of the fireplace.

Whoa, she thought. I don't know about that last one.

"So," James said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "What have you been up to all day?"

Brylee missed even this. Having a conversation with someone that actually cared about her. Someone who could tell her that everything would be fine, and she had nothing to worry about. Or maybe she was getting ahead of herself. Maybe James wouldn't do any of that anymore.

For all she knows, he could really be an inconsiderate douche now. He admitted to her that in LA he had slept around, so who knows what else is different.

"Nothing much," Brylee said, walking over to the cabinet next to the refrigerator and opening it. "I sat around and drank hot chocolate and watched movies."

She heard James chuckle, then he said "I bet you're glad that it snowed." The woman smiled to herself as she pulled out to glasses.

Maybe he did remember things about her. Because she sure did love it when it snowed on her birthday.

"Yeah," she said, laughing a little. She set the two glasses down on the island, then got a bottle of wine and an opener. "Do you want some?" she asked James, who took a few steps closer.

"Yeah, sure," he said. Brylee poured them both a glass, then handed one to James, their hands brushing against each other for a moment. She felt a heat surge through her body, and she headed into the living room, James following close behind.

They sat down on the couch, and they both stayed quiet for a moment, just enjoying the company of the other person there. Yeah, it was a little awkward, too, but they were both lost in their thoughts.

"How was your day?" Brylee asked James, and then suddenly it was like she was in an entirely different situation. She felt like a housewife or something, saying a line like that. She didn't know why, but she did, and she felt like she was married to the man sitting on her couch. She shook her head, telling herself to stop acting like such a teen, and distracted herself by taking a sip of her wine.

"It was really good," James answered, a small smile on his face. "Ashley and I went to go visit my dad, and get this, he woke up."

Brylee felt herself smile, for seeing James happy. She knew he had been stressed about his dad being in the hospital, and being unconscious for the past few weeks, and she was honestly happy too.

Back when she was a teenager, James' parents were pretty much her parents. They took her in whenever she needed someone to talk to, they let her come on vacations, they gave her advice. And James' dad, John, was especially supportive of Brylee and James' relationship.

But that also meant he got mad at her, seeing as she was like family. And there was specifically one time where things were awkward between the three of them.


It was a few months before James left for LA, and Brylee was over one Saturday night, and she and James were alone.

They were up in his room, which his parents were fine with, but his door was closed, which was not okay. The only rules Ruth and John had set for the couple was that James' bedroom door stayed open when they were in there together, and that when Ashley, Jeremy or themselves were around, they'd keep the PDA to a minimum.

The two teens did fine with the rules, but then the first one became harder and harder for them as their physical relationship got better. They had to seriously contain themselves from ripping the other one's clothes off and have sex right there, with the door wide open and everyone else down in the kitchen.

But one night, they thought they were alone, and they were up in his room, the door shut tight. They were in his bed, under the covers, clothes strewn around the room, and James was sucking at the pale skin on her neck, and she was breathing heavily. Brylee had moaned his name softly as he bit at her skin, and her hand was traveling slowly down south when the door flew open, John in the middle of a sentence.

He thought James was alone, but he was clearly wrong when he was met with the sight of James and his girlfriend in his bed. He and Ruth were hoping they weren't doing something so intimate, but it was clear now that they were.

James yelped, and Brylee blushed a deep red and pulled the blankets up to her neck and looked away from John. "Get dressed please, then meet me downstairs in the living room," he said, then turned and walked down the stairs.

Brylee was convinced James' parents were going to hate her now, and they were never going to let her come over anymore. The pair got dressed, then went down to the living room and sat on the couch while they waited for John and Ruth.

When it was finally time to talk to the teens, James' parents had the usual talk, if they were being safe and everything like that. The pair had never blushed so much in their entire life, after having to answer questions like how long had this been going on and how often it happened.

At the end of the night, James' parents were calm and rational about it, and told them nothing like this would be going on when anyone was home. They told them they weren't going to make them stop, because they couldn't, but that they had to make sure they were alone because the last thing they needed was Ashley and Jeremy witnessing something like that.


Brylee pushed those thoughts out of her mind, and focused her attention back to what James was saying about his dad.

"That's great," she said. "I'll have to visit him."

James felt a smile play at his features, because he thought after everything he did to this woman that she'd never want to speak to him again, much less talk to his father. "Yeah, for sure. He'll be coming home tomorrow afternoon."

"I'll have to make something for him and your mom," Brylee said, taking another sip of her wine.

"They'd really like to see you," the taller man said, and he was sure they would. They adored Brylee.

"I'd like to see them too," she admitted softly.

James set his glass down on the table, then looked at Brylee for a moment, and got caught up with her looks. Her long brown hair fell over her shoulders, her eyes dark and peaceful, and her skin smooth and flawless. She wore a red sweater that showed off just the right amount of cleavage that was enough to drive the man off the wall. She also wore a pair of dark jeans that hugged her waist and rested right below her belly button.

"I think now is a proper time to give you your presents," James announced, standing up in front of her.

"James, you didn't have to get me anything," Brylee said, looking back as he walked into the kitchen and got the box and bag that sat on the island.

"It was the least I could do," he said, and then held himself back from saying for putting you through all that shit eight years ago, but he kept his mouth shut as he sat back down next to her.

She put her glass on the coffee table next to James' and then set the back he gave her on the floor in front of her. She pulled the tissue paper out of the bag, then picked up a thick book.

"How'd you know?" Brylee asked, staring at the book of Emily Dickenson poems in her hands.

"I've got my connections," James said, and Brylee laughed, because that was the same thing Lucy had said last night.

The only other thing in the bag was a rectangular box, and she picked it up and opened it to see a gorgeous white gold bracelet that had a few little diamonds hanging from it.

"James, this is beautiful!" Brylee said, taking the thin bracelet in her hands and feeling the cool metal on her skin.

"I'm glad you like it," he told her.

"I love it," she said, setting it down on the table to hug him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his arms went to her back.

His fingers touched the skin of her back where her sweater had ridden up slightly, and she breathed in the scent of her hair. Brylee, on the other hand, liked being back in James' strong arms. She liked the way his body felt so close to hers.

When James pulled away, the pair just stared at each other for a moment, their eyes boring into the others, and it was like nothing bad had ever happened between them. The love was still there, the passion was still there.

James pushed a curl out of her face and behind her ear, his fingers running down the length of it, to wear it ended next to her chest. Brylee could hardly breathe, with James being so, so close to her.

Then he leaned in, his hand in her hair now, and she forgot what she was supposed to do for a moment. James hesitated halfway for a moment, but then just went for it.

And he kissed her.

It wasn't this passion filled, hard kiss, but it took their breath away. Brylee closed her eyes and James pulled her a little bit closer as his lips moved against hers. It was just like how he remembered it, her lips still soft and fitting perfectly between his. They stayed like that, just kissing, mouths moving together, for a few moments.

And then Brylee realized something.

She shouldn't be doing this.

But then a part of her said "Just one. Just one kiss."

And despite how much she wanted to pull away and not surrender to him again, her heart was telling her otherwise.

DUN DUN DUN! I did it again because I'm a mean person. But seriously, the next chapter will not disappoint.

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