Whispers of a Broken Halo by Abbi Glines

Cullen’s eyes went wide, and he gazed at me as if I had hung the damn moon. “Really? You could do that?”

“Of course I can. I’ve known Mr. Charles a long time.”

“Do you know the man who owns the pizza place? Because he don’t like us either. That’s why we make our own pizzas. But I sure would like some pizza from there. It smells real good when you pass by it.”

What the fuck did Dan O’Neil have against Bryn? Jesus, was this entire town full of assholes? Just because Tory had done something, they didn’t have to blame it on Bryn and Cullen.

“We will be eating pizza from there tonight,” I assured him.

Cullen let out a woot. I unbuckled him, and he climbed out of the Jeep on my side. “I can’t wait to tell Aunt Bryn!” he said. “She loves the smell of that pizza too.”

He started to run for the stairs and stopped, then came back to me to take my hand.

“Sorry. I forgot I can’t walk in the parking lot alone,” he said to me seriously. “Aunt Bryn don’t want me hit by a car.”

I nodded and held on to his hand firmly. “She’s a smart woman,” I said.

“She’s real smart,” he agreed. “She’s got a job that pays her lots of money. I get to drink milk every day now, and we got snacks in the house, and I get to eat ice cream almost every week!”

I felt a tight knot in my stomach as he talked about all the food he had now, thanks to his aunt Bryn’s job. Things most kids took for granted. Things I knew all too well what it was like to go without. Bryn’s job made more sense to me, the more the kid talked.

I was a fucking asshole. Just like the rest of this town.

When we got to the door and knocked, I was struggling to swallow past the lump in my throat. However, the moment the door opened, everything I had been struggling with vanished as Bryn stood there, looking like a damn goddess.

“Hey, Aunt Bryn!” Cullen said, rushing inside.

“Hey, buddy. Did you have fun?” she asked.

“The best! You won’t believe it, but we are eating pizza tonight from the pizza place in town. They like Rio, so he can buy us pizza from there,” he said. “I gotta pee.” Then, he was gone.

My eyes never left her. She turned her gaze to me then, and I stood there, speechless. Bryn was beautiful in baggy shirts, no makeup, and unbrushed hair. However, Bryn like this was the most gorgeous being on the planet.

“So, you’re staying for dinner then?” she asked with a smile.

I opened my mouth, and nothing came out. Then, I laughed at my own reaction. Finally, I managed to find my voice. “Damn, Bryn. A man needs a warning before you show up at the door like this.”

She blushed and bit her bottom lip. She’d done this on purpose—or at least, I was pretty damn sure she had. This was for me. Although I hadn’t needed any more of a push. It felt good to know she wanted to give me a reason to stay.

The short skirt showcased her legs that I knew only led to more perfection underneath, and, God, did she give me a view of cleavage. I had fought not to stare at her nipples through the damn T-shirt this morning, which was several sizes too big. I didn’t need to see the tops of them. But there they were, taunting me. Her breathing was heavy enough to make them rise and fall slowly.

“Come on in,” she said, stepping back, and I caught sight of her bare feet. Even those were perfect.

I came inside, and her scent hit me. I paused and inhaled deeply. Then turned to look down at her. “You are trying to kill me,” I whispered just as Cullen came running back into the room.

“And Rio knows the man who owns the candy shop. He can tell him that you’re nice and we can go inside.”

I saw her stiffen, and a forced smile touched her lips. “That’s wonderful,” she told him tightly. “The pizza place and the candy shop,” she said, turning her fake smile my way.

“Yeah, I’d like to know more about that later,” I told her.

She only nodded once, then turned back to Cullen. “You’ve had a very busy morning. It’s time for a nap. If you don’t nap, you’ll never make it to eat that pizza.”

Cullen’s shoulders slumped. “Okay,” he said, then looked at me. “You’ll be here when I get up?” he asked.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I told him. Especially with your aunt dressed like that.

He walked slowly back to his room and closed the door.

“I’ll come check on you in ten minutes. You’d better be in bed,” Bryn called out to him. Then, she looked back at me. “So, he was good today?” she asked.

“Perfect,” I replied. “Tell me about the pizza place and candy store,” I said, stepping closer to her.

She sighed. “The man at the candy store said he didn’t sell to people like me who vandalize others’ property.” She lifted her gaze from the floor to mine. “Same with the pizza place,” she added.

The fucking Jeep . Jesus, were they still holding that shit against her? Why hadn’t I known about this already?

“I’m sorry,” I said, reaching out to touch her hand because I needed to touch something. “I had no idea.”

She shrugged. “You’re well liked in this community, and I bashed your Jeep. They took your side.”